“This latest horn was Madame Sunday’s third.” So begins Boy of Bone, K.R. Sands’ collection of stories, each inspired by one of the exhibits at the Mütter Museum of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. In a remarkable feat of atmospheric storytelling, K.R. Sands imagines the lives of the people suffering the conditions now on display. Horns grow on the face and hands of a seamstress in 1835 Paris. The sister of a fallen Civil War soldier endeavors to honor him with a book bound in his skin. And in the haunting title story, a little boy in Philadelphia, afflicted with a rare genetic disease, waits years for death as his muscles slowly turn to bone. In imagining the lives of those now on exhibit at the Mütter, K.R. Sands has created thrilling, utterly original stories that get to the heart of what it means to be human, with all its complications: suffering, joy, love, sorrow, and ultimately, death.

Join us for an illustrated talk on this new book and the exhibits in the Mütter Museum that inspired it. Artwork featured in the talk will include that of nationally acclaimed artist Jon Lezinsky, whose original digital collages illustrate the book, which will be sold on site. After the talk, author K.R. Sands will sign copies of the book, and the Mütter Museum will be open for free admission. Sales of this book benefit The College of Physicians of Philadelphia.

Speaker: K.R. Sands, Author, Boy of Bone: Twelve Stories Inspired by the Mütter Museum

Sponsored by The College of Physicians of Philadelphia.