Bestselling Authors Ariel Lawhon, Sept. 9, and R. F. Kuang, Sept. 21, headline Writers on a New England Stage(s)

THE MUSIC HALL & NEW HAMPSHIRE PUBLIC RADIO 

present

Writers on a New England Stage

featuring September events with:

Ariel Lawhon, Sept. 9, and R. F. Kuang, Sept. 21

PORTSMOUTH – New Hampshire Public Radio and The Music Hall announced the September line-up for their award-winning series, Writers on a New England Stage. Featured authors include New York Times bestselling authors Ariel Lawhon and R. F. Kuang. Both events include a moderated literary conversation with an NHPR radio host. Attendees will have the opportunity to pose questions to the authors through the NHPR moderators.

Wednesday, Sept. 9 at 7 p.m. at The Music Hall’s Historic Theater, New York Times bestselling author Ariel Lawhon introduces her new novel, THE PIRATE QUEEN, in a moderated conversation with Julia Barnett, host of NHPR’s All Things Considered. 

A sweeping historical adventure inspired by the life of Grace O’Malley, the legendary Irish folk heroine who risked everything to defend her people. Venture onto the high seas with the thrilling latest from the New York Times bestselling author of The Frozen River and I Was Anastasia.

Monday, Sept. 21 at 7 p.m. at The Music Hall’s The Historic Theater, #1 New York Times bestselling author R. F. Kuang presents her new novel, TAIPEI STORY, in a moderated conversation with NHPR’s Cost of Living reporter, Jackie Harris.

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Katabasis and Yellowface comes a wryly humorous and profoundly moving coming-of-age novel that grapples with grief, language, and culture shock—all set against the backdrop of an unforgettable summer in Taipei. 

ABOUT THE AUTHORS: 

Ariel Lawhon is an award-winning, critically acclaimed, New York Times bestselling author of historical fiction. Her books have been translated into over thirty languages and have been Good Morning America, LibraryReads, and One Book One County selections. She lives in the rolling hills outside Nashville, Tennessee, with her husband and four sons. Ariel splits her time between the grocery store and the baseball field.

R. F. Kuang is the #1 New York Times and #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of the Poppy War trilogy, Babel: An Arcane History, Yellowface, Katabasis, and Taipei Story. Her work has won the Nebula, Locus, Crawford, and British Book Awards. She is the Millard Distinguished Writer in Residence at the College of the Holy Cross. 

TICKETS

The ticket packages vary by event and can be purchased online at TheMusicHall.org, over the phone at 603.436.2400, or in person at the Ticketing Hub at 28 Chestnut St., Portsmouth, NH. 

About Writers on a New England Stage

This award-winning author series, now in its 21st year, has presented such celebrated writers as Margaret Atwood, Stephen King, United States Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Dan Brown, David McCullough, Judy Blume, Tom Brokaw, and Jodi Picoult, all on stage at The Music Hall’s Historic Theater in downtown Portsmouth, NH. Each literary evening features an author presentation followed by an onstage interview with a New Hampshire Public Radio host. Live music is performed by the award-winning house band Dreadnaught. Portions of these literary conversations are broadcast on New Hampshire Public Radio and available as a podcast on all podcast platforms.

The Writers on a New England Stage series is a partnership between The Music Hall and New Hampshire Public Radio.

About New Hampshire Public Radio

NHPR is New Hampshire’s only statewide radio news service, broadcasting from 14 sites across the Granite State. Our award-winning journalism is available to read and listen to 24/7 at NHPR.org and by asking your smart speaker to “Play NHPR.” NHPR journalists deliver local news, programs, newsletters, and podcasts, including Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Civics 101, Outside/In, Document, The Weekender, The Rundown, Primarily Politics, The Folk Show, and the N.H. News Recap.

NHPR is the exclusive outlet for NPR News in the Granite State and broadcasts national weekly programs such as The Moth Radio Hour, Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!, and This American Life. At NHPR, our vision is that through trustworthy journalism, we enrich lives and build stronger communities in New Hampshire and beyond. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are core to our mission. We strive to build an inclusive culture that links us to the communities we serve and to produce journalism and programming that reflect those communities’ diverse cultures, backgrounds, and viewpoints.

About The Music Hall

The Music Hall is an active and vital cultural center in downtown Portsmouth, dedicated to the advancement of the tri-state region’s cultural life through the performing arts, literature, and education. A community-supported 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, it presents entertainment from around the world and around the corner—the greatest musicians, writers, and performers of the time, extraordinary films, and award-winning documentaries. Its 600 yearly events delight an annual audience of 130,000 (including 20,000 children) in two theaters—an 1878 Victorian-era Historic Theater and the modern and intimate Lounge venue.

The Music Hall was recently named Editors’ Choice “Best All-Around Entertainment” by Yankee Magazine and is a designated “American Treasure for the Arts.” Through innovative community partnerships, it subsidizes thousands of tickets each year to make the arts accessible to all. The Music Hall is community-oriented and committed to helping the Seacoast region flourish.