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Johann Hari

The Lawrence Public Library will host a talk Wednesday night with a NY Times bestselling author discussing how to combat some factors of modern life that reduce attention spans and the ability to concentrate.

Author Johann Hari will give a presentation at Liberty Hall on Wednesday, June 11 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. about his book “Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention — and How to Think Deeply Again.” The book, which was first released in 2022, won several awards and was named Book of the Year by The Financial Times, The New York Post, and The Spectator.

Hari, a Scottish-born writer who grew up in London, has written over the past decade for some of the world’s leading newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times, The Guardian, The Spectator and Le Monde Diplomatique. Other books he has written include “Chasing the Scream: the First and Last Days of the War on Drugs,” which was adapted into an Oscar-nominated movie and a television series.

Hari’s talk is part of the library’s Ross and Marianna Beach Author series, which launched in 2014 and aims to bring celebrated writers to Lawrence. Hari is the eighth author to come to Lawrence, but is the first international author to visit. In a press release, Brad Allen, the library’s executive director, said the series has brought some of the “greatest living writers” to Lawrence, and he is “excited to continue the tradition with Johann Hari as our first international author.”

Doors open to the event at Liberty Hall, 644 Massachusetts St. at 6 p.m. on Wednesday. The event is free and no registration is required, but seating is first come, first served. More information about the event is available