Babel - Hernan Diaz - November 20 2025 - Kleinhans Music Hall - Just Buffalo Literary Center

Tonight's BABEL Program

Name: BABEL: Tara Westover
Start: 2026-03-26
End: 2026-03-26
Location: Kleinhans Music Hall

Thursday, November 20, 2025
7:30 PM at Kleinhans Music Hall

Welcome

Jeannine Higgins, Just Buffalo Board Member

Author Introduction

Barbara Cole
Executive & Artistic Director, Just Buffalo Literary Center

Author Presentation

Hernan Diaz

Conversation with Hernan Diaz

Moderated by Barbara Cole

Book Signing

Kleinhans Lobby

About Tonight’s Featured Artist

Hernan Diaz - Featured Artist Photo - Credit Reynaldo Rivera - BABEL - Just Buffalo Literary Center

Hernan Diaz is the Pulitzer Prize-winning and New York Times bestselling author of four books published in thirty-seven languages.

His first novel, In The Distance, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the PEN/Faulkner Award, and won the Saroyan International Prize, Cabell Award, Prix Page America, and the New American Voices Award, among other distinctions.

Trust, Diaz’s second novel, received the Pulitzer Prize for fiction and was a New York Times Bestseller, winner of the Kirkus Prize, and longlisted for the Booker Prize, among other nominations. Named a best book of the year by over thirty publications and also one of Barack Obama’s Favorite Books of 2022, Trust is currently being developed as a limited series for HBO and has been named one of the New York Times’s Best 100 Books of the 21st Century.

Diaz has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Whiting Award, and a fellowship from the New York Public Library’s Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers. He holds a PhD from NYU and is also the author of Borges, Between History And Eternity.

About BABEL’s Moderator

Barbara Cole is the Executive & Artistic Director of Just Buffalo Literary Center.

A 2011 fellow in Poetry from the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA), Cole received her M.A. in Creative Writing from Temple University in Philadelphia and Ph.D. in English with a specialization in Poetics from the University at Buffalo.

Meet the Staff

Get BABEL 2025–2026 Tickets

Thursday, March 26, 2026

7:30 pm

Kleinhans Music Hall

BABEL: Tara Westover

Tara Westover’s memoir Educated—a #1 New York Times bestseller for over two years—has transfixed readers with its unforgettable story of self-invention. Born to survivalists in rural Idaho, Westover didn’t set foot in a classroom until she was 17 but went on to earn a PhD from Cambridge University and wow the world.

Come be inspired by her story of resilience and the power of learning to rewrite your own script.

3 Symphony Circle, Buffalo, NY 14201

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Thursday, April 23, 2026

7:30 pm

Kleinhans Music Hall

BABEL: Imani Perry

MacArthur genius and National Book Award winner Imani Perry unveils her new book, Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People. Blending history, art, and personal reflection, Perry illuminates the forces that have shaped American life and the Black imagination through the color blue—from indigo cloth to blues music.

Join us for a revelatory evening with one of today’s most powerful thinkers and poetic voices.

3 Symphony Circle, Buffalo, NY 14201

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No event found!

More Upcoming Literary Events

Wednesday, December 3, 2025

6:30 pm - 8:00 pm

Just Buffalo Literary Center

Open Hours

OPEN HOURS provides a dedicated time and place for you to focus on your writing. Create new work and take creative risks. Get inspired by the library at Just Buffalo, and discuss your reading and writing practices with other writers in one of Buffalo's most beautiful downtown locations.

468 Washington Street, 2nd Floor, Buffalo, NY 14203

View Event

Wednesday, December 3, 2025

7:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Literary Cafe at CFI Tim Raymond + Brandon Williamsson

Literary Café at CFI featuring Tim Raymond and Brandon Williamson

Readings by actor, artist, poet, teacher, art therapist Tim Raymond and actor, poet, teacher, spoken word artist Brandon Williamson

View Event

Thursday, December 4, 2025

5:00 pm - 6:30 pm

Online via Zoom

Teachers ARE Writers_Aberg-Riger_12042025

Teachers ARE Writers with Ariel Aberg-Riger

In this creative writing workshop we will provide space for school teachers and educators to explore their own creative work and writing practice, with space for discussion and exploration.

