Monte Schulz

Sunday, June 21

Monte Schulz received his M.A. in American Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and spent 12 years writing Crossing Eden, a novel about the Jazz Age, which was published in 2016. Metropolis, his dystopian 2022 novel about a college student named Julian Brehm drawn into the world of political revolution, a century-long eugenics war, and a vast undercity addressed themes of morality, societal collapse, and the horrors of conflict rooted in eugenics.

His latest novel, Undercity (2026), is a companion piece that explores the lives of outcasts and the disenfranchised who live in an underground labyrinth in a totalitarian society. Its message is chilling in light of global politics, which reflect a trend toward democratic decline and the rise of the strongman.

Kerri Schlottman

Monday, June 22

Kerri Schlottman is a writer of literary fiction novels, including Tell Me One Thing, which earned numerous accolades, including the 2024 PenCraft Literary Fiction Award. Addressing themes of power and privilege, the book tells the story of an aspiring artist who takes a career-making photograph of a young girl in a trailer park in rural Pennsylvania, which haunts both their lives. Artfully narrated, her latest novel, Daytime Moon (2026) follows a young woman returning to the California desert to confront her past and reunite with her fractured family. It’s an unforgettable journey through hidden stories, the depths of women’s secrets, and the shimmering fluidity of memory.

Jess Walter

Tuesday, June 23

Jess Walter is the author of eight novels, including the bestsellers The Cold Millions and Beautiful Ruins, and a National Book Award finalist for The Zero. He has also published two collections of short stories, We Live in Water (2013) and The Angel of Rome (2022).

His latest book, So Far Gone, is a story that goes into What’s Happening Now in the (uppercase) World, Walter imagined sticking his head out the passenger window and describing what it’s like as the car goes off the road. “I’m not talking about who wins elections,” he says. “I’m talking about the devaluing of logic and science and intellect; the cynical, self-serving villanization of institutions like government and law enforcement and media.”

Rachel Howzell Hall

Wednesday, June 24

Rachel Howzell Hall is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of 16 novels, including the bestselling thriller Fog and Fury, and the Good Morning America Book Club selection, The Last One. A former member of the board of directors for Mystery Writers of America, Rachel was a featured writer on NPR’s acclaimed Crime in the City series and the National Endowment for the Arts weekly podcast. The Cruel Dawn (2025) is the explosive second book in her Vallendor series, a sweeping fantasy romance (romantasy) where gods bleed, realms fall and one woman stands between salvation and ruin.

Adriana Trigiani

Thursday, June 25

Adriana Trigiani is the New York Times bestselling author of 21 of fiction and nonfiction, including The View from Lake Como (2025), The Good Left Undone, The Shoemaker's Wife, and Don’t Sing at the Table: Life Lessons from My Grandmothers. An award-winning playwright, television writer/producer, and filmmaker, Trigiani wrote and directed the major motion picture of her debut novel, Big Stone Gap. She hosts the hit podcast, You Are What You Read, where she interviews authors and luminaries about the books that built their souls. The celebrated author, who weaves family, food, traditions, and the Italian-American experience into her novels, was knighted by Italy for promoting Italian culture.