PBS Books

Visions of America: Discovering 18th & Vine in Kansas City - Stories of African American History and Culture
2024-06-12 20:00 - 20:30 (America/Detroit)
Visions of America HomeEpisodes
Program Description:
18th & Vine has been the heart and soul of the African American community in Kansas City, bolstering the American dream of freedom and equality. A vibrant center of African American culture, it is the home to important historic sites like the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (NLBM) and the American Jazz Museum.
NLBM was founded to keep the stories alive of its players and how they fought the barriers of segregation in Major League Baseball, including Jackie Robinson. Learning about the important role of the Negro Leagues Baseball in our nation’s favorite pastime, explore the museum and hear insights about renowned players like Satchel Paige and others. Next, visit the American Jazz Museum, highlighting the remarkable role of jazz in Kansas City fostering a thriving community as the art form matured.
Institute of Museum and Library Services Crosby Kemper leads conversations discussing the importance of this vibrant center for Black history and culture with NLBM President Bob Kendrick, American Jazz Museum’s Muriel Boyd, and authors and experts Joe Posnanski, Arnold Rampersad, and Chuck Haddix.
Lastly, Crosby visits Gates Bar-B-Q for some quintessential Kansas City food and talks to owner Ollie Gates, Sr. and Congressman Emanuel Cleaver about 18th & Vine and its recent comeback.
About Visions of America
Visions of America – All Stories, All People, All Places, hosted by Institute of Museum and Library Services Director Crosby Kemper, explores our great nation and uses its diverse collection of museums, libraries and historians both familiar and new to tell some of the lesser-known stories that have flown under the radar in our shared legacy of American Independents. Over the course of 3 half-hour episodes in its first season, the program journeys to different historical sites throughout the nation for conversations that will tell the engaging but sometimes hidden stories that resonate with where we are at as a nation today. and maybe give some insight and inspiration on how we got here. But history doesn’t just exist in a museum. Each episode will also venture out into the cities these institutions call home to delve further into what makes each of these communities so important to our national identity, all with the help of local historians who know the stories of their community better than anyone.
Guest Biographies:
Arnold Rampersad, Professor Emeritus at Stanford University
Arnold Rampersad is Professor Emeritus in the Department of English at Stanford University. He has published several essays and books, including the two-volume Life of Langston Hughes; Jackie Robinson: A Biography; and Ralph Ellison: A Biography. A former MacArthur Foundation fellow, he is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society.
Chuck Haddix, Director of Marr Sound Archives
Chuck Haddix is the director of the Marr Sound Archives, a collection of 350,000 historic sound recordings housed in the Miller Nichols Library at the University of Missouri–Kansas City. Haddix also teaches Kansas City jazz history at the Kansas City Art Institute. Over the years, Haddix has contributed to a wide variety of theatrical, recording, video and film projects including “Cronkite Remembers” a biography of Walter Cronkite, Robert Altman’s “Kansas City” and Merchant-Ivory’s “Mr. and Mrs. Bridge.” He is the coauthor of Kansas City Jazz: From Ragtime to Bebop–A History for Oxford University Press and author of Bird: The Life and Music of Charlie Parker for the University of Illinois Press.
Muriel Boyd, Humanitarian
Muriel Boyd is a passionate person who seeks to see the best in the lives of everyone around her. Over the years, this passion has led Boyd to a number of paid and voluntary positions in the Kansas City region and internationally, such as BSF International and with patrons and visitors at the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art and the American Jazz Museum. Upon Boyd’s retirement with the Social Security Administrative Office, she was directed to dedicate her time and skills to humanitarian work in Bangladesh for 8 years, as well as twice to Brazil and to other service opportunities stateside.
Bob Kendrick, President of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
Bob Kendrick was named President of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (NLBM) in March 2011. Kendrick is responsible for the museum’s day-to-day operations and the development and implementation of strategies to advance the mission of the 501 c3, not-for-profit organization. Kendrick has been responsible for the creation of several signature museum educational programs and events including the Hall of Game which annually honors former Major League Baseball greats who played the game in the spirit and signature style of the Negro Leagues. And while he doesn’t fashion himself to be a historian, Kendrick has become one of the leading authorities on the topic of Negro Leagues Baseball history and its connection to issues relating to sports, race and diversity. He has been a contributing writer for “Ebony Magazine” and the national Urban League’s “Opportunity Magazine.”
Joe Posnanski, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author
Joe Posnanski is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of seven books, including bestsellers “Why We Love Baseball”, “The Baseball 100” and “Paterno”. He has been named National Sportswriter of the Year by five different organizations. He writes at JoePosnanski.com and currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with his family.
Full Length Conversation with Joe Posnanski
Crosby Kemper full conversation with New York Times bestselling author Joe Posnanski as they dive deeper into the Negro League Baseball League and its iconic players.
Ollie Gates, Sr., Owner of Gates Bar-B-Q
Ollie Gates, Sr. is a Black businessman and restauranteur, known widely for the Gates Bar-B-Q restaurants that have contributed to Kansas City’s reputation for quality barbecue. After graduating from Lincoln High School in 1949, Gates first attended Maryland State College before returning to Lincoln University and earning a degree in engineering. After serving two years in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, he was discharged as a 1st Lieutenant. After his father’s death in 1960, Gates took over the running of the family barbecue business, expanding to several locations across the Kansas City metro area. He is also credited with a strong push to modernize the restaurant, standardizing customer service and kitchen practices, even starting a barbecue university he named “Rib Tech”. Gates Bar-B-Q eventually became one of Kansas City’s most famous barbecue restaurants. In 2021 Gates was inducted into the American Royal Barbecue Hall of Fame.
Emanuel Cleaver II, Congressman, Missouri’s Fifth District
Emanuel Cleaver II is now serving his tenth term representing Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District, the home district of President Harry Truman. He is a member of the House Committee on Financial Services; Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance; member of Subcommittee on Capital Markets; and member of the U.S. Helsinki Commission. Having served for twelve years on the city council of Missouri’s largest municipality, Kansas City, Cleaver was elected as the city’s first African American Mayor in 1991. During his eight-year stint in the Office of the Mayor, Cleaver distinguished himself as an economic development activist and an unapologetic redevelopment craftsman. Additionally, his municipal stewardship includes the 18th and Vine Redevelopment, a new American Royal, the establishment of a Family Division of the Municipal Court, and the reconstruction and beautification of Brush Creek.
Full Length Conversation at Gates BBQ
Crosby Kemper full conversation at legendary Gates Bar-B-Q in Kansas City food where he talks with owner Ollie Gates, Sr. and Congressman Emanuel Cleaver about 18th & Vine and its recent comeback.
Full Length Jazz Roundtable Discussion
Crosby Kemper full conversation discussing the importance of this vibrant center for Black history and culture with NLBM President Bob Kendrick, American Jazz Museum's Muriel Boyd, and authors and experts Joe Posnanski, Arnold Rampersad, and Chuck Haddix.

Visions of America: Voices from the Heard Museum in Phoenix - Stories of First Americans
2024-06-19 20:00 - 20:30
Visions of America HomeEpisodes
Program Description:
The Heard Museum in Phoenix highlights Indigenous creativity from traditional artworks to contemporary creations. This episode celebrates Native American history, culture, and present-day policy, with a focus on amplifying under heard stories. It explores Indigenous stories of arts, culture, and sports, Native American citizenship and tribal sovereignty, and the changing (and important) place of Native Americans in history.
IMLS Director Crosby Kemper tours the Heard Museum with its Director and CEO David Roche to discuss the museum’s role as a central asset in telling and preserving American Indian history and culture.
Next, Crosby sits down with Walter Echo-Hawk (Pawnee), who is a Native American attorney, tribal judge, author, activist, and law professor, at the Heard Museum for a conversation to discuss Indigenous knowledge and traditions, tribal engagement, and the unique relationship of Native American tribes to our history.
Lastly, Philip J. Deloria (Dakota), who is the Leverette Saltonstall Professor of History at Harvard University, will join virtually to examine Indigenous contributions to the United States.
Both Echo-Hawk and Deloria are authors, whose work highlights lesser-known stories about Native Americans, who have triumphed over injustice in a quest to achieve the American dream.
Learn More:
Our friends at The Heard museum are committed to connecting Indigenous creativity to the world by presenting the voice and vision of American Indian artists. Learn more about their collections, events, and educational experiences at https://heard.org/
Since 1992 the Heard Museum has been home to the World Championship Hoop Dance contest, a competition that intensifies every year as dancers continue to add increasingly difficult movements to their routines integrating difficult manipulations of the hoops. Dancers’ scores are based on five judging categories: precision, timing, rhythm, showmanship, creativity and speed. February 2024 The Heard hosts the 34th Annual World Championship Hoop Dance Contest. In this program, we learn more about the history of this event. Click here to learn more.
About Visions of America
Visions of America – All Stories, All People, All Places, hosted by Institute of Museum and Library Services Director Crosby Kemper, explores our great nation and uses its diverse collection of museums, libraries and historians both familiar and new to tell some of the lesser-known stories that have flown under the radar in our shared legacy of American Independents. Over the course of 3 half-hour episodes in its first season, the program journeys to different historical sites throughout the nation for conversations that will tell the engaging but sometimes hidden stories that resonate with where we are at as a nation today. and maybe give some insight and inspiration on how we got here. But history doesn’t just exist in a museum. Each episode will also venture out into the cities these institutions call home to delve further into what makes each of these communities so important to our national identity, all with the help of local historians who know the stories of their community better than anyone.
Guest Biographies:
David M. Roche is a recognized national and international leader in the field of American Indian art. In 2015, he became the Director and CEO of the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona, the largest private museum in the world dedicated to American Indian art and culture.
Full Length Conversation with David Roche
Crosby Kemper meets with David Roche to discuss the museum's role as a central asset in telling and preserving American Indian history and culture.
Walter Echo-Hawk is past President, Pawnee Nation Business Council (2020-2023), an author, attorney, jurist, and legal scholar. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences in 2023. He authored The Sea of Grass (2018); In The Light Of Justice (2013); In the Courts of the Conqueror (2010); and Battlefields and Burial Grounds (1994).
Full Length Conversation with Walter Echohawk
Crosby Kemper sits down with Walter Echo-Hawk (Pawnee) for a conversation about Indigenous knowledge and traditions, tribal engagement, and the unique relationship of Native American tribes to our history.
Philip J. Deloria is Professor of History at Harvard University, where his research and teaching focus on the social, cultural and political histories of the relations among American Indian peoples and the United States, as well as the comparative and connective histories of indigenous peoples in a global context.
Full Length Conversation with Phillip Deloria
Crosby Kemper has a conversation with Philip J. Deloria (Dakota) about Indigenous contributions to the foundation of the United States.

