What mortal things are fleeting, and what stays with us forever? Set during a time of changing values and beliefs and in a Philadelphia neighborhood known for its diversity of ethnicity, race, and social-class, Mortal Things shines a light on the impact of the families we are given and the ones we choose.

Told in alternating perspectives against the vibrant backdrop of one of Philadelphia's most distinctive neighborhoods, Mortal Things is a powerful reflection on the transient ties that can bind or break us. Ned Bachus will read from Mortal Things and talk about the novel's 36-year gestation period.

Ned Bachus's book of short stories, City of Brotherly Love, was awarded the 2013 Independent Publishers Award (IPPY) Gold Medal for Literary Fiction. About the book, Sena Jeter Naslund, author of Ahab's Wife, said, "My life is variously enriched by reading Ned Bachus's superb stories." The recipient of two fellowships from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and two artist residencies at Ireland's Cill Rialaig Retreat, Ned's 2017 memoir, Open Admissions: What Teaching at Community College Taught Me about Learning was the product of his nearly four-decade career at Community College of Philadelphia, where he won multiple teaching awards. Born in Quebec and raised in Philadelphia, Ned now lives in Camden, Maine.