Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Philly Free Library: Upcoming Author Events!

Confirmed! 

Alice Goffman | On the Run

Monday, June 16, 2014 at 7:30 PM; FREE 

No tickets or reservations required. For more info: 215-567-4341  
Forty years in, the War on Drugs has done little to curb drug use or sales. It has however created a surveillance state in our most deprived neighborhoods. Arrest quotas and futuristic surveillance techniques criminalize entire blocks, and transform the very relationships that should stabilize young lives-family, friendships, jobs-into liabilities. Alice Goffman, an urban sociologist who grew up in Philadelphia, spent six years following a group of young men dealing with limited choices unable to escape the web of presumed criminality. Her new book On the Run, "one of the most eagerly awaited urban ethnographies in years" (New York Times), is a closely observed study of the impact of the criminal justice system on a low-income Philadelphia neighborhood.      
Jessye Norman | Stand Up Straight and Sing! 
In conversation with Tracey Matisak

Tuesday, May 27, 2014 at 7:30 PM; buy tickets online>>
One of the world's most accomplished opera singers, Jessye Norman faced the challenges of growing up under the struggles of racism in the Deep South. Following a long tradition of American sopranos who have refused to be constrained by societal limits, Norman is "one of those once-in-a-generation singers who is not simply following in the footsteps of others, but is staking out her own niche in the history of singing" (New York Times). She is the recipient of a Kennedy Center Honor, five Grammys, and dozens of international prizes. Her new book is an account of her inspiring life.   
Kimberla Lawson Roby | The Prodigal Son 
Thursday, May 29, 2014 at 7:30 PM; FREE  

No tickets or reservations required. For more info: 215-567-4341  
New York Times bestselling authorKimberla Lawson Roby is known for heartfelt and heart-wrenching novels that explore family and relationship issues, including infidelity and single motherhood, with "high-octane levels of emotion" (USA Today). She won the 2013 NAACP Image Award Winner for Outstanding Literary Work for her many books featuring the flashy and flawed preacher, Reverend Curtis Black. In The Prodigal Son, Reverend Black's two sons-one he hasn't spoken to in a year and the other his long-lost firstborn-struggle to find their way back into the Black family fold.          
Free Library Author Events
Andy Kahan, Ruth W. and A. Morris Williams Director, Author Events
Laura Kovacs, Associate Director
Jason Freeman, Program Assistant

phone: 215-567-4341
email: authorevents@freelibrary.org 
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General Information
Author Events are held in the Montgomery Auditorium at theParkway Central Library, 1901 Vine Street, unless noted. Events generally consist of a talk by the author and a Q & A period with the audience followed by a book signing. Books are sold on-site. Seating begins 45 minutes prior to event start times. No tickets orreservations are required for Free Author Events. 

Live American Sign Language translation of Author Events is provided upon request. Please call the Author Events Office at least two weeks in advance to request this service.

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