This program will be held in-person at the Newberry and livestreamed on Zoom. The online version of this event will be live captioned. Please register below.
National Book Award-winning author Susan Choi (Trust Exercise, My Education, A Person of Interest) and Rebecca Makkai (I Have Some Questions for You, The Great Believers) will discuss Choi’s career as a novelist and short story writer, with a focus on the craft of writing.
Writers on Writing is presented in partnership with StoryStudio Chicago. Perfect for readers and writers alike, these talks celebrate one author's work—a glimpse behind the creative curtain, a chance to ask questions, and an opportunity to celebrate the art of the written word.
Recent books by both authors will be available to purchase at the Newberry bookshop, and the authors will sign copies after the talk.
Writers on Writing is generously supported by Shanti Nagarkatti and Sue and Melvin Gray.
Speakers
Susan Choi’s first novel, The Foreign Student, won the Asian-American Literary Award for fiction. Her second novel, American Woman, was a finalist for the 2004 Pulitzer Prize. Her third novel, A Person of Interest, was a finalist for the 2009 PEN/Faulkner Award. In 2010 she was named the inaugural recipient of the PEN/W.G. Sebald Award. Her fourth novel, My Education, received a 2014 Lammy Award. Her fifth novel, Trust Exercise, won the 2019 National Book Award for Fiction, and in 2021 she received the Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award for “Flashlight.” She serves as a trustee of PEN America and teaches in The Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins University.
Rebecca Makkai is the Chicago-based author of the novels The Great Believers, a finalist for both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, The Hundred-Year House, and The Borrower. Her latest novel, I Have Some Questions for You, was released in February 2023 and was an instant New York Times bestseller. She is on the MFA faculties of Sierra Nevada College and Northwestern University and is Artistic Director of StoryStudio Chicago.
Cost and Registration
This program is free and open to all. Advance registration required.
Registration opens August 1.
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Past Public Programs
Check out video recordings of past Newberry public programs on our YouTube channel.