NCRL summer lineup features Virtual Author Series

QUAD CITIES – Starting next month and through July, North Central Regional Library will host FOUR writers in its Virtual Author Series in conjunction with its community reading program, NCRL Reads. They include authors Noe’ Alvarez, Kristin Hannah, Peter Heller, and Blake Crouch.

NCRL Reads connects readers through its 30 branches across Okanogan, Douglas, Chelan, Ferry and Grant counties and invites participants to read the same book, one that sparks conversations, curiosity and learning, an NCRL media release said.

“Due to the circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, we are moving to a virtual platform for NCRL Reads this year,” said Amanda Brack, NCRL’s adult services manager. “Additionally, we are expanding the program to feature several events throughout the summer.”

The Virtual Author Series features:

Noe’ Alvarez. Tuesday, June 2, 7 p.m.

Alvarez’s debut memoir, Spirit Run, is the electrifying story of a son of working class Mexican immigrants who fled a life of labor in fruit-packing plants to run in an indigenous marathon from Canada to Guatemala, reimagining North America and his place in it. Learn more online at spiritrunbook.com.

Kristin Hannah. Tuesday, June 23, 4 p.m.

Hannah, a former lawyer-turned-writer, is an award-winning and best-selling author of more than 20 novels including The Nightingale, which has been published in more than 43 languages and is currently in movie production by TriStar Pictures. TriStar has also optioned Hannah’s novel, the Great Alone. Hannah lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband. Learn more online at kristinhannah.com.

Peter Heller. Tuesday, July 7, 7 p.m.

Heller is a longtime contributor to National Public Ration and a former contributing editor at Outside Magazine, Men’s Journal, and National Geographic Adventure. He is an award-winning adventure writer and best-selling author whose most recent novel, The River, tells the story of two college students on a wilderness canoe trip, a gripping tale of friendship tested by fire, white water, and violence. Heller has also authored Celine, The Painter, and The Dog Stars. His non-fiction works include Kook, The Whale Warriors, Hell or High Water, an Catching the Perfect Wave. Heller, who lives in Denver, holds a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop in poetry and fiction. Learn more online at peterheller.net.

Blake Crouch. Tuesday, July 28, 7 p.m.

Crouch, a best-selling novelist and screenwriter, is the author of Dark Matter, for which he is writing the screenplay for Sony Pictures. His international best-selling trilogy Wayward Pines was adapted for a television series by Fox Broadcasting. With Chad Hodge, Crouch created the TNT television show Good Behavior starring Michelle Dockery and based on his Letty Dobesh novellas. Crouch, who lives in Colorado, has written more than a dozen novels that have been translated into more than 30 languages. Learn more online at blakecrouch.com.

NCRL Reads events, free and open to the public are held through the Zoom digital meeting platform. To participate register through NCRL’s online calendar at ncrl.org. Registrants will receive an email with Zoom meeting details. Prior to each event, participants will hear from the author and have an opportunity to submit questions through the Zoom chat feature for live answers from the author.