Soon-to-be box office smash In the Heights will be lighting up screens across the country next month as one of the first films to return to theaters since the beginning of the pandemic, but a little magic is also about to happen on our own block. And it’s got us channeling our inner Mr. Braggadocio.

Mere days after the film hits theaters, Lin-Manuel Miranda himself will be making a stop in Houston. Well, virtually at least.

On June 15, Blue Willow Bookshop will join more than 50 stores across the U.S. in hosting the virtual book launch of In the Heights: Finding Home, a new memoir that gives readers an inside look into the making of the musical that catapulted Miranda’s career before Hamilton made him a household name.

“Stop us from breaking into song when we hear that Lin-Manuel Miranda has a new book,” Blue Willow owner Valerie Koehler tells Houstonia. “Everyone has downloaded the music. We are ready to read the story behind the story.”

During this special conversation, Miranda, as well as co-authors Quiara Alegría Hudes and Jeremy McCarter, will chat about “creativity, community, and finding home.” (Hudes wrote the Tony-winning Broadway musical’s libretto as well as the screenplay for its upcoming film adaptation, while McCarter worked with Miranda on the New York Times’ bestseller Hamilton: The Revolution.)

Attendees will receive a hardcopy copy In the Heights: Finding Home as well as a Zoom link to access the book launch (don’t worry, tickets are a lot less than “96,000”). And while this special event won’t be shared on Blue Willow’s YouTube channel after the fact, the staff understands that, sometimes, the internet happens; those who purchase tickets will receive a recording if they miss the event or have technical issues. 

“With Houston being a diverse city, it seems right for us,” Koehler says of the upcoming event. “It is so exciting to be a part of this evening.”

June 15, 7 p.m. $40. Online. More info and tickets at bluewillowbookshop.com. 

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