John Grisham, who makes courtrooms riveting, and voting rights trailblazer Stacey Abrams highlight the Minnesota Star Tribune and MPR News Talking Volumes series.
Abrams, a mystery writer and political activist who twice ran for Georgia governor, is the first of five writers. She kicks off the book event series Sept. 10, speaking with host Kerri Miller about Abrams’ latest, “Coded Justice.” It’s the third in the Madison, Wis., native’s series of books about former Supreme Court clerk Avery Keene, this time investigating a murder at an influential tech company.
Next up on Sept. 25 is Patricia Lockwood, who, like Abrams, has written fiction and nonfiction bestsellers. Her breakthrough was the memoir “Priestdaddy” and her 2021 novel “No One Is Talking About This” was a Booker Prize finalist. Lockwood’s unsettling new novel is “Will There Ever Be Another You,” about a woman trying to hold it together in the midst of a global pandemic.
Ballet superstar Misty Copeland, who retires from American Ballet Theatre in October and who was ABT’s first Black principal dancer, will appear Sept. 28. The author of several memoirs and books about dance, Copeland discusses her latest picture book, “Bunheads, Act 2: The Dance of Courage,” in which young dancers learn the ballet “Don Quixote.”
John Grisham, one of the world’s bestselling authors and the father of the legal thriller genre that continues to dominate bestseller lists, will chat with Miller on Oct. 23. The author of “The Firm” and “The Runaway Jury” returns to courtrooms with “The Widow,” in which a young lawyer lucks into a big-money case, only to find himself accused of murder.
Poet Kate Baer concludes the series on Nov. 17, talking about her collection “How About Now.” Baer also is the author of “What Kind of Woman” and “I Hope This Finds You Well.”
All five Talking Volumes conversations are at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul; Copeland’s event is at 2 p.m. and the others are at 7 p.m. Miller hosts the first four events, with Catharine Richert interviewing Baer.
Sales to Minnesota Star Tribune subscribers and MPR members begin Monday at 10 a.m. Tickets go on sale to everyone July 21. Tickets are $30 per event for subscribers and members, $34 for the general public. They can be purchased at mprevents.org or in person at First Avenue in Minneapolis.
