Michelle Obama plans for the world to see – and hear – more of her and her “earned wisdom” than ever before. To that end the former first lady announced Wednesday a six-city tour this fall promoting her new book, The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times, beginning mid-November in Washington, DC, and ending a month later in Los Angeles.
“I’m looking forward to making some new connections — and of course, seeing some familiar faces from the last tour,” she said in a joint statement released through her publisher, Crown, and tour promoter Live Nation.
“This book means so much to me — it’s a collection of perspectives and practices I’ve used to keep me afloat amid uncertainty. On this tour, I’ll be sharing some personal stories and lessons that have helped me along my path, and I can’t wait to tell you more.”
AP reports Obama will open at the Warner Theatre in Washington on Nov. 15, the publication date for her book. She will then travel to Philadelphia’s The Met, Atlanta’s Fox Theatre, the Chicago Theatre and San Francisco’s Masonic, before closing at the YouTube Theater in Los Angeles.
As Breitbart News reported, when Michelle Obama first announced her latest tome she was quick to set out just what readers can expect. She said:
I’ve learned it’s okay to recognize that self-worth comes wrapped in vulnerability, and that what we share as humans on this earth is the impulse to strive for better, always and no matter what.
We become bolder in brightness. If you know your light, you know yourself. You know your own story in an honest way. In my experience, this type of self-knowledge builds confidence, which in turn breeds calmness and an ability to maintain perspective, which leads, finally, to being able to connect meaningfully with others — and this to me is the bedrock of all things.
Markus Dohle, CEO of the Penguin Random House publishing group, which has acquired the worldwide publishing rights to the book, said he is “honored to partner once again with Michelle Obama and to help bring her powerful storytelling and earned wisdom to readers everywhere.”
The 336-page book will launch almost exactly four years after the release of Becoming with an expected first printing of 2.75 million copies for the U.S. and Canada.
As with Becoming, Obama will speak at each city with guest moderators, to be announced later. Oprah Winfrey, Tracee Ellis Ross and Sarah Jessica Parker were among those who joined her for “Becoming.”
In partnership with Live Nation, Obama will also set aside tickets at each venue for a select number of community members.
The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times will come out simultaneously in 14 languages and 27 countries, with additional rights deals expected.