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Exploring Identity, Love, & Being Black

Conversation with Award-Winning Author Jason Mott

2024-02-20 15:00:00 2024-02-20 16:00:00 America/Chicago Exploring Identity, Love, & Being Black Join us as we talk to New York Times bestselling author Jason Mott about his recent novel Hell of a Book. Please register for link to Zoom. Virtual -

Tuesday, February 20
3:00pm - 4:00pm

Add to Calendar 2024-02-20 15:00:00 2024-02-20 16:00:00 America/Chicago Exploring Identity, Love, & Being Black Join us as we talk to New York Times bestselling author Jason Mott about his recent novel Hell of a Book. Please register for link to Zoom. Virtual -

Join us as we talk to New York Times bestselling author Jason Mott about his recent novel Hell of a Book. Please register for link to Zoom.

You’re invited to join us as we talk to New York Times bestselling author Jason Mott about his recent novel Hell of a Book. This magnificent work of fiction is deeply honest, at times electrically funny, and is a book that goes to the heart of racism, police violence, and the hidden costs exacted upon Black Americans and America as a whole.

In Hell of a Book, a Black author sets out on a cross-country publicity tour to promote his bestselling novel. That storyline drives Hell of a Book and is the scaffolding of something much larger and more urgent: Mott’s novel also tells the story of Soot, a young Black boy living in a rural town in the recent past, and The Kid, a possibly imaginary child who appears to the author on his tour.

As these characters’ stories build and converge, they astonish. While this heartbreaking and magical book entertains and is at once about family, love of parents and children, art and money, it’s also about the nation’s reckoning with a tragic police shooting playing over and over again on the news. And with what it can mean to be Black in America.

Unforgettably told, with an electrifying plot and characters who burn into your mind, Hell of a Book is the novel Mott has been writing in his head for the last ten years. And in its final twists, it truly becomes its title. Register now!

About the Author: Jason Mott is the author of two poetry collections and four novels. His first novel, The Returned, was adapted for television and aired on ABC under the title Resurrection. Since then, his novels that followed have received various accolades and acclaim. His most recent novel, Hell of a Book, won the Sir Walter Raleigh Award for Fiction Winner, was a Carnegie Medals For Excellence Longlist nominee, and the winner of the 2021 National Book Award for Fiction. He lives in hermitude in Southeastern North Carolina.

Please Register for link to program.



Live Virtual Author Talks - This new series through Library Speakers Consortium offers live online talks by bestselling authors of books in a variety of genres. Participants receive a link to the program when they register. Please see https://libraryc.org/gailborden to register and also view recorded videos of past speakers.

AGE GROUP: | Adults |

EVENT TYPE: | Virtual | Adult Programs |

TAGS: | |

Virtual

Phone: 847-742-2411

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Today's hours

We're open 9:00AM to 9:00PM

Mon, Jun 08 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Tue, Jun 09 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Wed, Jun 10 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Thu, Jun 11 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Fri, Jun 12 9:00AM to 6:00PM
Sat, Jun 13 9:00AM to 6:00PM
Sun, Jun 14 12:00PM to 5:00PM

About the Branch

Programs presented virtually through FB, Zoom, YouTube, and other online sources.

Upcoming Events

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Thu, Jun 11, 9:00am - 9:00pm
Main Library
Explore our changing planet through a different lens, immerse yourself in incredible ecosystems and learn how the smallest of actions can have a big impact on our natural world.

Thu, Jun 11, 9:15am - 9:45am
Main Library - Story Room
Join us for play sessions where preschoolers and caregivers can connect, play, and explore together. Registration required.
Registration is now closed

Thu, Jun 11, 9:30am - 11:30am
Main Library - 2nd Floor - Behind Elevators
Get help with common tech issues like Microsoft Office, using a tablet, hotspots, syncing email with your phone, downloading content, and more. Drop in for personalized assistance at your library.

Thu, Jun 11, 10:00am - 10:30am
Main Library - Meadows Community Rooms ABC
Join us for an interactive storytime! Best for kids birth-6 years with an adult caregiver. All ages are welcome. Drop-in!

Thu, Jun 11, 10:00am - 12:00pm
Main Library - Lobby - Piano
Piano performance in the lobby by volunteer community members.

Thu, Jun 11, 11:00am - 12:00pm
Main Library - Sally Lee Fox & Eagle Rooms
Do you love to draw? Ms. Carrie does. DROP IN for a drawing club where you can learn to draw a few items & then have time to color & share your creations. Each session will have a unique theme.

