Steve Duin will read from his newly published novel The Less We Touch.

Though fiction, the book is largely based on the true story of a well-known coach in Lake Oswego, his relationships with his players, and the sacrifices made in the vain attempts for college athletic scholarships. This timely novel should trigger important discussions about the politics and pressures of high school sports.

Duin has been a columnist for The Oregonian since 1984. He is the author of six books, including Comics: Between the Panels, a history of the comics genre, and Oil and Water, a graphic novel about the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Duin lives in Lake Oswego with his wife, Nancy

Broadway Books welcomes the dynamic duo of Lidia Yuknavitch and Liz Prato, reading from and discussing their new work.

Lidia Yuknavitch's new novel, The Small Backs of Children, takes place in a war-torn village in Eastern Europe, where an American photographer captures a heart-stopping image: a young girl flying toward the lens, fleeing a fiery explosion that has engulfed her home and family. The image, instantly iconic, garners acclaim and prizes and in the United States becomes a subject of obsession for one writer, the photographer's best friend, who has suffered a devastating tragedy of her own.

Yuknavitch is the author of the widely acclaimed memoir The Chronology of Water and the novel Dora: A Headcase, both published by Hawthorne Books. Her writing has appeared in The Atlantic, The Iowa Review, Mother Jones, Ms., The Sun, The Rumpus, PANK, Zyzzyva, Fiction International, and other publications. She teaches writing and literature in Portland.

Baby's on Fire, the debut story collection from Liz Prato, is described by writer Steve Almond as "filled with the lost, the lonely, and the damned, and she makes all of them sing with a haunting grandeur. Baby's on Fire is a lamentation brimming with wit, candor, and the eternal possibility of mercy." 

Prato's short stories and essays have appeared in more than two dozen literary journals and magazines. She was the Guest Prose Editor for the summer 2013 issue of VoiceCatcher, and edited the fiction anthology The Night, and the Rain, and the River, published by Forest Avenue Press. She teaches writing in Portland.

Orphan Number Eight is a rich historical novel inspired by true events. The author tells the fascinating story of a woman who must choose between revenge and mercy when she encounters the doctor who subjected her to dangerous medical experiments in a New York City Jewish orphanage years before.

Van Alkemade was born in New York City and spent her childhood in suburban New Jersey. Her late father, an immigrant from the Netherlands, met her mother, a descendant of Eastern European Jewish immigrants, in the Empire State Building. She is a professor at Shippensburg University where she teaches writing. Her creative nonfiction essays have been published in literary journals including Alaska Quarterly Review, So To Speak, and CutBank. Orphan Number Eight is her first novel.

Did You Ever Have a Family? is the debut novel by Bill Clegg, an alpha literary agent and the author of two memoirs about his recovery from addiction. Already longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, this powerful novel tells the story of people seeking solace after a shocking tragedy. On the eve of her daughter's wedding, June Reid suffers the sudden loss of everyone she loves. Her grief drives her across the country to Moclips, Washington. 

Kitchens of the Great Midwest, by J. Ryan Stradal