Jenna Bush Hager is taking her show, the Fourth Hour of Today, aka TODAY with Jenna & Friends, to the south for a very personal weekend.
The 43-year-old former First Daughter is taking her beloved Read with Jenna book club initiative, plus her show, to Nashville, Tennessee for a couple days in May.
The news was announced on the latest iteration of TODAY, with the club introducing a "first ever" Read with Jenna Book Festival on May 30 and 31.
© TODAYRead with Jenna Book Festival
A release states: "The Read with Jenna Book Festival will bring together TODAY friends and fans for an exclusive literary event hosted at W Nashville. Fans can connect with fellow book lovers, meet Read with Jenna authors, and dive into engaging conversations."
"Other offerings include pop-up bookshops, immersive experiences and surprise giveaways. Special guests include Blessing Offor, Elin Hilderbrand, Ann Patchett, Alison Espach, Rumaan Alam, Jessica Soffer, Emma Straub and Jean Kwok."
Visit Music City is sponsoring the event, which will also feature live conversations with several Read with Jenna authors, book signings and meet-and-greets, book club discussions, live podcast recordings, performances and much more.
© Getty Images"It's going to to be so much fun. I'll be joined by Elin Hilderbrand, Ann Patchett, Alison Espach, Rumaan Alam, Jessica Soffer and many more Read with Jenna authors," she said on the show.
Family ties
"My mom started the Texas Book Festival and I'm starting the Read With Jenna Book Festival!" she poignantly added. Former First Lady and Jenna's mom Laura Bush, then the First Lady of Texas, established the annual free Texas reading festival in 1995, with the first edition being held in November 1996.
© Getty ImagesJenna, who recently co-authored a new children's book with her twin sister Barbara, spoke with HELLO! about how the love for reading came from her parents.
"That end-of-the-night time, when they would read to us, to my sister and to me – I think we loved it so much cause we felt safe," she shared during her conversation with us.
© Instagram"It's why Barbara and I have been so into writing children's books, cause we know that for so many families, that's part of the ritual – that is like what you'll remember."
Growing up Bush
She continued: "You know, of course there's the big moments, but it's sometimes the things that we do every night, are what we remember," later citing her love for her family as the inspiration behind her latest book with her sister, titled I Loved You First. Meet her family below...
Jenna mentioned that it was influenced by their "serious parenting phase," adding: "We also are constantly reading children's books now to our kids, and so we know – like the ones that I wanna read are the mantras all around love."
The mom-of-three was keen to have their new children's book contribute to the tradition of reading to kids before bed, tenderly saying: "I want [love] to be the last thing they hear before they go to bed, but also I want to cheer up and to feel that before I go to sleep."
