Discussing a book with your club reaches a whole new level when you get to hear the author’s first-hand perspective, and maybe even ask them your own question! Join the Bookclubs Author Chats book club to access virtual author interviews hosted every month on Instagram Live. Our Author Chats book club is a free, monthly interview series book club with featured buzzworthy authors and online book discussions. Tune in to the interview and then share your thoughts on the message board. If you miss the interview, no problem–links to recordings of all interviews can be found below.
2024 Author Chat lineup:
- February: Tajja Isen, author of Some of My Best Friends: Essays on Lip Service
- March: Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, author of Chain Gang All-Stars
- April: Celine Saintclare, author of Sugar, Baby
- June: Patricia Chadwick, author of Breaking Glass: Tales from the Witch of Wallstreet
- July: Porochista Khakpour author of Tehrangeles
- August: V.V. Ganeshanathan author of Brotherless Night
- September: Jaclyn Westlake author of Dear Dotty
- October: Niamh Mulvey author of The Amendments AND Andrea Jo DeWerd author of What We Sacrifice for Magic
- November: Elisabeth Eaves author of The Outlier
November 2024
For those of you who missed the live chat, you can watch the full recording here.
On Wednesday, November 13, 2024, at 7:00pm ET via Instagram Live, book club leader and bookstagrammer, Bre Smith chats with Elisabeth Eaves about her debut novel, The Outlier, a psychological in which finding the killer is only one of the two mysteries its anti-heroine, Cate Winter, tries to unravel. The other: when pushed to extremes, what is she capable of?
Past Author Chats
October 2024
For those of you who missed the live chat, you can watch the full recording here.
On Thursday, October 24, 2024, at 7:00pm ET via Instagram Live, fellow author Sally Franson chats with Andrea Jo DeWerd author of What We Sacrifice for Magic, a coming-of-age novel following three generations of witches in the 1960s. This enchanting and heartwarming debut explores the importance of family and the delight and heartbreak of discovering who you truly are.
October 2024
For those of you who missed the live chat, you can watch the full recording here.
On Wednesday, October 2, 2024, at 6:00pm ET via Instagram Live, Bookclubs chats with Irish author, Niamh Mulvey about her debut novel, The Amendments, an extraordinary novel about love and freedom, belonging and rebellion, and about how our past is a vital and ever-present force that sits alongside us. Watch our 2022 Author Chat with Mulvey discussing her beautiful short story collection, Heart & Bones: Love Songs for Late Youth.
September 2024
For those of you who missed the live chat, you can watch the full recording here.
On Wednesday, September 18, 2024, at 7:00pm ET via Instagram Live, book club leader and bookstagrammer, Bre Smith chats with author Jaclyn Westlake about her debut novel, Dear Dotty, a witty and hilarious coming-of-age romcom for twenty-somethings and animal lovers feeling lost and overwhelmed by the chaos of life in their 20s.
August 2024
For those of you who missed the live chat, you can watch the full recording here.
On Tuesday, August 13, 2024, at 6:00pm ET via Instagram Live, bookstagrammer, Esther Fung chats with author V. V. Ganeshananthan about her award-winning, hit novel, Brotherless Night, winner of the 2024 Women’s Prize for Fiction and Carol Shields Prize for fiction. Set during the early years of Sri Lanka’s three-decade civil war, Brotherless Night is a heartrending portrait of one woman’s moral journey and a testament to the enduring impact of war and the bonds of home.
July 2024
For those of you who missed the live chat, you can watch the full recording here.
On Wednesday, July 10, 2024, at 7:30 pm ET via Instagram Live, creator of Thee Hott Girl Book Club and bookstagrammer, Wale Okerayi chats with critically acclaimed and award-winning novelist, essayist, and journalist, Porochista Khakpour, about her newest novel, Tehrangeles, a tragicomic saga about an Iranian-American family's high-functioning dysfunction and the ever-present struggle to accept one's true self.
April 2024
For those of you who missed the live chat, you can watch the full recording here.
