Event and Book

The National Writers Series is thrilled to welcome Jane Smiley to Traverse City! She is the Pulitzer Prize winning author of A Thousand Acres and The Last Hundred Years Trilogy! She’ll take the stage to talk with guest host Anne Marie-Oomen about her new book, Lucky, a soaring, soulful novel about a folk musician who rises to fame across our changing times.

Doors open at 6 p.m. with live music and a cash bar. The event begins at 7 p.m. and includes a Q and A and author signing. Each ticket comes with a hardcover copy of Lucky (or opt for a two-ticket package with ONE book). 

Lucky is the tale of Jodie Rattler, a girl growing up in St. Louis. One day in 1955, when she was six years old, her uncle Drew takes her to the racetrack, where she got lucky—and after that day, the roll of two-dollar bills she won never left her side. Through a combination of hard work and serendipity—she lands a singing career, which takes her to exciting corners of the world. Jodie comes of age in recording studios, backstage, and on tour, and she tries to hold her own in the wake of Janis Joplin, Joan Baez, Judy Collins, and Joni Mitchell. Yet it feels like something is missing. Could it be true love? Or is that not actually what Jodie is looking for?

Full of atmosphere, shot through with longing and exuberance, romance and rock ‘n’ roll, Lucky is a story of chance and grit and the glitter of real talent, a colorful portrait of one woman’s journey in search of herself.

EVENT DETAILS
NWS has virtual and in-person ticket options for all of its events. You can see Jane Smiley in-person at the City Opera House, 106 E. Front Street, Traverse City, Michigan, or buy livestream tickets and watch from anywhere in the world.For in-person ticket holders, the City Opera House doors open at 6 p.m. with live music and a cash bar. The event begins at 7 p.m. and includes a Q&A. Jane Smiley will personalize books after the event. For virtual ticket holders, the livestream opens at 6:50 p.m. and the event starts at 7 p.m.

TICKET INFORMATION
This is a modified book bundled event, meaning each ticket comes with a signed hardcover copy of Lucky (or opt for a two-ticket package with ONE book). The book publishes on April 23, 2024 and reflects a 20 percent discount from its $29 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.

TIER ONE tickets are $27 plus book:
One ticket plus ONE book: $52
Two Tickets plus ONE book: $79

TIER TWO tickets are $17 plus book:
One Ticket plus ONE book: $42
Two Tickets plus ONE book: $59

VIRTUAL TICKETS (ticket fees not included):
Virtual Tickets are $15 plus a book
Virtual Ticket plus book: $40

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

Jane Smiley is the author of numerous novels, including A Thousand Acres, which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, and the Last Hundred Years Trilogy: Some Luck, Early Warning, and Golden Age. She is the author as well of several works of nonfiction and books for young adults. A member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, she has also received the PEN Center USA Lifetime Achievement Award for Literature. She lives in Northern California.