Navigate Your Stars: Jesmyn Ward: In Conversation with Tracie D. Hall

Join us for an evening with two-time National Book Award winner Jesmyn Ward where she 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 fiction, nonfiction, and memoir, including bestselling Sing, Unburied, Sing, Salvage the Bones, and the memoir Men We Reaped. In 2017, she became the first woman and first person of color to win the National Book Award for Fiction twice. Her latest book, Navigate Your Stars, is an adaptation of her 2018 commencement address at Tulane that championed 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, serving as Executive Director since 2020.

This event is made possible by 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). ILP is committed to inclusion and accessibility. To request accommodations, please email illinoislibrariespresent@gmail.com.