Wednesday, June 3 | 6:00 PM | Nic + Juniors
Step into the shadowed world behind museum glass—where beauty, history, and power collide—with author Natalie Lemle, as she joins us for an evening of intrigue, memory, and moral complexity at the Chicago Literary Salon.
In her riveting debut novel, Artifacts, Lemle introduces Lena Connolly, a successful trusts and estates attorney drawn into a case involving a rare ancient Roman cup—one that may have been looted and illegally sold to a museum. What begins as a professional inquiry quickly becomes deeply personal, forcing Lena to revisit a long-buried past: a summer spent on an archaeological dig in the Italian Alps, where ambition, love, and mystery intertwined—and where everything she thought she knew unraveled.
As timelines blur between past and present, Lena must confront what really happened on the dig, the disappearance of her mentor, and the truth about the artifact at the center of it all. In a world where history is bought and sold, she is left to question who truly owns the past—and what it costs to reclaim it.
Your evening includes:
A signed hardcover copy of Artifacts from Three Avenues Bookshop
A handpainted bookmark by Katie Corcoran Art
A thoughtfully curated menu by Nic + Juniors, featuring:
A welcome cocktail
Hors d’Oeuvres
A compelling conversation with Natalie Lemle, in conversation with Sheila Schuenemann of Booked & Busy Reader, on cultural heritage, museums, looted antiquities, and the hidden networks of the art market
Thoughtfully designed conversation prompts to spark reflection and connection—no prior reading required
Whether you’re drawn to art, history, or stories that peel back the polished facade of institutions we trust, join us for an evening that moves beyond the gallery walls—into the secrets, ethics, and human stories behind the artifacts we preserve.
Seating is extremely limited. Reserve your place today.
About Artifacts
For readers of The Cloisters and Counterfeit, Natalie Lemle’s debut novel offers an insider’s view into the world of stolen artifacts and the hidden networks that link museums to organized crime, when a woman is forced to remember the summer she spent on an archaeological dig in Italy, as everyone she knew then may now be in danger.
Successful trusts and estates attorney Lena Connolly is asked by a colleague to assist on a case: the Italian government claims an artifact was looted and sold to a museum illegally and is seeking repatriation. The object in question is a cup made of dichroic glass, which would have been rare even in Ancient Rome, let alone thousands of years later.
Lena has done everything she can to put the study abroad summer she spent on an archaeological dig in the Italian Alps behind her. Her dreams of being an archaeologist shattered when her mentor Cyrille disappeared and her enigmatic boyfriend Giamma went dark, but with this new case, the past comes roaring back.
Told in alternating timelines, Artifacts follows young Lena as she falls in love with both archaeology and Giamma on the streets of Torino while her adult self pieces together what truly happened on the dig, now a fully restored Roman villa with World Heritage status. The dichroic cup, Lena discovers, may have been taken from the very site she helped unearth.
Powerful and exuberant, Natalie Lemle’s Artifacts brings readers behind the museum glass and asks questions about cultural heritage and the historical preservation of our shared sense of humanity.
About Natalie Lemle:
Natalie Lemle studied classics and art history at Tufts University and earned an MFA in creative writing from Emerson College. She is the founder of art_works, an art advisory connecting contemporary artists with global companies, and previously worked in corporate relations at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. She serves on the boards of the ICA/Boston and the Associates of the Boston Public Library. Artifacts is her first novel.
About Sheila Schuenemann:
Sheila Schuenemann is the creator of Booked & Busy Reader, a Chicago-based platform where she helps readers discover books worth their time. She has been reading 100+ books a year for over 11 years and shares curated recommendations with a community of more than 500,000 readers.
She is also the founder of the Booked & Busy Book Club, where she highlights one standout book each month and fosters thoughtful discussion among readers. Sheila is known for her approachable, insightful take across multiple genres including contemporary fiction and historical fiction, and her ability to connect audiences with stories that stay with them.