Join us for an evening with two-time Natio nal Book Award winner Jesmyn Ward. Hailed as "the new Toni Morrison" by th e American Booksellers Association\, Jesmyn will discuss her life\, her li terary vision and her unique perspectives on love and loss. Tracie D. Hall \, Executive Director of American Library Association\, will join her in c onversation.
\nJesmyn Ward is the critically acclaimed author of fic tion\, nonfiction\, and memoir\, including bestselling Sing\, Unburied \, Sing\, Salvage the Bones\, and the memoir Men We Reaped. Her many honors include the Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction \, a MacArthur Genius Grant\, and a Strauss Living Award. In 2017\, she be came the first woman and first person of color to win the National Book Aw ard for Fiction twice. The standout writer of her generation\, Ward's stor ies are largely set on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi\, where she grew up a nd still lives. A professor of creative writing at Tulane University\, War d's latest book\, Navigate Your Stars\, is an adaptation of her 2018 comme ncement address at Tulane that championed the value of hard work.
\nTracie D. Hall is an American librarian\, author\, curator\, and advocate for the arts. She is the first African American woman to lead the American Library Association\, where she's served as Executive Director since 2020 \, and fights for social justice\, access to information\, and universal b roadband.
\nThis event is made possible by Illinois Libraries Presen t\, a statewide collaboration among public libraries offering premier even ts. ILP is funded in part by a grant awarded by the Illinois State Library \, a department of the Office of Secretary of State\, using funds provided by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services\, under the provisio ns of the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA).
\nILP is commi tted to inclusion and accessibility. To request accommodations\, please em ail illinoislibrariespresent@gmail.com.
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