Public watch parties available for "An Evening with John Green"

LAWRENCE, Kan. -- The University of Kansas and Lawrence Public Library will host three public watch parties on Tuesday, Sept. 2, for the at-capacity event, “An Evening with John Green,” part of the 2025-26 KU Reads: A Common Book Experience. Each watch party is free and open to the public, and will begin at 7 p.m., allowing attendees to gather and engage with others while viewing the live stream of the event. 

The watch parties, which will each include a raffle for KU Reads prize packs, will take place at the following locations: 

• Watson Library, Three West Reading Room, KU Lawrence campus 
  The Three West Reading Room seats up to 100 people and is located on the main floor of Watson Library, located at the heart of KU’s Lawrence Campus at 1425 Jayhawk Blvd. Parking in most campus lots is open after 5 p.m., with multiple lots in the vicinity of the building and along Memorial Drive.  
• Lawrence Public Library, Auditorium, Downtown Lawrence 
  The Auditorium at Lawrence Public Library seats up to 120 people and is located near the main entrance of the building at 707 Vermont Street. On-street parking is available around the library or in the Vermont Street Parking Garage across the Library Lawn. 
• Hawks Nest in the Regents Center Building, KU Edwards Campus, Overland Park 
  The Hawks Nest is an open collaborative study and community building space in the Regents Center building on KU’s Edwards Campus, located at 12600 Quivira Road in Overland Park. Parking is free for everyone in any lot. 

The main event at the Lied Center of Kansas, will feature author and digital creator John Green in conversation with Giselle Anatol, director of KU’s Hall Center for the Humanities. All tickets to the in-person event were claimed in less than three days, prompting organizers to offer additional options for the KU and Lawrence communities to connect and participate.  

Nearly 2,000 free tickets were distributed first to KU students, faculty, and staff starting August 18, with a limit of four tickets per person. Any returned tickets will be distributed to a stand-by line on Sept. 2 at 6 p.m., and any remaining open seats in the auditorium will be made available at 6:50 p.m.    

The event will be livestreamed via the Hall Center’s Crowdcast channel. No prior registration is required to view the stream, but users must create a free Crowdcast account. Attendees at both the Lied Center and watch party locations will hear Green respond to pre-submitted questions from the KU community as part of the conversation with Anatol. A book signing for in-person ticket holders will follow the event at the Lied Center Pavilion. 

The KU Reads program continues throughout the academic year with a series of events centered on Green’s “The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet,” KU’s 2025-26 Common Book selection. Free copies of the book are available by request for KU students, faculty, staff, and campus partners while supplies last. 

For more details about the event, watch party locations, livestream access, and upcoming KU Reads programming, visit commonbook.ku.edu.