Watermark Books & Café Presents: The Real Education of TJ Crowley — Live in Wichita
An intimate evening of story, sound, and Wichita history — seating is limited
Watermark Books & Café will host Wichita author Grant Overstake for a Launch and Listen celebration of The Real Education of TJ Crowley: Coming of Age on the Redline on Thursday, January 22, 2026 at 6 p.m.
For the first time, Wichita will experience the acclaimed full-cast audio drama that swept the 2025 Audie Award for Best Young Adult Audiobook, the IPPY Gold Medal, and the AudioFile Earphones Award. Combined with the launch of the new print edition on Jan. 20, the event invites guests into an immersive evening of story, sound, and conversation.
Overstake will be joined by his daughter, Jillian Overstake Forsberg—public historian, novelist, and Wichita State alumna—for a guided conversation about the story’s Wichita roots, its redlining and civil rights context, and the power of reading and listening together. The evening includes a short live read-along followed by audience reflection.
This one-hour experience invites readers, historians, educators, and listeners to engage with a story that feels both historic and present—a rare opportunity to hear Wichita’s own history come alive through art.
The new edition contains the actual performance script, inviting readers to read along and follow every line as they experience the audio drama.
Produced by John Marshall Media in New York City and directed by May Wuthrich, the fifteen-member ensemble portrays twenty-four characters, creating what critics have called “a movie for the ears.” The Script-Book Edition brings that award-winning performance to the page, inviting readers to follow every line as they listen—a groundbreaking experience that blends the immediacy of cinema with the intimacy of literature.
The production also showcases Wichita voices. Veteran broadcaster John Wright appears as a 1968 radio announcer, and Sheila Brown Kinnard—whose mother, Josephine Pace Brown, was a pioneering local civil-rights leader—portrays a character inspired by her family’s legacy.
The city’s own ARISE Ensemble performs the spirituals that underscore the story’s emotional core. AudioFile Magazine praised the Ensemble’s contribution, writing that its “rich harmonies give the story its soul,” an observation echoed by audiences who describe the soundscape as “Wichita’s heart, set to music.”
This dual-format launch marks a milestone for Kansas arts and storytelling. The Real Education of TJ Crowley was developed with support from the Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission, which receives funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. The result is both a work of literature and a cultural artifact, preserving an artistic record of Wichita’s redlined neighborhoods and the generations shaped by them.
In this clip from the prelude Wichita’s own John Wright performs as a 1968 radio announcer along with ARISE.
Set in Wichita during the turbulent years of 1968–69, The Real Education of TJ Crowley follows a white seventh-grader raised in prejudice as he learns to see through new eyes when a Black family moves in next door. It’s a story of conscience, courage, and belonging—rooted in the author’s own upbringing on the city’s north side and shaped by the lived experiences of those who witnessed its history firsthand.
Its portrayal of Wichita’s racial history has drawn praise from local scholars who see in it a vital reflection of the city’s past.
“In local history, it’s not uncommon for the most insightful works to be fiction,” said Dr. Jay M. Price, chair of the Department of History and head of the Local and Community History Program at Wichita State University. “Fiction can give you a sense of tone, connection, identity, and place—and this novel meets all of those criteria.
“This is one of those works that will resonate with Wichita,” Dr. Price added. “It builds on the shoulders of so much scholarship. It should be an entry into a discussion—a starting point to a discussion.”
The Real Education of TJ Crowley was honored at the Audie Awards—often called the “Oscars of Audiobooks”—an event hosted by the Audio Publishers Association (APA) that celebrates the industry’s finest achievements in spoken-word storytelling. Captured on the red carpet, celebrating this incredible win: Claire Overstake, Dion Graham, Grant Overstake, Dani Martineck, Kevin R. Free, May Wuthrich, Graham Halstead, Thérèse Plummer, Tavia Gilbert, Brittany Pressley, and Michael Crouch. Cast members not pictured, Johnny Heller, Shayna Small, Ari Fliakos, Peter Berkrot, John Wright, and Sheila Brown Kinnard.
About Grant Overstake
Grant Overstake is an award-winning author and journalist whose novels explore personal growth, social justice, and emotional resilience. The Real Education of TJ Crowley was named Book of the Year by the Kansas Authors Club before its audio adaptation swept the 2025 Audie, IPPY Gold, and AudioFile Earphones Awards. A Wichita native and former Miami Herald journalist, Overstake draws on his own 1968 childhood to tell a story rooted in place and purpose.
About Jillian Overstake Forsberg
Jillian Overstake Forsberg is a public historian and novelist whose debut, The Rhino Keeper, was named a 2025 Kansas Notable Book. Her new companion novel, The Porcelain Menagerie, continues her exploration of empathy and moral imagination in historical fiction. She holds a master’s degree in public history from Wichita State University.
Event Details
When: Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026 | 7 p.m.
Where: Watermark Books & Café, 4701 E. Douglas Ave., Wichita, Kan.
Admission: Free • Duration ≈ 1 hour
Advisory: Contains violent content and racist language. Best suited for mature YA readers and adults.
