Hailed as &ldquo\;the new Toni Morrison&rd quo\; by the American Booksellers Association\, Jesmyn will discuss her li fe\, her literary vision and her unique perspectives on love and loss. Tra cie D. Hall\, Executive Director of American Library Association\, will jo in her in conversation.
\nJesmyn Ward is the critically acclaimed au thor of fiction\, nonfiction\, and memoir\, including bestselling Sing\, U nburied\, Sing\, Salvage the Bones\, and the memoir Men We Reaped. Her man y honors include the Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction\, a Ma cArthur Genius Grant\, and a Strauss Living Award. In 2017\, she became th e first woman and first person of color to win the National Book Award for Fiction twice. The standout writer of her generation\, Ward&rsquo\;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&rsquo\;s latest book\, Navigate Your Stars\, is an adaptation of her 201 8 commencement address at Tulane that championed the value of hard work.&n bsp\;
\nTracie D. Hall is an American librarian\, author\, curator\, and advocate for the arts. She is the first African American woman to lea d the American Library Association\, where she's served as Executive Direc tor since 2020\, and fights for social justice\, access to information\, a nd universal broadband.
\nThis event is made possible by Illinois Li braries Present\, a statewide collaboration among public libraries offerin g premier events. 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\, unde r the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA).
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