PBS Books Readers Club - Olivia Ford
2024-06-26 20:00 - 21:00
Readers Club HomeEpisodes
About the Book:
Get the E-BookDONATE NOW and download your e-book copy.
Nothing could be more out of character, but after fifty-nine years of marriage, as her husband Bernard’s health declines, and her friends’ lives become focused on their grandchildren—which Jenny never had—Jenny decides she wants a little something for herself. So she secretly applies to be a contestant on the prime-time TV show Britain Bakes.
Whisked into an unfamiliar world of cameras and timed challenges, Jenny delights in a new-found independence. But that independence, and the stress of the competition, starts to unearth memories buried decades ago. Chocolate teacakes remind her of a furtive errand involving a wedding ring; sugared doughnuts call up a stranger’s kind act; a simple cottage loaf brings back the moment her life changed forever.
With her baking star rising, Jenny struggles to keep a lid on that first secret—a long-concealed deceit that threatens to shatter the very foundations of her marriage. It’s the only time in six decades that she’s kept something from Bernard. By putting herself in the limelight, has Jenny created a recipe for disaster?
Guest Biography:
Olivia Ford
Olivia Ford has spent a decade in entertainment TV, including Made in Chelsea and Love Island. Olivia is a graduate of the Faber Academy, where she wrote the beginnings of Mrs. Quinn’s Rise to Fame, which was long-listed for the 2021 Women’s Prize Trust’s Discoveries Prize. Raised in Lincolnshire, Olivia now lives in London.
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.

Celebrate Visions of America
2024-06-27 20:00 - 21:00
Visions of America HomeEpisodes
Program Description:
Come celebrate Visions of America: All Stories, All People, All Places as we consider the significance of this nation’s 250th anniversary and what it means for our nation. We will examine the founding documents and the intentions underlying the work our ancestors accomplished. We’ll look at the struggles faced by the people who, as the epitome of the American spirit, never gave up on their quest for freedom in the face of hardship and visit the nation’s most revered institutions, which preserve the distinctively American tales from the first-person point of view that shape our collective history.

"The House on Mango Street" by Sandra Cisneros - Library of Congress National Book Festival 2024
2024-07-10 20:00 - 21:00
LOC National Book Festival 2024
Episode Description:
In partnership with WTTW and other local PBS stations, PBS Books Heather-Marie Montilla is joined by Sandra Cisneros to discuss the release of the 40th Anniversary Edition of The House on Mango Street as the 2024 Library of Congress National Book Festival author featured this week by PBS Books.
“The House on Mango Street” is one of the most cherished novels of the last 50 years. Readers from all walks of life have fallen for the voice of Esperanza Cordero, growing up in Chicago and inventing for herself who and what she will become. “In English my name means hope,” she says. “In Spanish it means too many letters. It means sadness, it means waiting.”
The 24th annual Library of Congress National Book Festival will be held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, August 24, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
About the Book:
The House on Mango Street is featured at the 2024 National Book Festival for a special celebration of the 40th anniversary.
The House on Mango Street is one of the most cherished novels of the last fifty years. Readers from all walks of life have fallen for the voice of Esperanza Cordero, growing up in Chicago and inventing for herself who and what she will become. “In English my name means hope,” she says. “In Spanish it means too many letters. It means sadness, it means waiting.”
Told in a series of vignettes—sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes joyous—Cisneros’s masterpiece is a classic story of childhood and self-discovery and one of the greatest neighborhood novels of all time. Like Sinclair Lewis’s Main Street or Toni Morrison’s Sula, it makes a world through people and their voices, and it does so in language that is poetic and direct. This gorgeous coming-of-age novel is a celebration of the power of telling one’s story and of being proud of where you’re from.
Guest Biography:
Sandra Cisneros
Sandra Cisneros is a poet, short story writer, novelist and essayist whose work explores the lives of the working class. Her numerous awards include National Endowment for the Arts fellowships in both poetry and fiction, the Texas Medal of the Arts, a MacArthur fellowship, the PEN/Nabokov Award for International Literature, the National Medal of Arts, the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, and the Ambassador Richard C. Holbrooke Distinguished Achievement Award from the Dayton Literary Peace Prize Foundation. A new collection of poetry and its Spanish translation, “Woman Without Shame,” Cisneros’s first in 28 years, was published in 2022. Her novel The House on Mango Street has sold over seven million copies, has been translated into over 25 languages, and is required reading in elementary, high school and universities across the nation.

"Goodnight Thoughts" by Max Greenfield - Library of Congress National Book Festival 2024
2024-07-17 20:00 - 21:00
LOC National Book Festival 2024
Episode Description:
In partnership with PBS SoCal and other local PBS stations, PBS Books presents a conversation hosted by PBS SoCal’s Maria Hall-Brown with author Max Greenfield to discuss his latest book “Good Night Thoughts” as the 2024 Library of Congress National Book Festival author featured this week by PBS Books.
This lovely picture book is a simple but complex message about acknowledging anxiety without succumbing to it that will appeal to so many little ones (and adults) out there who find that nighttime is when their thoughts carry the most weight.
The 24th annual Library of Congress National Book Festival will be held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, August 24, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
About the Book:
Written by Max Greenfield, Illustrated by James Serafino
What do we do when we can’t fall asleep? The child in this story has racing thoughts–funny, silly, and scary–that are running on a cycle they can’t stop. It’s only when they begin to think to themselves: Do any of these thoughts have merit? Am I in any danger right here and now? that they are finally able to settle down.
This lovely picture book is a simple but complex message about acknowledging anxiety without succumbing to it that will appeal to so many little ones (and adults) out there who find that nighttime is when their thoughts carry the most weight.
Guest Biography:
Max Greenfield
Max Greenfield is an American actor and author of several illustrated children’s books. He is known for his roles as Schmidt in “New Girl” and Dave Johnson in “The Neighborhood.” In the past three years, he has published the picture books “I Don’t Want to Read This Book,” “This Book Is Not a Present” and “I Don’t Want to Read This Book Aloud.” Featured at the 2024 National Book Festival, Greenfield’s new picture book, “Good Night Thoughts,” is a bedtime story about acknowledging anxiety.

"the year of the buttered cat" by Susan & Lexi Haas - Library of Congress National Book Festival 2024
2024-07-24 20:00 - 21:00
LOC National Book Festival 2024
Episode Description:
In partnership with Kansas City PBS and other local PBS stations, PBS Books Heather-Marie Montilla is joined by Authors Susan & Lexi Haas to discuss their book the year of the buttered cat as the 2024 Library of Congress National Book Festival authors featured this week by PBS Books.
the year of the buttered cat is based on the real-life story of Lexi Haas. In the spirit of “Wonder” by R.J. Palacio and “Out of My Mind” by Sharon M. Draper, the year of the buttered cat offers powerful messages of friendship, family, loss and the art of redefining ourselves.
The 24th annual Library of Congress National Book Festival will be held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, August 24, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
About the Book:
Thirteen years ago, when she was just a tiny baby, something terrible happened to Lexi Haas. Something criminal. It left her with an out-of-control body and without a voice. Now, as a precocious, superhero-obsessed teen, Lexi is counting down the final 24 hours to a risky brain surgery that might help her talk or–dare she dream it?–to walk and use her hands. As surgery grows closer, Lexi finds an urgent, relentless need to share the story of the year in her life she calls The Year of the Buttered Cat. That year, on the verge of shutting out the rest of the world, Lexi began a gutsy and solitary quest to find her “missing” body. After the family cat went missing, too, and a mysterious letter appeared, Lexi reluctantly enlisted two budding friends to aid her search. But when these friends also disappeared, Lexi had to learn new ways to reach out to the world to save her friendships and uncover the truth about what happened to her as a baby. the year of the buttered cat is based on the real-life story of Lexi Haas. In the spirit of Wonder by R.J. Palacio and Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper, the year of the buttered cat offers empowering powerful messages of friendship, family, loss and the art of redefining ourselves.
Guest Biographies:
Susan Haas
Susan Haas is a disability advocate and mother of Lexi Haas. Together, they form a writing team focusing on disability education. Lexi has a rare and severe form of cerebral palsy. While she can’t walk or talk, she was reading by 10 months old, has an impressive memory, a keen sense of humor and an invincible spirit. Recognizing her young daughter’s gift for words, Susan began writing with Lexi to help foster independence and develop communication. She soon learned that Lexi’s fresh perspective needed to be shared with others. In addition to writing together, Susan and Lexi also enjoy presenting to schools and organizations around the world, helping others learn about disability from a first-person narrative. “The Year of the Buttered Cat: A Mostly True Story,” the duo’s first book, is featured at the 2024 National Book Festival.
Lexi Haas
Lexi Haas is a disability advocate and daughter of Susan Haas. Together, they form a writing team focusing on disability education and advocacy. Lexi has a rare and severe form of cerebral palsy. While she can’t walk or talk, she was reading by 10 months old, has an impressive memory, a keen sense of humor and an invincible spirit. Recognizing her young daughter’s gift for words, Susan began writing with Lexi to help foster independence and develop communication. She soon learned that Lexi’s fresh perspective needed to be shared with others. In addition to writing together, Susan and Lexi also enjoy presenting to schools and organizations around the world, helping others learn about disability from a first-person narrative. “The Year of the Buttered Cat: A Mostly True Story,” the duo’s first book, is featured at the 2024 National Book Festival.

