Monday, November 13, 2023
7:30 p.m.
Frances Mayes & Ruth Reichl –
In Conversation
Beloved and admired authors Frances Mayes (Under the Tuscan Sun) and Ruth Reichl (Tender at the Bone) will share the stage for a conversation about their shared themes: food, memory, family, culture and travel. This free-wheeling conversation will allow both writers to explore their love of food and recipes as it evokes memories and also the exploration of their own and other cultures. Both have written passionately about home and travel, taking their readers with them as they uncover how food and home define us, and how we can uncover the shared humanity when looking at the vast culture experiences in the United States and abroad.
Frances Mayes – Bestselling Author
Serving as Pen & Podium’s inaugural season’s very first speaker in 2003, Frances Mayes is the highly recognized author of Under The Tuscan Sun, which was on the New York Times Bestseller list for over two years. Her other books include Bella Tuscany: The Sweet Life of Italy, Swan, Bringing Tuscany Home and Every Day in Tuscany. Her most recent book A Place In the World (2022) is a lyrical and evocative collection of personal stories on the comforts of home. She is currently working on a cookbook titled Pasta Veloce (Mar 2023) and a novel titled The Last Marriage. Frances is also a food-and-travel writer and is editor of The Best American Travel Writing and A Year in the World; Journeys of A Passionate Traveler. She and her husband divide their time between Hillsborough, North Carolina and Corona, Italy.
“By the sweat of her brow and the strength of her vision, Frances Mayes has become a layer in the history of Tuscany.” – Los Angeles Times
Ruth Reichl – Acclaimed Food Writer, Magazine Editor, Chef
Recipient of six James Beard Awards, Ruth Reichl’s work transcends all platforms with top honors for bestselling books, magazine feature writing, restaurant critique, and multimedia food journalism. Her books include acclaimed memoirs Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table, Not Becoming My Mother and Save Me the Plums: My Gourmet Memoir, which chronicles her groundbreaking tenure as editor-in-chief at Gourmet Magazine. In addition to serving as one of the top restaurant critics in America at The New York Times from 1993-1999, she also worked as restaurant critic and food editor at the LA Times from 1984 to 1993. Reichl was host of the Food Network’s Eating Out Loud and appeared as a judge for several seasons on Bravos’ Top Chef Masters.
“Pull up a chair. Take a taste. Come join us. Life is so endlessly delicious.” – Ruth Reichl
