GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A crowd that would rival that of a Grand Rapids Griffins game will pack the Van Andel Arena on Tuesday for not a sports team or a singer, but an author.
Kristin Hannah is the featured guest for Kent District Library's community reading initiative, and the library's free speaking event with her is being held at the largest indoor entertainment venue in the city due to high demand.
Around ten thousand people are expected to attend.
"This is the greatest thing," KDL Executive Director Lance Werner said. "It really proves to me and to us that people in this community truly care about reading and literacy."
While not an official declaration, the library says Guinness World Records told them the event will likely be the largest one-day library event in American history.
"It's really incredible," KDL Manager of Programming and Outreach Hennie Vandrager said.
"It's truly a community event," KDL Director of Library Operations Jennifer DeVault said.
Kristin Hannah is a best-selling author who is perhaps most known for The Women, a historical fiction novel that follows an Army nurse in Vietnam War. Hannah will share the stage on Tuesday with friend and fellow author Megan Chance, who wrote The Vermillion Sea.
According to KDL, the two will discuss and celebrate "the power of reading and community connection" and also participate in a question and answer session.
"We were able to raise a great deal of money in support of this extraordinary night," said Werner, mentioning sponsors such as the Steve and Amy Van Andel Foundation, Centennial Securities, Meijer and Hoopla.
"These things happen because the community invests in them," Werner said. "The community invests in them because they find them valuable, and there's some magic about having 10,000 people together to celebrate a single author."
Registration for the event is full, but those interested in attending can sign up to be on a wait list. Doors open at 5:00 p.m. and the event will begin at 6:30 p.m.
