Join us for a one-of-a-kind conversation w ith National Book Award-winner Colum McCann as he is joined by Diane Foley \, the inspiration behind the heartrending book \;American Mother.
\nAmerican Mother \;is the story of a mother who\, in the course of confronting her son&rsquo\;s killer\, gets to the elemental heart of viol ence and forgiveness. Diane Foley is the mother of Jim\, a freelance journ alist captured and beheaded by ISIS in 2014\, an image that became one of the most iconic of the 21st century. Seven years later\, Diane gets the ch ance to spend three days with the murderer of her son in a Virginia courth ouse\, inspiring her to tell her life story. What unfolds is one of the mo st compelling narratives in recent literary history\, channeled into seari ng reality by \;New York Times \;bestselling author Colum McCann\, who brings us on a journey of strength\, resilience\, and radical empathy . You are sure to be moved by McCann's writing and Foley&rsquo\;s uncompro mising love\, register now! \;
\nAbout the Authors
\nColum McCann \;is the author of seven novels\, three collections of stories and two works of non-fiction. Born and raised in Dublin\, Ireland\, he ha s been the recipient of many international honors\, including the U.S Nati onal Book Award\, the International Dublin Literary Prize\, a Chevalier de s Arts et Lettres from the French government\, election to the Irish Arts Academy\, several European awards\, the 2010 Best Foreign Novel Award in C hina\, and an Oscar nomination. In 2017 he was elected to the American Aca demy of Arts. \; His work has been published in over 40 languages.&nbs p\; He is the President and co-founder of the non-profit global story exch ange organization\, Narrative 4. He is the Thomas Hunter Writer in Residen ce in Hunter College\, in New York\, where he lives with his wife Allison and their family. \; His most recent novel\, \;Apeirogon\, became an immediate New York Times best-seller and won several major internationa l awards. \; His first major non-fiction book\, \;American Mother\ , will be published in March 2024.
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Diane M. Foley \;is t
he mother of five children\, including American freelance conflict journal
ist James W. Foley. She founded the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation in Se
ptember 2014\, less than a month after his public execution. Diane is curr
ently serving as the President and Executive Director of JWFLF. Since 2014
\, she has led JWFLF efforts to fund the start of Hostage US and the Inter
national Alliance for a Culture of Safety\, ACOS. In 2015\, she actively p
articipated in the National Counterterrorism Center hostage review which c
ulminated in the Presidential Policy Directive-30. This directive re-organ
ized US efforts on behalf of Americans taken hostage abroad into an intera
gency Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell\, Special Presidential Envoy for Hostag
e Affairs and a Hostage Recovery Group at the White House. Previously\, Di
ane worked first as a community health nurse and then as a family nurse pr
actitioner for 18 years. She received both her undergraduate and master&rs
quo\;s degrees from the University of New Hampshire in Durham\, NH.