Event Information
American Stories: A Reading Road Trip | Washington
Wednesday, February 4, 2026
5pm PT
Buckle up and join PBS Books and the Library of Congress as we visit the state of Washington on our next stop in American Stories: A Reading Road Trip. Join us on February 4th at 5pm PT for a PBS Books Facebook Live event, or on the PBS Books YouTube channel, the PBS app, or pbs.org. Visit pbsbooks.org/readingroadtrip to learn more.
Join us in the Evergreen State to hear about the legacy of writers shaped by their time in the Pacific Northwest—from sci-fi legends like Frank Herbert's iconic Dune series and Octavia Butler's speculative Parable of the Sower to more lighthearted tales like Tom Robbins' satirical novel Even Cowgirls Get the Blues. Rediscover powerful classics like the short stories and poems of Raymond Carver (Cathedral) and the fictional reckoning with the Asian American experience during WWII in John Okada's No-No Boy.
Hear from today’s writers living in Washington's vibrant literary scene who have a knack for blending genres: Jess Walter's comedy thriller So Far Gone, Donna Barba Higuera's (The Last Cuentista) fusion of Hispanic heritage with science fiction, and Timothy Egan's (The Big Burn) riveting narrative nonfictions that retell American history. Alongside them are authors who share stories often left untold, including Coast Salish writer Sasha taqʷšəblu LaPointe and her memoir Red Paint, and Frank Abe's reflections on mass injustice in the propelling graphic novel We Hereby Refuse.
Amid the mountains and thousands of miles of coastline lies a book lover's paradise. Washington boasts a thriving independent bookstore scene—with island bookshops and fantastic libraries, including the Seattle Central Library, which houses over one million books and doubles as an architectural landmark. But it's not just brick-and-mortar institutions that inspire travelers; the landscape itself sparks literary imagination. The lush green Hoh Rainforest serves as the stunning backdrop for novels like the Twilight series, while the rugged peaks and misty shores have long fueled the region's storytelling tradition.