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Thursday, December 11, 2025

5:00 pm - 6:30 pm

Online via Zoom

Teachers ARE Writers with Sandra Simonds

In this creative writing workshop we will provide space for school teachers and educators to explore their own creative work and writing practice, with space for discussion and exploration.

View Event

Thursday, December 18, 2025

5:00 pm - 6:30 pm

Online via Zoom

Teachers ARE Writers with Diana Cao

In this creative writing workshop we will provide space for school teachers and educators to explore their own creative work and writing practice, with space for discussion and exploration.

View Event

Thursday, March 26, 2026

7:30 pm

Kleinhans Music Hall

BABEL: Tara Westover

Tara Westover’s memoir Educated—a #1 New York Times bestseller for over two years—has transfixed readers with its unforgettable story of self-invention. Born to survivalists in rural Idaho, Westover didn’t set foot in a classroom until she was 17 but went on to earn a PhD from Cambridge University and wow the world.

Come be inspired by her story of resilience and the power of learning to rewrite your own script.

3 Symphony Circle, Buffalo, NY 14201

View Event

No event found!

Tonight’s BABEL Sponsors

Presenting Sponsors

With Major Support From

Allan & Melissa Baumgart
Mark Chason & Mariana Botero Chason
David & Eva Herer
Robert J. & Martha B. Fierle Foundation
Library Foundation of Buffalo & Erie County
Elsie P. & Lucius B. McCowan Private Charitable Foundation
Julian R. & Varue W. Oishei Foundation
The Corinne and Victor Rice Charitable Foundation

Sponsor Organizations

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The Official Bookseller of BABEL

Talking Leaves Books

951 Elmwood Avenue
Buffalo, NY 14222
(716) 884-9524

TalkingLeavesBooks.com

Join The Literary Leadership Circle

Because words build worlds.

Just Buffalo is a place where language lives & breathes, where readers, writers, and dreamers gather to imagine a better future. For fifty years, we’ve been committed to the simple premise that words matter—to build community, spark imaginations, and shape a more just world.

Members of the Literary Leadership Circle make this work possible. Your visionary support sustains our most ambitious programs, nurtures emerging voices, and elevates Buffalo as one of the nation’s great lit cities.

Join the Literary Leadership Circle with a commitment of $5,000 or more over three years.

Together, we are writing the next chapter.
Join us to shape the story for the next 50 years.

Learn More

Special Thanks to the 2025 Literary Leadership Circle

President’s Circle

Allan & Melissa Baumgart
Mark Chason & Mariana Botero Chason
Corinne F. Rice

Silver Circle

David & Eva Herer
Thomas & Sharon Hewner

Bronze Circle

Paul A. Battaglia
A&L Silverstein Foundation
John Spears
Anne & Dave Taylor

Literary Leaders

Michael C. Angelucci
Dianne Bennett & William Graebner
Sandra Block, M.D. & Patrick Long
Kanika & Spencer Durland
Geri Grossman in loving memory of Jimmie Gilliam
Jeannine & Terry Higgins
Lynda G. Kaszubski
John N. Lipsitz & Maria Scrivani
Kevin & Janet O’Leary
Elizabeth Pascal & Family
Susan & Robert Stephenson

Our Just Buffalo Donors

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Make a One-Time, Monthly, or Yearly Donation Today

Your generous gift to Just Buffalo Literary Center can help write the next chapter! Make a donation online today.

BABEL would not be possible without your support! Please give to Just Buffalo today & together we will build connections, build community, and build the future—one story at a time!

All year-end contributors will be recognized in print and on the screen at BABEL.

Make a Donation

BABEL 2025–2026 Season Patrons

We gratefully acknowledge our patron subscribers whose commitment sustains Just Buffalo’s BABEL Author series.

