May 18, 2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

The National Writers Series Presents:
An Evening With Mary Doria Russell
on Wednesday, May 26

The National Writers Series of Traverse City closes their Spring Season with one of their best guests yet: Mary Doria Russell, the award-winning, #1 New York Times bestselling author of books like The Sparrow, Dreamers of the Day, Children of God, and more.

We’ll be discussing Russell’s newest book, The Women of the Copper Country, which takes place in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in 1913. The book has also been named the 2021-22 Great Michigan Read, and the NWS is proud to celebrate the achievement with this esteemed author.

The Women of the Copper Country introduces us to “America’s Joan of Arc:” Annie Clements, the courageous miner’s wife who started a rebellion by leading a strike against the largest copper mining company in the world.

At the age of 25, Annie had spent her whole life in the copper-mining town of Calumet, Michigan, where men risked their lives for meager salaries while their wives cleaned houses of the elite, dreading the fateful news of a deadly mine accident. When Annie decides to stand up for herself and the entire town of Calumet, she touches off a violent, turbulent reaction that feels startlingly relevant to today.

This event takes place on Wednesday, May 26 at 7 p.m. ET. Our guest host for this evening’s discussion will be Kendra Carr, the host of Interlochen Public Radio’s All Things Considered and Our Global Neighborhood.

Registration is open at the National Writers Series website and is free to the public (with a $10 donation encouraged). The virtual event takes place over Zoom and attendees will be sent a link at registration.

And just for a little bit of extra Michigander fun, all attendees will be entered to win a special “Paperback and Pasties” giveaway: One lucky winner will receive a signed paperback copy of Copper Country, plus a box of pasties from Traverse City’s renowned pasty restaurant, Cousin Jenny’s Cornish Pasties. (Local pickup only for this one, sorry.)

Media Contacts

Media interested in requesting a copy of the book or in scheduling an interview with Mary Doria Russell are invited to connect directly with Ariele Fredman at [email protected].

Jillian Manning
Executive Director, National Writers Series