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    Nayland Blake – Tear Down Our Walls | The Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series

    Tear down our walls: the creative drive and reimagining ourselves. Nayland Blake shares their history as an artist, curator and educator in a talk about how crucial the creative process is in imagining new possibilities for us as individuals and communities. Since the late 1980s, Nayland Blake has constructed an influential body of work exploring play, eroticism, and the subjective experiences of desire, power, and loss. Inspired by feminist theory and queer subcultures, Blake addresses the contradictions of representation in sculptures, drawings, performances, and videos, particularly as it relates to their own identity as a nonbinary multiracial artist. Nayland Blake [...]

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    Our Favorite Books of the Year

    Join hosts Lauren, Fred, Princess and Heather as they reminisce the exciting first season of the PBS Books Readers Club! They'll highlight the most incredible author moments and fascinating reads from the series this year that were heartfelt, funny, and inspiring! Plus, hosts dish out their favorite book picks for 2024 — providing readers with an ultimate gift guide for the holiday season! This year’s book picks explored an array of genres, from historical fiction (Geraldine Brooks, Horse), suspense (Tana French, The Hunter), American history and religion (Henry Louis Gates, Jr., The Black Church: This Is Our Story, This Is Our Song), biography (Walter Isaacson, Leonardo da Vinci), [...]

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    Author Talk | David Brooks

    Best-selling author, New York Times columnist and PBS NewsHour correspondent, David Brooks talks about his book, “How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen.” In his latest book, Brooks offers a personal, practical guide for how each of us can deal with what he calls the nation’s loneliness epidemic.

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    2025 Carnegie Medal Finalist Preview

    PBS Books and Booklist Reader highlight the six 2024 Finalist for the Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction Awards.

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    Filmmaker Talk with Zach OHora – Carl the Collector

    Join PBS Books as we meet the newest member of the PBS Kids Family Carl the Collector and all his friends with show creator, author and illustrator Zach OHora. This new series, which premiered last fall, is the first PBS Kids program to center on a neurodiverse character. Learn more about Carl and all his adventures while celebrating the diverse way kids think and express themselves. About the Author Zachariah OHora Illustrator, Author & Creator “Carl the Collector” New York Times best-selling illustrator and author Zachariah OHora is creator and executive producer of “Carl the Collector,” which is produced [...]

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    Restless Dissatisfaction: An Urgent Call for the Pursuit of Justice and Equality

    Famed actress, activist and filmmaker, Erika Alexander presents the keynote lecture at the annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Symposium at the University of Michigan, which PBS Books will be livestreaming on Jan. 20. Alexander is an actress, trailblazing activist, entrepreneur, creator, producer, director and one of the country’s boldest, most daring, and powerful voices. She is perhaps best known for her roles as Maxine Shaw in “Living Single,” Detective Latoya in “GET OUT,” Cousin Pam in “The Cosby Show,” and recently Coraline in the hit movie, “American Fiction. Recognizing the power of storytelling, Alexander believes that although content [...]

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    Rashaad Newsome – Engineering Futures: Art, Code, and the Architecture of Liberation | The Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series

    Rashaad Newsome is a multidisciplinary artist whose work blends several practices — collage, sculpture, video, music, computer programming, and performance — to form an altogether new field. He seamlessly merges art, code, film, and community-building to create immersive experiences that explore the intersections of Blackness, queerness, and futurism. Using the equalizing force of sampling, he crafts compositions that surprise in their associative potential and walk the tightrope between identity politics, social practice and abstraction. Assembly, his groundbreaking exhibition and film, brings together dancers, artificial intelligence, animation, collage, sculpture, holography, and soundscapes to reimagine collective liberation. Central to this work is Being, the Digital Griot — an AI-powered entity that embodies [...]

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    PBS Books Readers Club – “Remarkably Bright Creatures” by Shelby Van Pelt

    PBS Books Readers Club launches season two with award-winning author Shelby Van Pelt to examine her extraordinary story, Remarkably Bright Creatures Join PBS Books Readers Club on Wednesday, January 29 for a captivating conversation with Shelby Van Pelt as she discusses her heartwarming debut novel, Remarkably Bright Creatures. This engaging virtual event will offer an in-depth exploration of Van Pelt's extraordinary narrative, which blends humor, emotion, and an unforgettable bond between a widowed woman and an octopus named Marcellus. Remarkably Bright Creatures tells the story of Tova Sullivan, a grieving widow who forms an unlikely friendship with [...]

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    1491s – The Full Migizi | The Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series

    The 1491s are a dynamic Native American sketch comedy group known for their razor-sharp wit and fearless approach to storytelling. Comprising a collective of Indigenous creators, including writers, performers, and filmmakers, The 1491s challenge stereotypes and celebrate Native culture through humor, satire, and an unflinching lens. Their work spans viral videos, stage performances, and contributions to acclaimed television projects, such as the groundbreaking series Reservation Dogs. Rooted in their identities and histories, The 1491s use comedy as a tool for activism and cultural expression, engaging audiences with narratives that amplify Indigenous voices. Their performances often blend traditional storytelling with contemporary issues, fostering a greater understanding of Native experiences while [...]

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    The Wright Conversations featuring LaTosha Brown

    PBS Books is proud to share a conversation from the Charles H. Wright Museum! LaTosha Brown, co-founder of the Black Voters Matter Fund, delivers a powerful keynote address about MLK Day. Her speech explores the critical need for African Americans and all disenfranchised members of our community to exercise the right to vote as a means of achieving social justice. Her remarks highlight the healing power of love amidst personal grief and loss. Brown emphasizes that understanding our shared humanity requires embracing pain and compassion providing a perfect start to the Wright’s annual celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.'s enduring legacy. [...]

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    George Rodriguez – Guardians, Altars, and Community | The Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series

    Born and raised in the border city of El Paso, TX, George Rodriguez creates highly ornamented ceramic sculptures, largely unified by a connection to sociopolitical themes. Drawing inspiration from his Mexican American upbringing and experience with global travel, his guardian figures, tomb sculptures, and installations commemorate and build community. Realized with ornamentation, humor, and reverence for heritage and celebration, his art aims to build bridges between cultures and across time. Recent projects include a permanent installation at the new Kansas City International Airport, a community tile mural at The Clay Studio in Philadelphia, and an outdoor public sculpture at CASA of Maryland, an immigration advocacy organization in Baltimore. [...]