Meet Your Favorite Authors in 2026
We kick off the 2026 "Lit Chat" series in January with Nikesha Elise Williams:
You may know Nikesha Elise Williams for her previous work, including Beyond Bourbon Street, Four Women and more (available as e-books on Biblioboard Library). The Seven Daughters of Dupree is her debut book with a "Big 5" publisher. Meet Nikesha Elise Williams at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 24, at the Main Library as she kicks off her multi-state book tour.
For young readers, there is also a "Junior" Lit Chat Author Talk with author/illustrator Michael Regina at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 10, at South Mandarin Library.
Lit Chat Interview with Nikesha Elise Williams
A two-time Emmy Award–winning producer and an award-winning author, Nikesha is producer and host of the "Black and Published" podcast. A narrative strategist by day and journalist always, Nikesha's work has also appeared in The Washington Post, Essence, and Vox. She is a Kimbilio Fiction Fellow and a DeGroot Foundation Writer of Note grantee.
Hailed as "transcendent" by author Elizabeth Gilbert, The Seven Daughters of Dupree is officially set to release on January 27 from Simon & Schuster but a limited number of copies will be available to purchase (early) at the Lit Chat event from our partners at San Marco Books & More. To guarantee your copy, pre-order from the bookstore's website. The program includes a 40-minute interview and 20 minutes of audience Q&A, followed by a book signing.
Generational Trauma, Black Women’s Resilience, and Unbreakable Familial Bonds
Bound by a mysterious malediction that means they will only give birth to daughters, the Dupree women confront a legacy of pain, resilience, and survival that began with an enslaved ancestor who risked everything for freedom. The Seven Daughters of Dupree is a sweeping multi-generational epic following seven generations of Dupree women as they navigate love, loss, and the unyielding ties of family in the tradition of Homegoing and The Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois.
Find more of Nikesha's work in our catalog. Reminder: Any book by a 2026 Lit Chat featured author counts toward the Jax Stacks Reading Challenge.
Read-alikes & Recommendations
- 1000 Words: A Writer’s Guide to Staying Creative, Focused, and Productive All Year Round by Jami Attenberg
- We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
- Poemhood, our Black Revival: History, Folklore & the Black Experience edited by Amber McBride
- The Jewel of the Blues by Monica Chenault-Kilgore
- Finding Me by Viola Davis
- Libertie by Kaitlyn Greenidge
- Glory Daze by Danielle Arceneaux
- The Wind on Her Tongue by Anita Kopacz
- The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw
- More Than Enough by Elaine Welteroth
Be the first to know about Lit Chat author events, writing workshops, and more!