PBS Books Readers Club - "James" by Percival Everett
2024-07-31 20:00 - 21:00
Readers Club HomeEpisodes
Episode Description:
Literary Icon Percival Everett Joins the PBS Books Readers Club to Discuss James—Named a Most Anticipated Book of the Year by Time, NPR, The Seattle Times, Elle, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and Oprah Daily
“To call James a retelling would be an injustice. Everett sends Mark Twain’s classic through the looking glass. What emerges is no longer a children’s book, but a blood-soaked historical novel stripped of all ornament. . . Genius.”
—The Atlantic
This month’s PBS Books Readers Club pick is James—the instant New York Times bestseller and highly acclaimed novel by distinguished Professor Percival Everett, that puts a transformative spin on the canonical work Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In James, Everett places Jim, the enslaved character from Twain’s novel, front and center in this powerful narrative, giving voice to his untold story. Brimming with humor while delivering biting observations on themes of race and freedom, James is a provocative and unforgettable page turner that will forever alter our perception of American literature.
Says Everett, “I have to say I didn’t write this as a corrective to Twain’s novel. He was telling the story of the adolescent white boy. And I’m telling the story of a full-grown black man who has a family and a life.”
Don’t miss the PBS Books Readers Club as eminent author Percival Everett shares his vision behind this remarkable novel destined to become a modern classic.
About the Book:
Get the E-BookDONATE NOW and download your e-book copy.
When the enslaved Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he decides to hide on nearby Jackson Island until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck Finn has faked his own death to escape his violent father, recently returned to town. As all readers of American literature know, thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and too-often-unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond.
While many narrative set pieces of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn remain in place (floods and storms, stumbling across both unexpected death and unexpected treasure in the myriad stopping points along the river’s banks, encountering the scam artists posing as the Duke and Dauphin…), Jim’s agency, intelligence and compassion are shown in a radically new light.
Brimming with the electrifying humor and lacerating observations that have made Everett a “literary icon” (Oprah Daily), and one of the most decorated writers of our lifetime, James is destined to be a major publishing event and a cornerstone of twenty-first century American literature.
Guest Biography:
Percival Everett
Percival Everett is the author of over thirty books, including So Much Blue, Telephone, Dr No and The Trees, which was shortlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize and won the 2022 Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize. He has received the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award and the PEN Center USA Award for Fiction, has been a Pulitzer Prize finalist, and is Distinguished Professor of English at the University of Southern California. His novel Erasure has now been adapted into the major film American Fiction. He lives in Los Angeles.
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.

"The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store" by James McBride - Library of Congress National Book Festival 2024
2024-08-01 20:00 - 21:00
LOC National Book Festival 2024
Episode Description:
In partnership with WHYY and other local PBS stations, PBS Books Heather-Marie Montilla is joined by author James McBride to discuss his latest book The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store as the 2024 Library of Congress National Book Festival author featured this week by PBS Books.
Bringing his masterly storytelling skills and his deep faith in humanity to The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, McBride shows us that even in dark times, it is love and community—heaven and earth—that sustain us.
The 24th annual Library of Congress National Book Festival will be held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, August 24, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
About the Book:
In 1972, when workers in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, were digging the foundations for a new development, the last thing they expected to find was a skeleton at the bottom of a well. Who the skeleton was and how it got there were two of the long-held secrets kept by the residents of Chicken Hill, the dilapidated neighborhood where immigrant Jews and African Americans lived side by side and shared ambitions and sorrows. Chicken Hill was where Moshe and Chona Ludlow lived when Moshe integrated his theater and where Chona ran the Heaven & Earth Grocery Store. When the state came looking for a deaf boy to institutionalize him, it was Chona and Nate Timblin, the Black janitor at Moshe’s theater and the unofficial leader of the Black community on Chicken Hill, who worked together to keep the boy safe.
As these characters’ stories overlap and deepen, it becomes clear how much the people who live on the margins of white, Christian America struggle and what they must do to survive. When the truth is finally revealed about what happened on Chicken Hill and the part the town’s white establishment played in it, McBride shows us that even in dark times, it is love and community—heaven and earth—that sustain us.
Bringing his masterly storytelling skills and his deep faith in humanity to The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, James McBride has written a novel as compassionate as Deacon King Kong and as inventive as The Good Lord Bird.
Guest Biography:
James McBride
James McBride is the author of The New York Times bestseller and Oprah’s Book Club selection Deacon King Kong; The Good Lord Bird, winner of the National Book Award; The Color of Water; Song Yet Sung; the story collection Five-Carat Soul; and the James Brown biography Kill ’Em and Leave. His debut novel, Miracle at St. Anna, was turned into a 2008 film. In 2016, McBride was awarded the National Humanities Medal. He is also a musician, a composer and a current distinguished writer-in-residence at New York University. McBride’s most recent New York Times bestselling novel, The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, is featured at the 2024 National Book Festival.

"Just for the Summer" by Abby Jimenez - Library of Congress National Book Festival 2024
2024-08-07 20:00 - 21:00
LOC National Book Festival 2024
Episode Description:
In partnership with VPM and other local PBS stations, PBS Books presents a conversation hosted by VPM’s Keyris Manzanares with author Abby Jimenez to discuss her latest book Just for the Summer as the 2024 Library of Congress National Book Festival author featured this week by PBS Books.
Are things too good to be true when a Reddit thread post leads to an intentional quick fling? It’s not long before this couple is suddenly navigating a lot more than they expected — including catching real feelings for each other. What if this time fate has actually brought the perfect pair together?
The 24th annual Library of Congress National Book Festival will be held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, August 24, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
About the Book:
Justin has a curse, and thanks to a Reddit thread, it’s now all over the internet. Every woman he dates goes on to find their soul mate the second they break up. When a woman slides into his DMs with the same problem, they come up with a plan: They’ll date each other and break up. Their curses will cancel each other’s out, and they’ll both go on to find the love of their lives. It’s a bonkers idea… and it just might work.
Emma hadn’t planned that her next assignment as a traveling nurse would be in Minnesota, but she and her best friend agree that dating Justin is too good of an opportunity to pass up, especially when they get to rent an adorable cottage on a private island on Lake Minnetonka.
It’s supposed to be a quick fling, just for the summer. But when Emma’s toxic mother shows up and Justin has to assume guardianship of his three siblings, they’re suddenly navigating a lot more than they expected–including catching real feelings for each other. What if this time Fate has actually brought the perfect pair together?
Guest Biography:
Abby Jimenez
Abby Jimenez is a No. 1 New York Times bestselling romance author. Her novels have sold over 1.5 million copies and been translated into 28 languages. She has received a Good Morning America Book Club pick, a Book of the Month’s Book of the Year Award and a Minnesota Book Award. Before her writing career, Jimenez was in the national spotlight as a Cupcake Wars champion and founder of Nadia Cakes bakery, which has gone on to win numerous Food Network competitions and amass an international following. Her latest novel, “Just for the Summer,” is featured at the 2024 National Book Festival.
Host Biography:
Keyris Manzanares, Multimedia Reporter at Virginia Public Media
Keyris Manzanares is a dynamic, bilingual, 2x Emmy-award winning multimedia journalist at VPM, Virginia’s Home for Public Media. Passionate about stories that impact underserved communities, she previously worked at WRIC ABC 8News, where she created and anchored HOY EN RVA to inform Central Virginia’s Latino community. A Virginia Commonwealth University alumna, she’s covered major issues like health disparities, housing, education, immigration, COVID-19, and justice reform. Keyris was born and raised in Virginia.

