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Author Jeannette Walls spoke before a crowd of hundreds at Grant Hall.

American writer Jeannette Walls spoke before a packed house in Grant Hall last weekend during a special event hosted jointly by the Queen's Reads program and Kingston WritersFest.

Ms. Walls spoke about her bestselling memoir, The Glass Castle, which details her unconventional childhood and the poverty, chaos and adventures she and her siblings experienced with their creative, but dysfunctional, parents. There was also a Q&A and book-signing with Ms. Walls following the talk.

The Queen’s Reads common reading program is designed to help the incoming first-year class prepare for and adjust to university life. More than one-third of the class opted-in to the program this year, receiving a copy of Ms Walls' book to read over the summer. More than 400 students discussed the book in faculty, staff or student-led small groups during residence orientation.

Jeannette Walls and Principal Daniel Woolf chat after the Queen's Reads event at Grant Hall.