KDL event becomes world’s largest book club gathering

For one night, Van Andel Arena felt like a giant book club.

More than 6,000 readers gathered at the downtown Grand Rapids venue June 9 to hear bestselling author Kristin Hannah talk about friendship, writing and the stories that connect people.

Kent District Library (KDL)  hosted the sold-out program as part of its On the Same Page community reading initiative.

Hannah was joined by fellow author and longtime friend Megan Chance for a conversation about books, life, and storytelling.

The good news is that if you missed the program or want to watch it again, KDL is providing a recording through July 9.

At one point, Chance joked that Hannah is “the Taylor Swift of books,” drawing laughs and applause from the audience.

The comparison wasn’t entirely far-fetched.

Hannah’s novels, including “The Nightingale,” “Firefly Lane,” “The Four Winds,” and “The Women,” have sold millions of copies, inspired a Netflix series, and attracted devoted readers around the world.

Still, the evening focused less on Hannah’s success and more on the relationship that played an important role in her work.

“We’re here about friendship and women celebrating friendship,” Hannah says.

Friends, creative partners

Throughout the evening, Hannah and Chance reflected on their 37-year friendship, which began when two aspiring writers met at a writers conference in the Pacific Northwest. The chance encounter grew into a creative partnership and lifelong friendship that influenced dozens of novels and two writing careers.

“What we both shared, and what we still share, I think, is a fearlessness, a willingness to try anything to make the book better,” Hannah says.

Chance describes a relationship built on trust, honesty, and a willingness to challenge one another.

“We can say absolutely anything without fear,” she says.

The two authors spent much of the evening laughing, teasing each other and sharing stories from their friendship. Even though the event was held in a large arena, the conversation felt warm and personal. It was less like an interview and more like listening to two friends talk over wine – which they were. 

That feeling spread through the crowd as well.

Many people came with friends or members of their book clubs. Groups of women sat together throughout the arena, laughing and nodding along to stories about friendship, family, growing older and balancing busy lives. The topics felt familiar and connected with many people in the audience.

Common ground

Amber Kinnell of Rockford attended with Michelle Bretz and Samantha Nieboer, fellow readers who belong to multiple book clubs.

“It brings together people that you would not cross paths with in the real world,” Kinnell says. “None of us would have met each other outside of one of our book clubs.”

Bretz says their group belongs to one book club with about 11 women and another with about 20 women.

Books provide common ground where people with different backgrounds and experiences can connect, Kinnell says.

“I think it really brings together women and people from so many different walks of life into a shared story, and then brings all those perspectives in,” she says. “That’s my favorite part.”

The discussion of friendship resonated deeply with the group.

“I loved that the books they referenced paralleled their friendships in their 20s and their friendships in their 30s and our friendships as older women,” Kinnell says. “I think so many of us, as women, feel alone. Then we find those really important people.”

Bretz appreciated hearing the authors discuss the realities behind their success.

“It was just so great,” she says. “It’s nice to see authors just be very real and know that they’re just people like us, and to see the challenges that they face, because we all face challenges in our own careers.”

Nieboer, attending her first On the Same Page event, appreciated the scale of the gathering.

“I’m glad that they opened it up to everybody,” she says.

Stories that need to be told

The conversation also explored why readers continue to be drawn to stories in an era dominated by social media, streaming services, and endless digital distractions.

Hannah believes stories help people better understand the world and each other.

“I think that’s part of the importance of fiction,” she says. “We read fiction and nonfiction to understand our world better, to be better, more empathetic human beings.”

That idea has become a hallmark of Hannah’s work.

Whether writing about World War II resistance fighters in “The Nightingale,” families displaced during the Dust Bowl in “The Four Winds,” or military nurses serving during the Vietnam War in “The Women,” Hannah often focuses on people whose experiences have been overlooked or forgotten.

Chance shares a similar philosophy.

“One of the things that we both dedicated our writing lives to is writing women’s stories in history,” she says.

Their books often center on women whose contributions were minimized or omitted from traditional historical narratives.

“The Women,” which follows a young Army nurse serving in Vietnam, reflects readers’ interest in stories that have often been overlooked. During the discussion, Hannah explained that she spent decades considering whether she was ready to tackle the subject before deciding the time was right.

The authors also spoke candidly about the risks involved in writing and creativity.

“If you’re not scared, then it’s not worth working on,” Chance says. “Life is short, right? You need to constantly be inspired and challenged and always moving forward.”

Libraries’ community role

While the evening celebrated books and authors, it also highlighted the role libraries play in building community.

Kent District Library Executive Director Lance Werner opened the event by reflecting on the overwhelming demand for the free tickets. The original venue sold out almost immediately, prompting organizers to move the event to Van Andel Arena.

“We sold out in, we think, 15 minutes, but I think it felt more like 15 seconds,” Werner says.

Rather than viewing the sellout as a problem, the library saw it as an opportunity to expand access.

“The people, our family, said, ‘Do better,'” Werner says. “And you know what we did? We did better, and now we’re here.”

Werner views the evening as evidence that libraries continue to serve as gathering places where people connect around ideas, stories, and shared experiences.

“This is what it looks like to build community. This is what it looks like to bring people together,” Werner says.

Belonging surfaced repeatedly throughout the evening.

Chance spoke about receiving her first library card as a child and spending hours checking out books on whatever subject had captured her imagination that week.

“I would be lost without the library,” she says. “It’s been my solace throughout my whole life.”

Hannah shared a similar memory.

When she was growing up, her family moved frequently. She attended multiple schools and often felt isolated and out of place.

“The first thing we did in every new town, my mom would take us to the library, and we’d get a library card,” Hannah says.

Books became her companions.

“I always felt like the outsider, I always felt alone and different, and I had these books. These were my friends.”

The comment echoed Werner’s vision for the library.

“We also believe that the Kent District Library is the house of the people,” he says. “Everybody in this county, every single person, has a place and a seat in the community and a friend.”

As relevant as ever

Werner also addressed the question libraries often face in a digital age.

“Once in a while somebody will say to me, ‘Wait, is the library still relevant?'” Werner says. “I don’t know. This feels pretty relevant to me.”

Looking around the packed arena, it would have been difficult to argue otherwise.

The evening raises a larger question: Why would roughly 6,200 people spend a summer night listening to two authors discuss books, friendship and life?

The answer may lie in the sense of connection that filled the arena.

Readers arrived as strangers but spent the evening laughing at the same stories, applauding the same memories and reflecting on many of the same experiences. The themes of friendship, resilience and belonging connected audience members to one another as much as they connected readers to the authors on stage.

As the evening drew to a close, Chance offered one final reflection.

“Think about the friends that you have in your life, and hold them close, because I think every day that if something happened to her, I would be completely lost,” she says.

Moments later, Hannah explained that she wanted a photo for her brother. Then she and Chance turned their backs to the audience and raised their phones, capturing selfies with the sea of readers filling Van Andel Arena behind them.

The crowd cheered as the authors smiled, waved, and then they turned around to thank the audience one final time before exiting the stage.

As readers streamed out of the arena, the mood felt more like the end of a girls’ night out than a traditional author event. Many were still laughing about stories the two women had shared. Friends lingered in the lobby, posed for photos, and, of course, talked about books they planned to read next.