Hillary Jordan, the Bellwether Prize-winning author of “Mudbound,” will bethe guest of honor at the Nov. 22 event.

On Sunday, Nov. 22, the Hopewell Valley Education Foundation (HVEF) will host its fourth annual Book Lovers' Luncheon at the Greenacres Country Club in Lawrenceville, NJ. The luncheon, a fund raiser for the district’s author-in-residence program supported annually by the Hopewell Valley Education Foundation, will feature guest speaker Hillary Jordan, the author of Mudbound.

Ms. Jordan will read from her popular novel, discuss her writing process and background for this novel, answer questions from the audience, and sign books. Mudbound was the winner of the 2006 Bellwether Prize for Fiction awarded biennially by Barbara Kingsolver to a debut novel that addresses issues of social justice.

According to Barbara Kingsolver, “Hillary Jordan writes with the force of a Delta storm.” Mudbound was also named the new Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association Fiction Book of the year for 2008 and was the winner of the 2009 American Library Association’s Alex Award. It was Borders’ Original Voices selection, a Book Sense pick, and was called a “powerful firestorm of a first novel” by Barnes & Noble Discover Pick.

The Book Lovers’ Luncheon will feature a silent auction and grab bags, the sale of Hillary Jordan’s book, and the popular $5.00 sale of book-club quality books donated by attendees at the luncheon. The $50 tickets to the luncheon can only be purchased prior to the luncheon by mailing a check to the Hopewell Valley Education Foundation at P.O. Box 553, Pennington, NJ 08534.

Proceeds from the luncheon will help support an author-in-residence program at the four elementary schools in the spring. The previous author events were very “magical” experiences for all in attendance and there is now a real following of book lovers who attend these luncheons. Past speakers at the luncheons include internationally known author Joyce Carol Oates, Philadelphia crime writer Lisa Scottoline, and John Chatterton and Richie Kohler, the divers from the non-fiction book Shadow Divers.

The luncheon not only raises money for the HVEF, but also expands the minds and experiences of community members. Last year over 150 people attended the event, representing 50 different book clubs. Both book club members and non-members are encouraged to attend. The Hopewell Valley Education Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that serves the needs of the Hopewell Valley public schools through the development of community partnerships and resources.

Using these resources, the Education Foundation provides grants to teachers throughout the Hopewell Valley school district to fund enrichment programs for all students. For more information regarding the Book Lovers’ Luncheon, call Carol Jackson at 737-0821, send e-mail to books@hvef.org. or visit the foundation’s website at www.hvef.org.