Best-selling author John Grisham will be in St. Louis April 22 to speak at a fundraiser for the Midwestern Innocence Project.
Tickets start at $125 for individuals.
Grisham’s latest legal thriller is “The Associate.” But in 2006, he published his first nonfiction book, “The Innocent Man.” An additional $50 donation will buy a autographed copy of “The Innocent Man.” Books will be for sale, but Grisham will not be signing additional books.
“The Innocent Man” is the real-life story of a has-been baseball player who was wrongfully convicted of rape and murder in Oklahoma.
Grisham has said that his research into the story of Ron Williamson opened his eyes to the world of wrongful convictions: “Even as a former criminal defense attorney, I had never spent much time worrying about wrongful convictions. But, unfortunately, they happen all the time in this country, and with increasing frequency.”
At least six innocent people who served prison time for crimes they did not commit will be at the April 22 event.
The fundraiser will support the Midwestern Innocence Project. Most of the Missouri inmates who seek help from the group were convicted in St. Louis, a spokeswoman for the project said.
The event starts with 6 p.m. cocktails at the Renaissance Grand Hotel, 800 Washington Avenue. Dinner is at 7 p.m.
For more info or to buy tickets, go to www.themip.org or call 816-221-2166.