$1,000–$4,999

Andrea Blakeslee
Alice F. Jacobs
Kevin & Janet O’Leary
Kelly O’Neill
Claire S. Schen & Gregory S. Cherr

$500+

Mr. & Mrs. Michael C. Angelucci
James & Pamela Bachwitz
Paul A. Battaglia
Melissa & Allan Baumgart
Gina Bellavia & Erich Frank
Kenneth A. Boos
Maura Crawford
Mary Frances & James Derby
Susan A. Mann Dolce
Ravi & Angela Desai
Margaret Evans
Colleen Glahe
Larry Hawk
David & Eva Herer
Donald & Deborah Houck
Bonnie Kane
Leanora & Stephen Karnath
June & Philip Knoerzer
Laura K. Lutcha
Linda Marsh & Arthur Ziller
Claity Massey
Bethany E. McKee
Cristanne Miller & Jerold Frakes
Denise E. O’Donnell
Gina O’Neill
Jennifer Read & Craig Colder
Georgeann W. Redman
Corinne F. Rice
Jake & Katie Schneider
Maria Scrivani & John Lipsitz
Frederick & Jeannine Serley
Caren & Stuart Shapiro
Amanda Simondson
Leslie R. Stehlin
Carolyn Hoyt Stevens
Anne & Dave Taylor
Rachael Webb
Barbara Wolff-Reichert & Jonathan Reichert

$250+

Janell Andersen
Michelle Biggar
Mary Catherine Bukowski
Joan M. Bukowski
Arlene Burrows
Ivonne Cellino
Kasele Deitz
Anne Desrochers
Mine Dosluoglu
Amy Downing
Gigi Ford
Elisabeth A. Gerber
Beth K. Gosch
Megan Howe
Sharon Kamholz
Camille L. Kane
Julie Kirsch
Susan B. Lee
James A. Lenker
Rebecca McCauley
Tina Mogavero
Patricia Mulcahy
Pauline Muto
Katherine A. O’Donnell
Mary Jo Pfeiffer
Elizabeth Randell
Debbie Reger
Mary S. Richert
Margarita M. Vargas
Gail R. Willsky
Kimberly R. Wolf
Jane Yoon
Judy S. Zeckhauser

Become a BABEL Sponsor

Just Buffalo’s BABEL series reaches a dynamic cross-section of our community—breaking social, economic, cultural, and geographic boundaries to bring people of all walks of life together to celebrate the power of the written word.

Learn More

In Memoriam

With gratitude, we remember the writers & community leaders whose dedication to the literary arts continues to inspire.

Kathleen Betsko-Yale
Miriam Dow
Saul Elkin
Jorge Guitart
Olga Karman
David Lampe
William Magavern
Alice Notley
Vincent O’Neill
Gretchen Seibert
Susan Solomon
John Spears

In Memory & In Honor

At Just Buffalo Literary Center, stories connect us—to each other, to those we cherish, and to those whose voices continue to echo long after they’re gone.

One of the most meaningful ways to celebrate a milestone, honor someone special, or remember a loved one is through a gift that supports the power of words & community.

The following gifts were received after November 1, 2025.

In Memory of Jorge Guitart

Sean Casey

BABEL Credits

JBLC Board of Directors

Michael C. Angelucci
James Bachwitz
Sandra Block
Kanika Durland
Collin Gehl
Thomas Hewner
Jeannine Higgins
Gwen Ito
Pauline Muto
Shasti O’Leary Soudant
Lorna Perez
Elizabeth Pascal

JBLC Staff

Barbara Cole
Zi Daniel
Noah Falck
Lynda Kaszubski
Myari Ware

BABEL Council

Nishant Batsha
Maria Scrivani
Alexa Wajed
Katie Williams

Program Assistants

Sage Enderton
Kerry Reynolds
Maya Simmons

Grant Support

Kathleen Kearnan

Graphic Design

Julian Montague

Strategic Advisor

Misha Russo

Website

David Cloyd

Production

Nicholas Kogut
Kyle Marler

BABEL Theme Music

T.J. Borden

Event Logistics

Megan Stewart

Sign Language Interpretation

Deaf Access Services
Joan Blum
Tiffany Marble
Barbara Meyer
Vanessa Wisbaum

Volunteer Coordination

Kim Sholly

Volunteers

Beth Bentley
Kathy Boni
Helen Brady
Kimberley Burg
Rachel Clark
Melissa Dziejman
Rachel Gannon
Matt Hogan
Joan King
Katie LaFever
Alexa Mathes
Cynde McCloskey
Kathleen McDonald
Betsy McGee
Linda Penner
Joan Pfalzer
Simone Riter
Cecelia Rosiek-Bauer
Mary Scalzi
Lori Schkufza
TerryAnn Smith
Kate Stapleton Parzych
Susan Stephens
Lily Stewart
Robin Tashjian
Scott Thomas
Pat Weissman

