Chat with New York Times-bestselling author Jodi Picoult about her newest novel, By Any Other Name, during this virtual program taking place on Wednesday, April 2 at 7:00pm.
It’s 1581 and Emilia Bassano—like most young women of her day—is allowed no voice of her own. As the Lord Chamberlain’s mistress, she has access to all theaters in England and finds a way to secretly bring her work to the stage, but creating some of the world’s greatest dramatic masterpieces comes at great cost: by paying a man for the use of his name, she will write her own out of history.
In the present, playwright Melina Green has just written a new work inspired by the life of Bassano, her Elizabethan ancestor. Although the challenges are different 400 years later, the playing field is still not level for women in theater. Would Melina—like Emilia—be willing to forfeit her credit as author, just for a chance to see her work performed?
Told in intertwining narratives, By Any Other Name is a sweeping tale of ambition, courage, and desire that asks what price each woman is willing to pay to see their work live on—even if it means they will be forgotten.
Picoult is the #1 New York Times-bestselling author of 29 novels, including Mad Honey (co-authored with Jennifer Finney Boylan), Wish You Were Here, The Book of Two Ways, A Spark of Light, Small Great Things, Leaving Time, and My Sister’s Keeper. She has also co-authored, with her daughter Samantha van Leer, the young adult novels Between the Lines and Off the Page.
Register now to join the conversation and to submit questions for Picoult.
