Celebrate James Baldwin's Centennial with this Arlington Reads Signature Author Event 

Join us for a conversation between author Dr. Eddie Glaude, Jr. and Library Division Chief LeoNard Thompson about Glaude's biography, "Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and its urgent lessons for our own." This work takes a wide look at Black communities, the difficulties of race in the United States and the challenges we face as a democracy. In his writing and speaking, Glaude is an American critic in the tradition of James Baldwin and Ralph Waldo Emerson, confronting history and bringing our nation’s complexities, vulnerabilities and hope into full view. Hope that is, in one of his favorite quotes from W.E.B. Du Bois, "not hopeless, but a bit unhopeful." Combining a scholar’s knowledge of history, a political commentator’s take on the latest events, and an activist’s passion for social justice, Glaude challenges all of us to examine our collective American conscience, "not to posit the greatness of America, but to establish the ground upon which to imagine the country anew."

Local Arlington teen poet Kennedy Myrie will introduce the program with a poetry reading. This author talk is the first of the 2024 Arlington Reads spring series, "James Baldwin Centennial," which celebrates what would have been James Baldwin's 100th birthday in August 2024 with a series of authors whose work is about or influenced by James Baldwin. 

The conversation will be followed by an audience Q&A and book signing. Copies of the book will be available for sale, courtesy of One More Page Books. 

RSVP for an event reminder email. Attendance is first-come, first-served until seating capacity is reached. The event will also be livestreamed and available as a recording on Arlington County's Youtube channel; please RSVP to receive the online link. 

For more information, contact LibraryPrograms@arlingtonva.us

• Location campus Central Library
• Audience:
  • Events for Adults
• Categories:
  • Author Talk