PBS Books

Policy Talks @ The Ford School: CNN anchor Jake Tapper
2023-12-04 20:00 - 21:00 (America/Detroit)
Policy Talks @ The Ford School
Talk streams on Monday, Dec. 4, 2023 at 8:00 PM EST
Join for a special event featuring CNN anchor and Chief Washington correspondent, Jake Tapper, as part of the continuing series: “Democracy in Crisis: Views from the Press.”

Jake Tapper, CNN anchor and Chief Washington correspondent
CNN anchor and chief Washington correspondent Jake Tapper joined the network in January 2013. Tapper currently anchors a two-hour weekday program, The Lead with Jake Tapper, which debuted in March 2013. He has hosted CNN’s Sunday morning show, State of the Union, since June 2015. In April 2021, he became the lead anchor for CNN for Washington, D.C. events.
About the series: Democracy in Crisis
In Spring 2022, the University of Michigan Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, Wallace House Center for Journalists, and Democracy & Debate launched the series “Democracy in Crisis: Views from the Press,” launched a series featuring award-winning journalists to share their insights into the forces threatening and protecting American democratic structures and systems. The series – which will continue into the 2023-24 academic year – also explores the current state of journalism and the role of the press in upholding democratic institutions.

Author Talk with Tiya Miles
2023-12-06 20:00 - 21:00 (America/Detroit)
Program Description:
National Director of PBS Books, Heather-Marie Montilla sits down with award-winning writer and scholar Tiya Miles to discuss her latest book “Wild Girls: How the outdoor shaped the women who challenged a nation.” This exciting new book introduces us to lesser-known trailblazing women whose strength and tenacity allowed them to break social norms and amplify the voices of American Heroes for the next generation. This book aligns with PBS’s new environmental programming initiative, launched earlier this year that explores impacts on the country and the planet.
This effort marks a bold commitment to bring together the very best in science, history and news programming. PBS has created more than 200 hours of climate and environmental content available now across various PBS platforms, PBS and its member stations will focus on the challenges of a changing climate while highlighting examples of positive impact. This broad slate of programs explores climate change from a diversity of perspectives and include new productions such as HUMAN FOOTPRINT; Season Two of AMERICA OUTDOORS WITH BARATUNDE THURSTON, NOVA and NATURE; a digital-first series from PBS Digital Studios which includes WEATHERED, and more.
About the Book:
An award-winning historian shows how girls who found self-understanding in the natural world became women who changed America.
Harriet Tubman, forced to labor outdoors on a Maryland plantation, learned from the land a terrain for escape. Louisa May Alcott ran wild, eluding gendered expectations in New England. The Indigenous women’s basketball team from Fort Shaw, Montana, recaptured a sense of pride in physical prowess as they trounced the white teams of the 1904 World’s Fair. Celebrating women like these who acted on their confidence outdoors, Wild Girls brings new context to misunderstood icons like Sacagawea and Pocahontas, and to underappreciated figures like Native American activist writer Gertrude Bonnin, farmworkers’ champion Dolores Huerta, and labor and Civil Rights organizer Grace Lee Boggs.
This beautiful, meditative work of history puts girls of all races—and the landscapes they loved—at center stage and reveals the impact of the outdoors on women’s independence, resourcefulness, and vision. For these trailblazing women of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, navigating the woods, following the stars, playing sports, and taking to the streets in peaceful protest were not only joyful pursuits, but also techniques to resist assimilation, racism, and sexism. Lyrically written and full of archival discoveries, Wild Girls evokes landscapes as richly as the girls who roamed in them—and argues for equal access to outdoor spaces for young women of every race and class today.
About the Author:
TIYA MILES is the Michael Garvey Professor of History at Harvard University, the author of five prize-winning works on the history of slavery and early American race relations, and a 2011 MacArthur Fellowship recipient. She was the founder and director of the Michigan-based ECO Girls program, and she is the author of the National Book Award–winning, New York Times best-selling All That She Carried. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Bozeman, Montana.

The Inner Voice with Lynn Goldsmith | The Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series
2023-12-08 20:00 - 21:00 (America/Halifax)
This speaker event was recorded live on Thursday, November 16, 2023, at 5:30 pm in the Michigan Theater, Ann Arbor, MI.
Over the past 50 years, Lynn Goldsmith has been an inventor, a filmmaker, a director for network television, a co-manager of a rock band, a songwriter and recording artist, a business owner, a crusader for copyright protection, and consistently, through it all, a photographer.
Lynn Goldsmith’s photographic images are in numerous museum collections, including The Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, The Museum of Modern Art, The Chicago Museum of Contemporary Photography, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Museum Folkwang, The Polaroid Collection, and The Kodak Collection. Her work over the past 50 years in the editorial world has appeared on and between the covers of publications including Life, Newsweek, Time, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, National Geographic Traveler, Sports Illustrated, People, Elle, Interview, The New Yorker. The subjects have varied from entertainment personalities to sports stars, from film directors to authors, from the extraordinary to the ordinary man on the street. Winning numerous prestigious awards from the Lucien Clergue to the World Press in Portraiture, to the Lucie for Portraiture in 2020. She was included in Chronicle Book’s publication 200 Women Who Will Change the Way You See the World.
Learn More>>

The Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series Fall 2023 Season
This winter, the Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series brings respected leaders and innovators from a broad spectrum of creative fields to Ann Arbor’s historic Michigan Theater for weekly in-person events.
Detroit Public Television and PBS Books, in partnership with the Stamps School, will stream each week’s event Fridays at 8pm.
See the full schedule of events livestreamed by PBS Books here.
Some programs may not be available online, depending on artist requests. Interested in receiving notifications before online videos go live? Sign up to receive a reminder before each event begins streaming.
Watch Past Penny Stamps Episodes

The Magic of Masterpiece - "Grantchester" Filmmaker Talk with Daisy Coulam
2023-12-13 20:00 - 21:00 (America/Detroit)
The Magic of Masterpiece
Program Description:
PBS Books, in collaboration with MASTERPIECE, hosts a conversation with creator, writer, and executive producer of Grantchester, Daisy Coulam, to discuss Season 8 of Grantchester.
Originally based on a series of books by James Runcie, Grantchester has become a summer viewing staple. Set in Cambridgeshire, vicar Will Davenport and detective Geordie Keating continue to solve mysteries and fight crime. Gain insights into Daisy’s writing process and the riveting 8th season of Grantchester.
About the Show:
There’s no shortage of murder, mystery, and mayhem in the Cambridgeshire village of Grantchester — but Detective Geordie Keating (Robson Green) and motorcycle riding vicar Will Davenport (Tom Brittney) are always on the case.
In Grantchester Season 8, Will is happy, and Geordie and Cathy are content in their relationship. But an accident and shocking announcements threaten the stability and happiness found by Grantchester’s vicar and police detective duo. Exploring faith, forgiveness, and redemption, this explosive season of Grantchester tests Will and Geordie to the limit.
Catch up on past seasons of Grantchester by becoming a member of your local station and receiving the benefit of PBS Passport for extended access to Masterpiece series like Grantchester. Check out the full library of Masterpiece Filmmaker Talks at The Magic of Masterpiece, right here on PBS Books.
Guest Biography:
Daisy  Coulam is creator, writer and executive producer of “Grantchester”– now in its eigth season. Daisy also wrote and created ”Deadwater Fell”, a 4–part psychological thriller starring David Tennant – and has written for numerous other shows including ”Humans” and ”Death in Paradise”.

The Magic of Masterpiece – “Sanditon” Filmmaker Talk with Justin Young
2023-12-20 20:00 - 21:00 (America/Detroit)
The Magic of Masterpiece
Program Description:
PBS Books, in partnership with MASTERPIECE, sits down with Justin Young, who is the Head Writer and Executive Producer for Season 2 and 3 of Sanditon. The conversation is co-hosted by Colleen O’Donnell, who is Detroit Public Television’s Social Media Manager. Justin discusses his work and process in writing and producing Sanditon’s Season 2.
About the Show:
Nineteenth century English writer Jane Austen was a trailblazer and a social changer. In early 1817, she fell ill with a mysterious disease when she started work on a novel set in a seaside town called Sanditon. She never finished it. MASTERPIECE introduced its Sanditon mini-series in 2020, picking up Austen’s setting, characters, and plot.
While taking us on an amazing adventure in the 19th century with Miss Heywood, the series also explores issues of race, sexual abuse, gender roles, money, and power. Catch up on past seasons of Sanditon by becoming a member of your local station and receive benefit of PBS Passport for extended access to Masterpiece series like Sanditon.
Guest Biography:
Justin Young is Head Writer and Executive Producer on Sanditon, Seasons 2 and 3. His previous credits include Sanditon, Season 1, Dickensian, Death In Paradise, and Ripper Street. Justin was Head Writer and Series Producer of Holby City for 3 years, during which the show was BAFTA-nominated twice. Other TV writing includes Casualty and Eastenders.
In 2015, his play In My Father’s Words enjoyed a critically acclaimed run at the 59E59 Theatre in New York. His plays include The Houghamagandie Pack, Fierce – An Urban Myth – both for Grid Iron, Metagama (Soho Theatre), August (National Theatre Studio) and Moonwalking in Chinatown (Soho Theatre.)

The Magic of Masterpiece - "Endeavour" Filmmaker Talk with Charlotte Webber
2023-12-27 20:00 - 21:00 (America/Detroit)
The Magic of Masterpiece
Program Description:
PBS Books was thrilled to host a conversation about MASTERPIECE’s final season of Endeavour with producer Charlotte Webber. Hear insights into the making of the ninth season and about what you can expect to see as the series comes to an end.
About the Show:
With characters from Colin Dexter’s books, Shaun Evans as Endeavour Morse and Roger Allam as Fred Thursday return for the ninth and final season of the critically acclaimed detective drama Endeavour. Set in the early 70s in Oxford, the final season finds Endeavour Morse and Fred Thursday entering a new era. Catch up on past seasons of Endeavour by becoming a member of your local station and receive benefit of PBS Passport for extended access to Masterpiece series like Endeavour.
Guest Biography:
Charlotte Webber joined the Mammoth family as Executive Producer in December 2022, having worked with the team in various guises since 2018. Charlotte’s first role with Mammoth Screen was script editing WORLD ON FIRE, and she has since script edited THE PALE HORSE and produced the last ever series of ENDEAVOUR.
Before working for Mammoth, Charlotte worked for BBC Drama London and script edited GOOD OMENS for Amazon Prime. As part of her remit as Executive Producer, Charlotte is keen to develop a diverse slate of bold, distinctive projects with a queer focus.

The Magic of Masterpiece - "All Creatures Great and Small" Filmmaker Talk with Ben Vanstone
2024-01-03 20:00 - 21:00 (America/Detroit)
The Magic of Masterpiece
Program Description:
Join PBS Books for a conversation with Ben Vanstone, Writer and Executive Producer of MASTERPIECE’s All Creatures Great and Small.
As the writer and Executive Producer, Vanstone will discuss and examine the adaptation of All Creatures Great and Small, the timeless story written by James Herriot.
About the Show:
All Creatures Great and Small Season 3 is filled with compassion, trials, and triumph in the Yorkshire Dales. Tag along on adventures with Siegfried Farnon, Tristan Farnon, Mrs. Hall, and more as James and Helen prepare for a wedding! Will Tristan earn Siegfried’s approval? How will James fair with local farmers? Look back with us on this Season 3 preview filled with more adventures, more antics, and more animals! Catch up on past seasons of All Creatures Great & Small by becoming a member of your local station and receive benefit of PBS Passport for extended access to Masterpiece series like All Creatures Great & Small
Guest Biography:
Ben Vanstone has created and Executive Produced All Creatures Great & Small for MASTERPIECE on PBS. He is currently writing and show-running Season 4. Prior to that, Ben wrote and was Co-Executive Producer on The English Game for Netflix. Ben created and is show-running the series adaptation of Amor Towle’s novel A Gentleman in Moscow for eOne/Showtime starring Ewan McGregor, which is currently in production.

