At 7:30 p.m. Jan. 19, Thurber House Evenings with Authors presents Jayne Anne Phillips, author of the bestseller Machine Dreams, reading from her latest novel and New York Times bestseller, Lark & Termite, which was also a nominee for the National Book Award in Fiction.

The event will be held at the Columbus Performing Arts Center, 549 Franklin Ave.

Lark & Termite is set in the 1950s in West Virginia and Korea and at its center are Lark, a teenage girl, and her younger brother, Termite, a child who cannot walk or talk but is blessed with the gifts of sight and feeling.

Capturing a complex mix of relationships and emotions as the story unfolds, Phillips links the past, present and future as the characters’ stories reveal family secrets, fears and dreams. Lark and Termite’s father, Corporal Robert Leavitt, is shipped out to fight during the early months of the Korean War, leaving them in the care of their aunt, Nonie, as circumstances change their lives forever.

Following the reading, Phillips will take questions, chat with the audience about her writing and sign books that will be available for purchase.

Tickets are $18 in advance, $20 at the door, Discounts are available for students and seniors ($15, advance; $18, at door).

Also, the 2010 Evenings with Authors series offers guests a special opportunity, The Author’s Table, an invitation to dine with favorite authors and personal time to talk about with them about their work while sharing a meal and then enjoying reserved seating at the event. Reservations for dinner with Phillips are $40 per person, with the group limited to 25 dinner guests.

The Author’s Table reservations are $40 per person and the group is limited to 25. For more information about the dinners, please call Anne Touvell at Thurber House, 614-464-1032 ext. 10.

For more information about the presentation, visit www.thurberhouse.org.