Please find below a roundup of this week’s free, public virtual events, as well as recent articles, media, and essays from PRH Speakers Bureau speakers.

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Virtual Events with Our Speakers

Tune in to these virtual Penguin Random House speakers’ book events, author Q&As and more that are happening this week.

Monday, March 8

• Cathy Park Hong discusses MINOR FEELINGS with Charles Yu hosted by Loyalty Bookstores (8:00PM EST)

Tuesday, March 9

• Karen Russell speaks with Kevin Brockmeier at Politics & Prose (6:00PM EST)

Wednesday, March 10

• Carl Zimmer speaks at Common Wealth Club (3:00PM EST)

Thursday, March 11

• Edwidge Danticat is in-conversation at Books & Books (6:30PM EST)
• Cathy Park Hong speaks at The Strand (7:30PM EST)
• Tommy Orange appears at Politics & Prose (8:00PM EST)
• Robert Kolker talks with Family Action Network (8:00PM EST)
• Emily St. John Mandel discusses THE GLASS HOTEL at Print Bookstore (10:00PM EST)

Saturday, March 13

• Ruth Ozeki speaks with Kazuo Ishiguro at Third Place Books (5:00PM EST)

Check out #BooksConnectUsLive for more live virtual events.

News and Media from PRHSB Speakers

Women’s History Month
Below are some recent dialogues commemorating the vital role of women in American history.

• A New Book of Photographs Traces the Portrayal of Black African Women Through Time | Harper Bazaar: Edwidge Danticat and Jacqueline Woodson speak about African women and ancestry, the power of photography, and the overlap of sewing and story-making.
• Jane Fonda Receives the Cecil B. DeMille Award | NBC: Jane Fonda accepts the Cecil B. DeMille Award for outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment at the 78th annual Golden Globe Awards.
• Isabel Wilkerson, Jacob Soboroff, Akwaeke Emezi among L.A. Times Book Prize finalists | Los Angeles Times: Brittany K. Barnett, Isabel Wilkerson, and Danielle Evans are finalists.
• The Vanishing Half author Brit Bennett shares 6 books you should read now | Today: Brit Bennett shares her book picks for Women’s History Month.
• When the Barbizon Gave Women Rooms of Their Own | The New Yorker: Casey Cep writes about the class and sexual politics of New York City’s most famous women-only hotel.
• Writing Sex: Sigrid Nunez | Los Angeles Book Review of Books: Sigrid Nunez talks about writing about sex and sexuality.

COVID-19
These articles from our speakers highlight practical advice and news about the current pandemic.

• How Close Is the Pandemic’s End? | The Daily: Carl Zimmer provides the latest about the coronavirus.
• When will life return to normal? COVID experts consider what summer, fall might look like | ABC News: Howard Markel, M.D. provides his thoughts on the million-dollar question on COVID-19.
• Mississippi lifting mask mandates will “sabotage” fight against Covid-19, Jackson mayor says | CNN: Alisyn Camerota interviews Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba on Mississippi’s lifting the mask mandate.
• Yes, You Can Do That During the Work Day | Medium: Laura Vanderkam urges people to take advantage of remote work’s greatest — and most overlooked — benefit.
• Food commodity prices highest since 2014, according to UN | Marketplace: Jayson Lusk warns that even when the pandemic is over and all these precautions go away, food commodities will probably remain expensive.

Politics
Our speakers provide clarity and shrewd analysis of today’s issues to help make sense of our current and future political landscape.

• A Leading Critic of Big Tech Will Join the White House | The New York Times: Tim Wu is joining the Biden administration as an adviser on technology and competition.
• Trump’s Deal To End War In Afghanistan Leaves Biden With ‘A Terrible Situation’ | NPR: Dexter Filkins says President Biden must now decide whether to honor a deal that included the Taliban but not the Afghan government.
• Why Sarah McBride Might Be the Most Inspiring Elected Official in America | RollingStone: Sarah McBride speaks about the broader fight for equality.
• Why the Georgia G.O.P.’s Voting Rollbacks Would Hit Black People Hard | The New York Times: Mark Leibovich writes about how two bills moving through the Republican-controlled Legislature would place new restrictions on voting access.
• Internal DHS documents warned of potential for violence by groups at Jan. 6 rally | The Washington Post: Shane Harris raises questions about whether law enforcement agencies were aware of the scope of planned protests.

Books Connect Us
With their imaginative, impactful pieces of literature, our speakers provide incredibly valuable perspectives to be read by all.

• Chang-rae Lee Defines Himself as a Karaoke Watcher | Late Night with Seth Meyers: Chang-rae Lee sets up his new book MY YEAR ABROAD, shares his experience teaching classes during quarantine, and talks about his daughter’s experience with online learning.
• Bryan Washington, Joe Holley honored by Texas Institute of Letters | Houston Chronicle: Bryan Washington’s MEMORIAL is awarded the Jesse H. Jones Award for Best Book of Fiction.
• Shelf Life: Kiley Reid | Elle: Kiley Reid shares her most memorable reads.
• What Did I Just Read? A Conversation With the Authors of 2034 | Wired: Elliot Ackerman discusses his inspirations, personal experiences, and what keeps him up at night.
• Neil Shubin on Tiktaalik, Ballistic Tongues and Evolution | Quanta Magazine: Neil Shubin talks about hunting for a 375 million-year-old fossil and finding novel traits that evolved many times.