What to Read in 2024 with Booklist Reader
2024-01-10 20:00 - 21:00 (America/Detroit)
Program Description:
If you are struggling to find that next great read, this episode of PBS Books sits down with Booklist Reader experts to explore some of the not to miss books of 2024! The American Library Association’s Booklist Reader is a library patron–facing magazine featuring diverse readers’ advisory recommendations for readers of all ages. During this program, the editors describe their top choices in various genres–adult, audio, graphic novels, young adult, and youth of all ages.
Learn more about this amazing publication and the most anticipated books for 2024. Booklist Reader aspires to extend and expand library services in America and around the world, raising awareness about diverse books. Since 1905, Booklist has been publishing pre-publication book reviews or reviews of books before they’re available for purchase, as well as reader advisory materials, author interviews, special collections for library workers and reviews on special content. In this program, you can learn from all of their extraordinary expertise.
What to Read in 2024Adult
The Backyard Bird Chronicles
The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan
Tracking the natural beauty that surrounds us, The Backyard Bird Chronicles maps the passage of time through daily entries, thoughtful questions, and beautiful original sketches. With boundless charm and wit, author Amy Tan charts her foray into birding and the natural wonders of the world.
The Black Box: Writing the Race
The Black Box: Writing the Race by Henry Louis Gates Jr.
A magnificent, foundational reckoning with how Black Americans have used the written word to define and redefine themselves, in resistance to the lies of racism and often in heated disagreement with each other, over the course of the country’s history.
There’s Always This Year
There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqib
A Growing up in Columbus, Ohio, in the 1990s, Hanif Abdurraqib witnessed a golden era of basketball, one in which legends like LeBron James were forged and countless others weren’t. His lifelong love of the game leads Abdurraqib into a lyrical, historical, and emotionally rich exploration of what it means to make it, who we think deserves success, the tension between excellence and expectation, and the very notion of role models, all of which he expertly weaves together with intimate, personal storytelling.
Burma Sahib
Burma Sahib by Paul Theroux
From the acclaimed author of THE MOSQUITO COAST and THE BAD ANGEL BROTHERS comes a riveting new novel exploring one of English literature’s most beloved and controversial figures—George Orwell—and the early years as an officer in colonial Burma that transformed him from Eric Blair, the British Raj policeman, into Orwell the anticolonial writer.
Fourteen Days
Fourteen Days Ed. by Margaret Atwood and Douglas Preston
Set in a Lower East Side tenement in the early days of the COVID-19 lockdowns, Fourteen Days is an irresistibly propulsive collaborative novel from the Authors Guild, with an unusual twist: each character in this diverse, eccentric cast of New York neighbors has been secretly written by a different, major literary voice—from Margaret Atwood and Celeste Ng to Tommy Orange and John Grisham.
The Great Divide
The Great Divide by Cristina Henríquez
An epic novel of the construction of the Panama Canal, casting light on the unsung people who lived, loved, and labored there, by Cristina Henríquez, acclaimed author of THE BOOK OF UNKNOWN AMERICANS.
This Could Be Us
This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan
Soledad Barnes has her life all planned out. Because, of course, she does. She plans everything. She designs everything. She fixes everything. She’s a domestic goddess who’s never met a party she couldn’t host or a charge she couldn’t lead. The one with all the answers and the perfect vinaigrette for that summer salad. But none of her varied talents can save her when catastrophe strikes, and the life she built with the man who was supposed to be her forever, goes poof in a cloud of betrayal and disillusion.
Sweetness in the Skin
Sweetness in the Skin by Ishi Robinson
A winning debut novel about a young teenage girl in Jamaica determined to bake her way out of her dysfunctional family and into the opportunity of a lifetime.
River Mumma
River Mumma by Zalika Reid-Benta
Issa Rae’s INSECURE with a magical realist spin: RIVER MUMMA is an exhilarating contemporary fantasy novel about a young Black woman who navigates her quarter-life-crisis while embarking on a mythical quest through the streets of Toronto.
The Kamogawa Food Detectives
The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai
Down a quiet backstreet in Kyoto exists a very special restaurant. Run by Koishi Kamogawa and her father Nagare, the Kamogawa Diner serves up deliciously extravagant meals. But that’s not the main reason customers stop by . . .The father-daughter duo are ‘food detectives’. Through ingenious investigations, they are able to recreate dishes from a person’s treasured memories – dishes that may well hold the keys to their forgotten past and future happiness. The restaurant of lost recipes provides a link to vanished moments, creating a present full of possibility.
When Grumpy Met Sunshine
When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein
A steamy, opposites-attract romance with undeniable chemistry between a grumpy retired footballer and his fabulous and very sunshine-y ghostwriter.
Graphic Novels
My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, Book 2
My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, Book 2 by Emil Ferris
Set against the tumultuous political backdrop of late ’60s Chicago, MY FAVORITE THING IS MONSTERS BOOK TWO is the eagerly awaited conclusion to the most acclaimed graphic novels of the past decade. Presented as the fictional graphic diary of 10-year-old Karen Reyes as she tries to solve the murder of her beloved and enigmatic upstairs neighbor, Anka Silverberg, a holocaust survivor, while the interconnected stories of those around her unfold.
Zodiac: A Graphic Memoir
Zodiac a Graphic Memoir by Ai Weiwei and Elettra Stamboulis, Art by Gianluca Constantini
In this beautifully illustrated and deeply philosophical graphic memoir, legendary artist Ai Weiwei explores the connection between artistic expression and intellectual freedom through the lens of the Chinese zodiac.
Lunar New Year Love Story
Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Luen Yang, Art by LeUyen Pham
Graphic novel superstars Gene Luen Yang and LeUyen Pham join forces in this heartwarming rom-com about fate, family, and falling in love.
.
Youth
Meet Me on Mercer Street
Meet Me on Mercer Street by Booki Vivat
Aspiring artist Kacie spends most of her time on Mercer Street with her best friend, Nisha, people-watching and doodling whatever is happening in their neighborhood. But when she comes back from a summer away, the local corner store is boarded up, the adults in town are all on edge, and Nisha is nowhere to be found! Everything is changing, and Kacie’s not sure what to do about it. Especially without Nisha to help her.
Max in the House of Spies
Max in the House of Spies by Adam Gidwitz
The first book in a duology, Max in the House of Spies is a thought-provoking World War II story as only acclaimed storyteller Adam Gidwitz can tell it—fast-paced and hilarious, with a dash of magic and a lot of heart.
Cosmic Collisions: Asteroid vs. Comet
Cosmic Collisions: Asteroid vs. Comet by Dr. Marc J Kuchner and illustrated by Matt Schu
What happens when two massive hunks of hurtling space debris slam into each other? Welcome to round one in the Cosmic Collisions series—an exciting children’s debut from an expert astrophysicist.
The Book That Almost Rhymed
The Book That Almost Rhymed by Omar Abed, illustrated by Hatem Aly
Every great adventure needs a hero—or two! This playful take on storytelling and equity proves that two tellers can make a rhyming tale twice as nice.
Wild Places: The Life of Naturalist David Attenborough
Wild Places: The Life of Naturalist David Attenborough by Hayley Rocco, illustrated by John Rocco
An inspiring and accessible picture book biography of the beloved naturalist, broadcaster, and documentarian David Attenborough—stunningly illustrated by a Caldecott Honoree.
Young Adult
The Bad Ones
The Bad Ones by Melissa Albert
After her estranged best friend goes missing and she herself starts losing time, Nora digs into a creepy local legend.
Sky's End
Sky’s End by Marc J. Greyson
Plummet into a kill-or-be-killed competition where a scrappy underdog hell-bent on revenge must claw his way to the top in this thrilling YA fantasy debut. Exiled to live as a Low, sixteen-year-old Conrad refuses to become heir to his murderous uncle. But Meritocracy is a harsh and unforgiving rule on the floating island of Holmstead, and when his ailing mother is killed by monstrous gorgantauns, Conrad cuts a deal to save the only family he has left. To rescue his sister from his uncle’s clutches, Conrad must enter the Selection of the Twelve Trades.
So Let Them Burn
So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole
In the aftermath of a war, two magical sisters contend with divine magic and dragon-riding invaders in this Jamaican-inspired fantasy.
This Day Changes Everything
This Day Changes Everything by Edward Underhill
In 24 hours, two queer teenagers go from strangers to friends to maybe more as they embark on a scavenger hunt around NYC.
The Girl, the Ring, & the Baseball Bat
The Girl, the Ring, & the Baseball Bat by Camille Gomera-Tavarez
Three New Jersey teens obtain magical items that will purportedly solve all their problems in this entrancing magical-realism novel by Camille Gomera-Tavarez.
My Throat an Open Grave
My Throat an Open Grave by Tori Bovalino
Leah Jones has no hope for a future outside of Winston, Pennsylvania. She’s on the verge of dropping out of high school, barely balancing her job at the gas station with her duty to care for her baby brother, Owen. But when Owen is taken by the Lord of the Wood, Leah must face the dangers of the wood to write a song that will win Owen back—and the truth of how her life went so very wrong.
Shut Up, This is Serious
Shut Up, This Is Serious by Carolina Ixta
An unforgettable YA debut about two Latina teens growing up in East Oakland as they discover that the world is brimming with messy complexities, perfect for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo and Erika L. Sánchez.
Escaping Mr. Rochester
Escaping Mr. Rochester by L.L. McKinney
This captivating take on JANE EYRE gives Bertha more attention as she and Jane plot to flee Thornfield Hall and the oppressive Mr. Rochester.
Audiobook
#CrimeTime
#CrimeTime by Jeneva Rose and Drew Pyne; Read by Samantha Desz, Piper Goodeve, Kevin R. Free, Gary Tiedemann, Chris Andrew Ciulla, Phil Thron, Nancy Linari,, Abelardo Campuzano, Jennifer Damiano, Peter Berkrot and P.J. Ochlan
The first audio original from Jeneva Rose, the author of blockbuster bestseller THE PERFECT MARRIAGE, #CRIMETIME is a full-cast mystery written with her husband, Drew Pyne, perfect for fans of Only Murders in the Building and Finley Donovan Is Killing It.
The Lost Van Gogh
The Lost Van Gogh by Jonathan Santlofer; Read by Edoardo Ballerini
For years, there have been whispers that, before his death, Van Gogh completed a final self-portrait. Curators and art historians have savored this rumor, hoping it could illuminate some of the troubled artist’s many secrets, but even they have to concede that the missing painting is likely lost forever. But when Luke Perrone, artist and great-grandson of the man who stole the Mona Lisa, and Alexis Verde, daughter of a notorious art thief, discover what may be the missing portrait, they are drawn into a most epic art puzzles.
West Heart Kill
West Heart Kill by Dann McDorman; Read by Robert Petkoff
A unique and irresistible murder mystery set at a remote hunting lodge where everyone is a suspect, including the erratic detective on the scene—a remarkable debut that gleefully upends the rules of the genre.
The Wonderful World of James Herriot
The Wonderful World of James Herriot: A Charming Collection of Classis Stories by James Herriot; Read by Anna Madeley
The perfect listen for fans of All Creatures Great and Small, this is a charming collection of classic stories from James Herriot’s much-loved books, with insights into his life and work from his children Rosie and Jim.
The Distance Between Us
The Distance Between Us: Young Readers Edition by Reyna Grande; Read by Alejandra Reynoso
Award-winning author Reyna Grande shares her personal experience of crossing borders and cultures in this middle grade adaptation of her memoir.
Coretta: The Autobiography of Mrs. Coretta Scott King
Coretta: The Autobiography of Mrs. Coretta Scott King by Coretta Scott King; Read by January LaVoy
Adapted from her adult memoir, this is the autobiography of Coretta Scott King—wife of Martin Luther King, Jr., founder of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change (the King Center), and twentieth-century American civil and human rights activist. This audiobook features sound design and special effects to enhance your enjoyment of Coretta: The Autobiography of Mrs. Coretta Scott King. Listen out for the sounds or protest, change, and a life well lived.
Featured Guests
Donna Seaman - Editor, Adult Books
Donna Seaman, Editor, Adult Books, keeps busy assigning books to our fantastic freelance reviewers, consulting with colleagues, editing, reading, writing, or planning coverage for future issues of Booklist. Donna heads to museums whenever possible, and was thrilled to be able to combine her ardor for literature and art in IDENTITY UNKNOWN: REDISCOVERING SEVEN AMERICAN WOMEN ARTISTS (2017). Donna is also a very grateful and proud recipient of RUSA/ALA’s Louis Shores Award for excellence in book reviewing.
George Kendall - Editor & Publisher
George Kendall began as Booklist Editor & Publisher in 2019 and since March 2023 is also serving as the American Library Association’s Interim Director of Publishing & Media. George received his MA in Literary Studies from the University of Cape Town in South Africa. He has worked in publishing for most of his career, but was once a professional musician and will sometimes, though very rarely, dust off his French horn and play a few notes.
Susan Macguire - Senior Editor
Susan Maguire, Senior Editor, Collection Management and Library Outreach, worked for a decade in public libraries before joining Booklist. She loves reading and talking about reading and talking to librarians about talking about reading.
Sarah Hunter - Editor, Youth/Graphic Novel
Sarah Hunter, Editor of the Books for Youth and Graphic Novel sections, came to Booklist following her work with Open Books, a literacy nonprofit in Chicago, after receiving an MA in English from the University of Chicago, and she’s traded critical theory and post-modern literature for picture book illustration and comics (surprisingly not as unrelated as you might think). In addition to the many hours she spends reading, writing, and editing for every issue, she is proud to manage Booklist’s annual Guide to Graphic Novels in Libraries supplement.
Heather Booth - Audio Editor
Heather Booth, Audio Editor, has been at Booklist since 2018, a librarian since 2002, and has been listening to audiobooks since they came on records that were tucked into paper pockets in her picture books. She is always up for listening to a quirky family story, a twisty mystery, or that book so well crafted it takes your breath away. Heather in on a quest to bake a perfect macaron and enjoys spending time with family, her dogs, and nature.
Maggie Reagan - Senior Editor, Youth
Maggie Reagan, Senior Editor, Books for Youth, Booklist and Book Links, holds a BA in English and Creative Writing from Denison University and attended the NYU Summer Publishing Institute. During lockdown, she accidentally acquired several cats who are very enthusiastic about Zoom meetings. Ask her about her favorite ABBA song if you are starved for conversation.

Author Talk with Yolanda Renee King - We Dream A World
2024-01-15 20:00 - 21:00 (America/Detroit)
Program Description:
As we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr Day, PBS Books invites you to hear from the next generation that is building on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and Coretta Scott King. Heather-Marie Montilla sits down with Author Yolanda Renee King and Illustrator Nicole Tadgell to discuss Miss King’s debut book Carrying the Light from My Grandparents Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King: We Dream a World. In We Dream A World, Yolanda Renee King discusses her family legacy and her vision for the future of young change-makers, while Nicole Tadgell reflects upon the creation of her remarkable imagery that brings the author’s words to life.
Book Description:
A stirring picture book tribute to Coretta Scott King and Martin Luther King, Jr., authored by their only grandchild, Yolanda Renee King, with illustrations by award-winning artist Nicole Tadgell, WE DREAM A WORLD: Carrying the Light from My Grandparents, Martin Luther King Jr., and Coretta Scott King (On sale January 2, 2024; Ages 4-8; Orchard Books/Scholastic) serves as a grandchild’s gift to her grandparents – and the world.
Inspired by her family’s legacy of national civil rights advocacy, Yolanda Renee King is leading a new generation of modern activists. Though the 15-year-old never met her grandfather, she has galvanized countless young people to stand up and speak out on a range of issues affecting the world today – racial equality, gun violence, climate change, poverty, education, and more. Her new book, a call for unity and equality, is inspired by Langston Hughes’s seminal poem I Dream A World. The book’s narrative expresses Yolanda’s deep love for her grandparents, while also speaking to children everywhere about her hopes for a new future, as expressed through her call-and-response affirmation that brings thunderous participation at her public speeches and addresses: “Spread the word! Have you heard? All across the nation, we are going to be a great generation!”
In WE DREAM A WORLD, Yolanda Renee King shows the world that young people are strong enough to carry on their elders’ legacy while creating a new path for themselves. Her words are meaningful and universal, and will embolden and inspire the next generation of change-makers In a statement, Yolanda Renee King said about WE DREAM A WORLD, “I’m very pleased to join Scholastic for my book publishing debut. On my grandfather’s 95th birthday, I’m excited to share this love letter in his honor. This book lets every child rediscover my grandparents’ dream.”
Guest Biographies:
Yolanda Renee King never met her grandfather, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. But the young leader is one of the countless activists inspired by his actions. Yolanda was born and raised in the state of Georgia to parents, Martin Luther King III and Arndrea Waters King. She grew up in the city of Atlanta. She was named after her aunt, Yolanda King. She is the first and only grandchild of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King.
Dr. King and his wife Coretta helped change the course of history by spreading a message of equality for all people, regardless of their race or color. Inspired by the path set by her grandparents, Yolanda is trailblazing her own way forward.
Nicole Tadgell is an award-winning watercolor artist whose work spans more than 30 luminous picture books for children. Known for creating realistic yet whimsical characters and scenes, Nicole’s work has been honored by the Kansas Notable Book Award, the Christopher Award, the Children’s Africana Book Award, the Américas Award, the Arkansas Diamond Primary Book Award, and the Growing Good Kids Award.
Her books have been featured by the Bank Street Best College of Education, the Smithsonian Notable Books for Children, the Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choices Annual List, New York Public Library’s Best 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing, Eastern Washington University Excellent Choice, Maine’s A Capital Read, and the Rutgers University Top 5.
Born in Detroit, Michigan, art has always been both an escape and a labor of love for Nicole. Frequent moves challenged her natural shyness, especially in new schools where she was the only black kid in class. “I always had pencils and paper nearby. It helped me make sense of the world around me or create imaginary worlds to live in for a while,” she says. Today, Nicole continues to bring stories to life while advocating for diversity in children’s literature.
In addition to her artwork, she finds beauty, strength and solace in the practice of tai chi, which has led her through trauma and recovery, and into spiritual awakening. A former resident of Massachusetts, Nicole recently moved to Chesapeake, Virginia. She speaks and leads workshops at elementary schools, libraries, bookstores, and art classes for people of all ages. She is also an advertising agency art director with more than two decades’ experience in graphic design.

