The Friends are partnering with Beanbag Books to welcome back local author Thao Thai to celebrate the release of her new novel, The Seekers of Deer Creek! Thao will be chatting about her novel with Pulitzer Prize Finalist author Lee Martin at the bookstore, followed by a Q&A and book signing. Your $30 ticket includes a hardcover copy of The Seekers of Deer Creek.

Thao Thai is the author of Banyan Moon, the July 2023 Read with Jenna title, Barnes & Noble Discover Pick, and Book of the Month selection. Banyan Moon was also selected by booksellers as an IndieNext pick and longlisted for the Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize. She was the recipient of the 2024 Ohio Arts Council’s Individual Excellence Award, and her work has been published in the Los Angeles Review of Books, WIRED, Elle, Lit Hub, and other publications. She lives in central Ohio with her husband and daughter.