PBS Books Author Talk: A Conversation with Juhea Kim & the Ballerina Book Club
Join PBS Books for a captivating Author Talk featuring Juhea Kim, acclaimed author of City of Night Birds, in conversation with Ballerina Book Club’s Isabella Boylston and Connor Holloway, renowned dancers from American Ballet Theatre, alongside Heather-Marie Montilla, National Director of PBS Books.
This special live-streamed event celebrates Youth Art Month, highlighting the beauty of art and literature—because we are all young at heart and should celebrate the arts! The discussion will highlight two remarkable books: City of Night Birds by Juhea Kim, a lyrical and immersive novel set in the ballet world.
Kim will take center stage to share insights into her writing process, the challenges of bringing a ballet-themed novel to life, and the deep artistic and spiritual connections between writing and dance. Boylston and Holloway—of the Ballerina Book Club—join as hosts, sharing their love of literature and how their club, in partnership with WNET’s All Arts, brings storytelling of their arts education journey and ballet together in new and exciting ways.
Don’t miss this extraordinary conversation celebrating the power of books, the beauty of ballet, and the art of creative expression. Be part of the PBS Books community and tune in live!
About the Book
A once-famous ballerina faces a final choice—to return to the world of Russian dance that nearly broke her, or to walk away forever—in this incandescent novel of redemption and love On a White Night in 2019, prima ballerina Natalia Leonova returns to St. Petersburg two years after a devastating accident stalled her career. Once the most celebrated dancer of her generation, she now turns to pills and alcohol to numb the pain of her past. She is unmoored in her old city as the ghosts of her former life begin to resurface: her loving but difficult mother, her absentee father, and the two gifted dancers who led to her downfall. One of those dancers, Alexander, is the love of her life, who transformed both Natalia and her art. The other is Dmitri, a dark and treacherous genius. When the latter offers her a chance to return to the stage in her signature role, Natalia must decide whether she can again face the people responsible for both her soaring highs and darkest hours. Painting a vivid portrait of the Russian ballet world, where cutthroat ambition, ever-shifting politics, and sublime artistry collide, City of Night Birds unveils the making of a dancer with both profound intimacy and breathtaking scope. Mysterious and alluring, passionate and virtuosic, Juhea Kim’s second novel is an affecting meditation on love, forgiveness, and the making of an artist in a turbulent world.
About the Author
Juhea Kim is the author of the novel Beasts of a Little Land, which was a finalist for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize and the winner of the Yasnaya Polyana Literary Award, Russia’s largest annual award in literature. It has been translated around the world and is being adapted for television. She is also the author of City of Night Birds, which was a Reese’s Book Club pick. A graduate of Princeton University, her writing has been published in Granta, the Times Literary Supplement, the Independent, Zyzzyva, Guernica, and other outlets. She is an advocate for wildlife conservation, animal rights, and education and aid in Africa. Born in Korea and raised in Portland, Oregon, Kim now lives in London.
About Ballerina Book Club
Ballerina Book Club, hosted on ALL ARTS, was created as a space for readers to connect over a shared love of literature. Founded by Isabella Boylston, principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre, the club offers a place for book lovers to engage in meaningful discussions. Inspired by her lifelong passion for reading, Boylston sees literature as a way to explore different worlds—much like the immersive experience of dance. “Often, people have the misconception that dancers aren’t intellectually curious, but I’ve found the opposite to be true,” she says. Ballerina Book Club welcomes everyone: “All you need is an open book and an open mind!”
Get the Latest Updates from Ballerina Bookclub and Isabella Boylston
Founder, Ballerina Book Club
Isabella Boylston is an international ballet star and Principal Dancer of American Ballet Theatre. She has appeared as a guest star with Paris Opera Ballet, Mariinsky Ballet, National Ballet of China and many others. She transcended onto the big screen in the film Red Sparrow, as well as recently starring in Laufey’s Santa Baby music video along with Bill Murray. In addition to having an active social media presence, she runs Ballerina Book Club with her cohosts Connor Holloway and AllArts to share her lifelong love of reading.
Co-Founder, Ballerina Book Club
Connor Holloway (they/them) born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, is a dancer, reader, writer, producer and content creator. Connor moved to NYC in 2013 to dance with American Ballet Theatre where they met Isabella Boylston and launched the Webby-nominated, Ballerina Book Club in partnership with ALL ARTS (2020). Some favorite books include: David Leavitt’s The Lost Language of Cranes, James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room and Madeline Miller’s Song of Achilles.
About ALL ARTS
ALL ARTS is the destination for inspiration, creativity and art of all forms. This New York Emmy-winning arts and culture hub is created by The WNET Group, the community-supported home of New York’s PBS stations.
The Mission of ALL ARTS is to enrich lives through the transformative power of art by providing a free, multi-platform portal for the arts, accessible to everyone, everywhere.
About the Host
Heather-Marie Montilla, a dynamic integrative leader, is an educator and nonprofit manager. She has worked in the nonprofit sector and libraries for over two decades, making a positive impact in arts, cultural, educational, and community-building arenas.
Having joined the PBS Books team as their Library Bureau Chief in Fall 2018, Montilla is now the National Director of PBS Books and has interviewed more than 150 writers. In addition, she is a faculty member at Michigan State University and Eastern Michigan University for their Arts and Cultural/Entertainment Management Programs. Having been an Executive Director for 8 years, Heather has a wide range of experience in management, finance, strategic planning, marketing, and fundraising. Heather holds a MPA From Columbia University, a MLIS from Wayne State University, and a bachelor’s from Duke University. She lives in Chicagoland, and is married with four children, a dog, and a bird.