Author Support

Penguin Random House Speakers Bureau
Kate Berner
Eric Bliss
Alysyn Reinhardt

Buffalo Spree

Robin Lenhard

Community Partners

Black Rock Books
Buffalo & Erie County Public Library
Buffalo Toronto Public Media
Buffalo Seminary
C. Stuart and Jane H. Hunt Art Gallery
Lafayette International School
Oralia

Filmed on Location at Kleinhans Music Hall with Thanks to

Jess Basil
Adam Cady
Dan Hart
Nicholas Kogut
Brian Seibel
I.A.T.S.E Local 10

Special Thanks

Melissa Blattner
Melissa Burgess
Joyce Carolyn
Jim Cielencki
Joy Testa Cinquino
Pat Cray
Dorinda Darden
Susan Drozd
Govindan Kartha
Mike McKay
Jessica Melisz
Melissa Meola-Shanahan
Daniella Merlino
Oliver’s Catering
Amy Ozay
Nancy J. Parisi
Jonathan Piret
Corrie Stone-Johnson
Alejandro Rios Velazquez
The Westin Buffalo

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Field Trips with Just Buffalo Writing Center

Mullen Elementary students field trip 2024

Bring your students to Just Buffalo’s Writing Center, where imaginations run wild, stories come alive, and every voice matters.

From wild poems to epic adventures, comics or bookmaking, our teaching artists will guide writers-of-all-ages in turning their words into magic.

Contact us to custom-design your experience.
Let’s write something unforgettable together.

Learn More

Just Buffalo Event Space Rental

Laura Marris JB Presents 11.22.24 photo credit Pat Cray - event space rental

Host Your Next Private Event AND Support Just Buffalo at the Same Time!

Just Buffalo Literary Center is located in the heart of downtown Buffalo along the literary corridor.

Our beautifully renovated space is available for private rental to host writing workshops, author events, poetry readings, professional development retreats, book launches, and more.

Learn More

Join The Creeley Society

Robert Creeley - Creeley Society Planned Giving - Photo by Bruce Jackson - Just Buffalo Literary Center

Because words endure.

Robert Creeley—celebrated poet, teacher & the force who inspired our founder—believed in the power of the written word to change how we see and shape the world. The Creeley Society honors those who invest in Just Buffalo Literary Center’s future through planned giving.

By making a planned gift, you help ensure that Just Buffalo remains a home for free expression, literary exploration and creative possibility for generations to come. Your legacy becomes part of our story—a quiet but lasting force shaping the future.

Legacy giving can be as simple as leaving a bequest in your will or naming Just Buffalo Literary Center as a beneficiary of your IRA, retirement plan, or life insurance policy.

Leave a literary legacy.
Let your impact echo for generations.

Learn More

Special Thanks to the Members of The Creeley Society

Paul A. Battaglia
Melissa & Allan Baumgart
Dianne Bennett & William Graebner
Mary E. Farallo
Sandy McPherson Carrubba Geary
Geri E. Grossman
Nan Jackson
Olga Karman
Janet Kaye & Dan Kushel
Richard Lipsitz
Michael Morgulis & Trudy Stern
Kristen M. Pope
Corinne F. Rice
Kevin & Jenni Thurston
Laurie Dean Torrell & Marvin Henchbarger

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Become a Monthly Donor

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Because every word counts.

All year long, Just Buffalo strives to inspire readers, writers, and critical thinkers of all ages. Stories are shared, voices are lifted, and literature continues to be a force for connection & understanding.

Monthly donors make that work possible! Your generosity provides the steady, sustaining support needed to ensure Just Buffalo remains vibrant & accessible to all. It is one of the simplest and most meaningful ways to give.

Make a monthly gift in whatever amount is meaningful to you. You can even give in honor or in memory of someone special, and we’ll let them know how much you care.

Donate Now

For 50 years, Just Buffalo Literary Center has brought the world’s most celebrated authors to Buffalo, hosted poetry events and readings, and supported the development of young writers.

We believe in the love of reading, the art of writing, and the power of the literary arts to transform individual lives and communities.

Whether you’re a new friend or a familiar face, we’re so glad you’re here. Follow us on social media to discover just how much is happening @justbuffalolit

Visit justbuffalo.org