On Monday, April 8, 2024, at 6 pm ET via Instagram Live, book club leader and bookstagrammer, Wale Okerayi chats with Celine Saintclare, an up-and-coming author described as ‘one to watch’ by Publisher’s Weekly. Saintclare writes as a way of exploring the complexities of her own identity and telling stories about society’s transgressors. She has written for VOGUE magazine and her debut novel Sugar, Baby has been featured in Harper’s Bazaar, NPR, ELLE magazine, gal-dem, and reviewed in Publisher’s Weekly and Kirkus Reviews. In the vein of Luster and Queenie — Sugar, Baby is an unflinching portrayal of high-paid sex work in the age of the internet-an intoxicating, bold debut from a dazzling new voice. A compelling journey of self-discovery that offers sharp commentary on race, beauty, and class, Sugar, Baby is an electric, original, spellbinding novel that will keep readers turning the pages until the very end.
March 2024
For those of you who missed the live chat, you can watch the full recording here.
On Tuesday, March 12, 2024, at 7 pm ET via Instagram Live, Bookclubs partner and Bookstagrammer, Morgan Menzies is back with Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah to discuss his best-selling novel and Read With Jenna Book Club pick, Chain Gang All-Stars, a kaleidoscopic, excoriating look at the American prison system's unholy alliance of systemic racism, unchecked capitalism, and mass incarceration, and a clear-eyed reckoning with what freedom in this country really means from a "new and necessary American voice" (Tommy Orange, The New York Times Book Review).
February 2024
For those of you who missed the live chat, you can watch the full recording here.
On Wednesday, February 28, 2024, at 7 pm ET via Instagram Live, we'll kick off our first Author Chat of the year with writer, editor, and voice actor, Tajja Isen. Isen will be in conversation with Bookclubs partner and Bookstagrammer, Morgan Menzies, who also leads her own public book club on Bookclubs. Isen's first book, Some of My Best Friends: Essays on Lip Service was first published in 2022 and is now available in paperback. Some of My Best Friends was named a 'Best Book of the Year' by Electric Literature, The Globe and Mail, and CBC Books. She is currently working on her second book, Tough Love, a memoir about mentorship and ambition.
2023 Author Chat Recordings:
- Danielle Friedman, author of Let's Get Physical, AND Matt Higgins, author of Burn The Boats
- Costanza Casati, author of Clytemnestra, AND Meredith Bagby, author of The New Guys
- Geena Rocero, author of Horse Barbie, AND Shelley Read, author of Go As A River
- Crystal Smith Paul, author of Did You Hear About Kitty Karr?, AND Pamela Kelley, author of The Bookshop by the Bay.
- Amanda Montell, author of Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism
- Rachel Louise Snyder, author of Women We Buried, Women We Burned
- Kathleen B. Jones, author of Cities of Women
October Author Chat
For those of you who missed the live chat, you can watch the full recording here.
On Wednesday, October 4, 2023, at 7 pm ET via Instagram Live, Bookclubs chats with award-winning journalist Rachel Louise Snyder, who has spent her career reporting on abuse and violence around the globe. Now, in Women We Buried, Women We Burned, Snyder offers her own origin story of loss and survival after her mother’s early death, and the drastic changes that followed alter the course of her life forever. With honesty and lyricism, this astonishing new memoir illuminates the collective nature of grief, faith, and love, with Snyder offering an eternal nod to the social issues that have become her life’s work.
August Author Chat
For those of you who missed the live chat on 8/15, you can watch the full recording here.
On Tuesday, August 15, 2023, at 7 pm ET via Instagram Live, Bookclubs chats with author, linguist, and podcaster, Amanda Montell, about all things CULTISH: her critically acclaimed non-fiction book, Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism and hit podcast, Sounds Like A Cult, where she analyzes the curious social science of cultish influence and the use of language as the ultimate form power. Montell provides an incisive and funny take that will make you hear the fanatical language of "cultish" everywhere.
July Author Chats
For those of you who missed the live chat on 7/19, you can watch the full recording here.
On Wednesday, July 19, 2023, at 7 pm ET via Instagram Live, join book blogger and Bookstagrammer Julia Readus as she chats with author Crystal Smith Paul about her debut novel and Reese's Book Club Pick for May, Did You Hear About Kitty Karr?, a multi-generational saga that traverses the glamour of old Hollywood and the seductive draw of modern-day showbiz. Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? is a sprawling rake that explores the burdens that celebrity places on women and the power that family secrets have to erode and complicate the lives of future generations. Join Bookclubs Author Chats book club here!
