An Evening with Jayne Kennedy & Lesley Visser

Legendary journalist Jayne Kennedy joins us for her memoir PLAIN JAYNE

About this Event


Books & Books and the Books & Books Literary Foundation are proud to present an evening with Jayne Kennedy discussing Plain Jayne: A Memoir (Andscape Books, $28.99).
From award-winning actress and sports broadcaster Jayne Kennedy comes a compelling, inspirational, and unflinchingly honest memoir about her rise in Hollywood and beyond.

***Please note: This event will take place at the Books & Books in Coral Gables at 265 Aragon Ave. Tickets are REQUIRED. Each ticket admits one (1) guest into the venue and includes one (1) copy of PLAIN JAYNE ($28.99 + tax). If you would like to bring a guest, you must add our $5 guest fee. This fee does not include a copy and only accounts for one guest. Books will be handed out upon entry. Can't make the event?

About the Book:

“Jayne Kennedy is an icon. Her willingness to candidly share her struggles and triumphs is an inspiring reminder of the value of resilience and integrity. For those of us women who chose to pursue a career in sports, we are indebted to Jayne for fighting important battles that made our paths a little less rocky.”—Jemele Hill, author and sports journalistFrom award-winning actress and sports broadcaster Jayne Kennedy comes a compelling, inspirational, and unflinchingly honest memoir about her rise in Hollywood and beyond.Jayne Kennedy is one of the most photographed, glamorous, and intriguing women ever to set foot in Hollywood. Perhaps best known for her groundbreaking work in 1978–1980 on the Emmy Award–winning CBS program The NFL Today, she’s an icon and trailblazer in every sense of the word. From becoming the first Black woman to win Miss Ohio USA, to being the only woman to host the long-running syndicated television show Greatest Sports Legends, and pioneering the fitness industry with her bestselling Love Your Body exercise videos and fitness programs, nobody has had a career trajectory quite like Jayne. And she has never gone on the record about her personal experiences and the resulting joys and scars—until now.Her candid and conversational storytelling will endear her once again to her existing fans as well as open her up to a new audience that will admire her message of resilience and empowerment. Jayne has long been a beacon of Black and female excellence and has opened doors for female talent and media executives. Inducted into the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in their Television and the Media Landscape exhibit, Jayne is indeed a pioneer. Tracing her upbringing in Ohio and her journey shattering glass ceilings in American contemporary culture, Plain Jayne is a breathtaking story of endurance, survival, and achievement.New boost

About the Author:

JAYNE KENNEDY is an actress, sports broadcaster, television personality, writer, and producer. Her accolades for being a trailblazer are numerous, including the National Sports Media Association’s Roone Arledge Award for Innovation, Black Enterprise’s Women of Power Summit’s Legacy Award, and the NAACP Image Award for Best Actress for the film Body & Soul, which she also produced. Viacom/BET named her one of the Ten Black Female Firsts in TV Journalism Around the World, and in 2018 she was inducted to the prestigious Smithsonian National Museum of African-American History and Culture in Washington D.C., in the Television and the Media Landscape exhibit, presented in the Oprah Winfrey Wing of the institution.

About the Moderator:

Lesley Visser is a highly acclaimed sportscaster, celebrated for a trailblazing career spanning over 45 years. The first woman enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, she has broken countless barriers, including being the first female to broadcast the Super Bowl, Final Four, NBA Finals, World Series, and serve as an NFL analyst on both radio and TV. She’s the only sportscaster—male or female—to work network broadcasts of virtually every major sporting event, from the Olympics to the Triple Crown. A Carnegie Foundation grant launched her career at The Boston Globe, where her writing earned her a place in the National Sports Media Hall of Fame; she was also inducted into the Sportscasters Hall of Fame for her work with CBS, ABC, ESPN, and HBO. Visser has received the Muhammad Ali “Daughter of Greatness” honor, the Newseum Lifetime Achievement Award, and in 2024, Fordham’s Vin Scully Award. A Boston College graduate and honorary doctorate recipient, she’s also known for her long-standing work with the V Foundation, her global mentorship of young women, and her memoir, Sometimes You Have to Cross When It Says Don’t Walk, which is being developed for film and TV. Visser lives in Bay Harbor Islands, Florida, with her husband, Bob Kanuth.

Get Tickets