David Grann
In-person tickets to the 2024-25 season are sold out.
Proceeds from this event benefit Hennepin County Library.
Memory is a code to who we are, a collection of not just dates and facts but also of epic emotional struggles, epiphanies, transformations.
Bestselling Author
David Grann is an award-winning writer for The New Yorker and the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the books The Lost City of Z and Killers of the Flower Moon, which was a finalist for the National Book Award. Revered for nonfiction that jumps off the page, Grann doesn’t just write about incredible people—he walks in their shoes. Whether crossing the ocean or trekking through the Amazon, the author digs deep to give his stories a pace and intensity unlike any other.
Known as “the man Hollywood can’t stop reading,” Grann breathes new life into historical events, producing factually accurate tales that read like thrilling works of fiction—ripe for cinematic adaptation. His book Killers of the Flower Moon was recently turned into an Oscar-nominated film directed by Martin Scorsese starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone.
His latest book, The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder, is a page-turning story of shipwreck, survival, and savagery, culminating in a court martial that reveals a shocking truth. With the twists and turns of a thriller, Grann unearths the deeper meaning of the events on the HMS Wager, showing that it was not only the captain and crew who ended up on trial, but the very idea of empire. The Wager debuted at #1 on the New York Times best-seller list and has remained on the list ever since.
Grann’s work has been published in the New York Times Magazine, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal. In 2023, Barnes & Noble named Grann their inaugural Author of the Year.
All in-person Pen Pals programs are held at the Hopkins Center for the Arts—offering great sound and sight lines for the entire house. Just 15 minutes from downtown Minneapolis and 28 minutes from Saint Paul, Hopkins Center for the Arts offers free convenient parking as well as numerous nearby restaurants. Please click the button below to download a detailed directions and parking guide.
Hopkin Center for the Arts
1111 Mainstreet
Hopkins, MN 55343
Ticket holders to both sessions of this event will automatically receive access to a virtual live stream of the evening lecture via Zoom. A personalized link will be sent to the email provided during purchase at least 24 hours prior to the evening event. In addition, a link to an on-demand recording will be sent to ticket holders via email the day following the evening event and will be available for viewing for three days. If you plan on joining the livestream event and have not used Zoom before, you may consider referencing Getting Started with Zoom.
Accessible parking and seating is available at all Pen Pals events. Captions are available for both in-person and virtual events, and assistive listening devices are available at in-person events. Read more about accessibility at Pen Pals here.
Check out the Friends Fall Events Guide!
Books by David Grann at Hennepin County Library
