Celebrated novelists, a Pulitzer-winning historian, some Oprah friends and a touch of Hollywood are part of the just-announced spring season of Arts & Letters Live, the Dallas Museum of Art's literary and performing arts series.
Highlights include:
Dave Eggers and Mokhtar Alkhanshali
Eggers is the literary giant who spoke in Richardson earlier this year about The Circle; Alkhanshali is the remarkable subject of Eggers' The Monk of Mokha, which offers lessons in coffee history, the war in Yemen and Alkhanshali's incredible determination. (Jan. 11)
Brad Meltzer
The best-selling thriller author will release his nonfiction book The First Conspiracy: The Secret Plot Against George Washington and the Birth of American Counterintelligence in January. Former presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton are fans. (Jan. 15)
Lauren Groff and Tessa Hadley
Groff, author of Fates and Furies, was named one of America's best young novelists by Granta magazine. Hadley, author of Late in the Day, has written several New York Times notable novels. (Jan. 27)
Dani Shapiro
The novelist, memoirist and Oprah Winfrey guest will present Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy. (Feb. 4)
Reyna Grande and Valeria Luiselli
Grande's memoir A Dream Called Home is about the emotional rifts that opened when her family was divided by immigration; she'll be in conversation with Luiselli, whose Lost Children Archive will publish in February. Publisher's Weekly says, "Her superb novel makes a devastating case for compassion by documenting the tragic shortcomings of the immigration process." (Feb. 25)
Jessie Burton
Her novel The Miniaturist was made into a three-part miniseries that aired as part of Masterpiece on PBS. She'll appear with Susie Rogers and Kevin Mulvany who made miniatures for the series. (March 6)
Maria Semple
Dallas gets a visit from the author of the wildly popular Where'd You Go Bernadette days after the movie version, starring Cate Blanchett, is scheduled to hit theaters. (March 26)
Madeline Miller and Mary Norris
Circe, a fresh imagining of the story of the mythological figure, has been one of the most-lauded novels of the year; Norris is the New Yorker copy editor who wrote Between You and Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen and the forthcoming Greek to Me: Adventures of the Comma Queen. (April 9)
Susan Choi and Nell Freudenberger
Pulitzer finalist Choi (American Woman) will be discussing her forthcoming novel Trust Exercise; she'll be paired with Freudenberger, a 2010 New Yorker "20 Under 40" writer, whose forthcoming novel is Lost and Wanted. (April 14)
Rick Bragg and Helen Ellis
It'll be a celebration of things Southern as the Pulitzer-winning journalist, whose best-selling and recipe-filled memoir is The Best Cook in the World: Tales From My Momma's Table, is paired with Ellis, the author of American Housewife (which NPR called a "better cure for winter blahs than hot chocolate.") Her new collection is Southern Lady Code. (April 17)
Tayari Jones
The Oprah's Book Club selection (and one of critic Chris Vognar's top books of 2018) makes a return appearance to Dallas for An American Marriage. (April 23)
David Brooks
The New York Times columnist will be talking about The Second Mountain. (April 24)
Melinda Gates
The one-time Ursuline Academy valedictorian will talk about her debut, The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World. (May 3)
Jared Diamond
He won a Pulitzer for Guns, Germs and Steel. Upheaval: Turning Points for Nations in Crisis is due to be released in May. (May 13)
Also
In addition, Elaine Pagels, who canceled her November event for Why Religion?, has rescheduled for Jan. 6. And David Sedaris will be back for his 10th year on May 1.
Details
Ticket prices vary and go on sale for DMA members on Dec. 4 and for the general public at 10 a.m. Dec. 7 at DMA.org/all, where full details on these and additional events can be found.