PBS Books Readers Club - Horse and All Creatures Great & Small
2024-01-31 20:00 - 21:00 (America/Detroit)
Readers Club HomeEpisodes
Join the PBS Books Readers Club hosts Fred, Lauren, Heather, and Princess as they sit down with Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Geraldine Books to discuss her bestselling novel HORSE. We’ll talk with Geraldine about the captivating relationship between horse and human, her process when writing this novel, and get to know more about her life off the pages. With the not to miss season 4 of All Creatures Great & Small finally here, we sit down with the new Executive Producer, Jamie Crichton, to get an inside look on what’s in store for our beloved charters, learn about adapting these treasured tails from Darrowby, and learn about life on set of the MASTERPIECE favorite.
Get the BookGrab a copy using our Bookshop link.
Guest Biographies:
Geraldine Brooks, Author of Horse
Geraldine Brooks is the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel March and the international bestsellers The Secret Chord, Caleb’s Crossing, People of the Book, and Year of Wonders (recently optioned by Olivia Colman). She has also written the acclaimed nonfiction works Nine Parts of Desire and Foreign Correspondence. Brooks started out as a reporter in her hometown, Sydney, and went on to cover conflicts as a Wall Street Journal correspondent in Bosnia, Somalia, and the Middle East. Brooks lives in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts with her sons; her horses, Valentine and Screaming Hot Wings; and a dog named Bear.
James Crichton, Executive Producer and Lead Writer of Season 4 of All Creatures Great and Small
Jamie is currently Lead Writer and Executive Producer on Series 4 of All Creatures Great & Small (Playground / Channel 5 / PBS Masterpiece). His previous work includes Three Pines (Left Bank / Amazon), The Last Kingdom (Carnival / Netflix), Grantchester (Kudos / ITV / PBS Masterpiece), The Tunnel (Kudos / Sky Atlantic), Law & Order: UK (Kudos / ITV) and Ripper Street (Tiger Aspect / BBC).
His crime thriller Bogland won the Grand Prize in the American Screenwriters Association International Screenwriting Competition. Prior to becoming a writer Jamie was Head of Development at Really Useful Films, where he sourced and developed new ideas and writers, as well as managing and script editing the development slate.
His original feature screenplay The Dahls (Raw Film & TV), is in development with Pathé, and he has adapted Belinda Bauer’s Rubbernecker (Film Cymru Wales) and Michael Morpurgo’s The Butterfly Lion.
Readers Club Hosts:
Heather Marie Montilla
Heather-Marie Montilla, a dynamic integrative leader, is an educator and nonprofit manager. She has worked in the nonprofit sector and libraries for over two decades, making a positive impact in arts, cultural, educational, and community-building arenas.
Having joined the PBS Books team as their Library Bureau Chief in Fall 2018, Montilla is now the National Director of PBS Books and has interviewed more than 150 writers. In addition, she is a faculty member at Michigan State University and Eastern Michigan University for their Arts and Cultural/Entertainment Management Programs. Having been an Executive Director for 8 years, Heather has a wide range of experience in management, finance, strategic planning, marketing, and fundraising. Heather holds a MPA From Columbia University, a MLIS from Wayne State University, and a bachelor’s from Duke University. She lives in Chicagoland, and is married with four children, a dog, and a bird.
Princess Weekes
Princess Weekes is an award winning writer and video essayist who works at breaking down the intersections between race, gender, and pop culture. Formally an Assistant Editor at The Mary Sue, co-host of Netflix’s The Geeked Podcast, and co-host and co-writer on the PBS Digital Series It’s Lit. On weekends she works as a bookseller at a local bookstore. When not reading or writing she can be found playing TTRPGs of cuddling with her cat, Lola.
Lauren Smith
Executive Producer and host of national PBS programming at Detroit Public TV, Lauren develops content for PBS and other distributors of public media for broadcast, streaming, and other digital channels and has executive-produced and/or produced over 60 national broadcast and programs. Her passion is to develop inspiring, entertaining, and educational content alongside the best national and international talent, and to engage important content with communities across the country. Lauren loves to read and has worked to develop and produce PBS Books content for nearly ten years!
Fred Nahhat
Fred Nahhat is an Emmy Award-winning producer, host, and presenter for Detroit’s PBS station, where he serves as Sr. VP of Production. A 30-year broadcast veteran, Fred has hosted and produced numerous programs for Public TV – including music specials from Il Volo, Celtic Gold and the New Divas – as well as other series and specials “New Year’s Eve with the DSO”, “The Detroit Dream Cruise,” “The PBS Books Readers Club” and “Get Up, Get Out,” among others.
He is a graduate of Wayne State University and a member of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Michigan Chapter, USA Hockey, and Leadership Detroit.

Soheap Pich | The Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series
2024-02-09 20:00 - 21:00 (America/Detroit)
This speaker event was recorded live on Thursday, February 1, 2024 at 5:30 pm in the Michigan Theater, Ann Arbor, MI.
Sopheap Pich is widely considered to be Cambodia’s most internationally prominent contemporary artist. In 1979, when the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia led to the ousting of the Khmer Rouge régime, he fled with his family to Thailand, spending four years in refugee camps before immigrating to the United States. Memories of traveling vast distances on foot and witnessing the devastation of war — broken bodies, ravaged landscapes, abandoned artillery, ruined buildings, and the breakdown of social and cultural institutions — underpin his early sculptural practice. While Pich studied painting, earning a BFA from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst (1995), and an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (1999), he turned his attention to sculpture after returning to Cambodia in 2002 where he laboriously began working with local materials – bamboo, old rafters, rattan, burlap, beeswax, broken utensils, and earth pigments gathered from his local surroundings. Pich’s works have been collected and shown in many museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim, the Centre George Pompidou, the Mori Art Museum, M+, and the National Gallery of Singapore, as well as many international exhibitions including the 57th Venice Biennale (2017), Documenta 13 (2012), the 6th Asia Pacific Triennale (2009), the Setouchi Triennale (2022), and the Guangju Biennale (2023), among others. He lives and works in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Learn More>>

The Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series Spring 2024 Season
This spring, the Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series brings respected leaders and innovators from a broad spectrum of creative fields to Ann Arbor’s historic Michigan Theater for weekly in-person events.
Detroit Public Television and PBS Books, in partnership with the Stamps School, will stream each week’s event Fridays at 8pm.
See the full schedule of events livestreamed by PBS Books here.
Some programs may not be available online, depending on artist requests. Interested in receiving notifications before online videos go live? Sign up to receive a reminder before each event begins streaming.
Watch Past Penny Stamps Episodes

Author Talk with Cheryl Wills
2024-02-14 20:00 - 21:00 (America/Detroit)
Program Description:
PBS Books host Heather-Marie Montilla sits down with author and journalist Cheryl Wills to discuss her book Isn’t Her Grace Amazing! The Women Who Changed Gospel Music. Join us as Cheryl reflects on her inspiration and motivation behind this stunning portrayal of these legendary women, with powerful accounts of their resilience and strength in their words. We’ll explore the books’ gorgeous photographs of these dynamic women, which capture their importance and prominence, and hear more about the stories behind these icons of the gospel and why their timeless messages have held strong for generations.
Book Description:
Nothing in the world soothes the soul better than Gospel music. From the foot-stomping, hand-clapping melodies of yesterday to the head-bobbing, bass-thumping hits of today, Gospel music ignites the spirit and delivers the inspiration that takes us from the rough side of the mountain to the peak of God’s love and grace. That feeling of joy, peace, love, and contentment is amplified when it’s ringing through the voice of a sister who can SANG, Cheryl Wills reminds us. The remedy for a tough day at work can be alleviated with Mary Mary’s uplifting jam Shackles, the answer to your heart’s desires can be found in the harmonies of The Clark Sisters Name It, Claim It, and if you need a reminder of God’s love, there is nothing more timeless that Aretha Franklin’s stirring rendition of Amazing Grace.
Some talented performers, like Sister Rosetta Tharpe have faded from history, while singers like Yolanda Adams are at the top of her game. During the twentieth century, Willie Mae Ford spent most of her life encouraging and uplifting Christians both in church and on stage and composed more than 100 Gospel songs, yet it was men like her co-writer, Thomas A. Dorsey, who received the accolades and fame. Many women in the Gospel music industry go unnoticed, unpaid, and under-appreciated for their contributions, yet it is these women who are often the bedrock for songwriting, arranging, directing, and developing singers.
Cheryl Wills, the granddaughter of a Gospel singer, at last shines a spotlight on these spectacular women of song. The only book of its kind, Isn’t Her Grace Amazing! showcase the talents, gifts, and skills of women in the Gospel music industry. It celebrates these heroines, chronicles their journeys from the choir loft to the world’s largest stages, and reveals how they revolutionized this sacred music that is beloved worldwide. From the matriarchs of this movement to today’s chart-topping divas, Wills offers in-depth portraits of twenty-five amazing women of Gospel music–based on interviews and extensive research–behind-the-scenes stories of favorite gospel hits, and illuminates what makes each of them shine.
Guest Biography:
Cheryl Wills is a veteran journalist with Spectrum News NY1. The Emmy Award winning reporter and author has written a series of books about her enslaved great-grandfather who was a Union Soldier during The Civil War. Cheryl has interviewed some of the most influential figures in the world, including the first woman president of Africa: Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia and United Nations Secretary General Ban ki-Moon and the late great writer and activist Maya Angelou.
She lives in New York City. For more than a decade she was the host of the Essence Festival’s All-Star Gospel Tribute, a standing room only event that has honored Cissy Houston, Kim Burrell, Yolanda Adams, Kirk Franklin, Mary Mary, Bishop T.D. Jakes, Dorinda Clark-Cole among many others.

Nkeiru Okoye | The Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series
2024-02-16 20:00 - 21:00 (America/Detroit)
This speaker event was recorded live on Thursday, February 8, 2024 at 5:30 pm in the Michigan Theater, Ann Arbor, MI.
Nkeiru Okoye is an American-born composer of African American and Nigerian ancestry. After studying composition, music theory, piano, conducting, and Africana Studies at Oberlin Conservatory, she pursued graduate studies at Rutgers University and became one of the leading African American women composers. An activist through the arts, Okoye creates a body of work that welcomes and affirms both traditional and new audiences.
Nkeiru Okoye’s new commission When the Caged Bird Sings premieres on Saturday, February 10, 2024 at 7:30 PM at UM’s Hill Auditorium, as a collaboration between UMS and the U‑M School of Music, Theatre & Dance. When the Caged Bird Sings fuses elements of oratorio, theater, and opera in a multi-movement musical ceremony, which Okoye describes as ​“a gathering” that invokes the ritual of the concert experience as a ritual of community. Drawing inspiration from the Black church, it celebrates the spirit of rising above expectations and transforming adversity into triumph. Partly in tribute to the activist and poet laureate Maya Angelou, the work celebrates the transformative ability of Black women, commemorating those who have paved a path for future generations in many fields of human endeavor.
Learn More>>

The Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series Spring 2024 Season
This spring, the Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series brings respected leaders and innovators from a broad spectrum of creative fields to Ann Arbor’s historic Michigan Theater for weekly in-person events.
Detroit Public Television and PBS Books, in partnership with the Stamps School, will stream each week’s event Fridays at 8pm.
See the full schedule of events livestreamed by PBS Books here.
Some programs may not be available online, depending on artist requests. Interested in receiving notifications before online videos go live? Sign up to receive a reminder before each event begins streaming.
Watch Past Penny Stamps Episodes

Kelli Anderson | The Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series
2024-02-23 20:00 - 21:00 (America/Detroit)
This speaker event was recorded live on Thursday, February 15, 2024 at 5:30 pm in the Michigan Theater, Ann Arbor, MI.
Kelli Anderson has found that design — and paper engineering in particular — enables one to find possibility hiding in plain view in our world. Interactions with even the most ubiquitous, low-tech materials can reveal amazing facets of our reality. This is because these radically minimalist structures still behave in concert with the physical and social forces which structure our world. With no hidden parts, humble paper can act as a direct interface on sound, light, and time; making these abstractions tangible and accessible, in a way that more black-box tech obscures. It can show us what it means to be human.
Kelli Anderson is an artist, designer and paper engineer who pushes the boundaries of ordinary materials and formats by seeking out hidden possibilities in the physical and digital world. In 2008, she worked as part of a team to distribute a recreated copy of The New York Times — filled entirely with articles from a Utopian future. The group won the Ars Electronica Prix Award of Distinction for their work. In 2011, she created a paper record player that garnered major attention from numerous media outlets including Mashable, Kottke, Slashdot, Make, PCWorld, Swiss Miss, Wired, the Toronto Star, and NPR. Her work has been published by Wired UK, Gestalten, Rockport Publishing, iDN, How Design Magazine, and Hemispheres Magazine. In 2011, she left her position as a digital collections photographer at the American Museum of Natural History to focus on independent work. Her live/​work space houses a 1919 letterpress and ​“an assortment of other benevolent contraptions.”
Learn More>>

The Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series Spring 2024 Season
This spring, the Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series brings respected leaders and innovators from a broad spectrum of creative fields to Ann Arbor’s historic Michigan Theater for weekly in-person events.
Detroit Public Television and PBS Books, in partnership with the Stamps School, will stream each week’s event Fridays at 8pm.
See the full schedule of events livestreamed by PBS Books here.
Some programs may not be available online, depending on artist requests. Interested in receiving notifications before online videos go live? Sign up to receive a reminder before each event begins streaming.
Watch Past Penny Stamps Episodes

PBS Books Readers Club - Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
2024-02-28 20:00 - 21:00 (America/Detroit)
Readers Club HomeEpisodes
Join the PBS Books Readers Club as we sit down with author, scholar, and filmmaker Henry Louis Gates, Jr. for a deeper look at the stories and inspirations behind his bestselling book The Black Church: This Is Our Story, This Is Our Song. Prof. Gates guides us through the roots of the Black church and its importance as a foundation of American identity. Prof. Gates also explores over a century of Black spirituality through sermon & song in his newest PBS series Gospel, discusses the long-buried secrets that are brought to life in his hit PBS series Finding Your Roots, and teases his soon-to-be-released book The Black Box: Writing The Race.
Get the E-BookDonate and get your e-book copy.
The Black Church
For the young Henry Louis Gates, Jr., growing up in a small, residentially segregated West Virginia town, the church was a center of gravity—an intimate place where voices rose up in song and neighbors gathered to celebrate life’s blessings and offer comfort amid its trials and tribulations. In this tender and expansive reckoning with the meaning of the Black Church in America, Gates takes us on a journey spanning more than five centuries, from the intersection of Christianity and the transatlantic slave trade to today’s political landscape. At road’s end, and after Gates’s distinctive meditation on the churches of his childhood, we emerge with a new understanding of the importance of African American religion to the larger national narrative—as a center of resistance to slavery and white supremacy, as a magnet for political mobilization, as an incubator of musical and oratorical talent that would transform the culture, and as a crucible for working through the Black community’s most critical personal and social issues.
In a country that has historically afforded its citizens from the African diaspora tragically few safe spaces, the Black Church has always been more than a sanctuary. This fact was never lost on white supremacists: from the earliest days of slavery, when enslaved people were allowed to worship at all, their meetinghouses were subject to surveillance and destruction. Long after slavery’s formal eradication, church burnings and bombings by anti-Black racists continued, a hallmark of the violent effort to suppress the African American struggle for equality. The past often isn’t even past—Dylann Roof committed his slaughter in the Mother Emanuel AME Church 193 years after it was first burned down by white citizens of Charleston, South Carolina, following a thwarted slave rebellion.
But as Gates brilliantly shows, the Black church has never been only one thing. Its story lies at the heart of the Black political struggle, and it has produced many of the Black community’s most notable leaders. At the same time, some churches and denominations have eschewed political engagement and exemplified practices of exclusion and intolerance that have caused polarization and pain. Those tensions remain today, as a rising generation demands freedom and dignity for all within and beyond their communities, regardless of race, sex, or gender. Still, as a source of faith and refuge, spiritual sustenance and struggle against society’s darkest forces, the Black Church has been central, as this enthralling history makes vividly clear.
Get the E-BookDonate and get your e-book copy on March 19.
The Black Box
Distilled over many years from Henry Louis Gates, Jr.’s legendary Harvard introductory course in African American Studies, THE BLACK BOX: Writing the Race, is the story of Black self-definition in America through the prism of the writers who have led the way. From Phillis Wheatley and Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington, to Zora Neale Hurston and Richard Wright, James Baldwin and Toni Morrison—these writers used words to create a livable world—a “home” —for Black people destined to live out their lives in a bitterly racist society.
It is a book grounded in the beautiful irony that a community formed legally and conceptually by its oppressors to justify brutal sub-human bondage, transformed itself through the word into a community whose foundational definition was based on overcoming one of history’s most pernicious lies. This collective act of resistance and transcendence is at the heart of its self-definition as a “community.” Out of that contested ground has flowered a resilient, creative, powerful, diverse culture formed by people who have often disagreed markedly about what it means to be “Black,” and about how best to shape a usable past out of the materials at hand to call into being a more just and equitable future.
This is the epic story of how, through essays and speeches, novels, plays, and poems, a long line of creative thinkers has unveiled the contours of—and resisted confinement in—the “black box” inside which this “nation within a nation” has been assigned, willy nilly, from the nation’s founding through to today. This is a book that records the compelling saga of the creation of a people.
Finding Your Roots
FINDING YOUR ROOTS with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. returns for its 10th season on PBS. Over the course of ten new episodes, Gates and his team use genealogical detective work and cutting-edge DNA analysis to trace the family trees of well-known personalities, telling stories that illuminate America’s shared past and fundamental diversity. With each turn of the page in their “book of life”, Gates reveals to his guests the long-buried secrets, hidden identities, and lost ancestors who have laid the groundwork for their success. In learning the emotional and sometimes complex narratives of their ancestry, each guest achieves a deeper understanding of history, family, and belonging. What’s more, this new season features some special guests— drawn from the audience. Following a nation-wide casting call, three viewers were selected to join the line-up of celebrities and sit down with Gates to solve a family mystery and discover what lies hidden in their own roots.
GOSPEL
Following the blockbuster success of THE BLACK CHURCH: THIS IS OUR STORY, THIS IS OUR SONG, a new. series, GOSPEL, from acclaimed scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores Black spirituality through sermon and song. From the blues to hip-hop, African Americans have been the driving force of sonic innovation for over a century. But, while musical styles come and go, there is one sound that has been a constant source of strength, courage, and wisdom. It is a message that resounds from the pulpit to the choir lofts on any given Sunday — one of good news in bad times: gospel.
Over the course of four episodes, GOSPEL digs deep into the origin story of Black gospel music that blended the sacred spirituals with the blues tradition and soared to new heights during the Great Migration. Since the time of the sorrow songs, Black sacred music was a cathartic and confidential way to communicate the anger and frustration of living as a Black person in America. Even in the 21st century, gospel continues to evolve and remains a source of cultural affirmation and sustenance, bringing an enduring tradition into the future. The series also traces how preaching styles evolved from the musical “whoopers,” to the slick TV-ready lectures of megachurch pastors. In addition, the documentary explores how class, gender, cultural innovations and consumer technologies — such as records, radio, television and the internet — shaped the development of Black preaching and gospel over the centuries.
Guest Biography:
Henry Louis Gates Jr.
Award-winning filmmaker, literary scholar, journalist, cultural critic, and institution builder
Henry Louis Gates, Jr., is the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and Director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University. An award-winning filmmaker, literary scholar, journalist, cultural critic, and institution builder, Professor Gates has authored or coauthored more than twenty books, including Stony the Road, The Black Church, and The Black Box, and created more than twenty documentary films, including his groundbreaking genealogy series Finding Your Roots.
His six-part PBS documentary, The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross, earned an Emmy Award, a Peabody Award, and an NAACP Image Award. This series and his PBS documentary series Reconstruction: America after the Civil War were both honored with the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award.
Readers Club Hosts:
Heather Marie Montilla
Heather-Marie Montilla, a dynamic integrative leader, is an educator and nonprofit manager. She has worked in the nonprofit sector and libraries for over two decades, making a positive impact in arts, cultural, educational, and community-building arenas.
Having joined the PBS Books team as their Library Bureau Chief in Fall 2018, Montilla is now the National Director of PBS Books and has interviewed more than 150 writers. In addition, she is a faculty member at Michigan State University and Eastern Michigan University for their Arts and Cultural/Entertainment Management Programs. Having been an Executive Director for 8 years, Heather has a wide range of experience in management, finance, strategic planning, marketing, and fundraising. Heather holds a MPA From Columbia University, a MLIS from Wayne State University, and a bachelor’s from Duke University. She lives in Chicagoland, and is married with four children, a dog, and a bird.
Princess Weekes
Princess Weekes is an award winning writer and video essayist who works at breaking down the intersections between race, gender, and pop culture. Formally an Assistant Editor at The Mary Sue, co-host of Netflix’s The Geeked Podcast, and co-host and co-writer on the PBS Digital Series It’s Lit. On weekends she works as a bookseller at a local bookstore. When not reading or writing she can be found playing TTRPGs of cuddling with her cat, Lola.
Lauren Smith
Executive Producer and host of national PBS programming at Detroit Public TV, Lauren develops content for PBS and other distributors of public media for broadcast, streaming, and other digital channels and has executive-produced and/or produced over 60 national broadcast and programs. Her passion is to develop inspiring, entertaining, and educational content alongside the best national and international talent, and to engage important content with communities across the country. Lauren loves to read and has worked to develop and produce PBS Books content for nearly ten years!
Fred Nahhat
Fred Nahhat is an Emmy Award-winning producer, host, and presenter for Detroit’s PBS station, where he serves as Sr. VP of Production. A 30-year broadcast veteran, Fred has hosted and produced numerous programs for Public TV – including music specials from Il Volo, Celtic Gold and the New Divas – as well as other series and specials “New Year’s Eve with the DSO”, “The Detroit Dream Cruise,” “The PBS Books Readers Club” and “Get Up, Get Out,” among others.
He is a graduate of Wayne State University and a member of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Michigan Chapter, USA Hockey, and Leadership Detroit.

