Talk show host Phil Donahue and actress Marlo Thomas are “coming” to Memphis.
They’re partnering with bookstore Novel for a virtual, live-streamed conversation on their new book, “What Makes a Marriage Last: 40 Celebrated Couples Share with Us the Secrets to a Happy Life.”
The event takes place Tuesday, July 14 at 7 p.m. Well-known WMC Action News 5 news anchor Joe Birch will host the discussion.
The couple plans to share the keys to creating a lasting marriage, which they’ve learned through their own relationship and interviews with 40 couples for their new book.
Donahue and Thomas are both in their 80s and celebrated their 40th anniversary in May.
The book was released on May 5 just before their anniversary. It’s their first joint project.
“What Makes a Marriage Last” made the top 10 on the New York Times’ best-seller list for advice and how-to books in the last two weeks of May.
Tickets for the virtual event are $33 and include a signed bookplate and a copy of the book. Tickets and more information are
available here.
The book is billed as an intimate collection of conversations with famous couples about their long-time marriages and how they’ve weathered the challenges of life and love.
Donahue and Thomas interviewed 40 couples whose relationships they admire. The list includes award-winning actors, athletes, writers, musicians, and former U.S. president and First Lady Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter.
Also among the interviews are Reverend Jesse and Jacqueline Jackson, Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick, Viola Davis and Julius Tennon, Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan, and Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka.
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Cole Bradley is a native Memphian and graduate of the University of Memphis. Cole's worked locally as a researcher and community engagement strategist and began contributing to High Ground in Jan 2017.