For those of you who missed the live chat on 7/19, you can watch the full recording here.
On Wednesday, July 26, 2023, at 6 pm ET via Instagram Live, Bookclubs Co-Founder Nancy Brown interviews best-selling author, Pamela Kelley to discuss her prolific literary career and newest release, The Bookshop by the Bay, "a wonderful multigenerational story about mothers, daughters, and friendship set in a quaint, seaside town on Cape Cod. If you love talk of bookstores, delicious food, and coffee shops, this one is for you!."--Rachel Henna, author of the South Carolina Sunset series.
June Author Chats
For those of you who missed the live chat on 6/1, you can watch the full recording here.
On Thursday, June 1, 2023, at 1 pm ET via Instagram Live, join us for a special AAPI + Pride Month Author Chat interview with model-turned-producer, Geena Rocero about her debut memoir, Horse Barbie, which publishes in the US on May 30th. In Horse Barbie, Rocero pens a heartfelt memoir of her life as a prominent and successful trans pageant queen from the Philippines who went back into the closet to model in New York City — until she realized she felt most powerful living her truth as the iconoclast she’d always been. When she moved to the United States, Rocero was able to change her name and gender marker on her documents, but in order to survive, she hid her trans identity, gaining one type of freedom and truth at the expense of another. The tenuous double life finally led Geena to a breaking point when she had to decide how to reclaim her power and truth. It's a radiant testimony from an icon who sits at the center of transgender history.
For those of you who missed the live chat on 6/28, you can watch the full recording here.
Next up on Wednesday, June 28, 2023, at 7pm ET, Bookclubs Co-Founder Nancy Brown will chat with author Shelley Read about her best-selling debut novel, Go As A River, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story of a resilient young woman whose life is changed forever by one chance encounter. Fans of Where The Crawdads Sing won't want to miss this tragic yet uplifting novel about love and loss, family and survival, and most of all—hope.
May Author Chats
For those of you who missed the live chat, you can watch the full recording here.
Wednesday, May 3, 2023, at 4 pm ET via Instagram Live, Bookclubs partner and Bookstagrammer, Natalie Meagan, host of the Weirdo Book Club is chatting with author Costanza Casati about her debut novel, Clytemnestra, set in the world of Ancient Greece, this is a thrilling tale of power and prophecies, of hatred, love, and an unforgettable Queen who fiercely dealt out death to those who wronged her. Fans of Jennifer Saint, Natalie Haynes, and Madeline Miller won't want to miss this interview!
For those of you who missed the live chat, you can watch the full recording here.
Next up on Thursday, May 11, 2023, at 7pm ET, we're honored to be interviewing author Meredith Bagby AND retired NASA astronaut, Rhea Seddon, about Bagby's new book and Seddon's lived experiences in The New Guys: The Historic Class of Astronauts That Broke Barriers and Changed the Face of Space Travel.
April Author Chats
Tuesday, April 11, 2023, at 11am ET Bookclubs Co-Founder & CEO is interviewing entrepreneur and Harvard Business School fellow, Matt Higgins about his new book, Burn the Boats: Toss Plan B Overboard and Unleash Your Full Potential. In Burn the Boats, Higgins draws from experiences in his own rags-to-riches life and the lessons he’s learned from those who have triumphed in business, sports, politics, and the arts to offer a template for anyone who aspires to achieve.
For those of you who missed the live chat, you can watch the full recording here.
On Wednesday, Apr 19, 2023, at 7pm ET, we sat down via Instagram Live with award-winning journalist and author, Danielle Friedman about her New Yorker Best Book of 2023, Let’s Get Physical, which reveals the fascinating hidden history of contemporary women’s fitness culture, chronicling in vivid, cinematic prose how exercise evolved from a beauty tool pitched almost exclusively as a way to “reduce” into one that millions of women have harnessed as a path to mental, emotional, and physical well-being. Book clubs can enjoy this incredibly interesting and fun Book Club Kit with a discussion guide!