Visions of America: African American Family Stories and Genealogy - Visiting the International African American Museum and Exploring Connections
2024-02-29 20:00 - 20:30 (America/Detroit)
Visions of America HomeEpisodes
Program Description:
Uncovering African American Stories and Genealogy: Visiting the International African American Museum and Exploring Connections, part of the VISIONS OF AMERICA: All Stories, All People, All Places series, produced collaboratively by PBS Books and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The program is hosted by the National Director of PBS Books, Heather-Marie Montilla, and the IMLS Acting Director, Cyndee Landrum.
Celebrating lesser-known stories of African Americans, IMLS Deputy Director of Museum Services Laura Huerta Migus begins our journey at the International African American Museum (IAAM) in Charleston, South Carolina with the Museum’s President and CEO Dr. Tonya Matthews and the Museum’s Center for Family History’s Director Brian Sheffey. IAAM is a newly opened museum, which tells the unvarnished stories of the African American experience.
Anthony Smith, who is the Associate Deputy Director for Discretionary Grants for Libraries at IMLS and a hobbyist genealogist, speaks with librarian and scholar Dr. LaVerne Gray, who is an Assistant Professor at Syracuse University and the recipient of an IMLS grant supporting her project: Uncovering Black Lives Project: Investigating the information community and collections of African Americans Genealogists. We’ll investigate the connections and collectives that bring people together in community and how they contribute to the genealogical field.
Guest Biographies:
Tonya M. Matthews, Ph.D. – President & CEO, International African American Museum
Dr. Tonya M. Matthews is a thought-leader in social entrepreneurship, institutional equity and inclusion strategy, and the intersection of formal and informal education. Her background as both poet and engineer has made her a highly sought-after visioning partner on boards and community and economic development projects, as well as a frequent public speaker and presenter for gatherings across all ages and sectors.
Read More
A non-profit executive veteran, Dr. Matthews is currently President and Chief Executive Officer of the International African American Museum (IAAM) located in Charleston, SC at the historically sacred site of Gadsden’s Wharf. Under Dr. Matthews’ leadership, IAAM has become a champion of authentic, empathetic storytelling of African American history and thus is one of the nation’s newest platforms for the disruption of institutionalized racism as America continues the walk toward “a more perfect union.”
Dr. Matthews brings her “pre-K through gray” philosophy of education alongside a deep respect for life-long learning and radical empathy skill building to every appointment. Dr. Matthews’ storied career includes her role as Associate Provost for Inclusive Workforce Development & Director of the STEM Innovation Learning Center at Wayne State University and, prior to that, as the President & CEO of the Michigan Science Center – flexing her science and STEM educational equity chops in both roles. She is the founder of The STEMinista Project, a movement to engage girls in their future with STEM careers and tools and STEMinista Rising, which supports professional women in STEM – and the colleagues who champion them.
Dr. Matthews’ dedication to community and accomplishments are widely recognized. She has been noted as one of the Charleston’s Most Influential by Charleston Business Magazine twice and honored as Trailblazer by Career Mastered Magazine (2017). She is a former member of the National Academy of Sciences Board on Science Education and was appointed by both Democratic and Republican administrations to the National Assessment Governing Board. She has authored several articles and book chapters on inclusive board governance, non-profit management, and fundraising. Dr. Matthews is a published poet and is included in 100 Best African American Poems (2010) edited by Nikki Giovanni. She has also been honored with an honorary doctorate from Central Michigan University for her career achievements and contributions.
Dr. Matthews received her Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from Johns Hopkins University and her B.S.E. in biomedical and electrical engineering from Duke University, alongside a certificate in African/African American Studies. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and The Links, Inc. Dr. Matthews is a native of Washington, D.C. and – in each community she has settled – is known for planting roots on the side of town best for keeping an eye on progress.
LaVerne Gray, Ph.D. – Assistant Professor
LaVerne Gray comes to the iSchool after recently completing her PhD in the College of Communication and Information at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Her dissertation, “In a Collective Voice: Uncovering the Black Feminist Information Community of Activist-Mothers in Chicago Public Housing, 1955-1970,” explores Black feminist agency in community development within constructed urban spaces.
Read More
The study employs qualitative analyses of archival documents, to reveal a Black Feminist Information Community(BFIC) framework. Her research was supported through the 2017 Black Metropolis Research Consortium (BMRC) Fellowship, where she used archives throughout the city of Chicago to explore evidence for her research.
Using Critical Race and Black Feminist perspectives, LaVerne Gray’s research explores information location and value in marginal community spaces. She is keenly interested in African-American historical information collectives and archival-evidence analysis.
Brian Sheffey – Director of the Center for Family History at the International African American History Museum
Brian Sheffey is the Director of the Center for Family History at the International African American History Museum in Charleston, South Carolina. He is the host of the popular African American genealogy, culture, and history television series Genealogy Adventures, which he presents with Donya Williams on e360tv.
Read More
His research areas have focused on the U.S. regions east of the Mississippi River, including the northern British American Colonies. He has particular expertise in researching enslaved people and enslaved communities in the early British American colonial era.
In 2023, he was hired by the University of Virginia Foundation to research and find the descendants of the enslaved community held at William Garth’s Birdwood Plantation in Charlottesville, Virginia. He has also spent the past few years researching the ancestry of communities of enslaved people held by the Bull, Butler, Middleton, Brewerton, and Guerard families in South Carolina.
Brian is the author of two award-winning Amazon Top 10 selling genealogy books: “Practical Genealogy: 50 Simple Steps to Research Your Diverse Family History” and “Family Tree Workbook: 30+ Step-by-Step Worksheets to Build Your Family History.”
Anthony D. Smith – Associate Deputy Director for Discretionary Grants, Office of Library Services, at the Institute of Museum and Library Services
Anthony D. Smith is the Associate Deputy Director for Discretionary Grants, within the Office of Library Services, at the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Read More
In his role, Anthony has oversight and management responsibilities for the National Leadership Grants for Libraries, Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program, Native American Library Services Basic and Enhancement Grants, Native American Library Services Enhancement Grants, and the Native Hawaiian Library Services Grant program. He has worked in the Federal government since 2010, serving in various roles supporting national library programs. Anthony began his library career in 1995 after a 10-year career in the U.S. Navy. He joined the University of Tennessee Library Systems team, where his work involved replacing “dumb terminals” with new desktop computers and providing maintenance support for library staff. During his time at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, he would earn his master’s in library and information science. This led to a tenure-track position as the digital initiatives’ librarian and then coordinator, overseeing the establishment and operation of the Digital Library Center. Mentoring and teaching factored heavily into Anthony earning tenure in 2006. In addition to teaching graduate courses in digital librarianship, he also traveled to Makerere University in Uganda to teach digital library skills for library staff. Continuing to build on his professional skillset, Anthony applied to ARLs Leadership Career Development Program (LCDP) and was accepted in the class of 2007-08. “It was a pivotal career moment for me and opened a number of career doors,” says Anthony. In 2007, Anthony accepted an associate university librarian role at the University of Miami, as the director for digital services. Through his work at UM and his previous experience teaching abroad, he was invited to teach digital asset management and digital preservation courses for UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (OOC) in Oostende, Belgium. His work for the OOC occurred between 2009 – 2012 and is an experience he considers the most rewarding work of his career. Anthony would leave UM in 2010, accepting the role of Senior Program Officer for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Serving as a program officer for the National Leadership Grant program, he was able to help shape the national agenda for libraries. He also successfully led the development of an early learning grant program designed to ensure that libraries were poised to support early reading skills. In 2013, Anthony joined the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) at the Government Publishing Office and was appointed as the Director of Projects and Systems. In this role, he led a team responsible for the development, implementation, and maintenance of systems to support over 1100 member libraries throughout the United States and its territories. In addition, he oversaw web harvesting activities and the program management office. In 2020, he would return to IMLS as the Associate Deputy Director for all library discretionary grant programs. “I don’t think I would change a thing if I got a chance to do all over again,” says Anthony. “I have been positioned in a way throughout my career where I could do for others, which is priceless.”
Laura Huerta Migus – Deputy Director for Museum Services
Laura Huerta Migus was appointed Deputy Director of the Office of Museum Services in July 2021. She came to IMLS following her tenure as executive director of the Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) in Arlington, Virginia, the world’s largest professional society promoting and advocating on behalf of children’s museums and children’s museum professionals.
Read More
Throughout her career, Huerta Migus has been devoted to the growth and education of children, particularly those from underserved and under-resourced communities. Under her leadership, ACM pursued innovative and effective partnerships to leverage the power of children’s museums worldwide.
In 2018, Huerta Migus was named as an Ascend Fellow of the Aspen Institute, and in 2016, she was recognized as a Champion of Change for Summer Opportunity by the White House. She is a noted speaker and author on topics of equity and audience-focused museum practice for institutions including the Board of Science Education of the National Academies of Sciences, the U.S. Play Coalition, and various university texts.
Previously, she served as the director of professional development and equity initiatives at the Association of Science-Technology Centers, Inc., has published articles in peer-reviewed texts, and served as principal investigator on numerous informal learning initiatives.
Since joining IMLS, Huerta Migus has helped the agency establish the American Latino Museum Internship and Fellowship Initiative (ALMIFI). This initiative is designed to strengthen the institutional capacity of American Latino museums, provide paid internship and fellowship opportunities for a diverse range of students, and build connections between colleges, universities, and museums.
She also worked closely with IMLS’ Office of Research and Evaluation to successfully launch the first National Museum Survey (NMS), which will capture the scope and scale of museums’ presence and reach within the U.S. over time. Once mature, the survey will collect foundational, high-level data directly from museums to inform policymakers, the museum field, and the public about the social, cultural, educational, and economic roles that the nation’s diverse museums play in American society.
Huerta Migus holds a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from Texas A&M University and a master’s degree in organization development and leadership from Saint Joseph’s University.
Cyndee Landrum – Deputy Director for Library Services
Cyndee Landrum was appointed as the Deputy Director of the Office of Library Services in June 2019. In her current role she collaborates with IMLS’s senior leadership to support agency priorities, policy, and partnerships, and provide leadership and direction for the library grant programs.
Read More
Landrum oversees the agency’s largest program, Grants to States, which is the primary source of federal funding for library services in the United States, and the agency’s discretionary grant programs, including National Leadership Grants for Libraries, the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian program, Native American and Native Hawaiian Library Services, and the newest library grant initiative, Accelerating Promising Practices for Small Libraries.
Over a professional career of more than 20 years, Landrum has served in public libraries across the country. Prior to her IMLS appointment, she served as CEO-director of the Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library in Indiana. She also served as assistant director for public services at Oak Park Library in Illinois, assistant director of Mt. Lebanon Public Library in Pittsburgh, and held various positions at the Glendale Public Library in Arizona. She has been active in local, state, and national professional associations including serving as president of the Arizona Library Association. Landrum also has volunteered on local nonprofit and municipal boards, including the Evansville Promise Zone Governance Advisory Board.
Landrum holds a bachelor’s degree in linguistics from Northwestern University, a master’s degree in library and information science from the University of Southern Mississippi, and is a doctoral candidate in the School of Library and Information Science at Simmons University.

Ken Aptekar | The Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series
2024-03-01 20:00 - 21:00 (America/Detroit)
This speaker event was recorded live on Tuesday, February 13, 2024 at 5:30 pm at the U-M Art Museum, Ann Arbor, MI.
Artist Ken Aptekar toys with historical paintings by using the history of art as his playground. He time-travels works from the past into the present by his repainting joined to his own texts. Here’s the idea: Paintings are nothing on their own, they start meaning something only when you start talking back to them. Aptekar turns this conviction into oil paintings on wood panels over which he bolts glass sandblasted with text. This idea animating his work extends to digital prints, and more recently, video, and illuminated manuscripts. With words disrupting reinterpreted images from art history, his works assert the value of recognizing our transhistorical bonds, society’s vexing failings, and art’s capacity to bring us together across our differences.
As COVID-19 swept into our lives, Aptekar began new work on illuminated manuscripts. Holed up in a corner of the vaulted furnace room of his house in Burgundy, France, he worked with gouache, tiny brushes, gold leaf, and calligraphy pen in his own ​“scriptorium.” He merged two very different types of communication; the exquisite, labor-intensive techniques and forms seen in medieval pages hidden away in rare book rooms were pressed into the service of messages made minute to minute on cell phones. For his talk, Aptekar will highlight the twists and turns in his shifting preoccupations that produced works at times disturbing, contemplative, and hilarious.
Learn More>>

The Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series Spring 2024 Season
This spring, the Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series brings respected leaders and innovators from a broad spectrum of creative fields to Ann Arbor’s historic Michigan Theater for weekly in-person events.
Detroit Public Television and PBS Books, in partnership with the Stamps School, will stream each week’s event Fridays at 8pm.
See the full schedule of events livestreamed by PBS Books here.
Some programs may not be available online, depending on artist requests. Interested in receiving notifications before online videos go live? Sign up to receive a reminder before each event begins streaming.
Watch Past Penny Stamps Episodes

"Housewife" Author Talk with Lisa Selin Davis
2024-03-06 20:00 - 21:00 (America/Detroit)
Program Description:
As we celebrate Women’s History Month, PBS Books National Director Heather-Marie Montilla is joined by journalist and author Lisa Selin Davis to chat about her latest book Housewife: Why Women Still Do It All and What To Do Instead. Lisa tackles the “myth” of the divide between breadwinners and homemakers. Examining working-women throughout history, Lisa provides the roadmap for women to be empowered to choose the best path for themselves as they navigate balance in modern-day society.
Book Description:
The notion of “housewife” evokes strong reactions. For some, it’s nostalgia for a bygone era, simpler and better times when men were breadwinners and women remained home with the kids. For others, it’s a sexist, oppressive stereotype of women’s work. Either way, housewife is a long outdated concept—or is it?
Lisa Selin Davis, known for her smart, viral, feminist, cultural takes, argues that the “breadwinner vs. homemaker” divide is a myth. She charts examples from prehistoric female hunters to working class housewives in the 1930s, from First Ladies to 21st century stay-at-home moms, on a search for answers to the problems of what is referred to as women’s work and motherhood. Davis discovers that women have been sold a lie about what families should be. Housewife unveils a truth: interdependence, rather than independence, is the American way.
The book is a clarion call for all women—married or single, mothers or childless—and for men, too, to push for liberation. In Housewife, Davis builds a case for systemic, cultural, and personal change, to encourage women to have the power to choose the best path for themselves.
Guest Biography:
Lisa Selin Davis, Author
Lisa Selin Davis is a critically-acclaimed essayist and journalist whose work has appeared in major publications, include the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, Time, The Free Press, and many others. She is the author of Tomboy, as well as two novels. She lives in New York City with her family.
Visit her website: https://www.lisaselindavis.com/

"Sorry Snail" Author Talk with Tracy Subisak
2024-03-08 20:00 - 21:00 (America/Detroit)
Program Description:
Celebrate Social and Emotional Learning Day by joining us for a fantastic conversation with PBS Books National Director Heather-Marie Montilla and author and illustrator Tracy Subisak, discussing her book Sorry, Snail. This heartfelt children’s book showcases that everyone has feelings and helps to teach the importance of empathy. Join us for a fun conversation about a super-sweet book. No apology required.
Book Description:
Ari is feeling angry. When she takes that anger out on an innocent snail, the snail demands an apology! Which Ari gives, half-heartedly. And that’s that. Until Ms. Snail and her friends appear in every corner of Ari’s life, determined to elicit the most genuine apology from an increasingly regretful girl.
Guest Biography:
Tracy Subisak, Author and Illustrator
Tracy Subisak is the award-winning, Taiwanese and Polish American author-illustrator of Sorry, Snail and Jenny Mei Is Sad. She has illustrated many books including This Book is Not for You!, by NYT bestselling author Shannon Hale and Amah Faraway by Margaret Chiu Greanais. Tracy currently lives in Taipei, Taiwan with her husband, her dog Lala, and a copious amount of house plants. You can visit her online at tracysubisak.com and on Instagram at @tracysubisak.

