Bringing History to Life
with Jonathan Eig
Tuesday, January 13th at 7PM
Jonathan Eig is the bestselling author of six books, including his most recent, Pulitzer Prize-winning King: A Life. Vividly written and exhaustively researched, it is the first major biography in decades of civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr.―and the first to include recently declassified FBI files. In this revelatory new portrait of the preacher and activist who shook the world, Eig gives us an intimate view of King, who masterfully employed peaceful protest in the streets but was rarely at peace with himself. From the classroom to the pulpit to the streets of Birmingham, Selma, and Memphis, Eig dramatically re-creates the journey of a man who recast American race relations and became our only modern-day founding father―as well as the nation’s most mourned martyr.
Eig began his writing career at age 16, working for his hometown newspaper, The Rockland County Journal News (N.Y.). He studied journalism at Northwestern University, and went on to work as a reporter for The New Orleans Times-Picayune, The Dallas Morning News, Chicago Magazine, and The Wall Street Journal.
According to his parents, his greatest claim to fame is that his name once appeared in a Jeopardy! question. Eig lives in Chicago with his wife and children and shares office space with the laundry machines.
Mark Bazer will join Jonathan in conversation. The host of The Interview Show, Bazer also frequently moderates events for Chicago Humanities and is a contributing writer for Chicago magazine.
Register for this virtual event at:
https://bit.ly/ILPJonathanEig
Still Afraid of the Dark:
An Evening with R.L. Stine
Tuesday, February 24th at 7PM
Witty, creepy, and compulsively readable, bestselling author R.L. Stine defined horror for a generation of young readers. The generation that grew up with the Goosebumps franchise may be grown, but Stine keeps finding ways to keep us afraid of the dark! Join us with The Guinness Book of World Records’ “most prolific author of children’s horror novels,” R.L. Stine, to discuss his illustrious and still-expanding body of work.
Best known for the Goosebumps and Fear Street series (and their respective TV and movie adaptations), R.L. Stine has sold over 400 million books worldwide in 35 languages. His recent and upcoming works include The Last Sleepover, which is the fifth installment in the Goosebumps: House of Shivers series; The Graveyard Club, a YA graphic novel illustrated by Carola Borelli; multiple Fear Street movies, including Fear Street: Prom Queen; and Goosebumps: The Vanishing, the second season of the Goosebumps reboot TV series.
Becky Spratford, acclaimed horror maven and editor of Why I Love Horror: Essays on Horror Literature, will join R.L. Stine in conversation.
Register for this virtual event at:
Beyond the Page
with Percival Everett
Thursday, March 19th @ 7PM
Join award-winning cookbook author, New York Times food columnist, and Serious Eats director J. Kenji López-Alt for an evening of cooking insights, techniques, and foodie exploration.
As the Culinary Director for Serious Eats, Kenji is known and loved for his thoroughly-tested and explained recipes and food features. His James Beard Award-winning cookbook, The Food Lab, uses evidence-based testing to show you the best ways to cook things. A former chef and restaurant worker, Kenji is also the author of The Wok, a best-selling children’s book, Every Night is Pizza Night, and co-hosts ‘The Recipe with Kenji and Deb,’ a podcast that helps you discover your own perfect recipes with his friend Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen. On YouTube, Kenji’s Cooking Show celebrates that food’s main goal is pleasure and inspires home cooks to take their food where they want it to go! When he’s not cooking or writing, Kenji enjoys spending time with his family, playing music, and exploring Seattle.
Chicago’s Billy Zureikat joins Kenji in conversation. Billy Z is a home cook and baker with a story as unique as the flavors he whips up in his kitchen. After being diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy, sandwiches and pizza became his canvas, including the infamous “Tripping Billy” pizza. Billy has collaborated with more than 90 restaurants to raise $73,000 for Muscular Dystrophy, and he’s just getting started.
Register for this virtual event at:
https://bit.ly/ILPPercivalEverett
A collaborative effort featuring virtual events with bestselling and award-winning authors and esteemed speakers.
This event is made possible by Illinois Libraries Present (ILP), a statewide collaboration among public libraries offering premier events. ILP is funded in part by a grant awarded by the Illinois State Library, a department of the Office of Secretary of State, using funds provided by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services, under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA).
ILP is committed to inclusion and accessibility. American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation and Closed Captioning are provided for all events by default—no special request needed.
If a patron needs accommodations not listed, the member library should email illinoislibrariespresent@ila.org.
