The Greater Pittsburgh Festival of Books

A sneak peek of the book's cover design...

I’ve got exciting news for you this week: I’ve been asked to moderate a session at the Greater Pittsburgh Festival of Books!

This annual festival celebrates the city’s rich literary community and love of reading. Each year, book enthusiasts gather to engage with nationally renowned authors, dozens of poets, bookstores, publishers, and more.

Saturday, May 11
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
616 North Highland Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15206

If you’re in the area, I hope you’ll stop by and say hello! Learn more and register to attend here.

I’ll be participating in two capacities: as a panel moderator, and as an independent author. Here’s where to find me…

1. The Memoirists Panel

I am so honored that the event organizers asked me to serve as the moderator for an author panel.

As such, I’ll facilitate an hour-long conversation between two fellow memoirists.

Joseph Earl Thomas and Prachi Gupta both published their debut memoirs in 2023. We’ll be discussing their approach to the craft from 3:15 to 4:15 p.m. in Room 204.

Joseph Earl Thomas is a writer from Frankford with an MFA in prose from The University of Notre Dame. His writing has been published in The Kenyon Review, Virginia Quarterly Review, Dilettante Army, and The New York Times Book Review. An excerpt of his memoir, SINK, won the 2020 Chautauqua Janus Prize.

Prachi Gupta is an award-winning journalist and former senior reporter at Jezebel. Her work was featured in The Best American Magazine Writing 2021 and has appeared in The Atlantic, The Washington Post Magazine, Marie Claire, Salon, Elle, and elsewhere. THEY CALLED US EXCEPTIONAL is her debut memoir.

2. Writer’s Row

Throughout the rest of the day, I’ll be signing and selling copies of my own book at a dedicated table alongside many other talented authors of all genres.

In case I haven’t said it enough… the book in question is IN THE END: A MEMOIR ABOUT FAITH AND A NOVEL ABOUT DOUBT.

Part memoir, part novel, IN THE END offers a kaleidoscopic portrait of God as seen through the eyes of a child.

Christianity was the author’s birthright: she is the daughter of a pastor, granddaughter of missionaries, and so on for generations. In her earliest memories, God feels like a member of the family, bearing a promise of eternal life in heaven. But as she ventures beyond the parsonage, the world complicates those simple beliefs.

Speaking of which, pre-orders are now open—have you reserved your copy in anticipation of its release on May 7? In the weeks since I last wrote, the book has been listed by even more online booksellers:

Bookshop.org
Thriftbooks
Walmart
Barnes & Noble
Amazon
This one German website? Book distribution is complex and mysterious. Suffice it to say, IN THE END is officially out in the world, so you’ve got options!

It’s hard to believe my book will launch one month from today. Once again, thank you all for accompanying me on this adventure.

Until next time…

karieluidens.com