Author Event! James Verini in conversation with Joshuah Bearman

James Verini writes for The New Yorker and The New York Times Magazine, among other publications. His journalism has received a National Magazine Award and a George Polk Award. He is the author of They Will Have to Die Now, about the battle that brought down ISIS.
In March of 2022, three weeks after invading Ukraine, Russian forces bombed the shelter housed in the Donetsk Regional Academic Drama Theater, in the city of Mariupol. The bombing stands, to this day, as the single worst act of mass civilian killing of the war. The Theater tells the story of the group of ordinary Ukrainians—workers, teachers, actors—who built that shelter, giving succor to thousands of their countrypeople, before it was destroyed. Their audacity and humor and humanity in the midst of the siege of Mariupol, against impossible odds, will leave readers inspired, amused, and devastated. Their story is the story of a young republic and its struggle to survive.

Joshuah Bearman is a writer and producer in Los Angeles. He has written for GQ, Rolling Stone, Wired, the New York Times Magazine, Harper's, McSweeney's, and was a regular contributor to This American Life. He has written about meteorite hunters, love-struck jewel thieves, dark web drug syndicates, rival Santa Clauses, and deranged private detectives. Many of Bearman’s stories have been optioned for film and TV, including the Wired article that became the film ARGO, which —incredibly! — won Best Picture.
In 2013, Bearman and fellow writer Joshua Davis co-founded Epic, a media company built around telling true stories in all forms. With Epic, Bearman has brought many stories to the screen, from Apple’s LITTLE AMERICA to Sundance winner, RADICAL, to MERCHANTS OF JOY, a documentary about feuding Christmas tree salesmen in New York City, which aired on Amazon and is nominated for an Emmy. He has owed a book to FSG for many years.

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