The State of Bipartisanship in America
2024-03-11 20:00 - 21:00 (America/Detroit)
Description:
The week of March 11-15 is Civic Literacy Week in America. The concept of civics in the United States embraces disagreements and encourages a search for compromise.
In recent years, that concept seems to have been forgotten, as the nation struggles with difficult issues that have spawned deep political division.
Recently, two Governors who are calling on Americans to “Disagree Better” spokes at the Economic Club of Washington.
Governor Spencer Cox of Utah is a Republican and the current chair of the National Governors Association, where he leads a civility initiative called “Disagree Better.” Governor West Moore of Maryland is a Democrat who has pledged to work with both political parties in his state to do what is best for Maryland citizens. They were interviewed by PBS NewsHour Senior Correspondent Judy Woodruff.
PBS Books and our partners at the Bipartisan Leadership Project are proud to have played a role in sharing this conversation with the country.
PBS Books, in partnership with the Bipartisan Leadership project, is proud to share a recent conversation between two governors who are trying to promote reasonable discussion and compromise in their states.
Interested in Learning More?
PBS Newshour’s America at a Crossroad series with Senior Correspondent, Judy Woodruff, takes a closer look at “How governors are working on solutions amid intense political polarization”. Watch it here.
More Info:
PBS Books: Home – PBS Books
Detroit Public Television: https://www.dptv.org/
Bipartisan Leadership Project: Bipartisan Leadership Project (BLP) – Preparing the Next Generation of Elected Leaders to Put People Ahead of Politics
The Economic Club of Washington, D.C.:The Economic Club of Washington DC |
Governor Spencer Cox: About Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox | Governor Spencer J. Cox
Governor Wes Moore: Governor Wes Moore – Our Leadership – Office of Governor Wes Moore (maryland.gov)
The National Governors Association’s Disagree Better Initiative: Disagree Better – National Governors Association (nga.org)
Judy Woodruff: Judy Woodruff | PBS NewsHour
Organizations:
PBS Books at Detroit Public Television:
PBS Books is a multi-platform initiative celebrating the love of reading. PBS Books is dedicated to connecting books with audiences by engaging them in unique experiences to spark their curiosity and encourage a life-long love of reading and learning.
Detroit Public TV is the viewer-supported PBS member station serving Southeast Michigan. Our vision is for a community in which people trust public TV to help them discover new ideas, make informed decisions, and enjoy enriched lives.
The Bipartisan Leadership Project:
The mission of the Bipartisan Leadership Project (BLP) is to initiate and guide organizations in providing leadership development that equips leaders with skills necessary to lead in the polarized environment. Leaders of the BLP have initiated political leadership programs at Michigan State University’s Institute for Public Policy and Social Research and at George Mason University’s Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution. These programs bring together politically, ethnically, and geographically diverse people to learn together. The program uniquely focuses on the development of conflict resolution and leadership skills for this political environment. Participants build trust, tolerance, and the ability to listen to each other in finding workable solutions to the serious problems we face. With the involvement of scholars, leaders, practitioners, and the robust interaction of participants, these programs are producing amazing results. The BLP also helped develop a leadership program for high school students at John Lewis High School to increase the pipeline for the next generation of leaders.
The Economic Club of Washington, D.C.
The Economic Club of Washington, D.C. is widely recognized as the premier forum for distinguished global leaders to share their insights about major issues of the day with top-tier business leaders.
Disagree Better Initiative of the National Governors Association:
Disagree Better is an effort to show that as Americans, we can work through our differences to find solutions to the most difficult problems facing our states and our nation. This effort includes a series of public-facing efforts, assisted by NGA and chosen from a toolkit of interventions that are customizable for each state/governor.
Guest Biographies:
Honorable Wes Moore, Governor of Maryland
Wes Moore is the 63rd Governor of the state of Maryland. He is Maryland’s first Black Governor in the state’s 246-year history, and is just the third African American elected Governor in the history of the United States.
Born in Takoma Park, Maryland, on Oct. 15, 1978, to Joy and Westley Moore, Moore’s life took a tragic turn when his father died of a rare, but treatable virus when he was just three years old. After his father’s death, his family moved to the Bronx to live with Moore’s grandparents before returning to Maryland at age 14.
Moore is a proud graduate of Valley Forge Military Academy and College, where he received an Associate’s degree in 1998, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. Afterward, he went on to earn his Bachelor’s in international relations and economics at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa.
While at Johns Hopkins, Moore interned in the office of former Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke. Moore was the first Black Rhodes Scholar in the history of Johns Hopkins University. As A Rhodes Scholar, he earned a Master’s in international relations from Wolfson College at Oxford.
In 2005, Moore deployed to Afghanistan as a captain with the 82nd Airborne Division, leading soldiers in combat. Immediately upon returning home, Moore served as a White House Fellow, advising on issues of national security and international relations.
In 2010, Moore wrote “The Other Wes Moore,” a story about the fragile nature of opportunity in America, which became a perennial New York Times bestseller. He went on to write other best-selling books that reflect on issues of race, equity, and opportunity, including his latest book “Five Days,” which tells the story of Baltimore in the days that followed the death of Freddie Gray in 2015.
Moore built and launched a Baltimore-based business called BridgeEdU, which reinvented freshman year of college for underserved students to increase their likelihood of long-term success. BridgeEdu was acquired by the Brooklyn-based student financial success platform, Edquity, in 2018.
It was Moore’s commitment to taking on our toughest challenges that brought him to the Robin Hood Foundation, where he served for four years as CEO. During his tenure, the Robin Hood Foundation distributed over $600 million toward lifting families out of poverty, including here in Maryland.
While the Robin Hood Foundation is headquartered in New York City, Wes and his family never moved from their home in Baltimore.
Moore has also worked in finance with Deutsche Bank in London and with Citigroup in New York.
Moore and his wife Dawn Flythe Moore have two children – Mia, 12; and James, 10.
Honorable Spencer J. Cox, Governor of Utah
Gov. Spencer J. Cox is a husband, father, farmer, recovering attorney, and Utah’s 18th governor. He’s also currently serving as 2023-2024 chairman of the National Governors Association.
Gov. Cox has a long track record of public service, serving as a city councilmember, mayor, county commissioner and state legislator before being appointed as Utah’s lieutenant governor in 2013. He was sworn in as governor on Jan. 4, 2021.
During his first term in office, Gov. Cox has cut $1.1 billion in taxes, implemented landmark changes in water law, water conservation and infrastructure planning, locked in record funding for education and teachers, enacted universal school choice, and secured funds for affordable housing. A long-time advocate for suicide prevention and mental health resources, he’s become a national voice on protecting youth from the harms of social media. He also signed early education and workforce program funding, launched the One Utah Health Collaborative, and expanded opportunities for women, diverse communities and those living in rural parts of the state.
With a focus on solutions, Gov. Cox promotes respect in politics and innovation in government, works across party lines to find common ground, and regularly participates in hands-on service projects. These elements are the foundation of his NGA Chair’s Initiative, “Disagree Better: Healthy Conflict for Better Policy.”
A sixth-generation Utahn, Gov. Cox was born and raised in Fairview, a town of 1,200 in the center of the state. He met First Lady Abby Palmer Cox at age 16 and they married after he returned from serving a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Mexico. He attended Snow College, Utah State University, and the Washington and Lee University School of Law, then clerked for U.S. District Judge Ted Stewart and worked at a Salt Lake City law firm. Several years later, Gov. Cox and First Lady Cox moved back to Fairview to raise their four children – Gavin, Kaleb, Adam, and Emma Kate – on the family farm. The governor, first lady and Emma Kate currently reside in the Kearns Mansion, also known as the Governor’s Mansion, in Salt Lake City.
Judy Woodruff, Senior Correspondent, Former Anchor & Managing Editor, PBS NewsHour
Judy Woodruff is a senior correspondent and the former anchor and managing editor of the PBS NewsHour. She has covered politics and other news for five decades at NBC, CNN and PBS.
At PBS from 1983 to 1993, she was the chief Washington correspondent for the MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour. From 1984 – 1990, she also anchored PBS’ award-winning documentary series, “Frontline with Judy Woodruff.” Moving to CNN in 1993, she served as anchor and senior correspondent for 12 years; among other duties, she anchored the weekday program “Inside Politics.” She returned to the NewsHour in 2007, and in 2013, she and the late Gwen Ifill were named the first two women to co-anchor a national news broadcast. After Ifill’s death, Woodruff was named sole anchor.
In 2011, Judy was the anchor and reporter for the PBS documentary “Nancy Reagan: The Role of a Lifetime.” And in 2007, she completed an extensive project on the views of young Americans, titled “Generation Next: Speak Up. Be Heard.” Two hour-long documentaries aired on PBS, along with a series of reports on the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, NPR, in USA Today and on Yahoo News.
From 2006 – 2013, Judy anchored a monthly program for Bloomberg Television, “Conversations with Judy Woodruff.” In 2006, she was a visiting professor at Duke University’s Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy. In 2005, she was a visiting fellow at Harvard University’s Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy.
At NBC News, Woodruff was White House correspondent from 1977 to 1982. For one year after that she served as NBC’s Today Show chief Washington correspondent. She wrote the book, This is Judy Woodruff at the White House, published in 1982 by Addison-Wesley. Her reporting career began in Atlanta, Georgia, where she covered state and local government.
Woodruff is a founding co-chair of the International Women’s Media Foundation, an organization dedicated to promoting and encouraging women in journalism and communication industries worldwide. She serves on the boards of trustee of the Freedom Forum, The Duke Endowment and the Carnegie Corporation of New York, and is a director of Public Radio International and the National Association to End Homelessness. She is a former member of the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics, a former director of the National Museum of American History and a former trustee of the Urban Institute.
Judy is a graduate of Duke University, where she is a trustee emerita.
She is the recent recipient of an Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award, as well as the Radcliffe Medal, the Poynter Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Journalism, the Gwen Ifill Press Freedom Award from the Committee to Protect Journalists and the Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism from Arizona State University.
She is the recipient of more than 25 honorary degrees.
Judy lives in Washington, DC, with her husband, journalist Al Hunt, and they are the parents of three children: Jeffrey, Benjamin and Lauren.

"The Queen of Sugar Hill" Author Talk with ReShonda Tate
2024-03-13 20:00 - 21:00 (America/Detroit)
Program Description:
Celebrating Women’s History Month, National Director of PBS Books, Heather-Marie Montilla, chats with bestselling author ReShonda Tate to explore the legacy of one of Hollywood’s icons—Hattie McDaniel—through her new historical fiction novel, “The Queen of Sugar Hill.” Join us as we discover more about this icon of the silver screen and how the story of her roles on and off the screen still resonates today. With no shortage of triumphs, tragedies, severe setbacks, and controversy, ReShonda Tate brings the powerful story of trailblazer Hattie McDaniel to life for a new generation.
Book Description:
It was supposed to be the highlight of her career, the pinnacle for which she’d worked all her life. And as Hattie McDaniel took the stage in 1940 to claim an honor that would make her the first African-American woman to win an Academy Award, she tearfully took her place in history. Between personal triumphs and tragedies, heartbreaking losses, and severe setbacks, this historic night of winning best supporting actress for her role as the sassy Mammy in the controversial movie Gone With the Wind was going to be life-changing. Or so she thought.
Months after winning the award, not only did the Oscar curse set in where Hattie couldn’t find work, but she found herself thrust in the middle of two worlds—Black and White—and not being welcomed in either. Whites only saw her as Mammy and Blacks detested the demeaning portrayal. As the NAACP waged an all-out war against Hattie and actors like her, the emotionally conflicted actor found herself struggling daily.
Through it all, Hattie continued her fight to pave a path for other Negro actors, while focusing on war efforts, fighting housing discrimination, and navigating four failed marriages. Luckily, she had a core group of friends to help her out—from Clark Gable to Louise Beavers to Ruby Berkley Goodwin and Dorothy Dandridge.
The Queen of Sugar Hill brings to life the powerful story of one woman who was driven by many passions—ambition, love, sex, family, friendship, and equality. In re-creating Hattie’s story, ReShonda Tate delivers an unforgettable novel of resilience, dedication, and determination—about what it takes to achieve your dreams—even when everything—and everyone—is against you.
Guest Biography:
ReShonda Tate, Author
As a national bestselling author and award-winning journalist, ReShonda Tate has the credentials, and the passion, to bring stories to life. A highly sought-after motivational speaker/poet, ReShonda is a three-time nominee and previous winner of the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literature. She has received a plethora of distinguished awards and honors for her journalism, fiction, and poetry writing skills, including an induction into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame and the Texas Literary Hall of Fame. Two of her novels have been made into television movies.

Artemío Rodriguez | The Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series
2024-03-15 20:00 - 21:00 (America/Detroit)
This speaker event was recorded live on Thursday, March 7, 2024 at 5:30 pm at the Michigan Theater, Ann Arbor, MI.
Artemio Rodríguez is a Mexican artist who was born in Tacámbaro, Michoacán. He began his career as a printer’s apprentice with Juan Pascoe at his renowned letterpress studio Taller Martin Pescador (Kingfisher Workshop) in Tacámbaro, Michoacán. At the age of 21, Rodríguez immigrated to Los Angeles and became a printmaker at Self Help Graphics. He co-founded La Mano Press in 2002 in Los Angeles before relocating to Michoacán in 2008, where he co-founded La Mano Gráfica, a gallery and craft store. Rodríguez directs the Library of Illustrated Books (Biblioteca del Libro Ilustrado, BLI), where his many public projects include The Bibliográfico, a 1977 Toyota converted into a traveling library, and the Graficomovil, a 1948 delivery truck converted into a gallery and printmaking studio.
Rodríguez is known for his linocut prints as well as his mural-sized prints and for his vehicles. Influenced by both European medieval woodcuts and Mexican cultural symbolism developed by artists like José Guadalupe Posada, Rodríguez’s style emphasizes simplicity, clarity, and imbued with a personal narrative. His images come from contemporary icons like American cartoons and Mexican culture, mythology and surrealism. A poet at heart, Rodríguez uses the physicality of the printmaking process to write stories in images. His work has been exhibited internationally and is in the collections of many public institutions, including the Seattle Art Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Hammer Museum, Petersen Automotive Museum, Library of Congress, Phoenix Art Museum and Museo José Guadalupe Posada. A retrospective look of his works can be seen in the book American Dream.
Learn More>>

The Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series Spring 2024 Season
This spring, the Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series brings respected leaders and innovators from a broad spectrum of creative fields to Ann Arbor’s historic Michigan Theater for weekly in-person events.
Detroit Public Television and PBS Books, in partnership with the Stamps School, will stream each week’s event Fridays at 8pm.
See the full schedule of events livestreamed by PBS Books here.
Some programs may not be available online, depending on artist requests. Interested in receiving notifications before online videos go live? Sign up to receive a reminder before each event begins streaming.
Watch Past Penny Stamps Episodes

Visions of America: Exploring "Herstory" - Trailblazing Women in Museum and Library Spaces
2024-03-20 20:00 - 21:00 (America/Detroit)
Visions of America HomeEpisodes
Program Description:
In this episode of VISIONS OF AMERICA: All Stories, All People, All Places, trailblazing women leading museums and libraries are highlighted. These are the women who have advocated for, founded, and inspired many of our nation’s most treasured institutions, and the women today, who are carrying on that legacy.
Members of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) leadership, Laura Huerta Migus and Teri DeVoe, join PBS Books Heather-Marie Montilla to explore the lesser-known stories of the women, who have been instrumental to contributing to our country’s cultural institutions–libraries, museums, and archives. Dr. Carla Hayden, Thelma Golden, Dr. Margaret Walker, and Lucy Somerville Howorth are among the exceptional women discussed. Then, IMLS Anne Radice chats with the Alice West Director of the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA), Dr. Susan Fisher Sterling, to share about the museum’s beginnings, its mission, and its recent renovation, which continues the legacy of co-founder Billie Cole Holladay’s vision.
Discover more about the National Museum of Women in the Arts