"Night Flyer" by Tiya Miles - Library of Congress National Book Festival 2024
2024-08-14 20:00 - 21:00
LOC National Book Festival 2024
Episode Description:
In partnership with Maryland Public Television and other local PBS stations, PBS Books Heather-Marie Montilla is joined by author Tiya Miles to discuss her latest book Night Flyer as the 2024 Library of Congress National Book Festival author featured this week by PBS Books.
With her characteristic tenderness and imaginative genius, Miles explores beyond the stock historical grid to weave Tubman’s life into the fabric of her world. Harriet Tubman traversed many boundaries, and thanks to Miles, she becomes an even clearer and sharper signal from the past, one that can help us to find a more just and sustainable path.
The 24th annual Library of Congress National Book Festival will be held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, August 24, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
About the Book:
Harriet Tubman is among the most famous Americans ever born and soon to be the face of the twenty-dollar bill. Yet often she’s a figure more out of myth than history, almost a comic-book superhero. Despite being barely five feet tall, unable to read, and suffering from a brain injury, she managed to escape from her own enslavement, return again and again to lead others north to freedom without loss of life, speak out powerfully against slavery, and then become the first American woman in history to lead a military raid, freeing some seven hundred people. You could almost say she’s America’s Robin Hood, a miraculous vision, often rightly celebrated but seldom understood.
Tiya Miles’s extraordinary Night Flyer changes all that. With her characteristic tenderness and imaginative genius, Miles explores beyond the stock historical grid to weave Tubman’s life into the fabric of her world. She probes the ecological reality of Tubman’s surroundings and examines her kinship with other enslaved women who similarly passed through a spiritual wilderness and recorded those travels in profound and moving memoirs. What emerges, uncannily, is a human being whose mysticism becomes more palpable the more we understand it—a story that offers us powerful inspiration for our own time of troubles. Harriet Tubman traversed many boundaries, inner and outer. Now, thanks to Tiya Miles, she becomes an even clearer and sharper signal from the past, one that can help us to echolocate a more just and sustainable path.
Guest Biography:
Tiya Miles
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.

"Music and Mind" by Renée Fleming - Library of Congress National Book Festival 2024
2024-08-21 20:00 - 21:00
LOC National Book Festival 2024
Episode Description:
In partnership with WETA and other local PBS stations, PBS Books Heather-Marie Montilla is joined by World-Renowned Soprano and Arts/Health Advocate, Renée Fleming to discuss her latest book “Music and Mind” as the 2024 Library of Congress National Book Festival author featured this week by PBS Books.
A compelling and growing body of research has shown music and arts therapies to be effective tools for addressing a widening array of conditions, including providing pain relief, alleviating anxiety and depression, regaining speech after stroke or traumatic brain injury, and improving mobility for people with disorders that include Parkinson’s disease and MS. “Music and Mind” is a groundbreaking book, the perfect introduction and overview of this exciting new field.
The 24th annual Library of Congress National Book Festival will be held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, August 24, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
About the Book:
A compelling and growing body of research has shown music and arts therapies to be effective tools for addressing a widening array of conditions, from providing pain relief and alleviating anxiety and depression to regaining speech after stroke or traumatic brain injury, and improving mobility for people with disorders that include Parkinson’s disease and MS.
In Music and Mind Renée Fleming draws upon her own experience as an advocate to showcase the breadth of this booming field, inviting leading experts to share their discoveries. In addition to describing therapeutic benefits, the book explores evolution, brain function, childhood development, and technology as applied to arts and health.
Much of this area of study is relatively new, made possible by recent advances in brain imaging, and supported by the National Institutes of Health, major hospitals, and universities. This work is sparking an explosion of public interest in the arts and health sector.
Fleming has presented on this material in over fifty cities across North America, Europe, and Asia, collaborating with leading researchers, policy-makers, and practitioners. With essays from notable musicians, writers, and artists, as well as leading neuroscientists, Music and Mind is a groundbreaking book, the perfect introduction and overview of this exciting new field.
Guest Biography:
Renée Fleming
Renée Fleming is an acclaimed soprano and health/arts advocate who has performed at events ranging from the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony to the Super Bowl. She has received many honors and awards, including five Grammys, the National Medal of Arts and a Fulbright Lifetime Achievement Award. A prominent advocate for research at the intersection of the arts, health and neuroscience, Fleming serves as an artistic advisor to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, where she launched the first ongoing collaboration between the Kennedy Center and the National Institutes of Health. She is also a 2023 Kennedy Center Honoree and serves as a World Health Organization goodwill ambassador for arts and health. Fleming is the editor of the new essay collection, “Music and Mind: Harnessing the Arts for Health and Wellness,” which is featured at the 2024 National Book Festival.

PBS Books Readers Club - "The Hunter" by Tana French
2024-08-28 20:00 - 21:00
Readers Club HomeEpisodes
Episode Description:
The PBS Books Readers Club Welcomes Bestselling Irish Crime Fiction Writer Tana French to discuss her books The Searcher and The Hunter.
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Searcher and “one of the greatest crime novelists writing today” (VOX), comes a spellbinding new tale set in the Irish countryside.
It’s a blazing summer when two men arrive in a small village in the West of Ireland. One of them is coming home. Both of them are coming to get rich. One of them is coming to die.
Fans of PBS crime dramas D.I. Ray and Grantchester will be drawn into this nuanced, atmospheric tale that explores what we’ll do for our loved ones, what we’ll do for revenge, and what we sacrifice when the two collide.
Don’t miss the PBS Books Readers Club on August 28 at 8:00 pm (ET) as Tana French shares her inspiration behind her novels, her writing process, favorite books, and more.
About the Books:
Get the E-BookDONATE NOW and download your e-book copy.

“Hailed as the queen of Irish crime fiction, French spins a taut tale of retribution, sacrifice, and family.”—TIME

It’s a blazing summer when two men arrive in a small village in the West of Ireland. One of them is coming home. Both of them are coming to get rich. One of them is coming to die.
Cal Hooper took early retirement from Chicago PD and moved to rural Ireland looking for peace. He’s found it, more or less: he’s built a relationship with a local woman, Lena, and he’s gradually turning Trey Reddy from a half-feral teenager into a good kid going good places. But then Trey’s long-absent father reappears, bringing along an English millionaire and a scheme to find gold in the townland, and suddenly everything the three of them have been building is under threat. Cal and Lena are both ready to do whatever it takes to protect Trey, but Trey doesn’t want protecting. What she wants is revenge.
From the writer who is “in a class by herself,” (The New York Times), a nuanced, atmospheric tale that explores what we’ll do for our loved ones, what we’ll do for revenge, and what we sacrifice when the two collide.

Get the E-BookDONATE NOW and download your e-book copy.

“This hushed suspense tale about thwarted dreams of escape may be her best one yet . . . Its own kind of masterpiece.” –Maureen Corrigan, The Washington Post
“A new Tana French is always cause for celebration . . . Read it once for the plot; read it again for the beauty and subtlety of French’s writing.” –Sarah Lyall, The New York Times
Cal Hooper thought a fixer-upper in a bucolic Irish village would be the perfect escape. After twenty-five years in the Chicago police force and a bruising divorce, he just wants to build a new life in a pretty spot with a good pub where nothing much happens. But when a local kid whose brother has gone missing arm-twists him into investigating, Cal uncovers layers of darkness beneath his picturesque retreat, and starts to realize that even small towns shelter dangerous secrets.
“One of the greatest crime novelists writing today” (Vox) weaves a masterful, atmospheric tale of suspense, asking how to tell right from wrong in a world where neither is simple, and what we stake on that decision.

Guest Biography:
Tana French
Tana French is the New York Times bestselling author of nine books, including In the Woods, The Likeness, and The Searcher. Her novels have sold over eight million copies worldwide and won numerous awards, including the Edgar, Anthony, Macavity, and Barry awards, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Best Mystery/Thriller, and the Irish Book Award for Crime Fiction. She lives in Dublin with her 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.

Moonflower Murders | Masterpiece Filmmaker Talk
2024-09-11 20:00 - 21:00
Episode Description:
Join PBS Books in conversation with award-winning novelist and screenwriter, Anthony Horowitz to discuss MASTERPIECE Mystery!, Moonflower Murders. This new six-part series sequel continues where the smash hit Magpie Murders left off with editor turned amateur sleuth Susan Ryeland (Manville) and world-famous fictional detective Atticus Pünd (McMullan). Learn fun insights directly from Anthony Horowitz prior to the release of the PBS show!
Moonflower Murders premieres Sunday, September 15th at 9 PM ET | 8PM CT
Before you watch Moonflower Murders, go behind the story of the hit series Magpie Murders on PBS Books! You can watch the full series on the PBS App with your Passport subscription.
About the Show:

The second of Anthony Horowitz’s adaptation of his own bestselling Susan Ryeland/Atticus Pünd series, Moonflower Murders picks up in the aftermath of Magpie Murder’s riveting finale, as book editor-turned-sleuth (turned hotelier) Susan Ryeland is living in Crete with her longtime boyfriend, Andreas. But her idyll is disturbed by the shadow of a murder committed at a British country hotel eight years ago. Alan Conway, Susan’s prima donna former author, visited the hotel and wrote a novel based on what happened there—a novel that later led Cecily Treherne, who helps run the hotel, to believe that the wrong man is behind bars. Now Cecily has disappeared. Can Susan uncover the secret hidden in the book and find Cecily before it’s too late?

Guest Biography:
Anthony Horowitz
Anthony is one of the most prolific and successful writers working in the UK – and is unique for working across so many media.
Anthony’s award-winning novel Magpie Murders was published in 2016 to critical acclaim and he adapted it himself for the screen. It aired on MASTERPIECE Mystery! in 2023 with Lesley Manville in the lead role. The sequel, Moonflower Murders will premiere on MASTERPIECE beginning September 15, 2024 and Leslie Manville is back to reprise her role as editor Susan Ryland.

