Renowned poet Kate Baer returns with HOW ABOUT NOW (on-sale: November 4, 2025), a bold and compassionate collection that confronts the march of time in a shifting world.
With her trademark candor and curiosity, Baer explores what it means to grow older, to release children into the wildness of their own lives, and to reclaim the ever evolving self. Raw, luminous, and urgent, this collection channels Baer’s own journey to middle age into poems that are profoundly intimate yet resound universally, identifying the beauty, resilience, and fragility that arrive in every stage of life.
HOW ABOUT NOW is a striking declaration of ongoing transformation and self-discovery. From the poet who has captured the heartbeat of the modern woman, this collection reaffirms Kate Baer’s place among the most vital voices of our era.
Kate Baer is the three-time New York Times bestselling author of What Kind of Woman, I Hope This Finds You Well, and And Yet. Her work has also been published in The New Yorker, Literary Hub, Huffington Post, and the New York Times. For more about Kate and her work, visit: https://www.katebaer.com/
Doors open at 6 p.m. with live music, and the conversation begins at 7 p.m. This event includes a Q&A session and an author signing immediately following in the lobby.
Please note: This event takes place at Milliken Auditorium at the Dennos Museum Center, not the City Opera House. No additional venue transaction fees apply.
General Admission: $20
Admits one person to the live event. Does NOT include the book.
Individual Tickets
$16 + $20 = $36
Admits one person to the live event and includes one signed paperback edition of How About Now by Kate Baer (retail value $18). Signed books are only available at the live event.
Virtual Tickets
Can’t make it to Milliken Auditorium? Enjoy the event live or on-demand from home!
Each Virtual Ticket includes access to a private YouTube link beginning at 6:50 p.m. Virtual attendees may participate in the Q&A via moderated chat.
You may also purchase the featured book for an additional fee. Horizon Books will ship anywhere in the continental U.S., with shipping costs applied at checkout. Signed books are not available for virtual ticket holders.
Student Tickets: $12
With a valid school ID. Admits one person to the live event. Book not included.
Pay What You Can
We believe great books and inspiring conversations should be available to everyone. Thanks to our generous donors, you can use the code BookChampion (one word) at checkout for a complimentary book, based on the honor system.
Group Tickets
For discounted rates on groups of 20 or more, please contact: [email protected]
About Our Book Sales
Each ticket includes a copy of the author’s latest book—often ahead of its official release date. Your purchase supports our local bookseller, Horizon Books in downtown Traverse City.
National Writers Series book prices are always 20% below retail, so you’re getting a great value. Already own the book? Give it as a gift or donate it back to NWS to support libraries and young writers in Northern Michigan. Please email Hanna at [email protected] if you’d like to donate your book.
Unless otherwise noted, NWS events are designed for adult audiences and may not be suitable for children.
Beth Milligan is a journalist and head writer for the Traverse City Ticker. She has worked in marketing and PR roles for numerous community organizations including Up North Pride, the Traverse City Film Festival, Traverse Connect, Traverse City Comedy Fest, National Writers Series, and Porterhouse Productions. She currently serves on board advisory committees for the Leelanau Conservancy and Bay Theatre and on the advisory board for Northwestern Michigan College’s Extended Education Services. Beth is the co-host of Currently with Christal Frost, a weekly podcast featuring local journalists discussing the region’s top news stories. Beth lives on a small hobby farm called Stone Hill Farm on Old Mission Peninsula with her partner, Joe Beyer.
2025
National Writers Series. All Rights Reserved.
