At Beyond the Page, we believe in the power of knowledge, the magic of stories and the beauty of shared experiences. This event series features interactive sessions with renowned authors discussing their latest work and their writing process. Whether you're seeking profound discussions or heartfelt emotions, these events offer something truly special for everyone.
J. Courtney Sullivan is the bestselling author of the novels Commencement, Maine, The Engagements, Saints for All Occasions, and Friends and Strangers. Her latest novel, The Cliffs, was Reese Witherspoon’s July 2024 selection for Reese’s Book Club. Her work has been translated into 17 languages.
Sullivan's writing has appeared in The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post,Chicago Tribune, New York, Real Simple, and O, The Oprah Magazine, among many others. In 2017, she wrote the forewords to new editions of two of her favorite classic novels— Anne of Green Gables and Little Women.
She lives in Massachusetts with her husband and two children. Check out more about J. Courtney Sullivan
here.
Go beyond the page with acclaimed author Danzy Senna! Known for her works on race, gender, and American identity, Senna will talk about, her writing process, challenges, and more. She will answer your questions and will share insights into her new novel, Colored Television, which released on September 3, 2024.
Danzy Senna is the author of five works of fiction, including the bestselling Caucasia (set partly in Boston and Roxbury), New People, Symptomatic, and her forthcoming novel Colored Television, a collection of short stories, and a memoir. The recipient of numerous awards and honors, she teaches writing at the University of Southern California.
GBH is thrilled to present the Queen of Summer Fiction Elin Hilderbrand in conversation during our Beyond the Page event! Hilderbrand is the New York Times bestselling author of 28 novels, including The Hotel Nantucket (2022), Summer of ‘69 (2019), and The Five-Star Weekend (2023).
Swan Song, the finale of Hilderbrand’s Nantucket series, follows Chief of Police Ed Kapenash as he solves one last mystery involving the newest couple in town, the Richardsons. After the 22-million dollar house purchased by the Richardsons burns down and their personal assistant is deemed missing, Kapenash is forced to delay his retirement and look into these flashy newcomers who have stirred up the tranquil island community. Swan Song delivers a compelling blend of sun-soaked drama, glittering gatherings, and intriguing mystery, while celebrating the allure of Nantucket itself.
GBH News'
Callie Crossley moderates this conversation. Callie Crossley hosts the radio show and podcast Under the Radar with Callie Crossley and shares radio essays each Monday on GBH’s Morning Edition. She also co- hosts The Culture Show radio program which focuses on local and national cultural trends and perspectives. And she also offers commentary about cultural issues on the evening news program Greater Boston and on Boston Public Radio, GBH’s midday talk show. She is also a fill in host for the national podcast “Our Body Politic” and a frequent commentator on local and national television and radio programs.
Callie Crossley, co-host of The Culture Show, photographed at GBH’s Studio at the Boston Public Library on March 8, 2024.
GBH is proud to present award-winning author Téa Obreht for April’s virtual Beyond the Page event! Obreht is the international bestselling author of The Tiger’s Wife (2011) and Inland (2020), as well as an accomplished short story writer whose work has been featured in The New Yorker, The Atlantic,and Harper’s Magazine, among many others.
Obreht answers audience questions about her writing and creative processes, and give insights on the publishing industry. She will also be sharing more about her latest novel, The Morningside.
The Morningside expands on her short story published by New York Times Magazine for a COVID-19-related anthology. The novel follows 11-year-old Silvia and her mother as they flee their war-torn home and arrive in Island City, a near-future city ravaged by coastal flooding. With her past shrouded in mystery, Silvia embarks on an adventure to find out more about herself, the interesting characters in her new apartment building, and the magical, yet impoverished city around her.
Kristin Hannah is a New York Times bestselling author of 20 novels including Firefly Lane (2008), The Nightingale (2015), The Great Alone (2017) and The Four Winds (2021).
Hannah shares her insights on writing, editing and more during this conversational Q&A. She has over 30 years of writing experience and is also excited to discuss her newest book The Women.
Set to release on February 6, The Women follows 20-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath during the turbulent, transformative era of 1960s America as she impulsively joins the Army Nurse Corps to follow her brother to war. The story reveals how America, and herself, have changed when she returns.
GBH is proud to present master of suspense Dean Koontz for January’s Beyond the Page virtual event! Dean Koontz is a New York Times bestselling author of many novels - including Star Quest (1968), Phantoms (1983), Watchers (1987), Odd Thomas (2003), The Silent Corner (2010), The House at the End of the World (2023) and many more!
Koontz shares his insights, tips and tricks for the writing and editing process. He also shares more information about his newest book The Bad Weather Friend, releasing this February. This novel follows follows Benny Catspaw, a man who’s perpetually sunny disposition is tested when he loses his job, his reputation, his fiancée, and his favorite chair. He’s not paranoid. Someone is out to get him. He just doesn’t know who or why. Then Benny receives an inheritance from an uncle he’s never heard of: a giant crate and a video message. Benny plunges into a perilous high-speed adventure, the likes of which never would have crossed the mind of a decent guy like him.
In celebration of 2023 Boston Book Festival, GBH's Callie Crossley of Under the Radar with Callie Crossley talks with Tiya Miles, a public historian and creative writer whose research focuses on African American, Native American and women’s history during colonial America.
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. Her New York Times bestselling book All That She Carried won the National Book Award.
Miles’s latest book Wild Girls, examines how Harriet Tubman, Zitkála-Šá and Louisa May Alcott, among others, found self-understanding in the natural world and became women who changed America. This beautiful, meditative work of history puts girls of all races—and the landscapes they loved—at center stage and reveals the impact of the outdoors on women’s independence, resourcefulness and vision. For these trailblazing women of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, navigating the woods, following the stars, playing sports and taking to the streets in peaceful protest were not only joyful pursuits, but also techniques to resist assimilation, racism, and sexism.
Check out all the 2023 Boston Book Festival Headliners and Keynotes at bostonbookfest.org
GBH is proud to present Lily King for September’s Beyond the Page virtual event.
Lily King is the New York Times bestselling author of five novels: The Pleasing Hour (1999), The English Teacher (2005), Father of the Rain (2010), Euphoria (2014), Writers & Lovers (2020) and one collection of short stories, Five Tuesdays in Winter (2021). Her work has won numerous prizes and awards, including the Kirkus Prize, the New England Book Award for Fiction (twice), the Maine Fiction Award (twice), a Whiting Award and the B&N Discover Award. She has been a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and an alternate for the PEN/Hemingway. King currently lives in Portland, Maine.
King shares insights, challenges and joys, creating memorable characters in her five novels. She also shares the inspiration behind her latest book Writers & Lovers, which explores the themes of ambition, resilience and the power of love. The protagonist embarks on a journey of self-discovery as a talented and struggling writer determined to make her dream a reality.
This event is hosted by CRB Morning Program Host, Laura Carlo.
