New York Times : PBS NewsHour and The New York Times Launch Monthly Book Club “Now Read This”

Washington, DC and New York, NY (Wednesday, January 3, 2018) -- PBS NewsHour and The New York Times today launch 'Now Read This,' a monthly collaborative book club with planned audience engagement across both outlets and on multiple platforms.

At the beginning of every month, NewsHour and The Times will pick a book -- fiction, history, memoir and more -- and ask readers and viewers to read along. Throughout the month, discussion questions and other exclusive material related to the book and from the author will post to pbs.org/newshour and nytimes.com and to the Facebook group 'Now Read This.' This will include writer's advice and an inside look at how the book was written, as well as reviews from The New York Times.

The best way to participate in the club is to join the Facebook group, 'Now Read This.'

The month's reading will culminate at the end of the month when NewsHour chief correspondent for arts and culture Jeffrey Brown interviews the author on broadcast, asking reader-submitted questions. Brown will also unveil the next month's book at that time.

The inaugural pick: American novelist Jesmyn Ward's 'Sing, Unburied, Sing.' Published in September 2017, Ward's fifth book is a road novel set in contemporary Mississippi about family, ghosts and the legacies of violence and love. It won this year's National Book Award for fiction, and is a book that readers won't want to put down.

'With the launch of 'Now Read This', we're excited to expand the NewsHour's decades long commitment to coverage of books and the arts,' said Brown. 'We'll seek out books that offer insight into the world we and The Times report on daily. And we'll provide our viewers and readers a unique engagement with leading authors.'

Pamela Paul, editor of The New York Times Book Review, adds, 'We're thrilled to team up with PBS NewsHour to spark thoughtful conversation about some of today's most timely and worthwhile books. Passionate readers now have a home to engage not only with other curious minds but also with the authors themselves. It will be a real treat to connect with readers of The Times and viewers of PBS NewsHour as they share ideas, ask questions and debate issues about what they are reading.'

'Now Read This' will be introduced tonight on NewsHour, followed by an announcement on The Times's Book Review Podcast, as well as one that runs in The New York Times Book Review on Sunday, January, 7. In the weeks to follow, NewsHour and The Times will collaborate online and on social with content and conversation to align with participant reading, including live audience Q&As on Facebook and Twitter, featuring both Brown and Paul.

About the PBS NewsHour

PBS NewsHour is seen by over four million weekly viewers and is also available online, via public radio in select markets, and via podcast. PBS NewsHour is a production of NewsHour Productions LLC, a wholly-owned non-profit subsidiary of WETA Washington, D.C., in association with WNET in New York. Major funding for PBS NewsHour is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, PBS and public television viewers. Major corporate funding is provided by BNSF, with additional support from Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, the J. Paul Getty Trust, the S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Lemelson Foundation, National Science Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Ford Foundation, Skoll Foundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Friends of the NewsHour and others. More information on PBS NewsHour is available at www.pbs.org/newshour. On social media, visit NewsHour on Facebook or follow @NewsHour on Twitter.

About The New York Times Company

The New York Times Company (NYSE:NYT) is a global media organization dedicated to enhancing society by creating, collecting and distributing high-quality news and information. The company includes The New York Times, NYTimes.com and related properties. It is known globally for excellence in its journalism, and innovation in its print and digital storytelling and its business model. Follow news about the company at @NYTimesPR.