BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 METHOD:PUBLISH CALSCALE:GREGORIAN PRODID:-//WordPress - MECv6.5.6//EN X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://americanwritersmuseum.org/ X-WR-CALNAME:The American Writers Museum X-WR-CALDESC:A National Museum Celebrating American Writers REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H X-MS-OLK-FORCEINSPECTOROPEN:TRUE BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC UID:MEC-f04e6e269bdbbc17da882b6e2abe2d47@americanwritersmuseum.org DTSTART:20260606T210000Z DTEND:20260606T215500Z DTSTAMP:20260325T205400Z CREATED:20260325 LAST-MODIFIED:20260605 PRIORITY:5 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Based on a True Story: Thrillers DESCRIPTION:Featured writers: Brian J. Morra and Joanne Leedom-Ackerman\nIn his Able Archers series, Brian J. Morra crafts novels of suspense, intrigue, and espionage based on real events he experienced as a U.S. intelligence officer. He is joined by fellow writer and AWM Trustee Joanne Leedom-Ackerman to discuss the process of turning real-life events into thrilling plot and action.\nBook signing times (all signings take place by the front desk at the AWM)\nšŸ–ŠļøBrian J. Morra: 5:00 ā€“ 5:30\nšŸ–ŠļøJoanne Leedom-Ackerman: 5:00 ā€“ 5:30\nFULL SCHEDULE ( https://americanwritersmuseum.org/american-writers-festival/schedule/ )\nAbout the writers:\nJOANNE LEEDOM-ACKERMAN is a novelist, short story writer, and journalist. Her works of fiction include The Far Side of the Desert, Burning Distance, The Dark Path to the River and No Marble Angels and nonfiction PEN Journeys: Memoir of Literature on the Line. She is editor of The Journey of Liu Xiaobo: From Dark Horse to Nobel Laureate. A former reporter for The Christian Science Monitor, Joanne is a Vice President and former International Secretary of PEN International. She is an Emeritus Board Member of the PEN/Faulkner Foundation and former Board Member of PEN America, the International Center for Journalists, Words Without Borders and Emeritus Board Member of Refugees International, Poets and Writers and Human Rights Watch. Joanne is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, PEN American Center, and the Texas Institute of Letters.\nBRIAN J. MORRA is a former US intelligence officer and a retired aerospace executive. He grew up in southern Virginia and is married to Tracy Morra. They have four children. His Able Archers series of novels is based on harrowing (and real) events he participated in during his intelligence career in the Cold War and beyond. The Morras have homes in Florida & Virginia.\nBooks by these writers:\n\nThe Far Side of the Desert\nby Joanne Leedom-Ackerman\nMoving from Spain to Washington to Morocco to Gibraltar to the Sahara Desert,Ā The Far Side of the DesertĀ is a family drama and political thriller that explores links of terrorism, crime, and financial manipulation, revealing the grace that ultimately foils destruction.\n\nThe Righteous Arrows: A Cold War Spy Thriller (Book 2 of 2: Able Archers)\nby Brian J. Morra\nForeshadowing the global war on terror, former Air Force Intelligence officer Brian Morra illuminates the stubbornly persistent rivalry between the US and Russia in this heart-stopping story of international espionage and war.\n URL:https://americanwritersmuseum.org/program-calendar/american-writers-festival-based-on-a-true-story-thrillers/ CATEGORIES:American Writers Festival,Historical Fiction LOCATION:180 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Illinois 60601 ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://i0.wp.com/americanwritersmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Thrillers-1080x1080-1.png?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1 END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR