Rose Valland, curator of the Jeu de Paume art museum in Paris during the WWII German occupation, is credited with infiltrating Nazi leadership to save more than 60,000 artworks stolen from Jewish owners. Award-winning journalist Michelle Young has published the definitive account of this unlikely heroine in "The Art Spy: The Extraordinary Untold Tale of World War II Resistance Hero Rose Valland."

On Saturday, Oct. 24, as part of Word, Blue Hill’s Oct. 22-25 literary arts festival, Young will discuss her quest for insight into Valland’s acheivment. She will be in conversation with writer, producer, and journalism educator Alicia Anstead starting at 7 p.m. in the Blue Hill Congregational Church.

“The Art Thief” made “best of the year” lists from NY Public Library to Hyperallergic and won a Massachusetts Book Awards nonfiction honor. Young’s work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, and numerous other outlets. She writes frequently about lost and looted art.

Word’s media partner is WERU-FM. Its fiscal sponsor is Blue Hill Community Development.

Schedule/information: wordfestival.org or 374-5632.