The John Cooper School 2023 Signatures Author Announcement

THE WOODLANDS, TX -- The John Cooper School Fine Arts Council is pleased to announce that Alka Joshi, the New York Times bestselling novelist of The Henna Artist is the keynote speaker for the 19th Annual Signatures Author Series event to be held on December 1 at The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel and Convention Center.

Alka Joshi is the internationally bestselling author of the Jaipur Trilogy: The Henna Artist, The Secret Keeper of Jaipur, and The Perfumist of Paris. Her debut novel, The Henna Artist, immediately became a New York Times bestseller and a Reese Witherspoon Pick. It has been translated into 29 languages and is currently in development at Netflix as a tv series. Joshi was born in India and came to the U.S. with her family at the age of nine. She has a BA from Stanford University and an MFA from California College of Arts. She is available for group writing instruction and shares her writing tips on her YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqNLMIc32Z-y4hzkiE3o6rQ.

The John Cooper School Signatures Author Series luncheon is a highly anticipated annual event. The Fine Arts Council sponsors the popular event. It has featured keynote speakers such as best-selling authors Barbara Bush, Dave Berry, Mitch Albom, Anthony Bourdain, John Grogan, Nicholas Sparks, Candace Bushnell, Kathryn Stockett with Tate Taylor, Jodi Picoult, Tyler Florence, Gillian Flynn, Cheryl Strayed, Paula Hawkins, Kevin Kwan, Maria Semple, Jesmyn Ward, Taylor Jenkins Reid, and Elin Hilderbrand. The luncheon also features visiting authors, book signings, and a Signatures-themed drawing.

Reservations are on sale July 1 at www.johncooper.org/signatures.
Early registration for table sponsorships and individual reservations are recommended for the best seating.

Each year, a portion of the proceeds from the Signatures Author Series is given to a local literary organization. 2022 Signatures Chairs Lisa Hollingsworth and June Kolesar met with Rita Wiltz, Executive Director of Children's Books on Wheels to present a $7,000 donation. Past beneficiaries include; Children's Books on Wheels, The Montgomery County Library System, and The Barbara Bush Literacy Foundation.

The mission of Children’s Books on Wheels is to promote reading by providing books, educational literature, and community resources to Pre-K through 12th-grade students and their families in rural communities and urban cities. Children’s Books On Wheels (CBOW) is a 501c3 Non-profit community-based mobile literacy organization that promotes literacy by providing books, educational literature, and community resources to children and their families in multiple languages at no cost. Rita Wiltz, Founder and Executive Director of Children's Books On Wheels(CBOW), established the mobile non-profit organization in 2004 to bring reading to children in all areas that may not have access to books.

Your support of The Signatures Author Series helps drive the mission of promoting literacy in our community. Please join us for the 2023 Signatures Author Series Event.


The John Cooper School is a PK-12 independent, college preparatory day school that has been serving The Woodlands and greater Houston area since 1988. For more information, visit www.johncooper.org.