Highlights - 2024 Library of Congress National Book Festival
2024-09-12 20:00 - 21:00
LOC National Book Festival 2024
Episode Description:
If you missed any of the 2024 Library of Congress National Book Festival or want to learn more behind the books of the over 90 featured authors, poets, and illustrators, join PBS Books in collaboration with the Library of Congress as we highlight the memorable moments of the 2024 Library of Congress National Book Festival.
Featured Speakers, in order of appearance:
“A Confident Cook”
Featuring: Tamron Hall, Lish Steiling, Dr. Carla Hayden
Full DiscussionCelebrating James Baldwin’s Centennial
Featuring: Ayana Mathis, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Eric Deggans
Full DiscussionShhh! Don’t Tell Our Secret About the Couch!
Featuring: Sasha Dowdy, Adam Rubin, Liniers
Full DiscussionMusic is Medicine
Featuring: Renée Fleming, Daniel J. Levitin, Michael Andor Brodeur
Full DiscussionModern Dating: We Love It, We Hate It
Featuring: Abby Jimenez, Casey McQuiston, Megan Labrise
Full DiscussionInvestigating the Algorithm: Our Uneasy Ties to Tech
Featuring: Joy Boulamwini , Kyle Chayka, Regina G. Barber
Full DiscussionLiterature to Life Performs: ‘I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter’
Watch the full performance.
Full Performance‘Romantasy’ Novels
Featuring: Rebecca Yarros, Emily Kwong
Full DiscussionCelebrating the 40th Anniversary of “The House on Mango Street”
Featuring: Sandra Cisneros, Rachel Martin
Full DiscussionFeatured 2024 LOC Virtual Author Interviews from PBS Books:
The House on Mango Street | Sandra Cisneros
WatchGood Night Thoughts | Max Greenfield
Watchthe year of the buttered cat | Susan & Lexi Haas
WatchThe Heaven and Earth Grocery Store | James McBride
WatchJust for the Summer | Abby Jimenez
WatchNight Flyer | Tiya Miles
WatchMusic and Mind |Renée Fleming
Watch

Creating Reading Rainbow: The Untold Story of a Beloved Children's Series
2024-09-18 20:00 - 21:00
Episode Description:
PBS Books explores the stories behind the beloved PBS children’s program, Reading Rainbow, with Barbara Irwin, Tony Buttino, Sr. and Pam Johnson, who are the authors of Creating Reading Rainbow: The Untold Story of a Beloved Children’s Series. Join us as we discover the early history of this groundbreaking innovation of learning media that still holds a special place in the lives of many.
Guest Biograpies:
Barbara Irwin, Tony Buttino Sr., Pam Johnson, Ph.D.
Barbara Irwin, Author & Reading Rainbow Project Assistant, Educational Services, WNED-TV
Barbara Irwin, Ph.D., is Professor Emerita of Communication at Canisius University in Buffalo, New York. Specializing in media studies, she taught courses in media and children, public broadcasting, and media literacy. Irwin worked as a Reading Rainbow Project Assistant in the Educational Services department at WNED-TV during the early years of the series. In 2011, she was named a Faculty Fellow of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation. Frequently sought after by local and national media, her interviews have appeared on National Public Radio, E! Entertainment Network, and in USA Today and The Los Angeles Times, among others. Dr. Irwin is an authority on daytime television and media history, and co-authored the New York Times bestseller The Young and the Restless Most Memorable Moments and The Young and the Restless Special Silver Anniversary Collector’s Edition.
Tony Buttino Sr., Author & Creator, Reading Rainbow
Tony Buttino Sr. is best known for his leadership in the creation of the Emmy award-winning Public TV series Reading Rainbow. Most of his forty years of working at WNED-TV were spent utilizing and marketing instructional television (ITV) as a teaching and learning tool. And for his efforts, his colleagues affectionately refer to him as the “Father of ITV.” A multi-year effort to use television to bridge the summer reading gap led to the creation of Reading Rainbow, which began as a summer series on PBS, reaching over 6 million beginning readers in its first season. The series went on to become a year-round sensation and was broadcast for 26 years – among the longest running children’s series on PBS. Although as co-executive producer Buttino garnered five Emmy Awards for Outstanding Children’s Series, he says his biggest accomplishment is being able to reach youngsters through television and motivating them to read.,
Pam Johnson, Ph.D., Author & V.P. of Education and Engagement, Reading Rainbow, WNED-TV
Pam Johnson, Ph.D., is Executive Director of Ready To Learn at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a school readiness program developed in partnership with PBS KIDS, leading children’s content producers, researchers, and America’s public media stations with funding from the U.S. Department of Education. Prior to joining CPB, Dr. Johnson served as Vice President for Education and Engagement at WNED-TV where she spearheaded learning services and advanced innovative initiatives including ThinkBright TV, the Buffalo Professional Development and Technology Center, and Reading Rainbow’s national outreach and web priorities. With a passion for exciting children and their grown-ups about learning through media, Johnson shares that it all began as a station intern working closely with her longtime colleague and friend, Tony Buttino, during Reading Rainbow’s early years.

Assessment of Nixon Pardon | Policy Talks @ The Ford School
2024-09-23 20:00 - 21:00
Policy Talks @ The Ford School
Talk streams on Monday, Sept. 23 at 8:00 PM EDT
Policy Talks @ the Ford School Presents:
September marks the 50th anniversary of President Gerald R. Ford’s pardon of former President Richard Nixon. Over the past five decades, that act has been both vilified and then lionized as a great act of patriotism.
Five decades later, what is the significance of that unique, historical pardon? PBS Books is delighted to share a discussion with four legal experts on the significance of the Nixon pardon, in an appearance recorded at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy
The discussion features University of Michigan law professor and former U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade, former Watergate prosecutor Jill Wine-Banks, Nixon White House Counsel John Dean and University of Baltimore Law School professor Kimberly Wehle.

PBS Books Readers Club - "The Cemetery of Untold Stories" by Julia Alvarez
2024-09-25 20:00 - 21:00
Readers Club HomeEpisodes
Literary icon and great American novelist Julia Alvarez, bestselling author of In the Time of the Butterflies and How the García Girls Lost Their Accents, joins the PBS Books Readers Club to discuss a luminescent novel about storytelling that reads like an instant classic.
Readers will be excited to pair this novel with the September 2024 release of American Masters: Julia Alvarez on PBS, chronicling the life and work of one of the most critically and commercially successful Latina writers of her generation.
Don’t miss the PBS Books Readers Club on September 25 at 8:00 pm (ET) as Julia Alvarez shares her inspiration, writing process, favorite books, and more.
About the Book:
Get the E-BookDONATE NOW and download your e-book copy.

Named a Most Anticipated Book by the New York Times, Washington Post, Today.com, Goodreads, B&N Reads, Literary Hub, HipLatina, BookPage, BBC.com, Zibby Mag, and more
Alma Cruz, the celebrated writer at the heart of The Cemetery of Untold Stories, doesn’t want to end up like her friend, a novelist who fought so long and hard to finish a book that it threatened her sanity. So when Alma inherits a small plot of land in the Dominican Republic, her homeland, she has the beautiful idea of turning it into a place to bury her untold stories—literally. She creates a graveyard for the manuscript drafts and the characters whose lives she tried and failed to bring to life and who still haunt her.
Alma wants her characters to rest in peace. But they have other ideas and soon begin to defy their author: they talk back to her and talk to one another behind her back, rewriting and revising themselves. Filomena, a local woman hired as the groundskeeper, becomes a sympathetic listener to the secret tales unspooled by Alma’s characters. Among them, Bienvenida, dictator Rafael Trujillo’s abandoned wife who was erased from the official history, and Manuel Cruz, a doctor who fought in the Dominican underground and escaped to the United States.
The Cemetery of Untold Stories asks: Whose stories get to be told, and whose buried? Finally, Alma finds the meaning she and her characters yearn for in the everlasting vitality of stories. Julia Alvarez reminds us that the stories of our lives are never truly finished, even at the end.

Guest Biography:
Julia Alvarez
Julia Alvarez left the Dominican Republic for the United States in 1960 at the age of ten. She is the author of six novels, three books of nonfiction, three collections of poetry, and eleven books for children and young adults. She has taught and mentored writers in schools and communities across America and, until her retirement in 2016, was a writer in residence at Middlebury College. Her work has garnered wide recognition, including a Latina Leader Award in Literature from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, the Hispanic Heritage Award in Literature, the Woman of the Year by Latina magazine, and inclusion in the New York Public Library’s program “The Hand of the Poet: Original Manuscripts by 100 Masters, from John Donne to Julia Alvarez.” In the Time of the Butterflies, with over one million copies in print, was selected by the National Endowment for the Arts for its national Big Read program, and in 2013 President Obama awarded Alvarez the National Medal of Arts in recognition of her extraordinary storytelling.
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.

