July 14, 2019 – The Friends is thrilled to announce the 2019 author lineup for Opus & Olives, presented by RBC Wealth Management.
The lineup includes Kate Mulgrew (emcee), Mark Bowden, Jennifer Chiaverini, Maaza Mengiste, and Chris Pavone.
Kate Mulgrew, a native of Dubuque, Iowa, is an actress and author with an extensive career on stage and screen. From her start as Mary Ryan, the lead role on the popular soap opera Ryan’s Hope to the groundbreaking first female starship captain on Star Trek: Voyager to her acclaimed performance as Galina “Red” Reznikov on Netflix’s smash hit Orange Is The New Black, Kate brings a formidable presence and deep passion to all her projects. Her 2016 book, Born With Teeth, allowed her to add “New York Times bestselling author” to her resume. Her latest book is How To Forget.
About her latest work: How to Forget
They say you can’t go home again. But when her father is diagnosed with aggressive lung cancer and her mother with atypical Alzheimer’s, New York-based actress Kate Mulgrew returns to her hometown in Iowa to spend time with her parents and care for them in the time they have left. The months Kate spends with her parents in Dubuque – by turns turbulent, tragic, and joyful – lead her to reflect on each of their lives and how they shaped her own. Those ruminations are transformed when, in the wake of their deaths, Kate uncovers long-kept secrets that challenge her understanding of the unconventional Irish Catholic household in which she was raised.
Mark Bowden is the author of 13 books, including the #1 New York Times bestseller Black Hawk Down, and the 2017 bestseller Hue 1968: A Turning Point of the American War in Vietnam. He reported at the Philadelphia Inquirer for 20 years and now writes for the Atlantic, Vanity Fair, and other magazines. He is also the writer in residence at the University of Delaware. His most recent book is The Last Stone.
About his latest work: The Last Stone
For forty years the mystery of what happened to the Lyon sisters, ages 10 and 12, who disappeared in 1975 from the Wheaton Plaza shopping mall in suburban Washington, D.C., haunted an entire community, including journalist Mark Bowden, who covered the story as a cub reporter. With The Last Stone, he now returns to the crime to cover the extraordinary effort by authorities to bring their kidnapper to justice and to try to answer the question he could never shake, “Who would commit such a crime? And why?” The Last Stone delivers a visceral, chilling, and unprecedented look inside a disturbing criminal mind.
Jennifer Chiaverini is the New York Times bestselling author of Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker and several other acclaimed historical novels, as well as the beloved Elm Creek Quilts series. About her historical fiction, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes, “In addition to simply being fascinating stories, these novels go a long way in capturing the texture of life for women, rich and poor, black and white, in those perilous years.” A graduate of the University of Notre Dame and the University of Chicago, she lives with her husband and two sons in Madison, Wisconsin.
About her latest work: Resistance Women
After Wisconsin graduate student Mildred Fish marries brilliant German economist Arvid Harnack, she accompanies him to his German homeland, where the newlyweds create a rich new life in the thriving intellectual culture of 1930s Berlin. But as Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Party wield violence and lies to seize power, Mildred, Arvid, and their friends resolve to resist. For years, Mildred’s network stealthily fights to bring down the Third Reich from within. But when Nazi radio operatives detect an errant Russian signal, the Harnack resistance cell is exposed, with fatal consequences. Inspired by actual events, Resistance Women is an enthralling, unforgettable story of ordinary people determined to resist the rise of evil, sacrificing their own lives and liberty to fight injustice and defend the oppressed.
Maaza Mengiste is a novelist and essayist born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She is the recipient of fellowships from the Fulbright Scholar Program, the National Endowment for the Arts, and Creative Capital. Her debut novel, Beneath the Lion’s Gaze, was selected by the Guardian as one of the 10 best contemporary African books and named one of the best books of 2010 by Christian Science Monitor, Boston Globe and other publications. Her work can be found in The New Yorker, New York Review of Books, Granta, the Guardian, the New York Times, Rolling Stone, and BBC, among other places. She is a professor at Queens College and lives in New York City.
About her latest work: The Shadow King
In 1935, orphaned servant Hirut struggles to adapt to her new household as Ethiopia faces Mussolini’s looming invasion. As the battles begin in earnest, Hirut and other women must care for the wounded. But when Emperor Haile Selassie goes into exile and Ethiopia is about to lose hope, Hirut helps to disguise a gentle peasant as the emperor to keep the fight alive. She becomes his guard, inspiring women to join the war against fascism. Set against the first real conflict of World War II, The Shadow King is a heartrending, indelible exploration of what it means to be a woman at war.
Chris Pavone is the New York Times bestselling author of The Expats, The Accident, and The Travelers. He is the winner of the Edgar and Anthony awards for best first novel. He was a book editor for nearly two decades and lives in New York City with his family.
About his latest work: The Paris Diversion
People have big plans for the day. Dexter Moore is going to make a small fortune, finally digging himself out of a deep financial hole, via an extremely risky investment. Hunter Forsyth is going to make a huge fortune, with a major corporate acquisition that will send his company’s stock soaring. Kate Moore’s plans are more modest: preparations for tonight’s dinner party and an uneventful workday at the Paris Substation, the clandestine cadre of operatives that she has been running. And Mahmoud Khalid? He is planning to die today. And he won’t be the only one.
About Opus & Olives
Opus & Olives is not your average gala. This celebration includes 900 Friends, five national bestselling authors, and one lively party, all in support of your Saint Paul Public Library and local literacy programs of the Pioneer Press. Tickets are on sale now.
