PBS Books

Author Talk: History of Black Education
2021-05-11 20:00 - 21:00 (America/Halifax)
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Author Talk on Education PBS Books, in partnership with the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), presents their author Jarvis Givens, and scholars Cornel West and Brandon Terry discussing the history of Black education in the US sparked by Givens’ new book Fugitive Pedagogy: Carter G. Woodson and the Art of Black Teaching.
About the Book
Givens’ new book Fugitive Pedagogy journeys through the subversive history of black education, and it uses the life of famed educator Carter G. Woodson (1875-1950) to elevate the political and intellectual contributions made by teachers to the long black freedom struggle.

About the Conversation
Professors Jarvis Givens and Cornel West will discuss the life of Carter G. Woodson (1875-1950) as a student, teacher, and education leader. But, as Givens shows in his new book, Fugitive Pedagogy: Carter G. Woodson and the Art of Black Teaching (Harvard University Press, 2021), Woodson was the product of longstanding subversive traditions among black schoolteachers, the educators who taught him and those whom he worked alongside. Givens and West will discuss why black teachers were so central to the long black freedom movement, and what lessons we might glean from their legacy as we search for meaningful education today. This conversation will be moderated by Professor Brandon Terry.

Trailblazing American Women Writers Project Series: Amy Tan
2021-05-06 20:00 - 21:00 (America/Halifax) | Facebook Live
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PBS Books will host trailblazing author Amy Tan in conversation with actress Tamlyn Tomita on Thursday, May 6 at 8 PM ET on PBS Books Facebook and YouTube Live channels and ZOOM at http://bit.ly/PBSBooksAmyTan
About the Author:
The daughter of Chinese immigrants, Amy Tan rejected her mother’s career expectations and chose to write fiction instead, resulting in her becoming a New York Times best-selling author. In addition to adult fiction, Tan has written two memoirs, two children’s books, numerous magazine articles, a libretto, screenplays, and was the creative consultant for Sagwa: The Chinese Siamese Cat, the Emmy-winning PBS KIDS series. In addition to Tan’s most recent book Where The Past Begins: A Writers Memoir, PBS Books will be discussing her episode of AMERICAN MASTERS, Unintended Memoir.
About the Moderator:
The conversation will be led by actress and activist Tamlyn Tomita, who is best known for her role in Karate Kid II and The Joy Luck Club, as well as her narration of the PBS series, Asian Americans, produced by the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) and WETA, the flagship PBS station in Washington, D.C.
About the Series
The PBS Books Trailblazing American Women Writers Project’s goal is to highlight incredible women authors and their accomplishments as part of our ongoing celebration of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, supported in part by a contribution from the National Endowment for the Arts. PBS Books will release a video highlighting our honored guest after the event to further promote her life and work. We hope to use technology and media to increase access to her work, reach new audiences and encourage dialogue about these writers while inspiring young trailblazers.

Author Talk for Kids: Cozbi Cabrera
2021-05-04 17:00 - 18:00 (America/Halifax) | Facebook Live
PBS Books, in partnership with the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) presents their Trailblazing American Women Writers featuring children’s author Cozbi Cabrera.
About the Author
Cozbi Cabrera is the illustrator of several books, including the picture book Beauty, Her Basket, which Publishers Weekly called “a quiet treasure” in a starred review. Her work is featured in her eponymous shop and atelier in Brooklyn. She lives in New York City. To learn more about Cabrera, please visit her at Cozbi.com.
About the Book
A Caldecott and Coretta Scott King Honor Book
Mama’s love is brighter than the sun, even on the rainiest of days. This celebration of a mother-daughter relationship is perfect for sharing with little ones!
On a rainy day when the house smells like cinnamon and Papa and Luca are still asleep, when the clouds are wearing shadows and the wind paints the window with beads of water, I want to be everywhere Mama is.
With lyrical prose and a tender touch, the Caldecott and Coretta Scott King Honor Book Mama and Me is an ode to the strength of the bond between a mother and a daughter as they spend a rainy day together.

This event is brought to you in part through the partnership with the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). Learn more about ASALH.