Kelly Church - Sustaining Traditions | The Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series
2024-09-27 20:00 - 21:00
Kelly Church is an Ottawa and Pottawatomi artist belonging to the Matchi-be-nash-she-wish tribe in Hopkins, MI. A member of the Gun Lake Band in Michigan and a Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Ojibwe descendent, she comes from an unbroken line of black ash basket makers and from the largest black ash weaving family in the Great Lakes region. Her artistic journey is deeply intertwined with the woodlands and forests of Michigan, where she harvests and works with a variety of natural fibers including black ash, birch bark, cedar bark, spruce roots, and basswood. These materials serve as the foundation for her distinctive woven sculptures, each meticulously crafted and adorned with copper and silver embellishments.
With her relatives’ guidance, Church learned to select the best black ash tree in order to provide the best material to create everything from utilitarian baskets to more conceptual weavings. Each tree she harvests and transforms into a basket tells a story, just as those before her created baskets that told their own stories. She has learned firsthand how the process of weaving a black ash basket is not only about weaving, it is also about biochemistry, forest management, pest control, Indigenous language, family history, and deep, ancient connections to the landscape from which her people originate.
Learn More>>

The Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series Fall 2024 Season
This fall, 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 PBS 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

Mike Ford & Jason Carter to Speak: How DO we Run Fair, Safe Elections? | Policy Talks @ The Ford School
2024-09-30 20:00 - 21:00
Policy Talks @ The Ford School
Policy Talks @ the Ford School Presents:
Join the Ford Presidential Foundation and their partners, The Carter Center, More Perfect, and the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at University of Michigan, as they examine the inner workings of the election process as well as expectations for staff conduct around elections. This series has been developed in partnership with Principles for Trusted Elections and More Perfect’s Sustainable Democracy Goals.
Co-chaired by Mike Ford (son of President Ford) and Jason Carter (grandson of President Carter), the Principles for Trusted Elections is an effort to bring awareness to the process insuring fair, safe, and secure elections. More Perfect’s “Five Democracy Goals” were created to support key cornerstones of a sustainable and vigorous democracy.
Learn More>>

Fred Wilson - The Silent Message of the Museum | The Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series
2024-10-04 20:00 - 21:00
Fred Wilson is a conceptual artist whose work investigates museological, cultural, and historical issues, which are largely overlooked or neglected by museums and cultural institutions. Since his groundbreaking exhibition Mining the Museum (1992) at the Maryland Historical Society, Wilson has been the subject of more than 40 solo exhibitions around the globe, including the retrospective Objects and Installations 1979-2000, which was organized by the Center for Art and Visual Culture at the University of Maryland, Baltimore.
His work has been exhibited extensively in museums including the Museum of Modern Art, NY; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; the Allen Memorial Museum at Oberlin College, Ohio; the Cleveland Museum of Art; the Institute of Jamaica, W.I.; the Museum of World Cultures, Sweden; the Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College; the British Museum; and the Ian Potter Museum of Art at the University of Melbourne, Australia. His work can be found in several public collections, including the Museum of Modern Art, NY; the Whitney Museum of American Art; the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; the Long Museum, Shanghai; the Tate Modern in London; and National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia. Wilson presented his exhibition Afro Kismet at the 2017 Istanbul Biennial, Turkey, which traveled to London, New York and Los Angeles.
Wilson has served on the Board of Trustees for The American Academy in Rome, Creative Capital, Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, and the Whitney Museum of American Art. He recently created a permanent outdoor installation for the Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, SC. In 2021 he was commissioned to create a three-story site- specific installation titled “Mother” in the Delta Terminal at LaGuardia airport, NYC. He represented the U.S. at the Cairo Biennale (1992) and Venice Biennale (2003). His many accolades include the prestigious MacArthur Foundation’s “Genius” Grant (1999); the Skowhegan Medal for Sculpture (2006); the Ford Foundation’s Art of Change fellowship (2018); Brandeis University’s Creative Arts Award (2019); and the 2024 Arts and Letters Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Learn More>>

The Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series Fall 2024 Season
This fall, 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 PBS 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

Mystery, Murder & Magic Audiobooks - Booklist Reader
2024-10-09 20:00 - 21:00
Program Description:
To get in the Halloween mood, PBS Books and the American Library Association’s Booklist Reader are teaming up to help you find your next big scare! Public Librarian and National Director Heather-Marie Montilla will speak with audiobook editor Heather Booth to explore the best mystery, magic and horror audiobooks released over last few years. Audiobooks are rapidly growing in popularity. While a majority of audiobook readers are between 25 and 44 years of age, the immersive audiobook experience is attracting people of all ages. Join us to learn about what to look for when selecting an audiobook and get top book recommendations from the experts.
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.
Mystery, Murder & Magic AudiobooksThe Angel of Indian Lake
The Angel of Indian Lake by Stephen Graham Jones
The final installment in the most lauded trilogy in the history of horror novels picks up four years after Don’t Fear the Reaper as Jade returns to Proofrock, Idaho, to build a life after the years of sacrifice—only to find the Lake Witch is waiting for her in New York Times bestselling author Stephen Graham Jones’s finale.
It’s been four years in prison since Jade Daniels last saw her hometown of Proofrock, Idaho, the day she took the fall, protecting her friend Letha and her family from incrimination. Since then, her reputation, and the town, have changed dramatically. There’s a lot of unfinished business in Proofrock, from serial killer cultists to the rich trying to buy Western authenticity. But there’s one aspect of Proofrock no one wants to confront…until Jade comes back to town. The curse of the Lake Witch is waiting, and now is the time for the final stand.
New York Times bestselling author Stephen Graham Jones has crafted an epic horror trilogy of generational trauma from the Indigenous to the townies rooted in the mountains of Idaho. It is a story of the American west written in blood.
Never Whistle at Night
Never Whistle at Night edited by Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.
Featuring stories by:
Norris Black • Amber Blaeser-Wardzala • Phoenix Boudreau • Cherie Dimaline • Carson Faust • Kelli Jo Ford • Kate Hart • Shane Hawk • Brandon Hobson • Darcie Little Badger • Conley Lyons • Nick Medina • Tiffany Morris • Tommy Orange • Mona Susan Power • Marcie R. Rendon • Waubgeshig Rice • Rebecca Roanhorse • Andrea L. Rogers • Morgan Talty • D.H. Trujillo • Theodore C. Van Alst Jr. • Richard Van Camp • David Heska Wanbli Weiden • Royce K. Young Wolf • Mathilda Zeller
Many Indigenous people believe that one should never whistle at night. This belief takes many forms: for instance, Native Hawaiians believe it summons the Hukai’po, the spirits of ancient warriors, and Native Mexicans say it calls Lechuza, a witch that can transform into an owl. But what all these legends hold in common is the certainty that whistling at night can cause evil spirits to appear—and even follow you home.
These wholly original and shiver-inducing tales introduce readers to ghosts, curses, hauntings, monstrous creatures, complex family legacies, desperate deeds, and chilling acts of revenge. Introduced and contextualized by bestselling author Stephen Graham Jones, these stories are a celebration of Indigenous peoples’ survival and imagination, and a glorious reveling in all the things an ill-advised whistle might summon.
The Reformatory
The Reformatory by Tananarive Due, Read by Joniece Abbott-Pratt
A gripping, page-turning novel set in Jim Crow Florida that follows Robert Stephens Jr. as he’s sent to a segregated reform school that is a chamber of terrors where he sees the horrors of racism and injustice, for the living, and the dead.
Gracetown, Florida
June 1950
Twelve-year-old Robbie Stephens, Jr., is sentenced to six months at the Gracetown School for Boys, a reformatory, for kicking the son of the largest landowner in town in defense of his older sister, Gloria. So begins Robbie’s journey further into the terrors of the Jim Crow South and the very real horror of the school they call The Reformatory.
The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years
The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years by Shubnum Khan, Read by Soneela Nankani
Akbar Manzil was once a grand estate off the coast of South Africa. Nearly a century later, it stands in ruins: an isolated boardinghouse for eclectic misfits, seeking solely to disappear into the mansion’s dark corridors. Except for Sana. Unlike the others, she is curious and questioning and finds herself irresistibly drawn to the history of the mansion: To the eerie and forgotten East Wing, home to a clutter of broken and abandoned objects—and to the door at its end, locked for decades.
Behind the door is a bedroom frozen in time and a worn diary that whispers of a dark past: the long-forgotten story of a young woman named Meena, who died there tragically a hundred years ago. Watching Sana from the room’s shadows is a besotted, grieving djinn, an invisible spirit who has haunted the mansion since her mysterious death. Obsessed with Meena’s story, and unaware of the creature that follows her, Sana digs into the past like fingers into a wound, dredging up old and terrible secrets that will change the lives of everyone living and dead at Akbar Manzil. Sublime, heart-wrenching, and lyrically stunning, The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years is a haunting, a love story, and a mystery, all twined beautifully into one young girl’s search for belonging.
Gaslight
Gaslight by Miles Joris-Peyrafitte and Sara Shepard, Read by Julia Atwood

Miles Joris-Peyrafitte (Sundance Award-winning filmmaker and star-studded podcast creator) and bestselling author Sara Shepard (the Pretty Little Liars series) have teamed up to write a timely, tense, compelling thriller that stands out for its exploration of the inner workings of cults, the susceptibility of young minds, and the fragility of friendship and marriage. Joris-Peyrafitte’s unique storytelling style, combined with Shepard’s knack for secrets and twists, makes Gaslight a compelling read for fans far beyond its namesake podcast. Rebecca is leading a tranquil life with her husband Tom and their two young children, believing her past is firmly behind her, until an old friend unexpectedly appears on her doorstep to shatter the idyll. The visitor, Danny, is a ghastly reminder of a charismatic leader-centered cult and all the secrets—including those relating to abuse—Rebecca is keeping from Tom. Established narrator Atwood’s storytelling flows seamlessly, even when revisiting past events to provide context. The tone and pacing are spot-on, with empathy and compassion evident in Atwood’s voice; the audio version of this novel will resonate and appeal to podcast fans. This book is a must-read for fans of cult stories, thrillers, complex characters, or even friendships turned sour (think Pretty Little Liars). Shepard’s unique perspective shines through; her mastery of secrets and twists evident on every page.

