A Novel Idea returns this April with a month of dynamic, free programs and events connecting readers across Deschutes County. This year’s featured selections—Thomas Kohnstamm’s Supersonic and Mitali Perkins’s Hope in the Valley (youth edition)—spark conversations that leap off the page and into the community. There’s something for all ages with more than 40 free events, including creative workshops, book discussions, and author visits. Join us as we celebrate the 23rd year of A Novel Idea—building community one book at a time.
The 2026 A Novel Idea selections are rooted in the importance of place. At their core, they share the idea that place matters, and the struggle to preserve those places is worth it. Supersonic author Thomas Kohnstamm is a Seattle native and found himself pulled deeper into writing about Pacific Northwest history. “A lot of people move in and out of this region without really understanding what’s gone into creating the contemporary Western world we inhabit,” said Kohnstamm. “Writing Supersonic brought into sharper focus how every cultural wave looks back with a mix of nostalgia and unease.”
Memorable characters and layered symbolism weave through Supersonic and Hope in the Valley.
“These books pack a punch with their sweeping timelines and interconnected communities,” said Liz Goodrich, Events Supervisor at Deschutes Public Library. “Their broad appeal provided a lens for our team to create engaging events, inspire discussions, and provide the foundation for meaningful conversations about what people will do to protect the places they love.”
Programming for A Novel Idea begins on April 1. During the weeks leading up to the main author events, readers can attend programs and see literary-inspired quilts that tie into themes found in Supersonic and Hope in the Valley. A Novel Idea culminates with free author events featuring Thomas Kohnstamm on Saturday, May 2, at Summit High School and the youth edition author, Mitali Perkins, on Thursday, April 16 at the Redmond Library.
All programs, including the authors’ presentations, are free of charge thanks to the support of the Deschutes Public Library Foundation and generous donors. Tickets are free, but required for Kohnstamm’s author event and are availableat www.dplfoundation.org starting April 1.
In 2002, A Novel Idea began with David James Duncan’s The River Why. From 400 participants that first year, the program has grown exponentially, with more than 10,600 people taking part in 2025. The Novel Idea series continues to attract new readers each year, offering something for all ages and interests.
About the Programs
This year the library is hosting more than 40 programs in support of A Novel Idea. Visit the A Novel Idea website (dpl.pub/anovelidea) for dates, times, and locations. Programs with an asterisk (*) require registration.
Adult Programs
Mental Asylums in Fiction: Sanity, Conformity, and Control | Exhibit Sneak Peek: Read/Create | Understanding Grief in Children and Teens | From Skyliner to Mt. Bachelor: Bend’s Ski History and People | Discover Steller Jay Creative | My Father’s Story: WWII Japanese American Internment Camps | Hendrix: An Evolutionary Force in Pop Culture | From Reefer Madness to Legal Cannabis | “Seagulls” in Central Oregon? | “My Father Created D.B. Cooper” | Music in Public Places | Boeing: Military & Commercial Aircraft Maker to the World | Promised Land Documentary Screening | Needle-Felted Apricots | Central Oregon’s Neighbor Nations | Klondike Era Potato Leek Chowder and Fry Bread | Central Oregon’s Most Important Crop for Over 50 Years | A Novel Idea Book Discussions | A Novel Idea Main Event with Author Thomas Kohnstamm
Youth, Teen, and Family Programs
Connection through Creativity: An Art Workshop | Needle-Felted Mini Landscapes | Youth Songwriting Workshop: Songs in the Valley | Youth A Novel Idea Book Discussion Pizza Party | The Sound of Music Screening and Sing-Along | Teen Open Mic Night at the OAC | Henna, Face Painting, and More: Culture from West Bengal | Kids’ Card-Making Workshop | Home Is in Between with Author Mitali Perkins
About the Donors
A Novel Idea is made possible by The Deschutes Public Library Foundation and its supporters as well as: The Roundhouse Foundation; Chris Mahr & Associates; E.H. and M.E. Bowerman Advised Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation.
About the Book: Supersonic
Supersonic charts the rise of a boomtown city in the American West where ambition outpaces memory. In the present day, PTA president Sami Hasegawa-Stalworth is determined to rename her daughter’s elementary school after her late grandmother—a beloved music teacher and Japanese internment survivor. What begins as a symbolic family gesture spirals into a kaleidoscopic, multi-generational story of struggle—for and against change, and over who gets to define the future.
Through interwoven lives—an opioid-addicted 19th-century conman, a disgraced Navy seaman building a jet that will fly faster than sound, a stay-at-home dad turned weed entrepreneur and a family haunted by the ghosts of progress—Supersonic reveals how each era tries to remake the same ground beneath its feet. At once intimate and panoramic, the story channels the restless energy that propels the West.
About the Author: Thomas Kohnstamm
Thomas Kohnstamm was born and raised in Seattle. He still lives in the same house he grew up in—now with his wife and two children. Supersonic is his third book. A freelance writer for more than 20 years, he’s been a Spanish and Portuguese translator, travel writer, a video and travel writer, and an animation producer.
About the Book: Hope in the Valley
Hope in the Valley is a middle-grade novel exploring grief, friendship, family, and growing up in a community facing a housing crisis.
Twelve-year-old Indian-American Pandita Paul doesn’t like change. She’s not ready to start middle school and leave the comforts of childhood behind. Most of all, Pandita doesn’t want to feel like she’s leaving her mother, who died a few years ago, behind. After a falling out with her best friend, Pandita is planning to spend most of her summer break reading and writing in her favorite secret space: the abandoned but majestic mansion across the street. But then the unthinkable happens. The town announces that the old home will be bulldozed in favor of new—maybe affordable—housing. With her family on opposing sides of the issue, Pandita must find her voice—and the strength to move on—in order to give her community hope.
About the Author: Mitali Perkins
Mitali Perkins has written many books for young readers, all of which explore crossing different kinds of borders. Her goal is to make readers laugh or cry, preferably both, as long as their hearts are widening. She lives and writes in the East Bay of California.
