Author Talk featuring Jesmyn Ward
Sunday, September 22
Main Library
1 p.m. | Library Opens
Free parking in Main Library's attached garage. General admission seating begins in the second floor Reading Room.
2 p.m. | Author Talk
2:45 p.m. | Audience Q&A
3 p.m. | Book Signing
The Friends of the Library will sell a selection of the author's books near the book signing table, or you can bring your personal copy to have signed.
ABOUT JESMYN WARD
MacArthur Genius and two-time National Book Award winner Jesmyn Ward has been hailed as the standout writer of her generation. In 2018, she was recognized among Time‘s 100 Most Influential People.
She is the author of Where the Line Bleeds (2008) and Salvage the Bones, which won the 2011 National Book Award. She became the first woman and the first person of color to win two National Book Awards for Fiction in 2017 when her novel Sing, Unburied, Sing took the top prize. She is also the editor of the anthology The Fire This Time (2017) and the author of a memoir Men We Reaped (2014).
Ward received her MFA from the University of Michigan and is currently an associate professor of creative writing at Tulane University in New Orleans.
In her talks, Ward shares her writing process and how her experiences growing up poor and black in the South continue to influence her work.
EVENT FAQs
Where should I park and how much will it cost? Free parking in Main Library’s garage will be offered during all Author Talks. Garage capacity is 375 vehicles and its entrance on Library Park North is accessible off Grant Avenue. If the garage is full, metered street parking and surface lots surround Main Library. Fees may vary.
What time does seating begin? Main Library opens at 1 p.m. and first come, first served seating begins in the second floor Reading Room. The program will begin at 2 p.m.
Are there assigned seats? No. Seating is general admission. Reserved handicapped accessible seats will be available.
Do I have to bring my ticket to the event? If the event is sold out, guests with proof of registration (mobile or printed) will be seated prior to those who did not pre-register.
What happens if the event is sold out? Join the waitlist and you will be notified when seats become available based on your placement on the list.
Also, the Reading Room at Main Library is an open space on the second floor. Balcony viewing on the third floor may be available, but seating is not guaranteed.
What is the cancellation policy? This is a free event. If you cannot attend after you have registered, please cancel your reservation as soon as possible to make room for other guests who may be on the waitlist.
Can I record the program? We encourage you to take photos and share them using the hashtag #CarnegieAuthorSeries, but recording is not permitted.
Will the author's books be available for checkout or purchase? A selection of the author's books will be for sale in the Library Store prior to the program and in the Reading Room at the conclusion of the event. Proceeds from the book sale benefit the Friends of the Library.
Main Library will have a special display of the author's books and similar titles ready for checkout free with your library card.
