Join us next week for the most romantic way to celebrate Valentine’s Day: visit the beautiful Library of Congress to hear from two romance authors in a conversation about love. They’re the experts!
Event details (or click here)
Thursday, February 12, 2026
7:00 PM
Thomas Jefferson Building – Coolidge Auditorium
10 1st Street SE, Washington, DC 20540
Best-selling novelists Isabel Ibañez (“What the River Knows”) and ReShonda Tate (“The Queen of Sugar Hill”) take us on a journey into the Italian and Harlem Renaissances to explore the power of love in times of uncertainty and innovation in their new books “Graceless Heart” and “With Love From Harlem.”
Enjoy the display of Library of Congress collections from 5 to 7 PM before the author talk.
This conversation is moderated by Destinee Hodge, with the program starting at 7 PM. Doors to the Coolidge Auditorium open at 6 PM.
About the authors
Isabel Ibañez is the author of “Together We Burn” and “Woven in Moonlight,” a finalist for the William C. Morris Award, and is listed among Time Magazine’s 100 Best Fantasy Books Of All Time. She is the proud daughter of Bolivian immigrants and has a profound appreciation for history and traveling. She currently lives in Asheville, North Carolina, with her husband, their adorable dog, and a serious collection of books.
ReShonda Tate is the national bestselling author of more than 53 books, including both adult and teen fiction, as well as nonfiction. Her novels “Let the Church Say Amen” and “The Secret She Kept” were adapted into films. A motivational speaker and award-winning poet, Tate is the recipient of the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literature. She has received many awards and honors for her journalism, fiction and poetry writing skills, including inductions into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame and the Texas Literary Hall of Fame. Her books remain a staple on bestseller lists and have been featured in USA Today, The Washington Post, Jet, People, Essence, and Ebony magazines.