September 29, 2026 — Hernan Diaz (CRF 2025) returns with Ply (Riverhead Books), his third novel, released September 29, in a follow up to his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Trust. Hernan finished Ply during his Civitella residency and read an excerpt at the 2026 Artist Party.
The novel follows an orphan in a distant future where the state has been dismantled and society is developing new ways of living and relating to the natural world. As a young woman, she becomes a “pincher,” stealing electricity from the grid to power underground concerts, a life that ultimately leads her to a scientific discovery that could transform reality itself.
Following Trust, Hernan turns from the American past toward an imagined future, combining a coming-of-age story with questions about technology, identity, art, and human connection.
Civitella staff will celebrate the publication of Ply alongside Hernan on September 29th in New York City at Books Are Magic where Hernan will be in conversation with Jennifer Egan.