Thu, Jun 11, 11:30am - 12:00pm
In The Community
Bring a blanket or chair to sit on and listen to a 30 minute storytime about different animal friends. Lords Park Zoo 325 Hiawatha Dr. Elgin, IL 60120

Thu, Jun 11, 12:00pm - 2:00pm
Main Library - Studio 270 Digital Media Lab
Explore the basics of audio creation in this hands‑on beginner camp designed for students in grades 6–12.
Registration is now closed

Thu, Jun 11, 1:30pm - 3:30pm
Main Library - Grove Room
A Men's Shed is a place geared toward older men to gather, make new friendships while working on projects, learning new skills and hobbies, and giving back to the community. All are welcome.

Thu, Jun 11, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Rakow Branch - Rakow - Shales Living Room
Make keychains, mini-figures, and other colorful art using Perler beads!
Registration is now closed

Thu, Jun 11, 3:00pm - 3:45pm
Mobile Services
Please find us on the corner of Sherwood Ave and Oakhill Rd. Elgin IL 60120.

Thu, Jun 11, 3:30pm - 4:15pm
Virtual - Kidspace - Zoom
Nothing pairs better with an afternoon snack than a great book! Grab a snack & a book you enjoyed & join Ms. Carrie for a ZOOM book chat. We'll share book "bites" & add new titles to our TBR lists.

Cancelled
Thu, Jun 11, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
Mobile Services
Come make a craft and then check out some books on the Techmobile at Trout Park.

Thu, Jun 11, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
Mobile Services
576 Trout Park Blvd, Elgin, IL 60120

Thu, Jun 11, 5:00pm - 6:00pm
Main Library
Join staff from the Information Services department to tour the Main Library building.

Thu, Jun 11, 6:00pm - 7:00pm
South Elgin Branch - South Elgin - Hoffer Meeting Room
If your garden flowers, vegetables, tree, herbs, and shrubs could speak-oh, the stories they would tell! Please register for in-person or on zoom.

Thu, Jun 11, 6:30pm - 8:00pm
Main Library - Grove Room
Join the discussion of Kadya Molodovsky's 1941 novel about a young Jewish emigré. Presented by Yiddish Book Center's Public Libraries Program, in partnership with ALA and Lilly Endowment, Inc.

Thu, Jun 11, 7:00pm - 8:30pm
Main Library - Computer Training Room
Learn how to identify the working parts of a computer, assemble & disassemble components and perform basic repairs in this two-part, hands-on series.
Registration is now closed

Thu, Jun 11, 7:00pm - 8:30pm
Virtual
Join us for a special virtual presentation of the Barack Obama Presidential Library and Center. Presented by Kenvi Phillips and Tina Tchen.
Register

Fri, Jun 12, 9:00am - 6:00pm
Main Library
Explore our changing planet through a different lens, immerse yourself in incredible ecosystems and learn how the smallest of actions can have a big impact on our natural world.

Fri, Jun 12, 10:00am - 3:00pm
Rakow Branch - Rakow - Lawn
Get ready to bounce, slide, and play at this drop-in inflatable extravaganza! We will have a dinosaur themed inflatable with colorful pop ups and 3D characters. Best for ages 3-5.

Fri, Jun 12, 10:00am - 11:00am
Rakow Branch - Rakow - Shales Living Room
Second Fridays, join us at Wits Workout which combines intellectually stimulating exercises, social interaction, and education about brain health in a friendly, engaging, and FUN way! Please register
Registration is now closed

Fri, Jun 12, 10:30am - 12:00pm
Main Library
Designed for toddlers and preschoolers, this open-ended playtime encourages imagination and fun on our KidSpace outdoor patio. Drop in and play—weather permitting!

Fri, Jun 12, 12:00pm - 2:00pm
Main Library - Studio 270 Digital Media Lab
Explore the basics of audio creation in this hands‑on beginner camp designed for students in grades 6–12.

Fri, Jun 12, 12:00pm - 2:00pm
Main Library - Grove Room
Join us as we make a craft which will be distributed in our monthly activity kits to our care communities.

Fri, Jun 12, 3:00pm - 3:45pm
Mobile Services
1300 N McLean Blvd, Elgin, IL 60123

Fri, Jun 12, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
Mobile Services
132 S Grove Ave, Elgin, IL 60120