Colson Whitehead will be the keynote speaker this weekend at the 36th annual Printers Row Lit Fest (PRLF). The festival is an opportunity to celebrate and support Chicago’s independent bookstores, and features talks by amazing authors and panelists. All events are free – tickets are not required. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. You may find a full schedule of events on the PRLF website. Whitehead will discuss his new book Harlem Shuffle, on Sunday, 9/12/21, at 4:00 PM CDT at the AWM/Feinberg Foundation Tent at Printers Row. Whitehead will be in conversation with Dr. Ivy Wilson, writer and Northwestern University professor. Each reservation includes one pre-signed advance copy of Harlem Shuffle.
Chicago librarian Rochelle Lee believed that to inspire a love of reading in students, educators must lead by example. Each year Rochelle Lee Teacher Awardees participate in a monthly book discussion group called Remaining Readers Book Clubs (formerly Teachers and Children As Readers – TACAR). The RLTA Remaining Readers Book Club (RRBC) brings Awardees from different schools together for the pleasure of regular, active reading. Participants meet with the same groups in October through May of the school year.
In October 2020, the book selected was Whitehead’s The Nickel Boys. This book delves into a fictionalized account of a young man who was committed to a Florida reform school as a juvenile offender and how his life and others who were committed to the institution were radically changed by the experience. Daphne Robinson, RLTA Program Manager, writes: “The group discussions of The Nickel Boys also offered an opportunity for teachers to explore the history of the actual school that the novel is based on (Dozier School for Boys) and its survivors.”
