New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult to speak at Bucknell University

Jan. 18—LEWISBURG — New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult will be the guest of honor at Bucknell University at next week's Bucknell Forum 2023-24 speaker series.

Picoult, the No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of 30 novels, including as co-author of 2022's "Mad Honey," will join Bucknell President John Bravman in a moderated discussion on the theme "Freedom of Expression" at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Weis Center for the Performing Arts. She will then engage in a limited Q&A session, where she will answer questions from Bucknell students.

Melissa Rowse, the director of the Degenstein Community Library in Sunbury, plans to attend the event if she is able to secure one of the tickets. All Bucknell Forum events are free and open to the public, although tickets are required.

"She is very popular so I am expecting a huge turnout," said Rowse. "Ms. Picoult tackles current topics and provides a 360 view with thought-provoking storytelling. I find her books very entertaining but also very powerful in that they make me think and question many of my beliefs. I always research the topic while reading the books. I wonder how she selects the topics and then why she picks the point of view that she does. I am also assuming she has some people upset with some of her topics."

Rowse said her favorite Picoult novel is "Nineteen Minutes." She also loves "Leaving Time" and "Small Great Things."

Picoult is the third of five nationally renowned speakers participating in this year's Bucknell Forum — a speaker series that since 2007 has featured national leaders, scholars and commentators who have examined various issues from multidisciplinary and diverse viewpoints.

Laura Spangler, the elementary school library paraprofessional for Milton Area School District who was honored last year as the 2023 Outstanding School Library Paraprofessional by the Pennsylvania School Librarians Association (PSLA), said she is not able to attend.

"She is one of my favorite authors," said Spangler. "She always writes about social events that are so current with our society. Her novels are always thought provoking and make for great conversations."

Toby Schwartzman, the director of the Public Library for Union County in Lewisburg, will also not be able to attend the event.

"Although I'm a nonfiction reader, I've heard many good things about Picoult's books, and I support Bucknell's efforts to promote literacy by inviting her to speak," he said.

About Picoult

Picoult's books have been translated into 34 languages in 25 countries.

Four novels — "The Pact," "Plain Truth," "The Tenth Circle," and "Salem Falls" — have been made into television movies. "My Sister's Keeper" was adapted into a film released from New Line Cinema, with Nick Cassavetes directing and Cameron Diaz starring. "Mad Honey" is currently in development for a series/film. "Small Great Things" is also being adapted for a motion picture, with Viola Davis and Julia Roberts starring in the drama about a Black nurse who finds herself caring for the newborn baby of white supremacists. She also wrote five issues of DC Comics' Wonder Woman.

Picoult is the co-librettist for the stage musical adaptation of her two Young Adult novels, "Between The Lines" and "Off The Page," which she co-wrote with her daughter, Samantha van Leer. The musical premiered off-Broadway in Summer 2021 and was licensed through Music Theatre International during the fall of 2022. She was also co-librettist of the musical "Breathe," which was inducted into the Library of Congress's Performing Arts COVID-19 Response Collection, and of the musical adaptation of "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak, which played at the Coventry Belgrade and the Leicester Curve in the fall of 2023.

Picoult is the recipient of many awards, including the New England Bookseller Award for Fiction, the Alex Awards from the Young Adult Library Services Association, a lifetime achievement award for mainstream fiction from the Romance Writers of America, the New Hampshire Literary Award for Outstanding Literary Merit and the Sarah Josepha Hale Award. She holds honorary doctor of letters degrees from Dartmouth College and the University of New Haven. She is a patron of the Carole Shields Prize for Fiction, which is awarded to female fiction writers.

Event information

Current Bucknell students and employees may receive up to two free tickets at any Campus Box Office location, or online, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday, a day prior to the event. A valid Bucknell University ID is required to receive advance tickets. Use of multiple Bucknell IDs to pick up additional sets of tickets is prohibited.

The remaining tickets will be available for the general public at the Weis Center box office beginning at 6 p.m. on the day of the event. All individuals may receive up to two free tickets, depending on availability.

An ASL interpreter will be signing at the event for the hearing-impaired community. Attendees who need this service should contact sebright@bucknell.edu for seating arrangements.

Remaining Bucknell Forum speakers

All remaining speakers in this year's Bucknell Forum will appear in person at 7:30 p.m. on these dates: New York Times bestselling author, journalist and activist George M. Johnson on Feb. 27, in Trout Auditorium; and Academy Award-winning actor and activist Jane Fonda on March 19 in the Weis Center.