20th Anniversary of Seattle Reads at The Seattle Public Library: ‘Homegoing' by Yaa Gyasi
release date: April 18, 2018
Celebrate 20 years of Seattle Reads with featured author Yaa Gyasi! Gyasi will visit Seattle May 16-17 to discuss "Homegoing," this year's Seattle Reads selection. At the Central Library event, Gyasi will be in conversation with local arts leader Vivian Phillips from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, May 17 at 1000 Fourth Ave., Level 1, Microsoft Auditorium, 206-386-4636.
All Library programs are free and open to the public. Times and locations are listed below. For more information on these events, visit the Library's website at www.spl.org/seattlereads or call 206-386-4636.
Schedule of Events
MEET THE AUTHOR
Meet Yaa Gyasi
Gyasi will discuss "Homegoing" at three locations and have conversations with a representative from the Seattle arts and literature community. No tickets are required. Books will be available for purchase and signing at all events.
- 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 16 at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute, 104 17th Ave. S. – with local writer Lola E. Peters
- 1 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. Thursday, May 17 at the Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center, 6535 Ravenna Ave. N.E. – with local writer Lola E. Peters
- 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, May 17 at The Seattle Public Library, Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., Level 1, Microsoft Auditorium, 206-386-4636 – with local arts leader Vivian Phillips
FEATURING LOCAL VOICES
African-American Writers Alliance Showcase
Join us for a showcase of local voices, celebrating the poetry and prose of the African-American Writers Alliance.
- 7 p.m. to 8:20 p.m. Thursday, May 10 at the Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., Level 1, Microsoft Auditorium, 206-386-4636.
Sense of Place: Through the Lens of Al Smith
Legendary photographer Al Smith is being celebrated in an exhibition at the Museum of History & Industry, "Seattle on the Spot: The Photographs of Al Smith." In this library series, we’ll see a selection from more than 4,000 images not included in the museum exhibit. Presenters will lead an open discussion and share stories around the history of how the black community and individuals contributed to the vitality of Seattle and the Northwest. These events are supported by The Seattle Public Library Foundation, author series sponsor Gary Kunis, media sponsor The Seattle Times and presented in partnership with Black Heritage Society of Washington.
- 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 25 at the Douglass-Truth Branch, 2300 E. Yesler Way, 206-684-4704
- 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 8 at the Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., Level 4, Washington Mutual Foundation Meeting Room 1, 206-386-4636.
GENEALOGY WORKSHOPS
Who Owned Solomon? A Case Study of 19th Century African American Research
Join Dr. Janice Lovelace as she demonstrates techniques to identify slave-owners through the use of land, probate and court records. Registration is not required.
- 10:30 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 12 at the Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., Level 4, Howard S. Wright Family & Janet W. Ketcham Meeting Room 2, 206-386-4636.
Genealogy: Getting Started and Open Lab
Just getting started on your genealogy? Rusty on your research skills? This class will provide research tips, best practices and resources for basic genealogy research. Online registration is required and closes May 18.
- 10 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, May 21 at the Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., Level 4, Boeing Technology Training Center Room 4, 206-386-4636.
Finding Your Swedish Parish of Birth
Professional genealogist Jill Morelli will present an introductory class on digging into your Swedish heritage. Registration is not required.
- 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursday, May 24 at the Ballard Branch, 5614 22nd Ave. N.W., 206-684-4089.
Genealogy: Databases-Ancestry Library Edition
Learn how to search for your ancestors using the Library's electronic databases and Internet resources. Online registration is required and closes June 1.
- 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, June 4 at the Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., Level 4, Boeing Technology Training Center Room 4, 206-386-4636.
Breaking Through the Wall of Slavery: An Introduction to African American Genealogy
Dr. Janice Lovelace will present techniques to identify emancipated slaves and their prior slave-owners through the use of land, probate, census and court records. Registration is required, call 206-684-4704 to sign up.
- 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, June 18 at the Douglass-Truth Branch, 2300 E. Yesler Way, 206-684-4704.
BOOK & AUTHOR INFORMATION
About the Book
"Homegoing" follows the parallel paths of two sisters, born in Ghana in the eighteenth century, each unaware of the other. One marries an Englishman and leads a life of comfort. The other is captured in a raid on her village, imprisoned, and enslaved.
We meet their descendants through eight generations and two continents: from the Gold Coast to the plantations of Mississippi, from the American Civil War to Jazz Age Harlem. This extraordinary novel illuminates slavery’s troubled legacy both for those who were taken and those who stayed—and shows how the memory of captivity has been inscribed on the soul of our nation.
The novel has won the PEN/Hemingway Award and the National Book Critics Circle John Leonard Award. It is also a New York Times and a Washington Post Notable Book. It was named one of the best books of 2016 by Oprah.com, NPR, Time, Entertainment Weekly and Esquire.
About the Author
Gyasi was born in Ghana and raised in Huntsville, Alabama. She holds a BA in English from Stanford University and an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, where she held a Dean's Graduate Research Fellowship. She lives in New York City.
PROGRAM INFORMATION
In 1998, The Seattle Public Library launched a program to get Seattleites reading and discussing the same book. "Seattle Reads" is now an annual event and has been emulated in cities, states and countries around the world.
Sponsors and Partners
Seattle Reads is presented in partnership with Northwest African American Museum, Langston, Black Heritage Society of Washington and the African-American Writers' Alliance. The program is made possible by The Seattle Public Library Foundation and The Wallace Foundation, with support from media sponsors The Seattle Times and KUOW 94.9 Public Radio, and Vintage Books.