AN END TO THE MADNESS

As various Mad Men posters in New York and elsewhere read: It is the end of an era. In its eight years on air, Mad Men has proven television can be as nuanced and stylish as a novel; it is so much more than entertainment. Just a few days after the final episode airs, showrunner Matthew Weiner sits in conversation with novelist A.M. Homes in his first public discussion of the series from start to finish. It’s an inspired pairing: Homes is known for works such as The End of Alice, about a convicted child molester and murderer, and Weiner has tackled issues including sexism, alcoholism, race, and class. Their talk is at a location just as iconic as the show: the New York Public Library.

Wed., May 20, 7 p.m., 2015