Trailblazing American Women Writers Project Series: Joy Harjo
2021-04-27 20:00 - 21:00 (America/Halifax) | Facebook Live
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PBS Books, in partnership with the American Indian Library Association and Kansas City Public Library, is thrilled to present their Trailblazing American Women Writers featuring Joy Harjo in conversation with Cindy Hohl, the President of the American Indian Library Association. The interview will take place Tuesday, April 27 at 8 PM ET |7PM CT on PBS Books Facebook and YouTube Live channels.
About the Author
Joy Harjo is a poet, playwright, and musician, and is currently serving her second term as the first Native American United States Poet Laureate. Harjo’s writing focuses on feminism and social justice, often incorporating Indigenous values, symbols, and myths into her writing. A proud member of The Muscogee Creek Nation, Harjo has kept close to her roots, and her poetry shows the beautiful connection she has to her Indigenous heritage.
About the Moderator
Cindy Hohl (Santee Sioux) is the President of the American Indian Library Association and she works as the Director of Branch Operations at the Kansas City Public Library. She also serves as a member of the Steering Committee for the Joint Council of Librarians of Color and she holds a MBA degree from Baker University and a BA in Organizational Management and Leadership degree from Friends University. As an ALA Spectrum Scholar, she represents Indigenous Librarianship, and she is passionate about Indigenous Knowledge, leadership, literacy, and lifelong learning.
About the Series
The PBS Books Trailblazing American Women Writers Project’s goal is to highlight incredible women authors and their accomplishments as part of our ongoing celebration of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, supported in part by a contribution from the National Endowment for the Arts. PBS Books will release a video highlighting our honored guest after the event to further promote her life and work. We hope to use technology and media to increase access to her work, reach new audiences and encourage dialogue about these writers while inspiring young trailblazers.

When I’m 65 - Investing: What’s New & What’s Not
2021-04-23 13:00 - 14:00 (America/Halifax) | Facebook Live
Investors have been on a roller coaster ride in the last 12 months. The only prediction sure to come true is that we can expect the unexpected.
We will discuss what tools and trends Millennials and the Gen Z ‘Zoomers’ are popularizing that might be worth adding to your portfolio. Plus, the tried and true principles that will help traditional investors get across the retirement finish line.

When I'm 65 - Investing: What’s New and What’s Not
2021-04-19 13:00 - 14:00 (America/Detroit)
Investors have been on a roller coaster ride in the last 12 months. The only prediction sure to come true is that we can expect the unexpected.
We will discuss what tools and trends Millennials and the Gen Z ‘Zoomers’ are popularizing that might be worth adding to your portfolio. Plus, the tried and true principles that will help traditional investors get across the retirement finish line.
“Boomers To Zoomers” is a production of When I’m 65, and funded by a grant from the Investor Protection Trust (IPT). The IPT is a nonprofit organization devoted to investor education. Since 1993 the IPT has worked with the States to provide the independent, objective investor education needed by all Americans to make informed investment decisions.

Hemingway: Coming Of Age In An Earlier Age
2021-04-16 20:00 - 21:00 UTC | Facebook Live
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Friday, April 16, at 8pm ET
Stream here or on Facebook
In conjunction with Ken Burns and Lynn Novick’s epic documentary, “Hemingway,” Detroit Public TV is presenting a special virtual event on the writer whose Michigan-based Nick Adams short fiction has long been a model for coming-of-age stories. Much of those stories were patterned on Hemingway’s own childhood, when he spent summers in Northern Michigan fishing, exploring and learning about life.
We will invite a distinguished panel of guest to delve into these tales, what they tell us about Hemingway, how modern they were in their own time and how they influence (or not) today’s more diverse community of writers and readers. Do the Nick Adams stories still speak to us? How do characters – and the rest of us — come of age in America one hundred years later?
Panel:

Marc Dudley, Professor of English at North Carolina State University, Author of “Hemingway, Race, and Art: Bloodlines and the Color Line.”
Keith Hood, Writer and Former Editor of the Orchid Literary Review
Monica Rico, Poet, Editor-in-Chief of U-M Bear River Writers’ Conference Review
Fred Svoboda, Professor of English at University of Michigan-Flint, Former Director and Treasurer of the Ernest Hemingway Foundation
Moderator, Heather-Marie Montilla, Library Bureau Chief of PBS Books

This event is being presented in partnership with the University of Michigan-Flint and Comma Bookstore.

Corporate funding for HEMINGWAY was provided by Bank of America. Major funding was provided by the Annenberg Foundation, The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, and by ‘The Better Angels Society,’ and its members John & Leslie McQuown, the Elizabeth Ruth Wallace Living Trust, John & Catherine Debs, The Fullerton Family Charitable Trust, the Kissick Family Foundation, Gail M. Elden, Gilchrist & Amy Berg, Robert & Beverly Grappone, Mauree Jane & Mark Perry; and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and PBS.

When I'm 65 - The COVID Effect: Restoring Financial Wellness
2021-04-15 13:00 - 14:00 (America/Detroit)
We discuss the ongoing impact of relief funding, and how to spend the latest round of checks to help bridge the gaps in your current investments or create a stronger security net. Plus, what options will help you build a secure baseline savings in the event of any other future disruptions to personal income or the economy?
“Boomers To Zoomers” is a production of When I’m 65, and funded by a grant from the Investor Protection Trust (IPT). The IPT is a nonprofit organization devoted to investor education. Since 1993 the IPT has worked with the States to provide the independent, objective investor education needed by all Americans to make informed investment decisions.

