New York Times-bestselling author Taylor Jenkins Reid’s community book read to go ‘Beyond the Stars’ at URI

KINGSTON, R.I. – Sept. 25, 2026 – Taylor Jenkins Reid, a New York Times-bestselling author, screenwriter and Emmy-nominated producer, will hold a virtual community book read spotlighting her latest literary work, “Atmosphere: A Love Story,” on Monday, Oct. 5, from 5:30-6:30 p.m.

The event, titled “Beyond the Stars: A Community Conversation with Taylor Jenkins Reid,” will provide an opportunity for readers to hear directly from Jenkins Reid about “Atmosphere,” its characters, its historical setting, and the questions it raises about space exploration, ambition, identity, representation, and human connection. A free public watch party livestreaming Jenkins Reid’s discussion—including a question-and-answer session—will be held from 5-7 p.m. in the Galanti Lounge of the Robert L. Carothers Library and Learning Commons, 15 Lippitt Road, on the Kingston Campus.

Jenkins Reid’s visit to the University is part of the ongoing “Interstellar Exploration: Journey Beyond Your Limits” URI Honors Colloquium lecture series, and the University’s Gender and Sexuality Center’s “Coming Out Week.” The collaboration reflects the broader spirit of the Honors Colloquium, using the exploration of space as a starting point for asking larger questions about ourselves, our communities and the possibilities that emerge when society looks beyond familiar boundaries.

Taylor Jenkins Reid’s new novel, “Atmosphere: A Love Story,” centers around two women who were part of NASA’s first female cohort in the 1980s to go into outer space and subsequently discover their sexuality, but cannot be open about it.

It also expands beyond the Colloquium to consider the deeply personal dimensions of exploration—identity, authenticity, relationships, representation and belonging—which are at the heart of Coming Out Week, observed in recognition of National Coming Out Day on Oct. 11.

“Taylor’s novel is a great first step into our Honors Colloquium series in asking why people seek to venture into space in the first place, and what are the greater questions that space travel can answer,” URI Honors Program Director Karen de Bruin said. “She wrote a well-researched novel about the early days of NASA’s shuttle program, while also drawing attention to people learning about their own identity and sexuality in a time when it was taboo to do so. We are excited for Taylor to share her work and message with the URI community.”

Registration to attend the event, either virtually or at the watch party, can be done through the event’s webpage.

Jenkins Reid’s “Atmosphere” recently debuted at No. 1 on the New York Times-bestsellers list. Her additional bestsellers include “Carrie Soto is Back” and “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.” She is currently working on her next novel.

Set within the world of NASA’s Space Shuttle program in the 1980s, “Atmosphere” explores ambition, scientific discovery, relationships, love identity, and the pursuit of belonging within spaces that have not always been equally accessible or representative. The novel centers around two women who were part of NASA’s first cohorts to allow female astronauts who discover their sexuality but cannot be open about it.

These topics create an opportunity for the URI community to engage with the Honors Colloquium’s exploration of space while also considering the personal and human dimensions of who gets to explore, achieve, belong, and see themselves represented in these stories. That connection reflects the Gender and Sexuality Center’s yearlong commitment to helping members of the URI community find their place and belong boldly.

“The Gender and Sexuality Center is proud to partner on this event as part of Coming Out Week, creating an opportunity to bring the themes of identity, authenticity, representation, and belonging into conversation with the Honors Colloquium’s exploration of space,” URI Gender and Sexuality Center Director Manuela Vadis said. “Through Taylor Jenkins Reid’s ‘Atmosphere,’ we can consider not only who gets to explore and achieve, but also what it means to find your place and belong boldly.”

URI’s Honors Program, Office of Community, Equity and Diversity, Gender and Sexuality Center, and Office for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning are collaborators for the “Beyond the Stars: A Community Conversation with Taylor Jenkins Reid” event. Registration to attend the event can be made through the event’s webpage. For additional information, contact URI Honors Program Director Karen de Bruin at 401-874-4697 or debruin@uri.edu.