Fortune: A Novel
Fortune: A Novel by Ellen Won Steil
One drop of blood for a chance at a multimillion-dollar windfall. Is it a philanthropic gesture from a billionaire widow? Some suspect a darker motive behind the DNA lottery―one tied to the eighteen-year-old mystery of an infant’s unidentified remains that mars the history of idyllic Rosemary Hills, Iowa. Right after the blood lottery is announced, three local women fall under suspicion of knowing something about that night, and their carefully kept secrets threaten to spill out too.
Cleo is a divorced single mom forced to return to her hometown and accept a strange job reading to an invalid recluse; Jemma is a controversial state senator whose reelection campaign and teenage daughter have her on edge; and Alex, a divorce attorney, copes with a crumbling marriage of her own and the suffocating presence of a cold, overbearing mother.
Soon, unimaginable revelations of the past will collide with the present―and not just for Cleo, Jemma, and Alex. In this seemingly ordinary community, they aren’t the only ones with long-buried secrets.
Maude Horton's Glorious Revenge
Maude Horton’s Glorious Revenge by Lizzie Pook, Read by Genevieve Gaunt
Twenty-year-old Constance Horton has run away from her life in Victorian London, disguising herself as a boy to board the Makepeace, an expedition vessel bound for the icy and unexplored Northwest Passage of the Arctic. She struggles to keep her real identity a secret on the ship, a feat that only grows more difficult when facing the constant dangers of the icy North.
Even more dangerous than the cold, the storms, and the hunger, are some of the men aboard—including the ship’s scientist Edison Stowe. He’s watching Constance, and she knows that his attention could be fatal.
In London two years later: Maude Horton is searching for the truth. After being told by the British Admiralty that her sister’s death onboard the Makepeace was nothing more than a tragic accident, she receives a diary revealing that Edison Stowe had more of a hand in Constance’s death than the returning crew acknowledged.
In order to get the answers she needs, Maude shadows Edison. She joins him on a new venture he’s started to capitalize on the murder mania that has all of London in a frenzy—a travel company that takes guests around the country via train to witness public hangings—to extract the truth from him in any way possible.
No One Goes Alone
No One Goes Alone by Erik Larson
From New York Times bestselling author Erik Larson comes his first venture into fiction, an otherworldly tale of intrigue and the impossible that marshals his trademark approach to nonfiction to create something new: a ghost story thoroughly grounded in history.
Pioneering psychologist William James leads an expedition to a remote isle in search of answers after a family inexplicably vanishes. Was the cause rooted in the physical world . . . or were there forces more paranormal and sinister at work? Available only on audio, because as Larson says, ghost stories are best told aloud.
A group of researchers sets sail for the Isle of Dorn in the North Atlantic in 1905 to explore the cause of several mysterious disappearances, most notably a family of four who vanished without a trace after a week-long holiday on the island. Led by Professor James, a prominent member of the Society for Psychical Research, they begin to explore the island’s sole cottage and surrounding landscape in search of a logical explanation.

Pablo Helguera, Jenna Bednar, Philippa Hughes & Lexa Walsh - Radical Conversations | The Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series
2024-10-18 20:00 - 21:00
In a time of profound division, embracing diverse perspectives becomes a catalyst for meaningful change. How do we transcend boundaries to cultivate an environment committed to fostering honest, caring, and courageous conversations? How are artists responding to these questions through their work? Guided by the framing of U-M Professor Jenna Bednar, artists Pablo Helguera, Philippa Hughes, and Lexa Walsh will delve into the transition from transactional to relational public policy, nurturing our societal fabric with pillars of community, sustainability, dignity, and beyond. Together, they will reflect on the essence of American identity and envision pathways to a flourishing society.
Jenna Bednar is a political scientist whose work explores themes of civic engagement, institutional design, and the interplay between individual agency and systemic structures. Her research is on the analysis of institutions, focusing on the theoretical underpinnings of the stability of federal states. Bednar is the faculty director of UMICH Votes and Democratic Engagement, a non-partisan campus coalition whose mission is to improve the accessibility of voting, foster the confidence necessary to navigate the voting process successfully, and help students understand why their votes matter.
Pablo Helguera, a Mexico City-born artist now based in New York, explores a wide array of mediums including installation, sculpture, photography, drawing, and performance, often intertwining themes of history, pedagogy, sociolinguistics, ethnography, memory, and the absurd. His work spans from lectures and museum installations to musical performances and written fiction. Notably, his project “The School of Panamerican Unrest” exemplifies his blend of art and education, involving a 20,000-mile journey from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego. Helguera has exhibited and performed globally, from the Museum of Modern Art to the Museo de Arte Reina Sofia in Madrid, and has been recognized with a Guggenheim fellowship and grants from institutions like Creative Capital and Art Matters. He is author of several books and writes a regular column titled “Beautiful Eccentrics.”
Philippa Hughes’ artistic endeavors celebrate human connection and dialogue, creating spaces that encourage diverse communities to engage in transformative experiences. Her installations, events, and curated environments foster environments where honesty, empathy, and courage can flourish. Hughes draws inspiration from everyday interactions and collective storytelling. By challenging boundaries and amplifying marginalized voices, her work provokes thought, sparks dialogue, and inspires action towards a more inclusive and compassionate society. She is currently Visiting Artist For Art & Civic Engagement at UMMA presenting the exhibition and social engagement platform “Hey, We Need To Talk!”.
Lexa Walsh uses her background in both sculpture and social practice to make site specific projects, exhibitions, publications and objects, using an array of materials and employing social engagement, institutional critique, and radical hospitality. She creates platforms for interaction across hierarchies, representing multiple voices and inventing new ways of belonging. Walsh has exhibited and performed internationally for over 25 years at institutions large and small, and in public spaces.
Learn More>>
Presented in Partnership with UMMA as part of VOTE2024 and the Creative Campus Voting Project through UMICH Votes
Series presenting partners: Detroit PBS and PBS Books. Media partner: Michigan Radio.

The Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series Fall 2024 Season
This fall, 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 PBS 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

John Collins & Scott Shepherd with Tom Sellar - Elevator Repair Service | The Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series
2024-10-25 20:00 - 21:00
James Joyce’s Ulysses has fascinated, perplexed, scandalized, and/or defeated readers for over a century. Building on a rich history of staging modernist works—Gatz, The Sound and the Fury, The Select (The Sun Also Rises)—Elevator Repair Service (ERS) takes on this Mount Everest of twentieth-century literature.
Elevator Repair Service (ERS) is a New York City–based company that creates original works for live theater with an ongoing ensemble. The company’s shows are created from a wide range of texts that include found transcripts of trials and debates, literature, classical dramas, and new plays. Founded in 1991, ERS has created an extensive body of work that includes upwards of 20 original pieces. These have earned the company a loyal following and made it one of New York’s most highly acclaimed experimental theater companies. The company is best known for Gatz, its award-winning verbatim staging of the entire text of The Great Gatsby. ERS has received numerous awards and distinctions, including Lortel awards, a Bessie award, and an OBIE award for Sustained Excellence, as well as a Guggengheim Fellowship and Doris Duke Performing Artist Award for Artistic Director John Collins.
For their Penny Stamps event, Elevator Repair Service’s John Collins and Scott Shepherd will discuss the founding of ERS, the arc of its work, the importance of literature as a cultural influence, and their upcoming performance, Ulysses, which will be staged as part of the University Musical Society’s 2024-25 season.
John Collins (Director) founded Elevator Repair Service in 1991. Since then he has directed or co-directed all of the company’s productions while also serving as the company’s Artistic Director. ERS productions directed by Collins include Cab Legs, Room Tone, Gatz, The Select (The Sun Also Rises), The Sound and the Fury, Arguendo, Measure for Measure, and numerous others. The company’s work, under his direction, has been seen in over a dozen countries as well as in cities across the U.S. John is an experienced sound designer and has worked for The Wooster Group, Richard Foreman, Target Margin Theater, and others. Recent projects include Baldwin and Buckley at Cambridge, and a new adaptation of Chekhov’s The Seagull. He is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, a United States Artists Fellowship, and a Doris Duke Performing Artist Award.
Scott Shepherd (Performer, Co-Director, Dramaturg) has been a member of ERS since 1994, when he played a drunk passed out on a radiator in McGurk: A Cautionary Tale. Other ERS appearances include Measure for Measure; Gatz (Obie Award); No Great Society; Total Fictional Lie; Cab Legs; and Shut Up I Tell You. He has worked with The Wooster Group since 1997, playing Hamlet in Hamlet and other roles in The Town Hall Affair; Vieux Carré; Poor Theater (Obie Award); To You, The Birdie!; Brace Up!; and others. His screen credits include Killers of the Flower Moon, The Last of Us, First Cow, El Camino, True Detective, The Young Pope, and Bridge of Spies.
This event will be an interview conducted by Tom Sellar, a writer, editor, dramaturg and curator, editor of Yale’s international journal Theater, and professor in the Practice of Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism at Yale. Sellar’s arts writing and criticism has appeared in national publications including Artforum, BOMB, the New York Times, the Guardian, 4Columns, TheatreForum, and American Theatre.
Elevator Repair Service will perform Ulysses at the Power Center on October 19th at 7:30 p.m. and October 20th at 2:00 p.m.. For more information and to order tickets, visit UMS.org.
Learn More>>
Presented in partnership with University Musical Society.
Series presenting partners: Detroit PBS and PBS Books. Media partner: Michigan Radio.

The Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series Fall 2024 Season
This fall, 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 PBS 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

One Nation, Divergent Views: A Pre-Election Roundtable
2024-10-28 20:00 - 21:00
Program Description:
In the run-up to the presidential election, hear from special guests Bret Stephens and Lydia Polgreen of The New York Times, María Elena Salinas of ABC News and Vincent Hutchings of U-M Center for Political Studies, in conversation with “American Black Journal” host Stephen Henderson, as they provide insights on critical issues shaping the 2024 election and social science research on the American voting public.
PBS Books partners with the University of Michigan Wallace House Center for Journalists and the Institute for Social Research on this special event, at the intersection of journalism and social science.
Drawing on findings from the 75-year-long American National Election Studies, the discussion will explore the dramatic rise of political polarization, the significant decline in public trust in government and other key factors influencing voter behavior.
Don’t miss this opportunity to hear diverse perspectives on the forces shaping the upcoming election. It’s part of the University of Michigan’s Year of Democracy, Civic Empowerment and Global Engagement initiative.

