Emory University (Atlanta) English professor Michelle Wright reads from Physics of Blackness, her 2015 book about how different cultures and historical moments define blackness.
4-6 p.m., 2021C Tisch Hall, 435 S. State. Free. 763-2351
Seattle writer Sharon H. Chang reads from Hapa Tales and Other Lies, her new memoir that explores her Asian American and mixed race identity through the prism of a Hawaii vacation that turns into something more when she gets involved with the Native Hawaiian Sovereignty Movement. The program begins with an open mike for poets, who are welcome to read their own work or a favorite poem by another writer.
7 p.m., Bookbound, 1729 Plymouth. Free. 369-4345.
Literati Bookstore is thrilled to welcome Susan Orlean to the lobby of the Ann Arbor District Library in support of her latest, The Library Book. Copies of this new book and Orlean’s other titles will be available for sale, courtesy of Literati Bookstore.
About The Library Book: Susan Orlean, hailed as a “national treasure” by The Washington Post and the acclaimed bestselling author of Rin Tin Tin and The Orchid Thief, reopens the unsolved mystery of the most catastrophic library fire in American history, and delivers a dazzling love letter to a beloved institution–our libraries.
On the morning of April 29, 1986, a fire alarm sounded in the Los Angeles Public Library. As the moments passed, the patrons and staff who had been cleared out of the building realized this was not the usual false alarm. As one fireman recounted later, “Once that first stack got going, it was Goodbye, Charlie.” The fire was disastrous: It reached 2,000 degrees and burned for more than seven hours. By the time it was extinguished, it had consumed 400,000 books and damaged 700,000 more. Investigators descended on the scene, but over thirty years later, the mystery remains: Did someone purposefully set fire to the library–and if so, who?
Weaving her life-long love of books and reading with the fascinating history of libraries and the sometimes-eccentric characters who run them, award-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author Susan Orlean presents a mesmerizing and uniquely compelling story as only she can. With her signature wit, insight, compassion, and talent for deep research, she investigates the legendary Los Angeles Public Library fire to showcase the larger, crucial role that libraries play in our lives. To truly understand what happens behind the stacks, Orlean visits the different departments of the LAPL, encountering an engaging cast of employees and patrons and experiencing alongside them the victories and struggles they face in today’s climate. She also delves into the evolution of libraries across the country and around the world, from a metropolitan charitable initiative to a cornerstone of national identity. She reflects on her childhood experiences in libraries; studies arson and the long history of library fires; attempts to burn a copy of a book herself; and she re-examines the case of Harry Peak, the blond-haired actor long suspected of setting fire to the library over thirty years ago. Along the way, she reveals how these buildings provide much more than just books–and that they are needed now more than ever.
Filled with heart, passion, and unforgettable characters, The Library Book is classic Susan Orlean, and an homage to a beloved institution that remains a vital part of the heart, mind, and soul of our country and culture.
About Susan Orlean: Susan Orlean has been a staff writer at The New Yorker since 1992. She is the author of seven books, including Rin Tin Tin, Saturday Night, and The Orchid Thief, which was made into the Academy Award-winning film Adaptation. She lives with her family and her animals in upstate New York.
Poetry readings, testimonials, and storytelling by people who have experienced homelessness. Also, an art display and information from area agencies that address homelessness.
6-8 p.m., Ypsilanti Freight House, 100 Market Pl, Ypsilanti. Free. 662-2829, ext. 226.[map]
Join us for a moving poetry night. Caroline Johnson’s first full-length publication, The Caregiver, includes 50 poems that were inspired by the 15 years she devoted to taking care of her aging parents. Midwest Book Review deemed it “very highly recommended for both personal reading lists and community library Contemporary American Poetry collections.” Joining her will be UofM MFA candidate Tara E. Jay.
The Caregiver is Caroline Johnson’s first full-length publication. The gathering includes free verse, lyrical poems, prose poetry and some formal verse. Many of the poems won contests and have been previously published in online print journals and anthologies. The poems touch on the topic of grieving but go beyond and focus on the many difficulties a caregiver experiences―both emotional and physical―yet also recognize the spiritual gifts that come with helping a loved one. Caregiving is a significant issue for our times and will only become more important as our population ages.
Caroline Johnson observed both of her parents suffer crippling illnesses such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and Rheumatoid Arthritis in the 15 years she spent as family caregiver. During that time she wrote poetry as a way to grieve and celebrate their lives. This book is the culmination of that effort. She has published two poetry chapbooks, My Mother’s Artwork and Where the Street Ends, and more than 70 poems. Her awards include winning the 2012 Chicago Tribune’s Printers Row Poetry Contest, nominations for the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net, and prizes in state and national competitions. A former English teacher, she works as an academic advisor for a Chicago area community college. One of her favorite activities in the past was watching James Bond movies with her father, who served in the U.S. Air Force as a bomber pilot during the Cold War in the 1950s as part of the Strategic Air Command (SAC). Please visit www.caroline-johnson.com.
