2024 Nick Linn Lecture Series

James Patterson is the world’s bestselling author.  His enduring fictional characters and series include Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Michael Bennett, Maximum Ride, Middle School, and Ali Cross, along with such acclaimed works of narrative nonfiction as Walk in My Combat Boots, E.R. Nurses, and his autobiography, James Patterson by James Patterson.  Bill Clinton (The President is Missing) and Dolly Parton (Run, Rose, Run) are among his notable literary collaborators.  For his prodigious imagination and championship of literacy in America, Patterson was awarded the 2019 National Humanities Medal.  The National Book Foundation presented him with the Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community, and he is also the recipient of an Edgar Award and nine Emmy Awards.  He lives in Florida with his family, he invites you to visit his website at http://www.jamespatterson.com.

Allison Pataki is the New York Times bestselling author of The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post, The Queen’s Fortune, The Traitor’s Wife, The Accidental Empress, Sisi: Empress On Her Own, Where the Light Falls, as well as the nonfiction memoir Beauty in the Broken Places and two children’s books, Nelly Takes New York and Poppy Takes Paris.  Allison’s novels have been translated into more than twenty languages around the globe and have sold more than half a million copies.  A former news writer and producer, Allison has written for The New York Times, ABC News, The Huffington Post, USA Today, Fox News and other outlets.  She has appeared on The TODAY Show, Good Morning America, Fox & Friends, Good Day New York, Good Day Chicago and MSNBC’s Morning Joe.  Allison graduated Cum Laude from Yale University with a major in English and spent several years in journalism before switching to fiction writing.  A member of The Historical Novel Society and a certified Yoga instructor, Allison lives in New York with her husband and family.  To learn more and connect with Allison, please visit http://www.AllisonPataki.com.

Pam Jenoff is the author of several books of historical fiction, including the New York Times bestsellers The Lost Girls of Paris, The Orphan’s Tale, The Diplomat’s Wife, The Woman with the Blue Star, and Code Name Sapphire.  Her novels are inspired by her experiences working as the Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Army at the Pentagon and as a diplomat for the State Department in Poland.  These positions afforded Pam a unique opportunity to witness and participate in operations at the most senior levels of government and provided expertise regarding World War II and the Holocaust for Pam’s books.

Pam lives outside Philadelphia with her husband, three children, dog, cat, lizard, rabbit and bird.

Australian-born Geraldine Brooks is an acclaimed author and journalist known for her immersive, character-driven historical novels.  Her fiction debut, Year of Wonders:  A Novel of the Plague, was published in ten countries and was a 2001 Notable Book of the Year for The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the Chicago Tribune.  For her second novel, March, Geraldine was awarded the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, and her third book, People of the Book, became an instant New York Times bestseller.  Her fourth book, Caleb’s Crossing, was the winner of the New England Book Award for Fiction and the Christianity Today Book Award, and was a finalist for the Langum Prize in American Historical Fiction.  The Secret Chord, Geraldine’s newest novel about the fascinating life of King David, was released in 2015 to critical acclaim.  Her most recent book, Horse, has become another well researched historical fiction.

Beginning her career at The Sydney Morning Herald, Geraldine later moved to the United States to attend the journalism master’s program at Columbia University in New York City.  She then spent 11 years as correspondent at The Wall Street Journal, where her beats included some of the world’s most troubled areas, including Bosnia, Somalia, and the Middle East.