Poetry Author Talk: Dwayne Reed
2021-04-14 17:00 - 18:00 UTC | Facebook Live
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In celebration of Poetry Month and in collaboration with the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), meet with “America’s Favorite Rapping Teacher” Dwayne Reed to hear all about Simon B. Rhymin’. Inspired by the children he teaches and his hometown of Chicago, Dwayne has a passion for education and music. Using the power of rap and rhyme, Dwayne shows us that even the underdog can make a difference. The event will occur on Wednesday, April 14 at 5pm ET on PBS Books Facebook Live and Youtube pages.
About the Author
Dwayne Reed is a Chicago teacher, whose viral back-to-school music video “Welcome to the 4th Grade” took the internet by storm. His debut novel, Simon B. Rhymin’ , inspires young readers everywhere to use their voice to create change within their communities. When he’s not writing, rapping, or teaching, Dwayne can be found presenting at educator conferences across the U.S. or loving on his beautiful wife, Simone.

About the Book
Eleven-year-old Simon Barnes dreams of becoming a world-famous rapper that everyone calls Notorious D.O.G. But for now, he’s just a Chicago fifth grader who’s grader who’s small for his age and afraid to use his voice.
Simon prefers to lay low at school and at home, even though he’s constantly spitting rhymes in his head. But when his new teacher assigns the class an oral presentation on something that affects their community, Simon must face his fears of talking to people when he decides to focus on the homeless population in his neighborhood.
With some help from an unexpected ally and his friends, will Simon gain the confidence to rap his way to an A and prove that one kid can make a difference in his ‘hood.

Penny Stamps: Ken Fischer and Wynton Marsalis
2021-04-09 20:00 - 21:00 UTC | Facebook Live
Exploring community connection through the performing arts, UMS President Emeritus Ken Fischer and jazz musician Wynton Marsalis come together in a conversation moderated by Lisa Richards Toney, president and CEO of the APAP Conference NYC.

Hemingway Book Club Conversation
2021-04-08 20:00 - 21:00 UTC
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PBS Books was proud to host a book club conversation on Ernest Hemingway, in conjunction with the new PBS series, HEMINGWAY, which premiered April, 2021.
We encouraged people across the nation to read a book written by Hemingway in March, watch the HEMINGWAY documentary, and then join us for a virtual book club conversation with the filmmakers, Ken Burns, Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein, the following day.
The conversation was moderated by the Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden.

University of Michigan Penny Stamps Speaker Series
2021-04-02 20:00 - 21:00 UTC

Trailblazing American Women Writers Project Series: Laurie Wallmark & Brooke Smart
2021-03-31 17:00 - 18:00 (America/Detroit) | Facebook Live
Join author Laurie Wallmark and illustrator Brooke Smart to discuss Code Breaker, Spy Hunter, the story of Elizebeth Friedman, Americas first female cryptanalyst on Wednesday, March 31 at 5pm ET on Facebook Live and YouTube Live.

Elizebeth Friedman uncovered Nazi spy rings, took down gangsters, created the CIA’s first cryptology unit, and saved thousands throughout World War II, and beyond. Friedman is an excellent example of a Trailblazing American Woman! During the event, you’ll gain insights into the author and illustrator’s process as they share Elizebeth Friedman’s amazing story.

After the event, learn more about Elizebeth by watching The Codebreaker on PBS’ American Experience.

About the Author
Award-winning author Laurie Wallmark has written picture-book biographies of women in STEM fields ranging from computer science to mathematics, astronomy to code breaking. Her books have earned multiple starred reviews, been chosen as Junior Library Guild Selections, and received awards such as Outstanding Science Trade Book, Cook Prize Honor, and Parents’ Choice Gold Medal. She is a former software engineer and computer science professor. She lives in Ringoes, New Jersey. You can find her at lauriewallmark.com and @lauriewallmark.

About the Illustrator
Brooke Smart loves telling stories through her illustrations, especially stories about brave women from history. She has always loved to read, and growing up she could be found nightly falling asleep with a book on her chest. Illustrating books as a professional artist is a lifelong dream come true. She is living the busy, tired, happy, wonderful dream in Salt Lake City, Utah, with her husband, their three kids, and their naughty cat named Sunshine. Learn more about her at brooke-smart.com.

About the Series
The PBS Books Trailblazing American Women Writers Project’s goal is to highlight incredible women authors and their accomplishments as part of our ongoing celebration of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, supported in part by a contribution from the National Endowment for the Arts. PBS Books will release a video highlighting our honored guest after the event to further promote her life and work. We hope to use technology and media to increase access to her work, reach new audiences and encourage dialogue about these writers while inspiring young trailblazers.
