The National Writers Series has announced a new season with several big names from the literary world.

On Sept. 17 at NMC's Milliken Auditorium, photojournalist Paola Gianturco will discuss her book, Grandmother Power: A Global Phenomenon. The event will run in conjunction with Gianturco’s photo exhibit, which will be showcased at the Dennos Museum, next door to the Milliken.

On Oct. 7, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter David Maraniss presents his Once in a Great City, a portrait of his hometown, Detroit, at what he considers its zenith year, 1963. Michigan sports writer John Bacon, who during last season’s NWS series presented his book, Endzone, about the ups and downs of Michigan football, will interview Maraniss.

In perhaps its biggest scores yet, the NWS will welcome three big names in the same week: Margaret Atwood, Ann Patchett and Jodi Picoult will talk about their work and lives on Oct. 20, 22, and 23, respectively.

Atwood’s work includes The Handmaid's Tale (winner of the Arthur C. Clarke and Governor General's Award and a finalist for the 1986 Booker Prize) and the acclaimed Cat's Eye.

New York Times bestselling author Ann Patchett is the author of seven novels, and was named in 2012 by Time magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential People on the Planet. Her appearance will be at Lars Hockstad Auditorium at Central Grade School.

Oct. 23 marks the second NWS appearance by bestselling novelist Jodi Picoult, author of 23 novels — nine of which were No. 1 New York Times bestsellers.

Then on Nov. 4, noted thriller writer Kyle Mills will appear on stage. The 2016 lineup ends Dec. 5 with a NWS Community Reads appearance by David Bergner, author of Sing For Your Life: A Story of Race, Music, and Family, a profile of race, imprisonment and redemption. The book is based on Bergner’s 2011 New York Times article on Ryan Speedo Green, who grew up in a crime-infested world and, at the age of 12, was sentenced to solitary confinement after threatening his family members — then ultimately became an opera star. 

Tickets go on sale on Aug. 8 to Friends of the National Writers Series, and to the public on Aug. 15. Click here for more details.