BIG Author Events at Calvert Library in June!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Robyn Truslow, 410-535-0291

Calvert Library has a spectacular summer planned for Calvert County this year! In addition to fabulous prizes and inspiring challenges for #calvertREADS (the summer reading challenge), Calvert Library will be hosting two major authors and six performers over the summer!

Michelle Coles, our first author, is coming virtually on Saturday, June 1. There will be watch parties with games and prizes at each Calvert Library location or you can watch from anywhere you are connected. Ms. Coles, a civil rights attorney, wrote the award-winning young adult book Black Was the Ink. The story features Malcolm, a Black teen from DC, whose mom is worried about his safety over the summer and sends him to stay with his father’s family on their farm in Mississippi. Part of the farm had been taken through eminent domain for a highway some years prior and now the state is threatening to take the rest of it even though there is an option to take some of the farm across the road. Malcolm isn’t all that worried about it until he time travels (dreams?) back in time to the Reconstruction Era as his ancestor Cedric, an aide to Senator Hiram Revels, one of the first black Senators. Malcolm and readers learn about the Black heroes of the period and learn how to advocate in the present. This is an entertaining and inspiring read for both teens and adults and you’ll undoubtedly learn something new, too!

The June 1 event will start at 1pm with a fun history trivia quiz using Kahoot and then at 2pm the author will join via Zoom to talk about the book and answer questions from attendees. Register for whichever location or to attend online. Local high school students will be on hand to help with the technology. LEAP Forward’s National Society of Black Engineers, Jr. has supplied several teen leaders to help including one student, Damian Reynolds, who will share his History Fair project on the Reconstruction Era. President of Calvert NAACP Debora Harris said of the event, “We are delighted to partner with Calvert Library to showcase Black authors and make a more complete history accessible to our young citizens. In addition to celebrating Black heroes, Black Was the Ink teaches advocacy skills that will serve teens into the future.” Concerned Black Women of Calvert County President Sinetra Bowdry said, “There are so many examples of Black leadership in our history and we are happy to support authors who share those stories. I hope we have standing room only to celebrate the young people taking leadership roles in these watch parties.”

Attend this event in person at any Calvert Library location and participate in the kickoff for Calvert Library’s #calvertREADS summer reading festivities. Get registered, do a scavenger hunt and get a free t-shirt while supplies last. And oh yeah, did we mention fantastic prizes throughout the summer as you complete activities on the gameboard? Prizes like gift cards, a Kindle, Nintendo Switch, weighted blanket, robotics kit, playset, telescope…will inspire even the most reluctant reader to keep their brain active over the summer.

The second major author event is Newbery and Coretta Scott King Award winning author of Freewater, Amina Luqman-Dawson. She will be in person at Calvert Library Twin Beaches Branch on Tuesday, June 18 at 6:30pm. Registration is required as seating is limited to 150. Books will be available for sale and signing. This event will be a great way to begin your celebration of Juneteenth as her characters find their way to freedom deep in a swamp. The book is loosely based on Maroon communities in the South and is an inspirating and exciting story of bravery, friendship and history.

The excitement doesn’t end with these authors though. Check with Calvert Library to learn about summer fun performances including Culture Queen, Maryland Science Center, Didgeridoo Down Under, Reptile World, Meki’s Tamure Polynesian Arts and of course, a magic show! More details at calvertlibrary.info or call Robyn Truslow at 410-535-0291.