Wyoming Arts Council

Author and historian Karen Abbott at Teton County Library Oct. 15-16

Featured News | October 10, 2014

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From a Teton County Public Library press release:

Next week, Teton County Library hosts yet another stellar author in its “Writers at the Library” series: best-selling historian, Karen Abbott, who USA Today heralded as the “pioneer of sizzle history.”

On Wednesday, October 15 at 7 p.m., Abbott will give a free talk in the library’s Ordway Auditorium. The following day, Thursday, October 16, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Abbott will lead a writing workshop, called “The Elements of Narrative Nonfiction.” Those interested in the writing workshop must register, as space is limited. Contact Leah at lshlachter@tclib.org or call 733-2164 ext. 229.

Ahead of her Jackson Hole visit, the library is facilitating a tweet chat with the popular historian, this Thursday, October 9 at 1 p.m. EST. Anyone with a Twitter account and an interest in Abbott’s writing and subjects (Civil War history, women in American history, the Gilded Age, to name a few) may join in or follow the conversation by using #sizzlehistory. For more information, contact Kirsten at kcorbett@tclib.org.

Abbott’s latest work, “Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy,” the true story of four women who risked everything to become spies during the Civil War, was released last month by HarperCollins. In this book, Abbott focuses on fascinating yet little known aspects of the Civil War: the stories of four courageous women—a socialite, a farmgirl, an abolitionist, and a widow—who were all spies.

In a pre-release review, Erik Larson, best-selling author of “Devil in the White City,” calls Abbott “the John le Carré of Civil War espionage.” Gilbert King, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and a “Writers at the Library” writing workshop facilitator this month, describes the work as “brilliant storytelling, highly accessible, and impossible to put down.”

Abbott focuses on stories that she calls “microcosms” of their eras, illuminating parallels to the modern moment. Abbott’s approach has been successful; both “Sin in the Second City” and “American Rose” were New York Times best sellers.

Abbott is a featured contributor to Smithsonian magazine’s history blog, Past Imperfect, and also writes for Disunion, the New York Times series about the Civil War. A native of Philadelphia, where she worked as a journalist, she now lives in New York City with her husband and two African Grey parrots, Poe and Dexter.

These programs are free and open to the community with support from donations, large and small, to the Teton County Library Foundation.

You can find Teton County Library at www.tclib.org, call us at 307-733-2164 or visit us at 125 Virginian Lane, Jackson WY, 83001.

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