The Commons in Conversation with Barbara Kingsolver

In many of Barbara Kingsolver’s novels, characters who are very different from one another are thrown together, forced to interact, and maybe even form tight bonds.

In her most recent, the Pulitzer Prize-winning "Demon Copperhead," Kingsolver exposes readers to the diversity of people and experiences within Appalachia, a region often flattened into superficial portrayals that fuel what she describes as “urban-rural antipathy.” Through the novel, readers from the region can see themselves depicted in a more nuanced way, while outsiders can gain insights into an overlooked part of the country.

Kingsolver joined the Chronicle of Philanthropy's deputy opinion editor Nandita Raghuram for a conversation with Kingsolver on the ways fiction can put a name, face, and story behind the people and places that politicians, pundits, and the public often ignore. And she shared a bit about her own philanthropy, including Higher Ground, a home she and her husband established for women recovering from addiction.

About the series: The Commons in Conversation is a series of exclusive, one-on-one conversations with national and local leaders working to strengthen a fractured America. Chronicle editors and writers will host individuals from across the country in casual lunchtime discussions about what it will take to bring Americans together. Guests will talk about ideas and promising solutions and how the philanthropic world — from major philanthropists to everyday nonprofit leaders — can contribute.

Learn more at: philanthropy.com/commons