This fall, C-SPAN is launching America's Book Club, a weekly primetime TV series hosted by David M. Rubenstein. C-SPAN will tape America's Book Club before audiences at major public libraries and cultural landmarks, including the Library of Congress, the Folger Shakespeare Library, the Enoch Pratt Library, and the National Archives.
Rubenstein is an author, lawyer, co-founder of the Carlyle Group, principal owner of the Baltimore Orioles, former chairman of the Kennedy Center, chairman of the National Gallery of Art and the Council on Foreign Relations, a TV and podcast host, among other positions. He will interview "leading authors, policymakers, business innovators, and cultural figures--exploring the ideas that shaped America's past, challenge the nation's present, and inspire our future," C-SPAN noted. Guests and historic venues for the initial season include:
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett at the Library of Congress
John Grisham at the Library of Congress
Henry Louis Gates at the Library of Congress
David Grann at the Folger Shakespeare Library
Arthur Brooks at the Library of Congress
Walter Isaacson at the National Archives
Stacy Schiff at the National Archives
José Andrés at the Library of Congress
"Books provide the foundation of American ideals, progress, and vision," said Rubenstein. "Since I was a youngster growing up in Baltimore, books have fueled my imagination and knowledge. I look forward to sharing these ideas with others."
"C-SPAN is taking an ambitious step forward with America's Book Club," said CEO Sam Feist. "We are proud to launch a flagship series featuring guests of the highest stature in American letters and public thought, interviewed by David Rubenstein, a lover of history and an engaging interviewer. This program is a landmark cultural initiative designed to inspire, inform, and engage viewers with the ideas and thought leaders shaping our nation's future."
Senior executive producers of America's Book Club are Peter Slen, who has been senior executive producer of Book TV for nearly two decades; and Marie Arana, author, former editor of the Washington Post Book World, as well as inaugural literary director of the Library of Congress. Brian Rokus, a 25-year CNN veteran, is senior producer on the program.