NYT Bestselling Author to Open 2025 EVPL SPEAK Series

The New York Times Bestselling Author of A Fever in the Hearland: The Ku Klux Klan's Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them, Timothy Egan, will visit Evansville as part of the Evansville-Vanderburgh Public Library's 2025 SPEAK Series.

Timothy Egan is a New York Times Bestselling Author and Pulitzer Prize Winner

Aside from being a NYT Bestselling author, Egan is also a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist. His work on A Fever in the Heartland dives into the rise of the KKK in Indiana, and how one woman brought about its downfall. Evansville specifically is referenced several times in the book.

SPEAK is a Lecture Series Hosted by Evansville-Vanderburgh Public Library

SPEAK is described by the EVPL as "an explorative lecture series." The authors chosen to participate are those that they say encourage reflection.

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The authors selected for SPEAK 2025 encourage us to reflect on our individual and shared pasts. Through their works, these authors address themes of identity, history, and personal or collective struggle. Their stories encourage us to connect through past human experiences and inspire us to build a more thoughtful future.

via EVPL

Egan has authored ten books, and has worked as a life-long journalist, having worked for the New York Times as both a national correspondant and an opinion columnist.

Timothy Egan’s most recent book, A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan’s Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them, is a New York Times Bestseller. This book describes the rise of the KKK in Indiana (Evansville is featured many times), and how one brave woman brought about its downfall. Egan is also the author of several other bestsellers, including The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dustbowl, which won the 2006 National Book Award and was featured prominently in Ken Burns’ 2012 documentary, The Dust Bowl.

EVPL SPEAK Series with Timothy Egan

On Wedneday, March 19, 2025, Egan will participate in the SPEAK Series taking place at First Presbyterian Church in downtown Evansville beginning at 7pm. The event, like all SPEAK events, are free to attend and all are welcome.

To learn more about Egan's visit to Evansville, A Fever in the Heartland, and the SPEAK series, visit EVPL.org.