Event and Book

NWS welcomes international bestseller Jodi Picoult back to the National Writers Series stage to present her newest novel, By Any Other Name, about two women, centuries apart—one of whom is the real author of Shakespeare’s plays—who are both forced to hide behind another name.

Young playwright Melina Green has just written a new work inspired by the life of her Elizabethan ancestor Emilia Bassano. But seeing it performed is unlikely, in a theater world where the playing field isn’t level for women.

As Melina wonders if she dares risk failure again, her best friend takes the decision out of her hands and submits the play to a festival under a male pseudonym. In 1581, young Emilia Bassano is a ward of English aristocrats.

Her lessons on languages, history, and writing have endowed her with a sharp wit and a gift for storytelling, but like most women of her day, she is allowed no voice of her own. Forced to become a mistress to the Lord Chamberlain, who oversees all theatre productions in England, Emilia sees firsthand how the words of playwrights can move an audience.

She begins to form a plan to secretly bring a play of her own to the stage—by paying an actor named William Shakespeare to front her work.

Told in intertwining timelines, By Any Other Name, a sweeping tale of ambition, courage, and desire centers two women who are determined to create something beautiful despite the prejudices they face. Should a writer do whatever it takes to see her story live on . . . no matter the cost? This remarkable novel, rooted in primary historical sources, ensures the name Emilia Bassano will no longer be forgotten.

TICKET INFORMATION
This is a book bundled event, meaning each ticket comes with a signed hardcover copy of By Any Other Name. The book publishes on August 20, 2024 and reflects a 20 percent discount from its $30 retail price. All tickets are subject to ticket fees and shipping costs if you choose to have your booked shipped to you from Horizon Books. In-person ticket holders will have an opportunity to get a picture with Jodi. All in-person books will be pre-signed and the picture op takes place of a book signing.

IN-PERSON TICKETS FOR LARS HOCKSTAD AUDITORIUM (ticket fees not included):
General Admission tickets are $27 plus book:
One Ticket plus one book: $53

Virtual Tickets (ticket fees not included):
Virtual Ticket plus book: $41
(Virtual ticket is $15)

STUDENT TICKETS: (Books are not included)
Student Tickets: $10

Jodi Picoult is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of 28 novels, including Mad Honey, Wish You Were Here, The Book of Two Ways, A Spark of Light, Small Great Things, Leaving Time, The Storyteller, Lone Wolf, Sing You Home, House Rules, Handle with Care, Change of Heart, and My Sister’s Keeper, and, with daughter Samantha van Leer, two young adult novels, Between the Lines and Off the Page. Picoult’s books have been translated into thirty-four languages in thirty-five countries. Four novels – The Pact, Plain Truth, The Tenth Circle, and Salem Falls – have been made into television movies. Picoult lives in New Hampshire with her husband. They have three children.

Rochelle Riley is Director of Arts and Culture for the City of Detroit. She spent nearly 25 years as an award-winning Detroit Free Press columnist before leaving in 2019 to serve as Director of Arts and Culture for the City of Detroit. She is author of four other books, including The Burden: African Americans and the Enduring Impact of Slavery.