Emily St. John Mandel

Listen to Emily St. John Mandel on the DMPL Podcast

Wednesday, May 10 | 7 PM | Central Library

Canadian author Emily St. John Mandel is one of our most acclaimed and revered storytellers, with her novels spanning genres from post-apocalyptic fiction to literary fiction to mystery thriller. Her 2022 bestseller, Sea of Tranquility, is a masterpiece of metaphysical and speculative fiction that dives into time travel, the simulation hypothesis, love, and unfurls a story of humanity across centuries. Barack Obama included the novel on his list of favorite books of 2022, and a review in USA Today said the book was “transporting and brilliant and generous… I haven’t read anything quite like it.”

Mandel’s past novels are also praised bestsellers, with The Glass Hotel called “a perfect novel” by The Washington Post and being named a best book of 2020 by The AV Club, BBC, Entertainment Weekly, The New Yorker, NPR, Parade, TIME, Washington Post, and many, many more.

Her groundbreaking 2014 novel, Station Eleven, is a landmark work of post-apocalyptic fiction, winning the prestigious Arthur C. Clarke Award. It was also a finalist for the National Book Award, the PEN/Faulkner Award, and many other accolades. The book was adapted into an award-winning HBO 10-part TV series of the same name, which was nominated for seven Primetime Emmy Awards.

Mark Your Calendar

• Admission is free.
• Doors open at 6:00 PM.
• Seating is first-come, first-served.
• This event will be livestreamed on Zoom. Information will be posted the day of the program.
• Free parking is available:
  • In the Des Moines Public Library parking garage, located on Grand Ave.
  • On the surface lot on the corner of 10th St. and Grand Ave., across from the library.
• At the end of the program, there will be a question and answer period. A book signing will follow.
• Books will be available to purchase before and after the program courtesy of Beaverdale Books.

• Sea of Tranquility (2022)
• The Glass Hotel (2020)
• Station Eleven (2014)
• The Lola Quartet (2012)
• The Singer's Gun (2010)
• Last Night in Montreal (2009)

• Reviews of Sea of Tranquility
  • New York Times
  • The Guardian
  • Vox
• Emily St. John Mandel on The Ezra Klein Show
  • Access for free through The New York Times DMPL database
• Emily St. John Mandel profile in The New Yorker

• Emily St. John Mandel | Website
• Emily St. John Mandel | Twitter
• Emily St. John Mandel | Instagram

<< Back to AViD Home