Virtual Events
Barbara Kingsolver Live
Thursday, November 5 at 7pm CT
PBS Books invites you to an exclusive live virtual conversation with Barbara Kingsolver on November 5. Fresh from the release of her latest novel, Partita, Kingsolver will discuss the inspiration behind the book, share stories from her remarkable literary career, and answer questions from readers across the country.
Don't miss your chance to join fellow readers from across the country for one of the first conversations surrounding this highly anticipated new novel.
Purchase your ticket by October 12 to receive your copy of Partita before the live event on November 5.
Your ticket includes:
- Access to the live virtual event on November 5, 2026
- A hardcover copy of Partita
- A PBS Books Readers Club mug featuring the new "My Weekend is BOOKED" design
Note: Tickets purchased after October 13 will still include a copy of Partita and the PBS Books Readers Club mug. While we'll do our best to get them to you before November 5, delivery before the event cannot be guarranteed.
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Barbara Kingsolver returns this fall with Partita, a deeply moving, unforgettable novel about art, music, class, memory, and the live-altering power of love.
Livia Cable has made her peace with her marriage and modest livelihood in the farm country where she grew up, until a shocking phone call from an old lover shakes her to the core. Decades earlier, this man knew her as Livia Bohusz, a music conservatory student estranged from her home and family, uncertain of anything except her passion for music and her promise as an extraordinary pianist. His request, now, to see her again stirs up ghosts she has kept at bay for a lifetime.
Shifting between past and present, Livia’s decision to meet or reject the reunion means confronting, step by step, in memories framed as musical dances, the experiences of childhood loss, abandonment, self-immolating passion, and perilous attachment to a man who broke her belief in love and ruptured the course of her life.
With razor-sharp acuity, Kingsolver’s new novel reflects on class barriers, the risks of ambition, and the timeless, life-changing powers of art. Told in movements that mirror a Bach partita, the novel unfolds with the precision and emotional power of music itself: each section building on the last, each theme returning transformed.
More About Barbara Kingsolver
Barbara Kingsolver is the author of ten bestselling works of fiction, including the novels Unsheltered, The Bean Trees, and The Poisonwood Bible, as well as books of poetry, essays, creative nonfiction, and Coyote’s Wild Home, a children’s book co-authored with Lily Kingsolver. She also collaborated with family members on the influential Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life. Kingsolver’s work has been translated into more than thirty languages and has earned a devoted readership at home and abroad. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and has received numerous awards and honors including the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for her novel, Demon Copperhead, the National Humanities Medal, and most recently, the National Book Foundation's Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. She lives with her husband on a farm in southern Appalachia.
More About 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 PBS – music specials from Il Volo, Celtic Gold, and the New Divas – and local programs, including “New Year’s Eve with the DSO”, “The Dream Cruise Road Show, and four seasons of the weekly family series “Get-Up Get-Out,” among others.
His latest role as moderator of “The PBS Books Readers Club,” builds upon his previous work developing the PBS Books channels and its platforms, launching a series of live event coverage from the nation’s book most prestigious book festivals, including publishing events in Miami, Los Angeles, New York and Washington, D.C. and more.
More About Lauren Smith Jurcak
Lauren Smith Jurcak is an award-winning executive producer, on-camera host, and nationally recognized public media leader, celebrated for her creative vision, strategic insight, and deep commitment to the PBS mission to educate, entertain, and inspire. Lauren is the creator, executive producer, and host of the highly successful PBS Books Readers Club, a digital-first literary initiative that connects top authors with readers nationwide. Beyond the Readers Club, Lauren also oversees the overall strategy for PBS Books, including original content development, station and library engagement, and innovative digital experiences including virtual events with PBS filmmakers like Ken Burns, Henry Louis Gates Jr., and more.
PBS Books Readers Club
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PBS Books
PBS Books is a multi-platform initiative celebrating the love of reading. PBS Books is dedicated to connecting books with audiences by engaging them in unique experiences to spark their curiosity and encourage a life-long love of reading and learning. Through social and digital engagement and live coverage of important literary events across the country, PBS Books celebrates books and writers and works to foster a passion for reading among public media viewers and listeners.
Coverage is produced nationally for PBS Books by Detroit PBS.