Guest Biographies:
Laura Huerta Migus – Deputy Director for Museum Services
Laura Huerta Migus was appointed Deputy Director of the Office of Museum Services in July 2021. She came to IMLS following her tenure as executive director of the Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) in Arlington, Virginia, the world’s largest professional society promoting and advocating on behalf of children’s museums and children’s museum professionals.
Read More
Throughout her career, Huerta Migus has been devoted to the growth and education of children, particularly those from underserved and under-resourced communities. Under her leadership, ACM pursued innovative and effective partnerships to leverage the power of children’s museums worldwide.
In 2018, Huerta Migus was named as an Ascend Fellow of the Aspen Institute, and in 2016, she was recognized as a Champion of Change for Summer Opportunity by the White House. She is a noted speaker and author on topics of equity and audience-focused museum practice for institutions including the Board of Science Education of the National Academies of Sciences, the U.S. Play Coalition, and various university texts.
Previously, she served as the director of professional development and equity initiatives at the Association of Science-Technology Centers, Inc., has published articles in peer-reviewed texts, and served as principal investigator on numerous informal learning initiatives.
Since joining IMLS, Huerta Migus has helped the agency establish the American Latino Museum Internship and Fellowship Initiative (ALMIFI). This initiative is designed to strengthen the institutional capacity of American Latino museums, provide paid internship and fellowship opportunities for a diverse range of students, and build connections between colleges, universities, and museums.
She also worked closely with IMLS’ Office of Research and Evaluation to successfully launch the first National Museum Survey (NMS), which will capture the scope and scale of museums’ presence and reach within the U.S. over time. Once mature, the survey will collect foundational, high-level data directly from museums to inform policymakers, the museum field, and the public about the social, cultural, educational, and economic roles that the nation’s diverse museums play in American society.
Huerta Migus holds a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from Texas A&M University and a master’s degree in organization development and leadership from Saint Joseph’s University.
Teri DeVoe – Associate Deputy Director in the Office of Library Services
Associate Deputy Director in the Office of Library Services Teri DeVoe is an Associate Deputy Director at the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). She leads the Grants to States program that provides formula-based library funding to states, territories, and freely associated states.
Read More
Teri has also served in multiple positions in the agency’s Office of Library Services since 2012. Previously, Teri was the Coordinator of the EPA National Library Network and has additional library experience in university, school, and non-profit settings. She holds a Master of Science in Library Science (MSLS), and an MA in art history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Anne-Imelda Radice – Senior Advisor
Anne-Imelda Radice is a senior advisor in the Office of the Director. She previously served as Director of the Division of Public Programs at NEH. Prior to joining NEH in July 2018 she served as Executive Director of the American Folk Art Museum.
Read More
From 2006 to 2010 Radice served as Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Her previous government positions include Acting Deputy Chairman for Programs and Special Advisor to the Chairman of NEH, Chief of Staff for the U.S. Department of Education, Acting Chairman and Senior Deputy Chairman for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Chief Arts Advisor for the U.S. Information Agency, and Curator for the Architect of the U.S. Capitol. Radice is a recipient of the Presidential Citizen’s Medal, the Forbes Medal, and the NEA’s Chairman’s Medal. She holds an MBA from American University, a PhD in art and architectural history from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, an MA from Villa Schifanoia School of Fine Arts in Florence, Italy, and an AB from Wheaton College.
Susan Fisher Sterling – Alice West Director of NMWA in Washington, D.C.
Susan Fisher Sterling is Alice West Director of NMWA in Washington, D.C. She built her career and the stature of the museum around the message of equity for women through excellence in the arts.
Read More
Sterling started at NMWA in 1988-a year after the museum opened—as associate curator, then was appointed curator of modern and contemporary art, followed by chief curator/deputy director. Sterling assumed the directorship of the museum in 2008. Under Sterling’s collaborative, feminist leadership, the museum has presented landmark exhibitions of work by many of today’s most influential women artists and organized numerous associated publications. She also led projects advancing the scholarship and recognition of great women artists of history. NMWA’s influence has grown through signature programs like the groundbreaking Women, Arts, and Social Change public programs initiative, which hosts diverse speakers and presenters on topics related to arts and gender equity. The museum’s globally recognized #WomenArtists social media campaign, which challenges fellow cultural institutions to make significant commitments to gender equity, has been cited as an inspiration for countless equity initiatives across numerous industries. Over her tenure, the museum’s collection has grown to more than 6,000 works across all mediums. A lifelong champion of women in the arts, Sterling has received National Orders of Merit from Brazil and Norway. She has been recognized as one of the Most Powerful Women in Washington by Washingtonian magazine and is a recipient of ArtTable 30th Anniversary Honors as well as the President’s Award from the Women’s Caucus for Art. Sterling holds a B.A. in art and archaeology from Washington University in St. Louis and an M.A. and Ph.D. in art and archaeology from Princeton University.

PBS Books Readers Club - Allison Pataki
2024-03-27 20:00 - 21:00 (America/Detroit)
Readers Club HomeEpisodes
Episode Description:
Join the PBS Books Readers Club as we chat with New York Times bestselling author Allison Pataki about her latest book “Finding Margaret Fuller.” In this virtual discussion we’ll dive into this fascinating historical fiction read about the adventures of Margaret Fuller, a renowned writer, journalist, and trailblazing women’s rights advocate whose story has too often gone untold.
This work is a book-lovers dream, telling the story of Fuller’s thrilling adventures and relationships with notable literary figures like Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thorough, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Edgar Allen Poe. Pataki’s captivating storytelling will transport you back in time to the 19th century, where Fuller’s intellect and passion for social change made her a force to be reckoned with. So, grab a cup of tea, cozy up in your favorite reading nook, and get ready to embark on a literary journey with Allison Pataki and the PBS Books Readers Club. Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to connect with fellow book lovers and learn more about one of history’s most inspiring women.
About the Book:
Get the E-BookDONATE NOW and download your e-book copy.
In 1836, when young, brazen, beautiful, and unapologetically brilliant Margaret Fuller accepts an invitation from Ralph Waldo Emerson, the celebrated “Sage of Concord,” to stay in Concord, MA, she finds her intellectual equals among his coterie of enlightened friends. She becomes a role model to young Louisa May Alcott, an inspiration to Nathaniel Hawthorne’s character of Hester Prynne and the scandalous Scarlet Letter, a friend to Henry David Thoreau as he ventures into the woods of Walden Pond…and a muse to Emerson himself. But as love triangles and interpersonal drama threaten her ambitions, Margaret finds her restless soul in need of new challenges and adventure and decides she must venture into the broader world.
And so she charts a singular course against a backdrop of dizzying historical drama: From Boston, where she hosts a women-only literary salon for students like Elizabeth Cady Stanton; to Harvard’s campus, where she is the first woman permitted to study within its walls; to her role as the first female foreign news correspondent, mingling with luminaries like Frederic Chopin; and to Rome where she finds a world of passion, romance, and revolution, taking a Roman count as a lover amid a revolution that would result in Italy’s unification.
With a star-studded cast and epic sweep of historical events, this is a story of an inspiring trailblazer, a woman who loved big and lived even bigger—a fierce adventurer who transcended the rigid roles ascribed to women, and changed history for millions, all on her own terms.
Guest Biography:
Allison Pataki
Allison Pataki is the New York Times bestselling author of The Traitor’s Wife, The Accidental Empress, Sisi, The Queen’s Fortune, and The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post. She is also the author of the nonfiction memoir Beauty in the Broken Places and the children’s books, Nelly Takes New York and Poppy Takes Paris. Her novels have been translated into more than 20 languages around the world; she has appeared on Today, Good Morning America, Good Day New York, and MSNBC’s Morning Joe among other outlets.
She has several screenplay adaptations of her novels currently in development for film and television. Pataki graduated cum laude from Yale University and is a former news writer and producer, having written for The New York Times, USA Today, and other outlets. A member of The Historical Novel Society and a certified Yoga instructor, she lives in New York with her husband and family.
Readers Club Hosts:
Heather Marie Montilla
Heather-Marie Montilla, a dynamic integrative leader, is an educator and nonprofit manager. She has worked in the nonprofit sector and libraries for over two decades, making a positive impact in arts, cultural, educational, and community-building arenas.
Having joined the PBS Books team as their Library Bureau Chief in Fall 2018, Montilla is now the National Director of PBS Books and has interviewed more than 150 writers. In addition, she is a faculty member at Michigan State University and Eastern Michigan University for their Arts and Cultural/Entertainment Management Programs. Having been an Executive Director for 8 years, Heather has a wide range of experience in management, finance, strategic planning, marketing, and fundraising. Heather holds a MPA From Columbia University, a MLIS from Wayne State University, and a bachelor’s from Duke University. She lives in Chicagoland, and is married with four children, a dog, and a bird.
Princess Weekes
Princess Weekes is an award winning writer and video essayist who works at breaking down the intersections between race, gender, and pop culture. Formally an Assistant Editor at The Mary Sue, co-host of Netflix’s The Geeked Podcast, and co-host and co-writer on the PBS Digital Series It’s Lit. On weekends she works as a bookseller at a local bookstore. When not reading or writing she can be found playing TTRPGs of cuddling with her cat, Lola.
Lauren Smith
Executive Producer and host of national PBS programming at Detroit Public TV, Lauren develops content for PBS and other distributors of public media for broadcast, streaming, and other digital channels and has executive-produced and/or produced over 60 national broadcast and programs. Her passion is to develop inspiring, entertaining, and educational content alongside the best national and international talent, and to engage important content with communities across the country. Lauren loves to read and has worked to develop and produce PBS Books content for nearly ten years!
Fred Nahhat
Fred Nahhat is an Emmy Award-winning producer, host, and presenter for Detroit’s PBS station, where he serves as Sr. VP of Production. A 30-year broadcast veteran, Fred has hosted and produced numerous programs for Public TV – including music specials from Il Volo, Celtic Gold and the New Divas – as well as other series and specials “New Year’s Eve with the DSO”, “The Detroit Dream Cruise,” “The PBS Books Readers Club” and “Get Up, Get Out,” among others.
He is a graduate of Wayne State University and a member of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Michigan Chapter, USA Hockey, and Leadership Detroit.

CW&T | The Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series
2024-03-29 20:00 - 21:00 (America/Detroit)
This speaker event was recorded live on Thursday, March 21, 2024 at 5:30 pm at the Michigan Theater, Ann Arbor, MI.
CW&T is the recipient of the 2022 National Design Award for Product Design from Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. CW&T started as and remains the two-person design practice of Che-Wei Wang and Taylor Levy. With backgrounds in Architecture, Film and Computer Science, the duo met at NYU ITP where they began their scale- and medium-agnostic approach to design.
Since 2009, CW&T’s work has spanned from interactive software to human-scaled tools that enhance their relationships to work, life, and time. Their practice centers around an iterative process of sketching, prototyping, testing, writing code, machining parts, and building each edition themselves to assess their intuitions around improving their everyday experiences. Their projects have included devices that alter our perception of time, an electronics curriculum for artists, an astrological compass for space travelers, and objects engineered to last multiple generations.
Sharing their process with their community is essential to their practice. CW&T cultivates an ethos of openness through teaching and open source software and hardware. Their pedagogy extends into the home/​studio where they host office hours to lend a hand, or offer insight to anyone interested in figuring out how to make something themselves.
Learn More>>

The Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series Spring 2024 Season
This spring, the Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series brings respected leaders and innovators from a broad spectrum of creative fields to Ann Arbor’s historic Michigan Theater for weekly in-person events.
Detroit Public Television and PBS Books, in partnership with the Stamps School, will stream each week’s event Fridays at 8pm.
See the full schedule of events livestreamed by PBS Books here.
Some programs may not be available online, depending on artist requests. Interested in receiving notifications before online videos go live? Sign up to receive a reminder before each event begins streaming.
Watch Past Penny Stamps Episodes

An Evening with Kara Swisher & Mary Barra
2024-04-01 20:00 - 21:00 (America/Detroit)
Program Description:
Join PBS Books as we offer a special evening with best-selling author, Kara Swisher, and General Motors Chair and CEO Mary Barra, which is being presented by the University of Michigan’s Wallace House Center for Journalists and the Gerald R. Ford of Public Policy, as part of the university’s continuing series: “Democracy in Crisis: Views from the Press.”
Award-winning journalist, author, and podcaster, Kara Swisher has interviewed nearly every consequential innovator and tech entrepreneur working today. Her new memoir, Burn Book: A Tech Love Story, is an insider’s tale of success, failure, hubris, and optimism. As the electric vehicle revolution becomes a predominate topic in this country, Swisher sits down with Mary Barra, Chair and CEO of General Motors, to discuss her new book and explore the dynamic interplay of legacy companies, innovation, strategic bets on the future and tech’s potential to solve problems and not just create them.
Book Description:
From award-winning journalist Kara Swisher comes a witty, scathing, but fair accounting of the tech industry and its founders who wanted to change the world but broke it instead.
Part memoir, part history, Burn Book is a necessary chronicle of tech’s most powerful players. From “the queen of all media” (Walt Mossberg, Wall Street Journal), this is the inside story we’ve all been waiting for about modern Silicon Valley and the biggest boom in wealth creation in the history of the world.
About Wallace House:
Wallace House Center for Journalists at the University of Michigan is committed to fostering excellence in journalism. It is home to programs that recognize, sustain and elevate the careers of journalists to address the challenges of journalism today, foster civic engagement and uphold the role of a free press in a democratic society. It believes in the fundamental mission of journalism to document, interpret, analyze and investigate the forces shaping society.
Guest Biographies:
Kara Swisher, Award-Winning Journalist
Kara Swisher is the host of the podcast, “On with Kara Swisher,” and the cohost of the “Pivot” podcast with Scott Galloway, both distributed by New York magazine. She was the co-founder and editor-at-large of Recode, host of the “Recode Decode” podcast and co-executive producer of the Code conference. She was a former contributing opinion writer for The New York Times and host of its “Sway” podcast and has also worked for The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post. “Burn Book: A Tech Love Story” is her third book.
Mary Barra, General Motors Chair & CEO
Mary Barra is Chair and Chief Executive Officer of General Motors. Under Barra’s leadership, GM envisions a world with zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion. Prior to becoming CEO, Barra served as GM executive vice president, Global Product Development, Purchasing and Supply Chain, and as senior vice president, Global Product Development. In these roles, Barra and her teams were responsible for the design, engineering and quality of GM vehicle launches worldwide.

