Lauren Collins — They Stole a City: Wilmington's White Supremacist Coup and the Families Who Live with Its Legacy - with Julia Ioffe — at Conn Ave

Lauren Collins, a staff writer at *The New Yorker* and author of the forthcoming book *They Stole a City: Wilmington's White Supremacist Coup and the Families Who Live with Its Legacy*, will appear at Politics and Prose in conversation with journalist Julia Ioffe. The book traces the 1898 white supremacist massacre and coup in Wilmington, North Carolina — the only successful coup on American soil — and follows four families over 125 years to document the massacre's lasting effects on democracy and racial justice. Collins and Ioffe will discuss the history of racial terror and its resonance in America today. The event is free and open to the public, with seating available on a first‑come, first‑served basis.

When: Wednesday, July 15, 2026, at 7:00 PM.
Venue: Politics and Prose at 5015 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008.
Tickets: Free admission; no ticket or reservation required. Seating is first come, first served.
Book: *They Stole a City* by Lauren Collins (hardcover, $32.00) is available for preorder and will be published on July 14, 2026.
Lineup: Lauren Collins in conversation with Julia Ioffe, a Russian-born journalist and author of *Motherland: A Feminist History of Modern Russia, from Revolution to Autocracy*.
Accessibility: To request accommodations, email events@politics-prose.com ideally one week before the event; the venue will make an effort to fulfill all requests received by that time.
Note: Arrive early to secure seating, as space is limited and no reserved seats are available.