Former First Lady Michelle Obama is billing her "Becoming" book tour as "an intimate conversation" with her _ at least as intimate as you can get in a stadium setting.
Now we learn that some famous friends, announced Tuesday, will keep her company along the way, starting with Oprah Winfrey moderating the event in Chicago on Nov. 13, the day the book goes on sale.
Obama will spend a little more than a month hitting 10 cities in 12 appearances _ she'll stop twice in Brooklyn and Washington, D.C. _ in cozy spots like the Barclays Center in New York, Capitol One Arena in D.C. and American Airlines Center in Dallas.
The tour comes to the Los Angeles area on Nov. 15 with Tracee Ellis Ross on hand at the Forum. It'll wrap up with its final "conversation" on Dec. 19 in Brooklyn with Sarah Jessica Parker moderating.
Valerie Jarrett will be in D.C. on Nov. 17 and Dallas on Dec. 17; Michele Norris has Boston on Nov. 24 and San Jose on Dec. 14; Elizabeth Alexander will moderate in D.C. on Nov. 25 and Brooklyn on Dec. 1; Phoebe Robinson takes the reins in Philadelphia on Nov. 29 and Detroit on Dec. 11, and Reese Witherspoon is at the helm in Dallas on Dec. 13.
Tickets aren't cheap and vary by venue, but 10 percent of available seats have been reserved and donated free to charities, schools and other organizations in the various cities. A limited number of people can purchase different VIP "meet and greet" packages and packages that include a signed copy of the book, to be shipped later. Select online ticket purchases include a copy of the book.
The memoir covers the time from Obama's childhood on Chicago's South Side through life as an executive and mother balancing the demands of both worlds to her stint at the White House.
