We’re so incredibly excited to share the below announcement from Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures! It’s an almost unbelievable lineup. We literally… almost can’t believe it.
For an inside look at how this incredible season was curated, check out our interview with Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures Executive Director Stephanie Flom:
From Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author Siddhartha Mukherjee to “Punk Poet Laureate” Patti Smith, Ten Evenings promises a stellar season…
Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures announces its dynamic lineup of accomplished authors scheduled to appear for the 2016-17 series of Ten Evenings, sponsored by The Drue Heinz Trust:
September 26, 2016, Siddhartha Mukherjee, The Gene, The Emperor of All Maladies
October 10, 2016, Patti Smith, M Train, Just Kids
October 24, 2016, Colson Whitehead, The Underground Railroad, John Henry Days
November 14, 2016, Diane Rehm, On My Own, Finding My Voice
November 21, 2016, Douglas Brinkley, Rightful Heritage: FDR and the Land of America, Cronkite
December 5, 2016, Elizabeth Strout, My Name is Lucy Barton, Olive Kitteridge
January 30, 2017, Helen Macdonald, H Is for Hawk, Shaler’s Fish
February 20, 2017, Lauren Groff, Fates and Furies, Arcadia
March 6, 2017, Roxane Gay, Hunger, Bad Feminist
April 3, 2017, Timothy Egan, The Immortal Irishman, The Worst Hard Time
The season opens with physician, scientist, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Emperor of All Maladies, Siddhartha Mukherjee whose forthcoming book The Gene weaves science, history, and personal narrative to explore one of the most important conceptual breakthroughs of modern times.
The line-up rich with memoir includes legendary performer, “Punk Poet Laureate,” and National Book Award- winner for Just Kids, Patti Smith who provides a “roadmap to her life” through memories of cafes, books, dreams, and travels in her latest bestseller M Train; beloved NPR host Diane Rehm as she shares a compelling account of the death of her husband of fifty-four years and her struggle to heal in On My Own; English poet, writer, and naturalist Helen Macdonald who describes her year spent training a goshawk after her father’s death in the critically acclaimed H Is for Hawk; and celebrated novelist, essayist, critic, and author of Bad Feminist, Roxane Gay tackling issues of race, gender, and culture with ferocious wit in her soon-to-be-released book Hunger.
The season is also a showcase of highly praised literary fiction embracing prize-winning Colson Whitehead who enraptures us with the story of a young slave’s adventures as she makes a desperate bid for freedom in the forthcoming The Underground Railroad; Lauren Groff who dazzles with her National Book Award finalist Fates and Furies, which received the note-worthy designation of President Obama’s favorite book of 2015; and Pulitzer Prize-winner for Olive Kitteridge, Elizabeth Strout, who returns to our hearts with My Name is Lucy Barton.
Historical nonfiction rounds out the season with acclaimed presidential biographer and environmental historian Douglas Brinkley who chronicles FDR’s visionary efforts to achieve historic conservation goals in Rightful Heritage: Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Land of America and National Book Award-winning author for The Worst Hard Time, Timothy Egan who delivers The Immortal Irishman, an epic story of one of the most fascinating and colorful Irish freedom fighters in nineteenth-century America.
Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures Executive Director Stephanie Flom explains her year-long curatorial process of creating the season this way, “Selecting the roster for the Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures’ Ten Evenings is truly a privilege that is both exhilarating and terrifying. I eagerly watch for news of celebrated writers—across genres—releasing new books. I feverishly read—both books and reviews—and intently listen to the opinions of colleagues, publicists, and audience members. I make lists. I sort lists. I even color code lists. Eventually, offers are made and accepted, (often to great rejoicing among the staff). I loved that when I shared the list with the board, everyone had a different favorite.”
“The diverse range of authors speaking to us this year boast prestigious awards among them—Pulitzer Prizes, National Book Awards, a coveted Peabody Award, and many list toppers for Best Books of 2015 from various publications. Most importantly, they all have powerful stories to tell.”
The 2016-17 Ten Evenings is presented by Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures, made possible with the support of The Drue Heinz Trust, and presented in association with the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh and the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh. This is the 26th season of Pittsburgh’s premiere literary lecture series. All programs will be presented on Monday evenings at 7:30 pm in Oakland’s historic Carnegie Music Hall.
Tickets for the 2016-17 Ten Evenings are now available for full-season and “pick six” or “pick three” partial subscription packages. Tickets for individual lectures can be purchased beginning June 1, 2016 at 10 am. Student tickets are always available for $10 with student identification. Other group discounts are also available, including a discount for book club groups. More information is available by calling Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures, 412-622-8866, or by visiting www.pittsburghlectures.org.
For more information, please contact Katie Kurtzman, 412-578-2464, or kkurtzman@pittsburghlectures.org
Note: Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures has recently undergone a rebranding process to better identify the five signature programs presented by the organization. Please see below:
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