Women's Historical Fiction Panel

An Unlikely Story is thrilled to welcome bestselling authors Dawn Tripp, Jennifer de Leon, and Vanessa Lillie for a women's history panel to celebrate America's 250th anniversary! Dawn, Jennifer, and Vanessa will discuss their inspiration for writing about U.S. history and the importance of historical writing today, with a focus on the incredible women shaping our country.

Dawn Tripp is a national bestselling author of historical fiction, and her most recent book, Jackie, tells the mesmerizing story of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, who forged a legacy out of grief and shaped history even as she was living it. Jennifer de Leon writes books for young adults about immigration, identity, and belonging, and is best known for her books Borderless and Don't Ask Me Where I'm From. Moderating the discussion will be USA Today bestselling author Vanessa Lillie, whose work blends historical fiction and mystery. Her newest novel, The Bone Thief, is about a Native teenager who vanishes from her small town—a place with dark ties to an elite historical society.

Tickets for this event are $5. The cost of the ticket may be redeemed for $5 off any of Dawn, Jennifer, or Vanessa's books on the night of the event. We hope to see you there!

We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals to engage fully. To request an accommodation or for inquiries about accessibility, please reach out to events@anunlikelystory.com.

Ticket holders who purchased a book-included ticket and are unable to attend the event will be able to pick up their book at An Unlikely Story up to 30 days following the event.

ABOUT DAWN TRIPP:
Dawn Tripp is the author of the novel Georgia, which was a national bestseller, a finalist for the New England Book Award, and the winner of the Mary Lynn Kotz Award for Art in Literature. She is the author of three previous novels: Game of Secrets, Moon Tide, and The Season of Open Water, which won the Massachusetts Book Award for Fiction. Her poems and essays have appeared in the Virginia Quarterly Review, Harvard Review, AGNI, Conjunctions, and NPR, among others. Tripp lives in Massachusetts with her sons.

ABOUT JENNIFER DE LEON:
Jennifer De Leon is an author, editor, speaker, and creative writing professor who lives outside of Boston. She is the editor of Wise Latinas: Writers on Higher Education, the 2015–2016 Writer-in-Residence at the Boston Public Library, and a 2016–2017 City of Boston Artist-in-Residence. She is also the second recipient of the We Need Diverse Books grant. She is the author of Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From and Borderless.

ABOUT VANESSA LILLIE:
Vanessa Lillie is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation and the author of the USA Today bestselling Blood Sisters and suspense novels Little Voices and For the Best, and coauthor of the Widows series. Vanessa hosts an Instagram Live show with crime fiction authors and was a columnist for the Providence Journal. Originally from northeast Oklahoma, she lives on Narragansett land in Rhode Island and is proudly Two Spirit.