Donna Seaman -

Early praise for River of Books: A Life in Reading

"A 'constant reader' who generously advocates for a wide diet of literature, from novels to poetry to narrative nonfiction to essays and all that lie between, Seaman counsels that "the more varied our reading, the more detailed, intricate, and vital our perceptions become." —KIRKUS REVIEWS

"Donna Seaman reads with her whole body, and RIVER OF BOOKS is a hymn to her vocation,

a testament to her immersions, the story of her transports. The surface is calm, but the water

runs deep in this memoir of intense responses, of enchantments and ecstasies."

—EDWARD HIRSCH, author of Stranger by Night, editor for 100 Poems to Break Your Heart

"River of Books is a beautiful memoir. Deeply personal, it is moving, dazzling, and spiced with touches of Seaman's slantwise sense of humor."

—SARA PARETSKY, author of Pay Dirt and the other V. I. Warshawski novels and the memoir, Writing in an Age of Silence

"River of Books is as exhilarating as a first date, and it delivers: The memoir of a lifelong book lover who brings us her keen, engaging perspective on her own reading and the larger world of books, it will warm you and delight you and make you realize how fabulous reading can be."

—SUSAN ORLEAN, author of On Animals and The Library Book

"In this memoir, Seaman enchants readers with musings on her lifetime as a reader. It's filled with lovely anecdotes, lightly humorous musings, and deep thoughts on books she loves, and will leave readers checking their lists to see what they need to add—because what's more special than a recommendation from a true booklover?"

–KAITE STOVER, LibraryReads board member

The Craft of Criticism: An Interview with Donna Seaman

Tara Cheesman interviewed me for "Critical Mass," the National Book Critics Circle blog.

Secrets of the Book Critics on Book Marks/Lit Hub

What an honor and what a joy to participate in this interview series and share my thoughts about reading and reviewing and books, always books!

Quick Links

A Conversation with Lorrie Moore

Lorrie Moore talks about her most recent novel, I Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home.

The One Book, One Chicago keynote event with Tommy Orange

What an honor and thrill to speak with Tommy Orange about his first novel, There, There, and his forthcoming novel, Wandering Stars.

One Book, One Chicago: Interview with Mohsin Hamid

Mohsin Hamid's exquisite novel, Exit West, was selected as a One Book, One Chicago read and I had the honor and pleasure of speaking with Mohsin as the season finale. I was in front of my computer in Chicago, Mohsin was in front of his in Karachi. Mohsin's eloquence is poetic and incisive and very inspiring.

Battle of the Books

I had a glorious time participating in this event with James Mustich, author of 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die. Jim invited five authors to advocate for books that are not included in his 1,000! Listen to Thrity Unrigar, me, Andromeda Romano-Lax, Anne Bogel, and Mary Bly make the case for our picks. Hosted by the Cuyohoga County Public Library.

My choice: Divine Days by Leon Forrest

Sandra Cisernos receives the Fuller Award from the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame

The American Writers Museum hosted this exuberant event at which Sandra Cisneros received the Fuller Award, a recognition of her pheneomenally creative and generous lifetime literary achievements. Here are tributes from friends and colleagues, Sandra's very literary acceptance speech, and an interview with an awed and grateful me. Congratulations, Sandra and thank you!!!

Booklist

Listen to Open Books Radio author interviews

E-mail the author

Authors Guild

About

Signing books after my lecture as part of the illustrious Woodstock Fine Arts Association's Creative Living series in Woodstock, Illinois.

Donna Seaman is the Editor for Adult Books at Booklist, a member of the Content Leadership Team for the American Writers Museum, and a recipient of the Louis Shore Award for excellence in book reviewing, the James Friend Memorial Award for Literary Criticism and the Studs Terkel Humanities Service Award. Seaman has written for the Chicago Tribune, the Los Angeles Times, and other publications. She has been a writer-in-residence for Columbia College Chicago and has taught at Northwestern University and the University of Chicago. Seaman created the anthology In Our Nature: Stories of Wildness; her author interviews are collected in Writers on the Air: Conversations about Books, and she is the author of Identity Unknown: Rediscovering Seven American Women Artists. Seaman lives in Chicago.

My new book, the second Ode Books title, a series devoted to books, book places, and reading, River of Books: A Life in Reading, is due out in November.

My calendar is starting to fill up with events for River of Books!! I hope you can join the celebration.

River of Books debuts in New York on Friday, November 15, 6:30 pm. at McNally Jackson, the Seaport store: 4 Fulton Street, New York, NY 10038. I'm so thrilled to be in conversation with John Freeman. Details and registration here.

The big launch party is in Chicago! With tremendous thanks to Women & Children First, we will be celebrating the store's 45th anniversary and River of Books: A Life in Reading.

Please join us on Thursday, November 21, at the Swedish Museum, 5211 N. Clark, Chicago, IL 60640. Details here.

I'll be at the famed Miami Book Fair, November 23, at 4:00 pm, on a panel: The Power of Books. Here's the listing.

The Book Stall, 811 Elm Street, Winnetka, IL 60093 will be hosting an event with me and River of Books on December 4, 6:30. More details to follow.

Cuyahoga County Public Library, December 9, 2024, 7:00 – 8:00 pm, Beachwood Branch. Beachwood Meeting Room (Auditorium) (84), 25501 Shaker Blvd., Beachwood, OH 44122. Full details.

Back in Chicago, I'm so excited to be speaking at the American Writers Museum, Monday, December 16, 6:00 pm. Here's the event page.

January 19, 2025: Boswell Book Company, 2559 N Downer Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53211. Scroll down to find River of Books!

Literary Hub

An excerpt beautifully presented on the Lit Hub.

Pacific Standard review

The phenomenal Terry Tempest Williams writes about Identity Unknown

Guardian review

A wonderful brief review of Identity Unknown

Better Kansas City, a KCTV morning show

I had so much fun at this Kansas City television station. We taped my segment after a live spot with a very cute Nubian goat, a new zoo baby, named Sawyer.

The National Book Review

I'm so grateful for this thoughtful interview conducted by generous, incisive Elizabeth Taylor.

The Download on WGN Radio

I had a great time talking about my book with Justin Kaufmann, a terrifically warm and caring host.

The Sandi Klein Show: Conversations with Creative Women

A wide-ranging conversation with the dynamic, brilliant, caring Sandi Klein

After Hours interview on WGN Radio

A lively conversation with the one and only Rick Kogan.

Chicago Tonight

A television conversation with the wonderful Phil Ponce and lots of images.

The Seattle Times

A splendid review.

The Washington Post

A thrilling review of Identity Unknown.

Vasari21.com

I am delighted to share this podcast interview with Ann Landi about my book, Identity Unknown. This is a terrific website for artists.

Available now!