March Author Chats
For Women's History Month, we're honoring women storytellers who have used their craft to reflect women's experiences. We can think of no better way to celebrate women storytellers than with an interview with author, Diane Marie Brown on March 23, 2023, at 6pm EST via Instagram Live. Brown will be in conversation with Bookclubs partner and Bookstagrammer, Morgan Menzies, who also leads her own public book club on Bookclubs. Brown's newly-released novel, Black Candle Women, was just selected as the March pick for the Read With Jenna Book Club. Black Candle Women is a warm and wry family drama with a magical twist about four generations of Black women, a family curse, and one very complicated year of heartache, miscommunication, and learning to let go.
For those of you who missed the live chat, you can watch the full recording here. 
February Author Chats
Monday, February 27, 2023, at 7pm EST Bookclubs Co-Founder, Nancy Brown is interviewing De'Shawn Charles Winslow, the award-winning author of Decent People and In West Mills. Winslow’s new release, Decent People, is set in 1976 in the town of West Mills, N.C., Dr. Marian Harmon, the only Black physician in town, has been found shot to death alongside her brother Laz and her sister Marva in their home. Many suspect Olympus Seymore, known as Lymp, the half-brother who lived next door. But white authorities in town don't seem much interested. And it falls to Jo Wright, who's just moved back, to ask some hard questions and look for the killer.
For those of you who missed the live chat, you can watch the full recording here.
Tuesday, February 28, 2023, at 7pm EST Julia Readus, book blogger, and Bookstagrammer is chatting with journalist and author, Danielle Prescod, about her new book, Token Black Girl. Part memoir, part narrative nonfiction, Token Black Girl, is an exploration of the ways that modern media can influence one’s self-esteem. Prescod grew up Black in an elite and overwhelmingly white community, her identity made more invisible by the whitewashed movies, television, magazines, and books she and her classmates voraciously consumed. After decades of burying her emotions, resentment, and true self, Danielle turned a critical eye inward and confronted the factors that motivated her self-destructive behaviors. Sharp-witted and bracingly candid, Token Black Girl unpacks the adverse effects of insidious white supremacy in the media--both unconscious and strategic--to tell a personal story about recovery from damaging concepts of perfection, celebrating identity, and demolishing social conditioning.
For those of you who missed the live chat, you can watch the full recording here.
This is a unique opportunity to get to know the author behind the words and learn more about their writing process, inspirations, and upcoming projects. During their interviews, the authors will share insights on their journey as writers, including the challenges and triumphs along the way. They will also discuss their latest work and provide a sneak peek into what readers can expect in the future.
Whether you're a fan of Brown, Winslow, or Prescod or just curious about their writing, these interviews promise to be a fascinating and insightful experience. You'll have the chance to ask questions and interact with the author directly, making it a truly special event.
Mark your calendars and join us for these exclusive interviews on March 23, 2023, at 6pm ET with Diane Marie Brown, February 27, 2023, at 7pm ET with De'Shawn Charles Winslow and February 28, 2023, at 7pm ET with Danielle Prescod.
Follow us on Instagram and join our free Bookclubs Author Chats book club for more details on how to participate and make the most of this opportunity to connect with a talented author and fellow book lovers. Join us for monthly interviews with featured authors and online book discussions. Members of the Bookclubs team will interview one (sometimes two!) amazing novelists each month via Instagram live. Tune in to the interview and then share your thoughts on the message board. If you miss the interview, no problem! Links to recordings of all interviews can be found in the past meeting’s notes.
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Diverse Author Reading Inspiration:
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- Must Read Books for Women's History Month
- Must Read Books By Black Authors
- Books by Black Authors to Read With Your Book Club
- 12 Debut Authors to Read With Your Book Club
- The Ultimate LGBTQ+ Pride Book List
- 5 must-reads for Native American Heritage Month
- The best books for Latinx and Hispanic Heritage Month
- Top books and publishers to read for International Women’s Day
Public book clubs focusing on books by diverse authors:
- Bookclubs Author Chats Book Club
- Book clubs reading books by women
- Book clubs reading books by BIPOC or other underrepresented authors
- Book clubs reading books by queer and LGBTQ+ authors
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