Des Moines Public Library Celebrates 25 Years of AViD with Star-Studded 2026 Author Lineup

Julia Quinn, Tayari Jones headline a milestone anniversary lineup featuring a groundbreaking new partnership

The Des Moines Public Library (DMPL) is proud to announce the 25th anniversary season of Authors Visiting in Des Moines (AViD), featuring six events that bring world-class literary talent to the heart of Iowa this spring and summer.

The milestone season kicks off April 7 with #1 New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn, whose Bridgerton novels inspired the hit Netflix series and have sold more than 20 million copies in the United States alone. The season also features Tayari Jones, whose novel An American Marriage was an Oprah’s Book Club selection and earned the Women’s Prize for Fiction; Shannon Chakraborty, author of the rip-roaring pirate novel The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi; and Maria Semple, bestselling author of Where’d You Go, Bernadette.

This year’s season marks the first time AViD will be part of the Des Moines Arts Festival, in a program happening in partnership with the Des Moines Arts Festival and Des Moines Art Center. On Saturday, June 27, Patrick Bringley will take part in AViD. Bringley is the bestselling author of All the Beauty in the World, a memoir about his decade as a guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The Des Moines Public Library will also once again be taking part in the DSM Book Festival on Saturday, May 2. The headlining author at that program will be an AViD author, and it will be revealed when the Book Festival’s full lineup is revealed.

“This 25th anniversary season reflects everything AViD has always stood for. We are bringing exceptional authors to Des Moines and creating moments that celebrate reading and the arts,” said Aaron Gernes, Marketing and Communications Manager.

AViD events are free and open to the public. Most events take place at Central Library, with the season opener at the iconic Hoyt Sherman Place.

2026 AViD Season at a Glance

Tuesday, April 7: Julia Quinn | Hoyt Sherman Place, 7 PM
Thursday, April 16: Maria Semple | Central Library, 7 PM
Saturday, May 2: TBA at the Des Moines Book Festival | Franklin Event Center
Thursday, May 14: Shannon Chakraborty | Central Library, 7 PM
Monday, June 15: Tayari Jones | Central Library, 7 PM
Saturday, June 27: Patrick Bringley | Central Library, 11 AM (in partnership with the Des Moines Arts Festival and Des Moines Art Center)

For more information, visit dmpl.org/avid and follow DMPL on social media platforms like Instagram, Threads, Facebook, and Bluesky.