Lenox Library to Feature National Book Award Finalist Jerald Walker

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LENOX, Mass. —  Lenox Library will continue its Distinguished Lecture Series on Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025 at 4:00 p.m. with National Book Award Finalist Jerald Walker.

In his lecture, "The Making of a Dragon Slayer," Jerald Walker will discuss how his development as a writer was radically altered by his mentor’s analysis of the Black experience. His talk will include a reading from his critically acclaimed collection, "How to Make a Slave and Other Essays."

Jerald Walker is the author of "How to Make a Slave and Other Essays," a Finalist for the National Book Award and Winner of the Massachusetts Book Award; "The World in Flames: A Black Boyhood in a White Supremacist Doomsday Cult;" and "Street Shadows: A Memoir of Race, Rebellion, and Redemption," recipient of the PEN/New England Award for Nonfiction; and, most recently, "Magically Black and Other Essays."

His work has appeared in publications such as the Harvard Review, Creative Nonfiction, The Iowa Review, The New York Times, Washington Post, and Mother Jones, and it has been widely anthologized, including six times in The Best American Essays series and in the Pushcart Prizes. A recipient of fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the James A. Michener Foundation, Walker is a Distinguished Professor of Creative Writing at Emerson College.

Now in its 18th season, the Distinguished Lecture Series is organized and hosted by Dr. Jeremy Yudkin, a resident of the Berkshires and Professor of Music and Co-Director of the Center for Beethoven Research at Boston University. Lectures are free and open to the public. Please visit https://lenoxlib.org or the Library's Facebook page for more information.

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Friends of Great Barrington Libraries Holiday Book Sale

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — The Friends of Great Barrington Libraries invite the community to shop their annual Holiday Good-as-New Book Sale, happening now through the end of the year at the Mason Library, 231 Main Street. 
 
With hundreds of curated gently used books to choose from—fiction, nonfiction, children's favorites, gift-quality selections, cookbooks, and more—it's the perfect local stop for holiday gifting.
 
This year's sale is an addition to the Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce's Holiday Stroll on this Saturday, Dec. 13, 3–8 PM. Visitors can swing by the Mason Library for early parking, browse the sale until 3:00 PM, then meet Pete the Cat on the front lawn before heading downtown for the Stroll's shopping, music, and festive eats.
 
Can't make the Holiday Stroll? The book sale is open during regular Mason Library hours throughout December.
 
Proceeds support free library programming and events for all ages.
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