PBS Books Readers Club – “The Marlow Murder Club” by Robert Thorogood
2024-10-30 20:00 - 21:00
Readers Club HomeEpisodesEpisode Description:
Author, screenwriter, and producer Robert Thorogood joins the PBS Books Readers Club to discuss the murder-mystery book The Marlow Murder Club, soon to be a Masterpiece drama series on PBS
To solve an impossible murder, you need an impossible hero…
The Marlow Murder Club follows the adventures of unlikely amateur sleuth Judith Potts, a crossword puzzle setter living happily on her own in the quaint town of Marlow.
Judith Potts is seventy-seven years old and blissfully happy. She lives on her own in a faded mansion just outside Marlow, there’s no man in her life to tell her what to do or how much whisky to drink, and to keep herself busy she sets crosswords for The Times newspaper.
One evening, while out swimming in the Thames, Judith witnesses a brutal murder. The local police don’t believe her story, so she decides to investigate for herself, and is soon joined in her quest by Suzie, a salt-of-the-earth dog-walker, and Becks, the prim and proper wife of the local Vicar. Together, they are the Marlow Murder Club. When another body turns up, they realize they have a real-life serial killer on their hands. And the puzzle they set out to solve has become a trap from which they might never escape…
Readers will be excited to pair this novel with the October 27, 2024 Masterpiece premiere of The Marlow Murder Club on PBS. The thrilling, four-part series stars Samantha Bond (Downton Abby) as Judith Potts, who is joined by Jo Martin, Cara Horgan and Natalie Dew as Suzie, Becks, and DS Tanika Malik. The Marlow Murder Club series airs Sundays on PBS beginning October 27, 2024, with the full season available in PBS Passport on October 27, 2024.
Author and writer Robert Thorogood said: “After over a decade of working on Death in Paradise, I’m thrilled to be creating a brand-new murder mystery series for TV. I can’t wait for audiences to join Judith, Becks and Suzie on their adventures as they solve a series of fiendishly puzzling murders.”
About the Book:
Get the E-BookDONATE NOW and download your e-book copy.

To solve an impossible murder, you need an impossible hero…
Judith Potts is seventy-seven years old and blissfully happy. She lives on her own in a faded mansion just outside Marlow, there’s no man in her life to tell her what to do or how much whisky to drink, and to keep herself busy she sets crosswords for The Times newspaper.
One evening, while out swimming in the Thames, Judith witnesses a brutal murder. The local police don’t believe her story, so she decides to investigate for herself, and is soon joined in her quest by Suzie, a salt-of-the-earth dog-walker, and Becks, the prim and proper wife of the local Vicar.
Together, they are the Marlow Murder Club.
When another body turns up, they realise they have a real-life serial killer on their hands. And the puzzle they set out to solve has become a trap from which they might never escape…

Guest Biography:
Robert Thorogood
Robert Thorogood is an author, screenwriter, producer, and the creator of the hit BBC One TV series Death In Paradise. He was born in Colchester, Essex, in 1972. When he was 10-years old, he read his first proper novel – Agatha Christie’s Peril at End House – and he’s been in love with the genre ever since. He now lives in Marlow in Buckinghamshire with his wife and children.
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.

Irma Boom - Boom Books | The Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series
2024-11-01 08:00 - 17:00
Irma Boom, commonly referred to as the “Queen of Books,” is a book maker based in Amsterdam. She redefines the boundaries of book design with her bold, experimental approach. Educated in fine art and graphic design at AKI Art Academy, Boom began her career at the Dutch Government Publishing and Printing Office before founding Irma Boom Office in 1991. With a portfolio of over 500 books, she seamlessly blends design and editorial work, challenging traditional conventions in both physical form and printed content. Notable among her projects is the 2136-page SHV Thing Book, a monumental work published in English and Chinese.
Boom makes use of various fabrication processes in her printed material such as embossing and die cuts. In her commissioned book for Chanel, Boom printed an entire 300 page book devoid of ink, using instead embossed text and image to create a semi-invisible narrative of Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel. Scent is another unusual feature Boom has utilized in her book design. Her conceptual book design for The Road Not Taken has 718 pages printed using ink mixed with a base of beef bouillon. Coffee filter paper is another material choice she has used.
Boom’s innovative designs have earned her numerous accolades, including the prestigious Gutenberg Prize, making her the youngest ever laureate. Her works are part of permanent collections at institutions such as MoMA in New York, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Centre Pompidou in Paris. Her complete oeuvre and archive are preserved in the Special Collections of the University of Amsterdam, known as the living Archive. In 2014 Boom received the Johannes Vermeer Award (the Dutch state prize for the arts) from the Minister of Education, Culture and Science. The jury unanimously awarded Boom for her unparalleled achievements in the field of graphic design. Boom is an honorary Doctor of the Royal College of Art in London for her inexhaustible contribution to the book.
Presented in partnership with Design Core Detroit and the UM Library.
Learn More>>

The Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series Fall 2024 Season
This fall, 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 PBS 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

Filmmaker Talk with Sarah Burns - Leonardo
2024-11-06 20:00 - 21:00
Program Descripton:
LEONARDO da VINCI, a new, two-part, four-hour documentary directed by Ken Burns, Sarah Burns and David McMahon premieres on Nov. 18 and 19, between 8-10 p.m. ET (check local listings) on PBS, PBS.org and the PBS App. The film explores the life and work of the 15th century polymath Leonardo da Vinci and looks at how the artist influenced and inspired future generations. The film finds in da Vinci’s soaring imagination and profound intellect the foundation for a conversation we are still having today: what is our relationship with nature and what does it mean to be human.
Set against the rich and dynamic backdrop of Renaissance Italy at a time of skepticism and freethinking, regional war and religious upheaval, LEONARDO da VINCI brings the artist’s towering achievements to life through his prolific notebooks, primary and secondary accounts of his life, and on-camera interviews with modern scholars, artists, engineers, inventors, and admirers.
Booklists:
Fiction
Nonfiction
Youth

Emil Ferris - If Your Favorite Thing is Monsters | The Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series
2024-11-08 20:00 - 21:00
Emil Ferris, acclaimed for her graphic novel My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, blends visual art with storytelling to create impactful works. Overcoming the West Nile Virus, which left her partially paralyzed, Ferris demonstrates remarkable resilience and dedication in her intricate cross-hatching and emotionally charged illustrations.
My Favorite Thing Is Monsters intertwines a coming-of-age story with a murder mystery and a historical reflection on the Holocaust. Through young Karen Reyes, Ferris delves into themes of identity, fear, and the complexities of humanity. Her art, inspired by horror magazines and pulp fiction, juxtaposes the grotesque and the beautiful, fostering empathy and understanding.
Ferris challenges the boundaries of graphic literature, using the medium to address complex social issues and personal histories. Her work confronts internal and external monsters, revealing profound truths about the human experience. By pushing the limits of graphic novels, Ferris elevates the form to explore deeper narratives and emotional landscapes, inviting readers into a world where art and story are inseparable.
Ferris’s contributions extend beyond her graphic novels. In April 2022, Ferris was reported among the more than three dozen comics creators who contributed to Operation USA’s benefit anthology book, Comics for Ukraine: Sunflower Seeds, a project spearheaded by editor Scott Dunbier, whose profits would be donated to relief efforts for Ukrainian refugees resulting from the February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
My Favorite Thing is Monsters has been translated into French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, German, and Korean. It has been honored with numerous awards, among them: The Lambda Literary Award, multiple Eisners, the Ignatz, and the Fauve d’or at the Angouleme Festival, France.
Ferris has exhibited her art extensively in the US and Europe, and prior to the pandemic she was honored to teach classes at the Louvre.
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The Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series Fall 2024 Season
This fall, 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 PBS 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 Ned Blackhawk - The Rediscovery of America
2024-11-13 20:00 - 21:00
Commemorating Native American Heritage Month, it is a time to celebrate the traditions, languages and stories of Native American communities and ensure their rich histories and contributions continue to thrive. This month and every month, we aim to celebrate the culture and heritage of these remarkable Americans who deeply enrich the quality and character of our Nation. Join PBS Books for a conversation with National Director Heather-Marie Montilla and esteemed scholar Ned Blackhawk, National Book Award winning author of The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History. Blackhawk’s retelling of U.S. history acknowledges the enduring power, agency, and survival of Indigenous peoples, yielding a truer account of the United States and revealing anew the varied meanings of America. Don’t miss the opportunity to gain insights about this historically transformative book from the author.
ABOUT THE BOOK: The Rediscovery of America
This astonishing book is a sweeping and overdue retelling of U.S. history that recognizes that Native Americans are essential to understanding the evolution of modern America, exploring the struggle, survival, and resurgence of American Indian nations. Ned Blackhawk interweaves five centuries of Native and non‑Native histories, from Spanish colonial exploration to the rise of Native American self-determination in the late twentieth century. In this transformative synthesis he shows that:

European colonization in the 1600s was never a predetermined success;
Native nations helped shape England’s crisis of empire;
The first shots of the American Revolution were prompted by Indian affairs in the interior;
California Indians targeted by federally funded militias were among the first casualties of the Civil War;
The Union victory forever recalibrated Native communities across the West;
Twentieth-century reservation activists refashioned American law and policy.
