Author events, book clubs + literary nights in Rhode Island
Where readers meet their favorite authors.
From The Cardigan Connection to signing soirées and summer author dinners, my daughter Emily and I create author events that feel like a night out with your most well-read friends.
Book events should feel like a party, not a lecture. Good drinks, great conversation, and authors you'll be telling your book club about for weeks.
Rhode Island's original author series
The Cardigan Connection
a literary cabaret, where everyone is welcome
It started in 2016 as the Point Street Reading Series, because local book events felt too few, too serious, and not nearly fun enough. Today, The Cardigan Connection brings bestselling and buzzworthy authors to an intimate stage in Providence for readings, conversation, laughs, and a signing line that always turns into a party.
- Several authors on one stage
- Readings and lively conversation
- Food and drinks at Alchemy
- Signed books to take home
- Time to meet the authors
- A room full of book lovers
- When
- Every other month
- Where
- Alchemy, Providence
- Since
- March 2016
On our stage
1,000+ authors and counting
A few of the wonderful writers who've joined us over the years.
Sonali Dev✦ Nicole Graev Lipson✦ Betty Shamieh✦ Ashton Lattimore✦ Naima Coster✦ Essie Chambers✦ Vanessa Lillie✦ Sarah Seltzer✦ Melissa Mogollon✦ Sharon G. Flake✦ Mateo Askaripour✦ Corey Sobel✦ Sahar Mustafah✦ Francesca Momplaisir✦ Carol Hay✦ Julia Phillips✦ Erik Edstrom✦ Brady Hammes✦ Elliot Ackerman✦ Laura Zigman✦ Ann Napolitano✦ Adrienne Brodeur✦ Cathleen Schine✦ Angie Cruz✦ Caroline Kepnes✦ John Fried✦ Ariel Burger✦ Susan Conley✦ Johnny Kenney✦ Helen Schulman✦ Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah✦ B.A. Shapiro✦ Christina Dalcher✦ Joseph Kelly✦ Delia Owens✦ Mike Stanton✦ Lucy Tan✦ Andrew Thier✦ Mary Morris✦ Stephen McCauley✦ Rhiannon Navin✦ Shobha Rao✦ Sam Graham-Felsen✦ Hermione Hoby✦ Mira T. Lee✦ Damian McNicholl✦ Lindsay Hatton✦ Daniel Riley✦ Val Emmich✦ Danya Kukafka✦ Robinne Lee✦ Rumaan Alam✦ Camille Perri✦ Ann Hood✦ Caroline Leavitt✦ Julie Buntin✦ Hala Alyan✦ Courtney Maum✦ Mark Lamprell✦ Mike Harvkey✦ David Leite✦ Julia Fierro✦ Ellen Herrick✦ Leigh Stein✦ Rob Spillman
Signature events
Our Rhode Island
Beyond the series, we produce one-of-a-kind author nights all over the state, and a few just over the border. Tap a pin to see where we've been.
Providence
Rhode Island’s original author series
The Cardigan Connection
Every other month since March 2016 · Alchemy · 171 Chestnut St, Providence
Our literary cabaret: several authors on one stage for readings, conversation, laughs, and a signing line that always turns into a party. Our guests range from debut novelists to New York Times bestsellers.
Providence
a double feature at the library
Sally Hepworth + Ann Hood
May 4, 2024 · Providence Public Library · Providence
Bestseller Sally Hepworth brought Darling Girls to Providence for a Saturday afternoon conversation with Rhode Island’s own Ann Hood (The Stolen Child) and Robin, in front of a theater full of readers holding up their new books.
Providence
a big conversation on the East Side
Frank Bruni
2024 · Temple Beth-El · Providence
New York Times bestselling author and longtime Times columnist Frank Bruni joined Robin to talk about The Age of Grievance, his look at how resentment took hold of American life, and how we might find our way out.
Plainville, MA
just over the border
Chris Bohjalian
March 26, 2024 · An Unlikely Story · Plainville, MA
More than 200 readers packed the bookstore and café for Robin’s two-hour conversation with her longtime friend Chris Bohjalian about The Princess of Las Vegas. He took the stage in a sparkly tiara, naturally.
