About this Event
Sidetrack Bookshop presents author Kristin Bartley Lenz for the 10th anniversary of her novel The Art of Holding on and Letting Go.
Kristin will be in conversation with Kimber Bishop-Yanke, executive director of Kids Empowered on the Move. On the day of the event, 25% of all book sales will be donated.
Date: Wednesday, October 21, 2026, 6:30pm - 8pm. Doors open at 6pm.
Location: Sidetrack Bookshop, 325 S. Washington Ave., Royal Oak, MI 48067
Tickets:
- $19.25 - Includes one general admission ticket for event and one preorder of , which can be picked up at the event.
- RSVP Only - Includes one general admission ticket for the event
Additional copies of will be available for purchase at the event (while supplies last). Kristin will be available after the event to sign and personalize books.
Parking in the Center Street Parking Garage located just north of Sidetrack Bookshop with entrances on both Washington and Center Streets is free for the first two hours and costs only 75 cents per hour thereafter, Monday through Saturday.
About The Art of Holding on and Letting Go
Not every loss comes with an ending. How do you hold on—and let go?
Jandy Nelson meets John Green, grounded in a world of rock climbing.
Competitive climber Cara Jenkins feels most at home high off the ground, clinging to a rock by her fingertips.
Raised by mountaineering parents, she’s grown up roaming the world, making the natural landscape her playground and the writings of Annie Dillard and Henry David Thoreau her guides. But when tragedy interrupts an expedition on an Ecuadorian mountaintop, Cara’s nomadic life is abruptly upended. Sent to live with her grandparents in suburban Detroit, Cara begins a year of unexpected discovery, finding friendship, first love, humor, and moments of joy alongside grief. As she navigates what she may have lost, Cara learns that healing doesn’t require certainty, and that love, connection, and even home can take shape in surprising ways, with moments of sparkle along the way.
A lyrical, high-stakes coming-of-age novel about a teenage elite climber forced to confront the limits of control—on the rock, in competition, and in love, when the people she trusts most disappear. A story about courage that isn’t just about strength, but about learning when to grip tighter and when to release. Perfect for readers navigating ambiguous loss, fear, and love.
About Kristin Bartley Lenz
Kristin Bartley Lenz is a writer and licensed clinical social worker who has lived in Michigan, Georgia, and California. Her rock climbing adventures inspired her debut young adult novel, The Art of Holding On and Letting Go, which was a Junior Library Guild Selection and a Great Lakes Great Books Award honor title. Her writing has been published in The New York Times, an array of literary journals, and two anthologies (Rhyme & Rhythm: Poems for Student Athletes and Just YA: Short Poems, Essays, & Fiction for Grades 7-12). She also writes freelance for Detroit area nonprofits, teaches creative writing for teens and adults, and escapes to the woods and lakes in northern Michigan whenever she can. Look for her new novel, The Door Swings Open in 2027, and learn more at kristinbartleylenz.com.
Event venue & nearby stays
Sidetrack Bookshop, 325 S. Washington Ave., Royal Oak, United States
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