As a new wave of activists from Black Lives Matter to the Trump resistance respond to the latest tide of repression, misogyny, and racism, today’s activists are becoming the next link in a long line of American social justice movements. Looking to strengthen this historical bond, in her memoir What My Left What Was Doing: Lessons from a Grassroots Activist, Detroit author Joann Castle turns to her deep experiences for lessons learned that speak to universal social and political issues, which resonate today. What My Left Hand Was Doing’s exclusive ‘Activist’s Survival Guide’ offers a relevant, critical bridge between generations of world changers fighting for a better tomorrow. Join us as for an inter-generational discussion between Joann and Alena Williams.
Joann Castle is a lifelong Detroiter and political activist. She was the mother of six young children when she became involved in the radical Catholic movement for racial equality during the Civil Rights Movement in the mid-1960s. Against the incendiary backdrop of the 1967 Detroit insurrection and its aftermath, Castle invested in community work, foster care, and co-founded Hourglass, a group which lobbied the Catholic Church to support black self-determination. By 1968, she was an active member of the Ad-Hoc Action Group struggling against police brutality and later joined the Motor City Labor League, a radical left organization. In the early 70s, she co-founded the unprecedented Control, Conflict & Change Book Club which united blacks and whites in collective consciousness raising and political action.
As Castle became more intensely involved in political activities her marriage failed, she broke with her church, and her family disowned her. Against all odds, she embraced her new life and moved on with her children at her side. Castle married Michael Hamlin in 1975, at the height of his work in the Black Power Movement. She later embarked on a twenty-seven-year career in health care services and earned an M.A. in medical anthropology.
What My Left Hand Was Doing is drawn from Castle’s personal experience as an activist corroborated by archival materials from Wayne State University’s Walter P. Reuther Library Archives. In 2012, Castle founded, Against the Tide Books, a company dedicated to the publication of Personal Histories in the Struggle for Justice.
Literati is thrilled to welcome authors Bill Shapiro and Naomi Wax who will be sharing their new book What We Keep.
About What We Keep:
With contributions from Cheryl Strayed, Mark Cuban, Ta-Nahesi Coates, Melinda Gates, Joss Whedon, James Patterson, and many more–this fascinating collection gives us a peek into 150 personal treasures and the secret histories behind them.
All of us have that one object that holds deep meaning–something that speaks to our past, that carries a remarkable story. Bestselling author Bill Shapiro collected this sweeping range of stories–he talked to everyone from renowned writers to Shark Tank hosts, from blackjack dealers to teachers, truckers, and nuns, even a reformed counterfeiter–to reveal the often hidden, always surprising lives of objects.
Bill Shapiro co-wrote What We Keep. He is the former editor-in-chief of LIFE magazine, and his previous books include Other People’s Love Letters, and Gus & Me, which he co-wrote with Keith Richards. He serves on the Art Advisory Board of SXSW.
Naomi Wax co-wrote What We Keep. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Iowa Review, and many other publications. She works on the communications team at the Ford Foundation.
Brookings Institute fellow and CNN commentator Norman Eisen reads from his new book, which examines 20th-century European history through the lens of the families that lived in the Petschek house in Prague, the residence he occupied as the U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic, 2011-14.
Noon-1 p.m., Weill Hall Annenberg Auditorium, 735 S. State. Free. 764-3490
Former LA Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti reads from The Big Chair, his 2017 memoir which offers insights on being accountable to wealthy team owners, managing players’ illegal steroid use, negotiating for players, and second-guessing field managers without seeming to interfere. Refreshments.
4-5:30 p.m., Weill Hall Betty Ford Classroom, 735 S. State. Free. 764-3490.
Literati is thrilled to welcome back author R.J. Fox who will be sharing his new novel Awaiting Identification.
About Awaiting Identification:
Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office, Detroit, Michigan: October 31, 1999.
Five unidentified bodies lie in the Wayne County morgue on Halloween night. Although each character was on a separate journey, fate leads each of the five victims to cross paths on the streets of Detroit en route to their tragic demise. Set against the backdrop of a Devil’s Night party at legendary Detroit concert venue and nightclub, Saint Andrew’s Hall, Awaiting Identification details the final night on earth for five lost souls. NYC Girl: a former dancer arrives back home from New York City to make amends with her mother and begin to rebuild her life. Leaf Man: a musician and part-time DJ is on the cusp of his big break with one final, unexpected drug deal to complete before he can go totally straight. R.I.P.: a career criminal must come up with a large sum of money to pay for his father’s medical expenses, despite his yearning for a crime-free life. The Zealot: a religious fanatic on a mission from God to rid the city of filth. Cat Man: a kind and trusting homeless man wanders the city looking for new friends. Like the city in which it takes place, Awaiting Identification is a story of hope, identity, and above all, redemption.
R.J. Fox is an English and video production teacher who uses his own dream of making movies to inspire his students to follow their dreams. He has previously worked in public relations and as a journalist. He is the author of Love & Vodka. He lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
