DC Reads is back with three exciting DMV area authors who are sharing their newest work with the DC Public Library community. In partnership with the PEN/Faulkner Foundation, you are invited to read and discuss these exciting titles at three city-wide virtual book clubs and special opportunities to engage with each author culminating in a panel conversation with all three authors at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in March. You will be able to check out each of the books with your library card or look for giveaway copies of the book at your neighborhood library courtesy of the DC Public Library Foundation starting in January.
An Evening of DC Literary Voices
DC Reads 2026 Culminating Panel: An Evening of Literary Voices
Thursday, Mar. 26 at 7 p.m. | Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library
To culminate DC Reads, join the Library and the PEN/Faulkner Foundation for a final conversation with our three featured authors.
This panel will bring together DC writers K.T. Nguyen, Dolen Perkins-Valdez, and Nikki Payne with moderator Lupita Aquino (of @lupita.reads) for a conversation about their books, being a writer in DC, and more.
January 2026 | "You Know What You Did" by K.T. Nguyen
About the Book | When her mother, a Vietnam War refugee, dies suddenly, Annie Shaw finds her OCD coming back with a vengeance, and when the investigation zeroes in on her, her mind increasingly fractures and the only thing she knows is this: she will do anything to protect her daughter even if it means losing herself. Described by Booklist as “a twisty horror-filled thriller” and an “incredibly compelling debut.” YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID was selected as a People Magazine Best Book of April 2024 and named a Best Mystery and Thriller Book of 2024 by Elle magazine, Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine, BookBub, and Parade.
Check out "You Know What You Did"
About the Author | K.T. Nguyen is a former editor at Glamour magazine. Her new psychological thriller received the Agatha Award for Best First Mystery and was named a Lefty Award finalist for Best Debut Mystery. It is currently nominated for an Anthony Award in the category of Best First Novel. When she’s not writing, you’ll find K.T. practicing Krav Maga, watching the Mets, or gardening. A graduate of Brown University, K.T. lives just outside Washington, D.C. with her family and their adopted terrier Alice. K.T. is a proud member of Crime Writers of Color, Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and International Thriller Writers.
February 2026 | "Happy Land" by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
About the Book | A woman learns the astonishing truth of her family's ties to a real-life American kingdom in this transporting and riveting new novel from the New York Times bestselling author Dolen Perkins-Valdez. In the hills of Appalachia, there once existed a land ruled by a king and a queen. For a time the kingdom thrived . . . and then it disappeared.
Present Day. Nikki gets a call out of the blue with an urgent request for to visit her estranged grandmother in the hills of western North Carolina. There she learns of a shocking story about her great-great-great-grandmother Queen Luella and the very land they are standing on. The more Nikki learns about the Kingdom of the Happy Land and the lives of those who dwelled in the ruins in the woods, the more she understands that sometimes, atonement for the previous generations' mistakes falls squarely on the shoulders of the descendants.
About the Author | Dolen Perkins-Valdez is the New York Times bestselling author of four novels, including Take My Hand (2022) and, most recently, Happy Land (2025) which was named a Most Anticipated Book of 2025 by Harper’s Bazaar, Ms., Real Simple, Woman’s World, People, Reader’s Digest, and elsewhere. Take My Hand was awarded a 2023 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work, Silver Gavel Award from the American Bar Association, Fiction Award from Black Caucus of the American Library Association and was longlisted for the Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award. A three-time nominee for a United States Artists Fellowship, Dolen is widely considered a pre-eminent chronicler of American historical life. She is Associate Professor in the MFA Program at American University in Washington, DC.
Check out other books by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
March 2026 | "The Princess and the P.I." by Nikki Payne
About the Book | Fiona Addai is ready to set her plan in motion. To honor the anniversary of her brother’s death, she’s going to steal back his brilliant invention from the ruthless corporation that stole and claimed it as their own. As a famed Reddit detective known as @Princess_PI, Fiona has used her online connections and sleuthing skills to time every step down to the minute. But with one disastrous misstep, instead of getting justice, Fiona finds herself accused of murder.
Maurice Bennett is no stranger to insomnia. These days, he’s not losing sleep over the cases he’s solving—but running from the one he couldn’t. But when he spots Fiona Addai at the center of a murder investigation, something clicks and Maurice feels that old spark of intrigue. However, Fiona is not the helpless damsel she appears to be. Sure, she needs Maurice’s help, but she’s got conditions of her own and Maurice isn’t exactly thrilled. With every late-night stakeout and tension-filled interrogation, their partnership, rife with tension and unexpected chemistry, unravels a dangerous web of corporate crime and familial secrets. To bring the real killer to light, they’ll need to trust each other and that might be the most dangerous gamble of all.
Check out "The Princess and the P.I."
About the Author | By day, Nikki Payne is a civic anthropologist building accessible government services for vulnerable populations, by night, she dreams of ways to subvert Canon literature. Hailed as "incandescent" by the Washington Post, Nikki Payne's debut novel, Pride and Protest, was a Phenomenal Book Club pick and was selected by the Library of Congress to represent the District of Columbia for the National Book Festival. Featured in the New York Times, NPR, Elle, Oprah Daily, and BuzzFeed, Nikki Payne is writing black women into their happily ever after.
Check out other books by Nikki Payne
DC Reads is Made Possible By
The PEN/Faulkner Foundation champions the breadth and power of fiction in America.