Author Talks

Renowned author Jean Hanff Korelitz discusses her work and career in conversation with fellow author Ann Leary. Jean Hanff Korelitz was born in New York City and graduated from Dartmouth College and Cambridge University. She is the author of nine novels, including The Sequel, The Latecomer and The Plot (the latter two in development for film or limited series), You Should Have Known (adapted by David E. Kelley as HBO’s 2020 limited series, The Undoing, starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant), the New York Times bestselling Admission (adapted as the 2013 film starring Tina Fey), The Devil and Webster, The White Rose, The Sabbathday River, and A Jury of Her Peers. She is the creator of BOOKTHEWRITER, which runs “Pop-Up Book Groups”, small gatherings with authors to discuss great books. The Plot was featured on The Tonight Show as the Fallon Summer Reads 2021 pick.

Join author Ariel Sullivan and Jenna Bush Hager in conversation on Ariel’s new book Beneath. A copy of the book is included with each ticket. Presented in partnership with Bedford Books. Hundreds of years before the Illum ruled supreme, humanity risked everything to rebuild after a devastating war in this explosive dystopian romance and prequel to Conform. Twenty-three-year-old Sasha Cadell knows time is running out in the underground city, filled with survivors of the nuclear fallout six years ago. She works in the Expansion Sector, trying to escape the memories of those she lost. Her bleak existence is upended when Tristian Hayes, a stunningly handsome, frustratingly determined commander of the Force, recruits her to join him and his elite team of soldiers as they embark on a secret mission to the surface. Sasha is thrust into brutal training with stakes far beyond mere survival. The fate of the remaining humankind depends on their success—or failure. As she confronts her own demons, Sasha finds both allies and foes in the training program, as well as a sizzling attraction between her and Tristian that threatens the walls she’s built around her heart. But under the surface, secrets and deception run as rampant as illnesses. And not everyone will survive the rise of a power more terrifying than anything they’ve ever known.

Say the word “Apple,” flash the famous logo, or play the familiar sounds of an Apple device, and you’ll spark instant recognition—and usually a strong reaction. With billions of customers around the world, Apple isn’t just a tech giant; it’s one of the most influential, scrutinized, and also beloved companies in history. It’s hard to imagine a time when Apple wasn’t dominant, but during Steve Jobs’s absence in the late Eighties and early Nineties, it was struggling to survive, only weeks from bankruptcy. And yet as the company turns 50 on April 1, 2026, it is now one of the most valuable companies on earth, with a worth approaching $4 trillion. Marking this 50th anniversary milestone is the definitive account of the tech giant, authored by award-winning science and technology journalist and bestselling author, David Pogue (“CBS Sunday Morning,” The New York Times, PBS) in APPLE: The First 50 Years. At this very special Playhouse event, Pogue will reveal what he learned from interviewing 150 current and former Apple executives, designers, and engineers. He’ll reveal, for the first time, some amazing origin stories (Apple II, iMac, iPod, iPhone). He’ll draw some counterintuitive but powerful lessons from Apple’s unlikely rise, fall, and rise. And he’ll punctuate the evening with Apple song parodies at the piano (yes, really). Books will be available for sale and signing.

Enter the wonderfully wacky world of America’s funniest inventor! Join Rube Goldberg’s granddaughter, Jennifer George, for an evening of stories, rare art and laughs - and see how the zany imagination of this Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist still sparks creativity today. Jennifer will also bring her signature scarves and jewelry, with proceeds supporting The Rube Goldberg Institute - a nonprofit inspiring kids through hands-on, screens-down, STEAM education programs and joyful, inefficient invention. Jennifer's book, The Art of Rube Goldberg, will be available for sale and signing after the event. 

The second in a trilogy about America’s Constitution, Born Equal follows The Words That Made Us:  America’s Constitutional Conversation, 1760-1840; Amar asks us to consider 10 possible meanings of the word “equal.” A widely published and cited Constitutional scholar, Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale and winner of their DeVane Medal for excellence in teaching, he has spoken twice at the John Jay Homestead, about New York and the US Constitution, and in an interview with Albie Sachs, about the Constitution of South Africa.  He is sometimes called a “liberal originalist,” and that is what he calls Lincoln.

The Founders wanted schools to teach students to understand our political system and to engage in reasoned political debate as adults; the Schoolhouse at John Jay Homestead was built for Jay children and also for the children of tenant farmers and farm hands. Historian, journalist and former Friends of John Jay Homestead speaker on his renowned John Quincy Adams: Militant Spirit, Traub spent a year exploring how schools now teach students–or fail to teach them–the essentials of American history and government, as well as how to use that knowledge in respectful, informed debate. Note: the talk will be preceded by a short business section of John Jay Homestead's Annual Meeting.

The Women’s Wolfpack presents a special evening with two visionary climate communicators exploring how we can meet this moment with clarity, courage, and connection. In Climate Wayfinding, Dr. Katharine Wilkinson offers a compassionate guide to moving from ache to action and from doubt to possibility—inviting us to look inward with care, outward with curiosity, and forward with purpose. In Human Nature: Nine Ways to Feel About Our Changing Planet, Dr. Kate Marvel examines climate change through nine powerful emotions—blending science, history, mythology, and personal reflection to connect data with the human experience. Join these renowned authors for an illuminating presentation and conversation, and an opportunity to connect with a like-minded community. Books will be available for sale and signing following the event.

As the author of four novels—most recently the instant New York Times bestseller, It’s a Love Story—Annabel Monaghan has solidified her status as one of the biggest names in summer romance. She has received well-earned comparisons to Nora Ephron and Elin Hildebrand and consistently topped beach-reading roundups from outlets like PEOPLE, The Boston Globe, Town & Country, the Skimm, and more. Books will be available for sale and signing. Monaghan makes her highly anticipated fifth outing this May with Dolly All The Time, another swoon-worthy, bingeable love story for readers of Carley Fortune and Emily Henry. Set in a fictional seaside town in Rhode Island, this charming, big-hearted novel centers around Dolly Brick, a hardworking single mom who returns to her hometown for the summer and stumbles into a fake dating situationship with a wealthy, workaholic scion. Monaghan’s knack for balancing pitch-perfect wit with high emotional stakes shine here once again, in an irresistible love story about the importance of caretaking, putting yourself first, and opening yourself up to love. With its picturesque coastal backdrop and endearing, lived-in characters you can’t help but root for, Dolly All The Time has all the makings of an instant summer classic and one of the biggest books of the season.