Pawtucket
An evening of beauty, betrayal + bestsellers
Heather Gay: Eternal Glow
October 8, 2026 · Hope Events on Main · Pawtucket
Heather brought her debut thriller to Rhode Island for one night only, in conversation with Robin and Bekah Berger of Real Talk Rhody. A VIP cocktail reception, a full house, and swag bags, all benefiting the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation.
Benefited the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation
Warwick
Evening With Authors
Christine Pride + Jo Piazza
October 22, 2025 · The Event Factory · Warwick
Our annual Evening With Authors brought New York Times bestsellers Christine Pride (All the Men I’ve Loved Again) and Jo Piazza (Everyone Is Lying to You) to the stage for a night of big laughs and real talk, with books from Wakefield Books.
Benefited the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation
East Greenwich
a debut, celebrated close to home
Stephanie Burns
December 2, 2025 · Drip Coffee House · East Greenwich
We cheered on debut novelist Stephanie Burns and her novel Far From the A-List, a fun, drama-filled story about fame, with a cozy evening of conversation and signed books right here in East Greenwich.
Watch Hill
an evening at the Ocean House
Deborah Goodrich Royce
2019 · Ocean House · Watch Hill, Westerly
Watch Hill’s own Deb Royce, novelist and owner of the Ocean House, sat down with Robin to talk about her thriller Finding Mrs. Ford, followed by a book signing by the sea.
Warwick
a night at the theater
Lisa Scottoline
2022 · The Gamm Theatre · Warwick
The #1 bestselling author brought Loyalty, her sweeping historical novel set in 1930s Sicily, to The Gamm for a lively conversation with Robin and a signing line stacked with books.
Warwick
a big night with two bestsellers
Liane Moriarty + Stephen McCauley
2018 · Crowne Plaza · Warwick
Liane Moriarty, the bestselling author of Big Little Lies, came all the way from Australia to share the stage with Stephen McCauley, author of The Object of My Affection, for one of the biggest Reading With Robin nights yet.
Johnston
a golden hour in the sunflowers
Martha Hall Kelly
2021 · Dame Farm & Orchards · Johnston
The New York Times bestselling author of Lilac Girls joined us among the sunflowers at Dame Farm & Orchards to celebrate Sunflower Sisters, the perfect setting for the book.
Johnston
books among the blooms
Ann Napolitano
Spring 2024 · Wicked Tulips · Johnston
The New York Times bestselling author of Hello Beautiful joined Robin in the tulip fields at Wicked Tulips to celebrate Within Arm’s Reach, with readers wandering the rows, books in hand.
Nantucket, MA
island time with the queen of summer
Elin Hilderbrand
2019 · Nantucket Book Festival · Nantucket
Robin took the stage at the Nantucket Book Festival with Elin Hilderbrand, the island’s own queen of the summer novel, for a conversation as breezy and fun as her beach reads.
Fairfield, CT
a thriller night in Connecticut
Lisa Jewell
2020 · Fairfield Public Library · Fairfield, CT
Robin crossed into Connecticut to sit down with British bestseller Lisa Jewell about The Family Upstairs, the twisty thriller everyone was passing to their friends that winter.
Newport
A night of mahjong + literature
Beatriz Williams
June 22, 2026 · Queen Anne’s Loft · 212 Thames St, Newport
With The Gilded Birds, we filled the loft with mahjong tables, a welcome drink, and a pre-publication celebration of Beatriz’s When You Loved Me. Every guest took home a personalized copy before it hit shelves.
Benefited the Alzheimer’s Association, Rhode Island Chapter
Newport
a sea of Stolen Queens
Fiona Davis
January 15, 2025 · Newport Art Museum · Newport
Our first night with the Newport Art Museum: a packed gallery, wine and charcuterie, and the New York Times bestselling author of The Stolen Queen in conversation with Robin. Fiona returns January 28, 2027 for The Jewel of Sugar Hill.
