Join us for a special conversation with Jeanne Carstensen, author of A Greek Tragedy, the gripping true story of a devastating shipwreck during the biggest refugee crisis since World War II. In conversation with author Nina Schuyler.

On October 28, 2015, a boat meant for only a few dozen passengers capsized off the coast of the Greek island of Lesvos. Hundreds of refugees, forced in desperation onto the overloaded boat manned by armed smugglers, were tossed into a roiling sea. The resulting loss of life, the largest in a single day during the biggest refugee crisis since World War II, shocked the world.

After nearly a decade of research and interviews, investigative reporter Jeanne Carstensen has captured every detail of the dramatic twenty-four hours. From the recollections of the refugees’ lives before they left their homes to a full account of the courageous rescue efforts of the Greek islanders and volunteers rushing to help, even as their government and the EU failed to act. In this remarkable narrative feat, Carstensen brilliantly showcases the extraordinary heroism of ordinary people in extreme circumstances.

In a world where forced migration is on the rise, and where standing up to protect our neighbors can come at great personal risk, A Greek Tragedy challenges us to confront our collective humanity. A Greek Tragedy is a 2026 finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the PEN/Galbraith Award for Nonfiction. 

Jeanne Carstensen's work has appeared in The New York Times, Foreign Policy, The World, The Nation, Salon, Nautilus, and The Global Post. She reported on the Syrian refugee crisis in Greece and Turkey with support from the Pulitzer Center and has received fellowships from the Logan Nonfiction Program, Columbia University’s National Arts Journalism Program, and Mesa Refuge.

Nina Schuyler is an author and creative writing teacher from Northern California. Her new novel, Open the Floodgates, will be published September 15, 2026. Her short story collection, In this Ravishing World, won the PEN Oakland Josephine Miles Literary Award, the W.S. Porter Prize for Short Story Collections, and the Prism Prize for Climate Literature. She is also the author of the novels, Afterword, The Translator, and The Painting.

Books will be for sale from the Friends of the Mill Valley Public Library.