Illinois Libraries Present to host virtual visit with National Book Award-winning author Jesmyn Ward

Illinois Libraries Present, a statewide collaboration between public libraries offering premier events, welcomes critically acclaimed and award-winning author Jesmyn Ward in an online event on Tuesday, June 6, 2023.

Hailed as "the new Toni Morrison" by the American Booksellers Association, Jesmyn Ward 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.

Jesmyn Ward is the critically acclaimed author of titles such as 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 became the first woman and first person of color to win the National Book Award for Fiction twice. A professor of creative writing at Tulane University, Ward's latest book, Navigate Your Stars, is an adaptation of her 2018 commencement address at Tulane, championing the value of hard work.

Tracie 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 broadband.

"Navigate Your Stars: A Conversation with Jesmyn Ward" will be online on Zoom on Tuesday, June 6 at 7 p.m. Visit SchaumburgLibrary.org/events to register.

Schaumburg Township District Library is a founding member of Illinois Libraries Present, a statewide collaboration among public libraries offering 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, under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA).

At Schaumburg Township Library, we spark curiosity and enrich our community by connecting services, resources, and people.