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Three 2020 honorees for the National Book Award for Fiction Rumaan Alam (Leave the World Behind, Finalist), Megha Majumdar (A Burning, Longlist), and Deesha Philyaw (The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, Finalist) discuss their books and fiction’s place in contemporary American culture, with Randy Winston.
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In partnership with the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library’s Same Page community-wide reading series, acclaimed author Jacqueline Woodson will discuss her work, including Red at the Bone, as well as her National …
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Join author De’Shawn Charles Winslow as he discusses his novel, In West Mills, with Allison Wright, executive editor of Virginia Quarterly Review.
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Micheline Aharonian Marcom discusses her latest novel, The New American, with Catalina Esguerra
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Anita Felicelli (Chimerica) & Joni Murphy (Talking Animals) discuss their latest novels & the roles of talking animals in literary fiction
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Beloved novelist Jill McCorkle discusses her latest book, Hieroglyphics, with author Brendan Mathews…
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Academy Award nominee Ethan Hawke will be joined by award-winning author James McBride for a conversation around The Good Lord Bird…
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Author Maaza Mengiste discusses her latest novel, The Shadow King, which was shortlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize, with her editor, Jill Bialosky.
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Novelist Juli Delgado Lopera discusses their acclaimed new novel, Fiebre Tropical, with Catalina Esguerra. Lit by the hormonal neon glow of Miami, this heady, multilingual debut novel follows a Colombian …
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Novelists Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle (Even As We Breathe), Kelli Jo Ford (Crooked Hallelujah), and Diane Wilson (The Seed Keeper) discuss their work as indigenous writers celebrating Dakota and Cherokee cultures and traditions amid larger forces of history, religion, and class in America.
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Novelists Rachel Beanland (Florence Adler Swims Forever), Brian Castleberry (Nine Shiny Objects), and Lauren Francis-Sharma (Book of the Little Axe) discuss their sweeping works of historical fiction, ranging from 18th-century Trinidad to 20th-century America, and grappling with colonialism, family secrets, racism, and questions of belief.
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Join Anna Beecher (Here Comes the Miracle) and Emily Temple (The Lightness), MFA graduates of UVA’s Creative Writing Program, as they read from and discuss their first novels, in conversation …
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Susan Abulhawa (Against the Loveless World), Peace Adzo Medie (His Only Wife), and Diane Zinna (The All-Night Sun) discuss their new novels and the irrepressible women whose stories they tell, including a young Palestinian reflecting on her life while in solitary confinement, a young seamstress in Ghana seeking independence while navigating marriage and family, and an American teacher traveling in Sweden who is forced to finally come to grips with her buried grief.
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The Charlottesville Chapter of The Links Incorporated presents its 17th annual Celebration of the African American Literary Tradition, including musical and spoken word performances by community youth and a tribute …
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Catherine Hernandez (Crosshairs) and Jordan Ifueko (Raybearer) discuss their works of speculative fiction for YA and adult audiences, as well as their experiences as women of color writing BIPOC characters in science fiction and fantasy.
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John Lanchester (Reality and Other Stories) and Te-Ping Chen (Land of Big Numbers: Stories) discuss their new collections of short stories which grapple with questions of interpersonal connection, technology, ambition, and distraction, through a mixture of witty literary fiction, magical realism, and cultural criticism.
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Novelist Sadeqa Johnson discusses her latest book, Yellow Wife, the harrowing story of an enslaved woman forced to barter love and freedom while living in the most infamous slave jail in Virginia.
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Bill Clegg (The End of the Day), Zeyn Joukhadar (The Thirty Names of Night), and Zak Salih (Let’s Get Back to the Party) discuss their new novels exploring the mysteries of self and community, from the bonds and breaking points of friendship across generations, to a closeted Syrian-American trans boy’s search for family, and childhood friends’ attempts to navigate queer culture in contemporary Washington, D.C.
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Ayad Akhtar (Homeland Elegies) discusses his latest novel, a deeply personal work about identity and belonging in a nation coming apart at the seams.
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Karen Grey (What I’m Looking For), Tif Marcelo (Once Upon a Sunset), and Lorelei Parker (Crushing It) discuss their contemporary romance novels, featuring healthy doses of romantic comedy, passion, and heartwarming second chances.
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