Baltimore County Public Library has announced its lineup of renowned authors coming to speak at its second year of “Booked for Baltimore County Public Library.”
The 2026-2027 season of the acclaimed author series will bring some of the finest and most celebrated writers to Baltimore County to appear live at Goucher College, BCPL’s partner in the series. Over the course of the season, audiences and readers have the chance to hear from Jesmyn Ward, Jon Meacham, Anna Quindlen, and Amor Towles.
Jessmyn Ward will be the season’s first author in the series, coming to Goucher on Sept. 13, 2026. Ward is a two-time National Book Award winner, MacArthur Genius Grant winner, and recipient of the Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction. Her acclaimed works include “Salvage the Bones”; “Sing, Unburied, Sing”; and “Let Us Descend.” Her newest, “On Witness and Respair,” is out today, May 19. The book is a collection of essays both new and previously published that span topics like her upbringing in Mississippi, her own parenting experience, and living in the United States as a Black woman.
Jon Meacham will be the series’ second speaker on Nov. 15, 2026. Meacham is a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, bestselling author, and presidential biographer whose wisdom is sought by national journalists and esteemed academics alike. His books “American Lion” (on President Andrew Jackson’s time in the White House); “The Soul of America” (a look back at times when hope overcame division and fear in the United States); and “And There Was Light” (a biography of America’s 16th president, Abraham Lincoln) explore the nation at terrible crossroads and offer insight into leadership decisions and the paths carved for democracy.
Anna Quindlen will come to Goucher as the series’ third speaker, and the first of the new year, on Feb. 28, 2027. Quindlen is a beloved novelist, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, and consequential social commentator. She has authored multiple bestselling novels and nonfiction works, including “One True Thing” (a novel about a woman who leaves her career to care for her dying mother); “Still Life with Bread Crumbs” (a novel about a prominent photographer retreating from a difficult situation only to find a mystery to solve and an unlikely relationship); and “Write for Your Life” (a guide encouraging everyone to employ writing as a way to understand themselves, connect with others, find meaning, create a lasting historical record, and more).
Amor Towles closes out the series’ second year, speaking at Goucher on April 4, 2027. He is the bestselling author of “Rules of Civility” (historical fiction set in 1930s New York City following people in high society and exploring themes of class and ambition); “A Gentleman in Moscow” (historical fiction following a man sentenced to house arrest, living in the attic room of a luxury hotel in Moscow after the Bolshevik Revolution); and “The Lincoln Highway” (set in 1950s America following four young men traveling from Nebraska to California). His most recent book, “Table for Two,” is a collection of six short stories and a novella that came out in 2024. Towles’ work has been translated into dozens of languages and sold more than six million copies. All four of his books have been on the New York Times bestseller list.
“’Booked for Baltimore County Public Library’ celebrates the power of books to connect us—to ideas, to stories and to one another,” said Emanuel Figueroa, executive director of Foundation for Baltimore County Public Library, which underwrites the series. “We are thrilled to continue building this series and bringing extraordinary literary voices to our community.”
Additional organizations contributing support include Baltimore Community Foundation, Maryland 250 Commission, Bonnie Clarke, Point Breeze Credit Union, Goucher College, and APG Federal Credit Union. It is still possible to support or sponsor the series. Information is available at the Foundation for Baltimore County Public Library’s website. The foundation hosts a private reception for sponsors and Bibliophile Level donors and above, which offer access to the author before each event.
Tickets to each event are free, but reservations are required. Tickets are available from the Goucher ticket box office, usually becoming available starting one month before the date of the event.
