Harmony & Heart

American Artists Project presents Harmony & Heart!
NYT and USA Today bestselling author Kennedy Ryan will take part in a moderated conversation with Pamela Benson Owens, CEO of Edge of Your Seat Consulting. Kennedy will share her journey as a mother of a son with autism, offering personal insights into the joys, challenges, and triumphs of raising a neurodivergent child and how these experiences have shaped her life and work. She will also touch on her founding of Lift 4 Autism, a charitable auction that partners with and raises funds for Kulture City. The program will also feature a special 30 minute performance by the Variations Choir, a choral group made of individuals on the autism spectrum.

For VIP ticket holders, the morning will conclude with a meet-and-greet, book signing, and the opportunity to connect personally with Kennedy and continue the conversation.

In partnership with local indie bookstore Black Pearl Books, VIP tickets will include a pre-signed copy of the indie edition of Score, along with exclusive access to a post-event meet & greet and photo opportunity with the author. VIP guests will also have access to closer, reserved seating.

• The author will sign a maximum of two additional books, one of them can be personalized.
• The author is happy to take photos.
• If you’d like to preorder additional books by Kennedy Ryan to have signed at the meet & greet, please use this link from our amazing local independent bookstore partner, Black Pearl Books: https://shop.blackpearlbookstore.com/gift-registry/_89EXtUOTGw
• Please note that post-talk meet & greet lines can become very long. For such events, we recommend arriving and checking in to the event early as that will get you into an earlier meet & greet group. For crowd management, attendees will be divided into five groups of 60.

Guidelines:

• General and VIP Ticket-holders will be checked in starting at 9:30 am. Please have a copy of your ticket available (either printed out or on your phone) for check in. VIP ticket holders will receive their copy of Score at check-in.
• General admission seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis.
• VIP guests will also have access to closer, reserved seating also on a first-come, first-served basis.
• If you have any accessibility concerns regarding seating, please contact admin@americanartistsproject.org
• There will not be a live stream or recording available.
• A sign language interpreter or cc on the screen will be availabl. If you’d like to use this service, please contact admin@americanartistsproject.org so we can reserve seating in clear view of the interpreter.
• American Artists Project reserves the right to cancel or postpone this event if necessary.
• All event guidelines are subject to change.

About the Author

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Kennedy Ryan writes for women from all walks of life, empowering them and placing them firmly at the center of each story and in charge of their own destinies. An EBONY Power 100 Honoree, Kennedy and her writings have been featured in NPR, Entertainment Weekly, USA Today, Glamour, Cosmo, TIME, and many others. Kennedy is an executive producer for her Skyland series, which is currently in development for television at Peacock. The cofounder of LIFT 4 Autism, an annual charitable book auction, Kennedy has a passion for raising Autism awareness. Dubbed the Queen of Hugs by her readers, she is a wife to her “lifetime lover” and mother to an extraordinary son.

Find out more at:

KennedyRyanWrites.com

Facebook.com/KennedyRyanAuthor

Bluesky: @kennedyryan.bsky.social

Instagram: @KennedyRyan1

TikTok: @KennedyRyanAuthor

About her latest book Score

New York Times bestselling author and BookTok star Kennedy Ryan follows up her highly acclaimed Reel with a much-anticipated, heart-wrenching original never-before-published romance-this independent bookstore exclusive edition will include gorgeous character art and an extra interview from Kennedy.

A scorching second-chance romance between a talented screenwriter and a phenomenal musician from "a fantastic storyteller and superb writer." ―NPR​

You never forget your first love. Isn't that what they say? Verity Hill knows this truth intimately. She didn't simply miss Wright "Monk" Bellamy when they parted ways in college. She's haunted by his touch. Every kiss, any lover since—it's a shadow of what they had.

Time heals all wounds. Isn't that what they say? Monk doesn't believe that for a second. He wasn't simply betrayed when he and Verity split. He was devastated, with parts of him left behind in the ruins of all that was destroyed.

More than a decade after their disastrous breakup, Verity and Monk must work together on the set of an epic Harlem Renaissance biopic. With Monk, now a world-class musician, creating the score, and Verity, an award-winning screenwriter, penning the script, there's Oscar buzz before shooting even begins. This once-in-a-lifetime project could catapult them both to new heights, but can they put the past behind them for the sake of the film…for the sake of something more?