Susan Straight, the California writer The New York Times calls “an essential voice in American writing and in writing of the West,” will appear at “An Evening with the Author” in April as part of the 2026 SLO County Public Libraries Book of the Year event.
Straight will discuss her latest novel, Sacrament (longlisted for the Joyce Carol Oates Prize), which highlights the quiet heroism and extraordinary bravery of first responders as a group of nurses fight through the first year of a pandemic, risking their lives to protect their beloved California community.
“An Evening with the Author” is scheduled Tuesday, April 28 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Harold J. Miossi Cultural and Performing Arts Center at Cuesta College. General admission is $20, with live stream available. Students are free.
Straight, a National Book Award finalist, will sign copies of her book following the presentation.
Book of the Year is an annual literary event and community reads program from SLO County Public Libraries in partnership with Cuesta College, Paso Robles City Library, and the SLO County Library Foundation.