Newport
summer on the harbor
Jennifer Weiner
2021 · 41 North · Newport
Jennifer Weiner, one of the very first authors Reading With Robin ever brought to Rhode Island, came back for a waterfront summer evening at 41 North to celebrate That Summer, her Cape Cod novel.
Jamestown
a summer night at the gallery
Liv Constantine
July 11, 2024 · Jamestown Arts Center · Jamestown
Sisters Lynne and Valerie Constantine, the bestselling duo who write as Liv Constantine, joined Robin among the art to talk about The Next Mrs. Parrish, the sequel to their Reese’s Book Club pick.
Jamestown
Broadway comes to the island
Seth Rudetsky
2022 · Jamestown
Broadway pianist, SiriusXM host, and all-around showman Seth Rudetsky sat down with Robin to talk Musical Theatre For Dummies, with plenty of backstage stories and big laughs.
Wakefield
a full house at the theater
Lisa Genova
January 22, 2025 · The Contemporary Theater · Wakefield
The New York Times bestselling author of Still Alice joined Robin on stage to talk about her novel More or Less Maddy, followed by a signing in front of the Reading With Robin backdrop.
Narragansett
our summer tradition
Summer With Robin
July 22, 2026 · Kinney Bungalow · Narragansett
Nine authors rotated table to table at an open-air coastal dinner: Jo Piazza, Jean Kwok, Kellye Garrett, Meg Mitchell Moore, Josh Weil, Teddy Wayne, Debra Curtis, Lillian Li, and Camille Perri. Food, drinks, and a book to take home.
Benefited Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island
Narragansett
pink balloons and a summer read
Elin Hilderbrand
2021 · [VENUE] · Narragansett
The queen of the beach read came to Narragansett for an early-summer celebration under the tent, with pink balloons, readers in their summer best, and Elin’s new novel, Golden Girl.
East Greenwich
laughs under the tent
Laurie Gelman
2022 · East Greenwich
Laurie Gelman, the TV host turned novelist behind the Class Mom series, brought the laughs to East Greenwich with Smells Like Tween Spirit, a fall night of real talk about parenting and plenty of signed books.
Narragansett
where the summer tradition began
The first Summer With Robin
2015 · The Dunes Club · Narragansett
The very first Summer With Robin brought a lineup of bestselling authors to the Dunes Club for a seaside afternoon of books, conversation, and summer style. It started a tradition readers look forward to every year.
Boston, MA
Reading With Robin goes to Boston
Nights in Boston
The Lenox Hotel · Back Bay and beyond
The Lenox Hotel is our Boston home for cozy author conversations, signings, and morning book chats, just an hour up I-95. Elin Hilderbrand has joined us on the Lenox stage, too.
- An evening with Jenna BlumThe Lenox Hotel
- An evening with Elin HilderbrandThe Lenox Hotel
- Liv ConstantineCambria · Somerville
- Lisa GenovaThe Lenox Hotel
- Coffee & Croissants with Lynda Cohen Loigman + Alyson RichmanThe Lenox Hotel
Plus visits from Martha Hall Kelly, Sally Hepworth, and Anna Quindlen.
Pull up a chair
See you there
A peek at what our nights actually feel like.
The good stuff
Bookish questions
Everything you've wondered about our events.
How do I get tickets?
Tickets for The Cardigan Connection and our signature events are on the tickets page. Popular nights sell out, so grab yours early.
Do I have to read the book first?
Not at all! Most guests read it after, once they've fallen for the author. Many tickets include a copy of the book, so you'll go home with something great to read.
Is it okay to come on my own?
Absolutely. Plenty of guests come solo and leave with a new book friend or two. It's that kind of crowd.
Can I bring an author to my own event?
Yes! We book authors for book clubs, venues, businesses, and fundraisers. See book an author for how it works.
Are you an author or publicist with a book to share?
We'd love to hear from you. Send us your book and tour dates, and we'll see if it's a fit for one of our events. For full publicity support, check out Plot Twist Media.
Ready for your next great read?
Let's write the next chapter.
Grab a ticket to an upcoming night, or tell us about the author event you're dreaming of.
happy reading! xo, Robin