Oprah Winfrey made a surprise appearance before a capacity crowd at the Arlington Theatre during a conversation between author Dr. Abraham Verghese and Pico Iyer.

At the UCSB Arts & Lectures Speaking with Pico event, Winfrey came out to celebrate the success of her friend Verghese, whose novel “The Covenant of Water” was an Oprah’s Book Club pick in 2023 and has been on the New York Times fiction bestseller list continuously since its release.

Praising Verghese, a physician who teaches at Stanford University, Winfrey said the book had changed her life and is one of the best novels she has ever read.

Celesta M. Billeci, Miller McCune executive director of UCSB Arts & Lectures, was on hand to congratulate Verghese and to thank both Oprah and Pico Iyer, the evening’s moderator, for bringing him to Santa Barbara.

Founded in 1959, UCSB Arts & Lectures annually presents more than 100 public events, from critically acclaimed concerts and dance performances to film series, and talks by major authors at UCSB and Santa Barbara-area venues.