Join us for an evening with two-time Natio nal Book Award winner Jesmyn Ward. Hailed as &ldquo\;the new Toni Morrison &rdquo\; by the American Booksellers Association\, Jesmyn will discuss her life\, her literary vision and her unique perspectives on love and loss. Tracie D. Hall\, Executive Director of American Library Association\, will join her in conversation.
\nJesmyn Ward is the cri tically acclaimed author of fiction\, nonfiction\, and memoir\, including bestselling Sing\, Unburied\, Sing\, Salvage the Bones\, and the memoir Men We Reaped. Her many honors include the Librar y of Congress Prize for American Fiction\, a MacArthur Genius Grant\, and a Strauss Living Award. In 2017\, she became the first woman and first per son of color to win the National Book Award for Fiction twice. The standou t writer of her generation\, Ward&rsquo\;s stories are largely set on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi\, where she grew up and still lives. A professor of creative writing at Tulane University\, Ward&rsquo\;s latest book\, Na vigate Your Stars\, is an adaptation of her 2018 commencement address at T ulane that championed the value of hard work. \;
\nTraci e D. Hall is an American librarian\, author\, curator\, and advoc ate for the arts. She is the first African American woman to lead the Amer ican Library Association\, where she's served as Executive Director since 2020\, and fights for social justice\, access to information\, and univers al broadband.
\nThis event is made possible by Illinois Libraries Pr esent\, a statewide collaboration among public libraries offering premier events. ILP is funded in part by a grant awarded by the Illinois State Lib rary\, a department of the Office of Secretary of State\, using funds prov ided by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services\, under the prov isions of the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA).
\nILP is c ommitted to inclusion and accessibility. To request accommodations\, pleas e email illinoislibrariespresent@gmail.com.
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