The Wright Conversations with Poet Nikki Giovanni
2024-04-03 20:00 - 21:00 (America/Detroit)
Program Description:
As part of its Wright Conversations series, the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History presents Nikki Giovanni, one of this country’s most widely read poets and one of America’s most renowned poets worldwide. Her poem, “Knoxville, Tennessee,” is arguably the single literary work most often associated with that city. Giovanni has received numerous awards in the course of her career, including seven Image Awards from the N.A.A.C.P., more than two-dozen honorary degrees, the first Rosa Parks Woman of Courage Award, the Langston Hughes Medal for Poetry, and the Carl Sandburg Literary Award; additionally, Oprah Winfrey recognized her in 2005 as one of twenty-five “Living Legends.” She continues to teach, write, and publish books. Her most recent collection, “Make Me Rain,” was released in October of 2020.
Guest Biography:
Nikki Giovanni, Poet
Poet Nikki Giovanni was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, on June 7, 1943. Although she grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, she and her sister returned to Knoxville each summer to visit their grandparents. Nikki graduated with honors in history from her grandfather’s alma mater, Fisk University. Since 1987, she has been on the faculty at Virginia Tech, where she is a University Distinguished Professor. She has been nominated for a Grammy and a finalist for the National Book Award. She has authored three New York Times and Los Angeles Times best-sellers, highly unusual for a poet. For more information in the words of the poet herself, visit here.

Lynn Hershman Leeson | The Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series
2024-04-05 20:00 - 21:00 (America/Detroit)
This speaker event was recorded live on Thursday, March 28, 2024 at 5:30 pm at the Michigan Theater, Ann Arbor, MI.
As part of the 62nd Ann Arbor Film Festival, this special program will showcase a curated selection of Lynn Hershman Leeson’s short films, followed by a conversation. Filmmaker Lynn Hershman Leeson will join remotely, and curator Julia Yezbick will interview her from the Michigan Theater’s stage.
Lynn Hershman Leeson’s work cannot be contained by any one medium. Her practice is voracious; consuming both traditional artistic media (installation, painting, and video) as well as interactive LaserDiscs and synthetic DNA. Responding to the social and scientific technologies of the day, Hershman Leeson’s work anticipates the quandaries into which we will be collectively thrown. Her performance piece as Roberta Breitmore (1973) underscored the gendered contours of personhood as defined by the state, laying bare the ways in which we reproduce ourselves as ephemeral simulacra according to these superstructures. She was working with chatbots (Agent Ruby, 1998 – 2002) downloadable to a Palm Pilot decades before chatGPT had broken into public consciousness, questioning the role that artificial intelligences will play in our lives. This program of her short film and video works highlights her long-held fascination with reality, selfhood, and technological reproduction, prompting us to question whether it is at all possible to disambiguate ourselves from our tech-saturated worlds. Her short films shown here distill the impetus of her decades-long work: a quest for freedom from the many constraints imposed on us by society and the potentialities as well as the pitfalls presented by the ongoing technological augmentation of our lives.
Julia Yezbick is a filmmaker, artist, programmer, and anthropologist. She received her PhD in Media Anthropology and Critical Media Practice from Harvard University. Her audio and video works have been exhibited at the Berlin International Film Festival, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the New York Library for Performing Arts, Station Arts Space (Beirut), the Ann Arbor Film Festival, the Broad Underground Film series (Lansing), the AgX Film Collective, and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Detroit. Yezbick’s works of experimental nonfiction are grounded in feminist responses to social issues such as housing and urban transformations as well as commentaries on gendered labor, identity, and movement and the body. She is a 2018 Kresge Artist Fellow for film, the founding Editor of Sensate: a journal for experiments in critical media practice, and co-directs Mothlight Microcinema in Detroit. Yezbick is currently an Assistant Professor of Media Arts and Studies at Wayne State University in Detroit.
Learn More>>

The Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series Spring 2024 Season
This spring, the Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series brings respected leaders and innovators from a broad spectrum of creative fields to Ann Arbor’s historic Michigan Theater for weekly in-person events.
Detroit Public Television and PBS Books, in partnership with the Stamps School, will stream each week’s event Fridays at 8pm.
See the full schedule of events livestreamed by PBS Books here.
Some programs may not be available online, depending on artist requests. Interested in receiving notifications before online videos go live? Sign up to receive a reminder before each event begins streaming.
Watch Past Penny Stamps Episodes

"You Are Here" Author Talk with Ada Limón
2024-04-10 20:00 - 21:00 (America/Detroit)
Program Description:
PBS Books is thrilled to celebrate Poetry Month and Earth Month with Ada Limón, the 24th Poet Laurette of the United States. National Director of PBS Books, Heather-Marie Montilla and Ada Limón discuss her recently published anthology You Are Here: Poetry In The Natural World, a collection of fifty poems that reflect on our relationship to the natural world by contemporary writers. Collaboratively published by Milkweed Editions and the Library of Congress, this anthology depicts the ever-changing poetic landscape. Ada Limón provides a new foundation on how we can explore and enjoy poetry in our own unique way and discusses her important work as the first Latina US Poet Laurette, making poetry more accessible for all Americans. Highlights include her collaboration with the National Park Service and NASA on exciting projects.
You Are Here
Published in association with the Library of Congress and edited by the twenty-fourth Poet Laureate of the United States, a singular collection of fifty poems reflecting on our relationship to the natural world by our most celebrated contemporary writers.
For many years, “nature poetry” has evoked images of Romantic poets standing on mountain tops. But our poetic landscape has changed dramatically, and so has our planet. Edited and introduced by the twenty-fourth Poet Laureate of the United States, Ada Limón, this book challenges what we think we know about “nature poetry,” illuminating the myriad ways our landscapes—both literal and literary—are changing.
You Are Here features fifty previously unpublished poems from some of the nation’s most accomplished poets, including Joy Harjo, Diane Seuss, Rigoberto González, Jericho Brown, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Paul Tran, and more. Each poem engages with its author’s local landscape—be it the breathtaking variety of flora in a national park, or a lone tree flowering persistently by a bus stop—offering an intimate model of how we relate to the world around us and a beautifully diverse range of voices from across the United States.
Read More by Ada Limón:
The Carrying
The Carrying by Ada Limón
Vulnerable, tender, acute, these are serious poems, brave poems, exploring with honesty the ambiguous moment between the rapture of youth and the grace of acceptance. A daughter tends to aging parents. A woman struggles with infertility—“What if, instead of carrying / a child, I am supposed to carry grief?”—and a body seized by pain and vertigo as well as ecstasy. A nation convulses: “Every song of this country / has an unsung third stanza, something brutal.” And still Limón shows us, as ever, the persistence of hunger, love, and joy, the dizzying fullness of our too-short lives. “Fine then, / I’ll take it,” she writes. “I’ll take it all.”
In Bright Dead Things, Limón showed us a heart “giant with power, heavy with blood”—“the huge beating genius machine / that thinks, no, it knows, / it’s going to come in first.” In her follow-up collection, that heart is on full display—even as The Carrying continues further and deeper into the bloodstream, following the hard-won truth of what it means to live in an imperfect world.
The Hurting Kind
The Hurting Kind by Ada Limón
“I have always been too sensitive, a weeper / from a long line of weepers,” writes Limón. “I am the hurting kind.” What does it mean to be the hurting kind? To be sensitive not only to the world’s pain and joys, but to the meanings that bend in the scrim between the natural world and the human world? To divine the relationships between us all? To perceive ourselves in other beings—and to know that those beings are resolutely their own, that they “do not / care to be seen as symbols”?
With Limón’s remarkable ability to trace thought, The Hurting Kind explores those questions—incorporating others’ stories and ways of knowing, making surprising turns, and always reaching a place of startling insight. These poems slip through the seasons, teeming with horses and kingfishers and the gleaming eyes of fish. And they honor parents, stepparents, and grandparents: the sacrifices made, the separate lives lived, the tendernesses extended to a hurting child; the abundance, in retrospect, of having two families.
Along the way, we glimpse loss. There are flashes of the pandemic, ghosts whose presence manifests in unexpected memories and the mysterious behavior of pets left behind. But The Hurting Kind is filled, above all, with connection and the delight of being in the world. “Slippery and waddle thieving my tomatoes still / green in the morning’s shade,” writes Limón of a groundhog in her garden, “she is doing what she can to survive.”
Lucky Wreck
Lucky Wreck by Ada Limón
The poems in Lucky Wreck trace the excitement of plans and the necessary swerving detours we must take when those plans fail. Looking to shipwrecks on the television, road trips ending in traffic accidents, and homes that become sites of infestation, Ada Limón finds threads of hope amid an array of small tragedies and significant setbacks. Open, honest, and grounded, the poems in this collection seek answers to familiar questions and teach us ways to cope with the pain of many losses with earnestness and humor. Through the wrecks, these poems continue to offer assurance.
Celebrating the fifteenth anniversary of Limón’s award-winning debut, this edition includes a new introduction by the poet that reflects on the book and on how her writing practice has developed over time.

Bright Dead Things
Bright Dead Things by Ada Limón
A book of bravado and introspection, of 21st century feminist swagger and harrowing terror and loss, this fourth collection considers how we build our identities out of place and human contact—tracing in intimate detail the various ways the speaker’s sense of self both shifts and perseveres as she moves from New York City to rural Kentucky, loses a dear parent, ages past the capriciousness of youth, and falls in love.

Guest Biography:
Ada Limón, Poet
Ada Limón the author of six books of poetry, including The Carrying, which won the National Book Critics Circle Award. Her book Bright Dead Things was nominated for the National Book Award, the National Book Critics Circle Award, and the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award. Her most recent book of poetry, The Hurting Kind, was shortlisted for the Griffin Poetry Prize. She is the recipient of a Guggenheim fellowship and wrote a poem that will be engraved on NASA’s Europa Clipper Spacecraft that will be launched to the second moon of Jupiter in October 2024. As the 24th Poet Laureate of The United States, her signature project is called You Are Here and focuses on how poetry can help connect us to the natural world. She will serve as Poet Laureate until the spring of 2025. In October of 2023 she was awarded a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship.

PBS Books Readers Club - Scott Alexander Howard
2024-04-24 20:00 - 21:00 (America/Detroit)
Readers Club HomeEpisodes
Episode Description:
Join the PBS Books Readers Club as we plumb the depths of Scott Alexander Howard’s debut novel, The Other Valley. Fans of the PBS series A Brief History Of The Future and books like Never Let Me Go and The Giver will enjoy this book about an isolated town neighbored by its own past and future.
The Other Valley tells the story of Odile, an awkward, quiet girl vying for a coveted seat on the Conseil. If she earns the position, she’ll decide who may cross her town’s heavily guarded borders. On the other side, it’s the same valley, the same town. Except to the east, the town is twenty years ahead in time. To the west, it’s twenty years behind. The towns repeat in an endless sequence across the wilderness. This thrilling page-turner will make readers ask the question: would you want to know your future if you could? And what would you risk to change it? The Other Valley is a Simon & Schuster Top Shelf Pick, a Goodreads Most Anticipated Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Horror Book of 2024, and is soon to be a TV series.
So don’t miss this chance to join the PBS Books Readers Club in conversation with Scott Alexander Howard about this pick that Booklist calls “Beautifully written… a triumph.”
About the Book:
Get the E-BookDONATE NOW and download your e-book copy.
Sixteen-year-old Odile is an awkward, quiet girl vying for a coveted seat on the Conseil. If she earns the position, she’ll decide who may cross her town’s heavily guarded borders. On the other side, it’s the same valley, the same town. Except to the east, the town is twenty years ahead in time. To the west, it’s twenty years behind. The towns repeat in an endless sequence across the wilderness. When Odile recognizes two visitors she wasn’t supposed to see, she realizes that the parents of her friend Edme have been escorted across the border from the future, on a mourning tour, to view their son while he’s still alive in Odile’s present. Edme––who is brilliant, funny, and the only person to truly see Odile––is about to die. Sworn to secrecy in order to preserve the timeline, Odile now becomes the Conseil’s top candidate. Yet she finds herself drawing closer to the doomed boy, imperiling her entire future.
Guest Biography:
Scott Alexander Howard
Scott Alexander Howard lives in Vancouver, British Columbia. He has a PhD in philosophy from the University of Toronto and was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard, where his work focused on the relationship between memory, emotion, and literature. The Other Valley is his first novel. Connect with him at ScottAlexanderHoward.com.
Readers Club Hosts:
Heather Marie Montilla
Heather-Marie Montilla, a dynamic integrative leader, is an educator and nonprofit manager. She has worked in the nonprofit sector and libraries for over two decades, making a positive impact in arts, cultural, educational, and community-building arenas.
Having joined the PBS Books team as their Library Bureau Chief in Fall 2018, Montilla is now the National Director of PBS Books and has interviewed more than 150 writers. In addition, she is a faculty member at Michigan State University and Eastern Michigan University for their Arts and Cultural/Entertainment Management Programs. Having been an Executive Director for 8 years, Heather has a wide range of experience in management, finance, strategic planning, marketing, and fundraising. Heather holds a MPA From Columbia University, a MLIS from Wayne State University, and a bachelor’s from Duke University. She lives in Chicagoland, and is married with four children, a dog, and a bird.
Princess Weekes
Princess Weekes is an award winning writer and video essayist who works at breaking down the intersections between race, gender, and pop culture. Formally an Assistant Editor at The Mary Sue, co-host of Netflix’s The Geeked Podcast, and co-host and co-writer on the PBS Digital Series It’s Lit. On weekends she works as a bookseller at a local bookstore. When not reading or writing she can be found playing TTRPGs of cuddling with her cat, Lola.
Lauren Smith
Executive Producer and host of national PBS programming at Detroit Public TV, Lauren develops content for PBS and other distributors of public media for broadcast, streaming, and other digital channels and has executive-produced and/or produced over 60 national broadcast and programs. Her passion is to develop inspiring, entertaining, and educational content alongside the best national and international talent, and to engage important content with communities across the country. Lauren loves to read and has worked to develop and produce PBS Books content for nearly ten years!
Fred Nahhat
Fred Nahhat is an Emmy Award-winning producer, host, and presenter for Detroit’s PBS station, where he serves as Sr. VP of Production. A 30-year broadcast veteran, Fred has hosted and produced numerous programs for Public TV – including music specials from Il Volo, Celtic Gold and the New Divas – as well as other series and specials “New Year’s Eve with the DSO”, “The Detroit Dream Cruise,” “The PBS Books Readers Club” and “Get Up, Get Out,” among others.
He is a graduate of Wayne State University and a member of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Michigan Chapter, USA Hockey, and Leadership Detroit.
