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Just in time for the 25th anniversary of her beloved and bestselling series, Jennifer Chiaverini welcomes readers back to Elm Creek Manor with a much-anticipated novel and she will be at MPL!
MPL and Swamp Fox Bookstore welcome Jennifer Chiaverini to talk about her newest novel, part of the Elm Creek Quilts Novel series, The Museum of Lost Quilts, about friendship, perserverance, the power of collective memory, and the fascinating craft of quilting!
“An outstanding series of novels… Quilting, in the hands of Chiaverini, allows us to explore human relationships in all their complexity.” —Booklist on the Elm Creek Quilts series
In the spring of 1999, Jennifer Chiaverini captured everything she loved about quilting—the artistry, tradition, folklore, and, above all, wonderful community—in her debut novel, The Quilter’s Apprentice. Over the decades and twenty-one novels since, her Elm Creek Quilts series has gained an avid following for not only its devotion to a storied craft and memorable characters but also for its insights into the cultural and political tensions, social movements, and remarkable women that helped to shape America from the antebellum era to today.
Within a heartwarming story of women’s friendship and the joys and power of quilting, The Museum of Lost Quilts confronts the racism embedded in the fabric of America and the ongoing debate over transparency, accountability, and reconciliation surrounding our past wrongdoings. A quarter-century after Jennifer Chiaverini introduced us to the Elm Creek Quilters, the series continues to delight loyal fans and welcome new readers to sit for a while and feel right at home.
Jennifer Chiaverini is the New York Times bestselling author of twenty-two novels in the Elm Creeks Quilts series plus more than a dozen standalone works of historical fiction, including the critically acclaimed Resistance Women, Switchboard Soldiers, and Canary Girls. A gifted quilter herself, she has also written seven pattern books and designed fabric collections inspired by her beloved series. She received an Outstanding Achievement Award from the Wisconsin Library Association for Resistance Women in 2020. In 2023, she was recognized by the WLA as a Notable Wisconsin Author for her significant contributions to the state’s literary heritage. Chiaverini earned a BA from the University of Notre Dame and an MA in English Language and Literature from the University of Chicago. Along with her husband and two sons, she calls Madison, Wisconsin, home.