The Friends of the Palm Springs Library announced Thursday that Southern California-based journalist Kathy Strong will join “All Things Considered” co-host Mary Louise Kelly to close the sixth season of the speaker series “Palm Springs Speaks.”
Strong and Kelly will appear for the series finale at 7 p.m. April 3, five days before the release of Kelly’s memoir, “It. Goes. So. Fast. A Year of No Do-Overs.”
Originally a CIA researcher, Strong has worked as an author, journalist and magazine editor in the region for four decades. Her contributions have appeared in 20 guidebooks, and she’s sold her own books such as “Southern California: Off the Beaten Path,” “Recommended Bed & Breakfasts: California” and “Driving the Pacific Coast: California” in national bookstores.
She has also served as a “Desert Magazine” editor, a consultant for the Greater Palm Springs Visitors Bureau and a columnist for USA/Gannett — in addition to launching a pair of regional magazines herself, “LQ” and “92260.” Her time as vice president of the Palm Springs Women’s Press Club recently ended.
Strong’s latest work, “The ’57 Chevy,” ventures into the fiction realm. Released two weeks ago, the book is the first in a planned mystery series centered on investigative journalist Cam Donovan.
Before appearing as an anchor on the NPR flagship program, Kelly was a national security correspondent for NPR news, reporting from areas such as Russia and North Korea.
Kelly, whose education includes stints at Harvard University and at the University of Cambridge, started her journalism career at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Her writing has since appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Politico and Newsweek.
In 2021, Kelly led an NPR team reporting on-the-ground from Iran that was named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Her resume also includes the Leonard Zeidenberg First Amendment Award from the Radio Television Digital News Foundation, a Gracie Award from the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation and the Award for Outstanding Broadcast Journalist from the Washington Women in Journalism Awards.
“We are thrilled to be hosting Ms. Kelly to close out our sixth season,” said Jeannie Kays, director of library services, in a statement. “She is a trailblazing journalist, adapted to hearing loss later in life and shares her truth in juggling work and motherhood, so we think many people will be able to relate to her story.”
Tickets and additional information can be found at palmspringsspeaks.org.