FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Chicago Public Library proudly announces the novel A Mercy by Toni Morrison is the 19th selection for the fall 2010 One Book, One Chicago event. As the opening event of the fall 2010 One Book, One Chicago programming, the Library presents Dr. Dwight McBride, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Professor of African American Studies and Gender and Women's Studies, in a lecture on Toni Morrison's importance not just as a novelist, but as a leading American intellectual. The free program takes place on Tuesday, September 7, at 6:00 p.m. in the Cindy Pritzker Auditorium, lower level, Harold Washington Library Center, 400 S. State St.
This kick off to our fall citywide reading initiative also includes a brief performance from the opera Margaret Garner, for which Ms. Morrison wrote the libretto, presented with help from the Ryan Opera Center at the Lyric Opera; and a give-away of free copies of A Mercy for the first 385 attendees!
Dr. Dwight McBride is a leading scholar on race and literary studies. He has published numerous books, essays and articles on race theory, black studies and identity politics including Impossible Witnesses: Truth, Abolitionism, and Slave Testimony, which was nominated for the Hurston-Wright Legacy Award, and Why I Hate Abercrombie and Fitch: Essays on Race and Sexuality. Dr. McBride received his undergraduate degree in English and African American Studies at Princeton University. He earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in English at UCLA. He is a former assistant professor of English and African American studies at UIC, and became chair of the African American Studies Department at Northwestern University. In 2007, he returned to UIC as the Liberal Arts Dean.
Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Toni Morrison will talk about her life, work and A Mercy at a very special program on Tuesday, October 19, at 7:00p.m. Presented by the Chicago Public Library Foundation and the McCormick Foundation, the event will be held at Orchestra Hall in the Chicago Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave. The event is free but tickets will be distributed. Tickets are available at the Symphony Center box office; or online at www.cso.org ($5 handling charge per order); or by calling (312) 294-3000 ($5 handling charge per order).
In addition, Toni Morrison will appear in conversation with Oprah Winfrey Wednesday, Oct. 20, when Professor Morrison is honored at the Chicago Public Library and Chicago Public Library Foundation's Carl Sandburg Literary Award Dinner. Also being honored that evening is Northwestern University Artist in Residence Eula Biss, who will receive the 21st Century Award, honoring recent achievement in writing by an author with ties to Chicago. The event will be held at the University of Illinois at Chicago Forum (725 W. Roosevelt Road). Sponsorships for tables of ten start at $10,000, and individual tickets are $1,000 or $2,500. For more information or to purchase tickets, tables or sponsorships, contact Rebecca Spence, event coordinator, at (312) 201-9830 or rspence@cplfoundation.org.
The Chicago Public Library continues to encourage lifelong learning by welcoming all people and offering equal access to information, entertainment and knowledge through materials, programs and cutting-edge technology.
The Chicago Public Library is comprised of the Harold Washington Library Center, two regional libraries and more than 70 neighborhood branches. All locations provide free access to a rich collection of books, DVDs, audio books and music; the Internet and WiFi; sophisticated research databases, many of which can be accessed from a home or office computer; newspapers and magazines; and continue to serve as cultural centers, presenting the highest quality author discussions, exhibits and programs for children, teens and adults.
The Harold Washington Library Center, Carter G. Woodson Regional Library and Conrad Sulzer Regional Library are open 7 days a week, the branch libraries are open 6 days a week and patrons can access all of the Library's collections online 24 hours a day. For more information, please visit the website at chicagopubliclibrary.org or call the Chicago Public Library Press Office at (312) 747-4050.
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