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4 COGNOTES ALAANNUAL.ORG/MOBILE–APP|#ALAAC18 JUNE PREVIEW
Journalist, Essayist Robert Fieseler To Speak at Annual Conference Saturday
Robert Fieseler Auditorium Speaker Series
Saturday 6/23, 10:30 - 11:30 a.m.
Sponsored by Liveright/W.W. Norton & Company
Robert W. Fieseler is a journalist and essayist who graduated co-valedictorian from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and received the Pulitzer Traveling Fellowship and the Lynton Fellowship in Book Writing. When the editor-in-chief of Liveright Publishing approached Fieseler to write a book about the 1973 arson of a gay nightclub, Fieseler enthusiastically welcomed the challenge despite thus far only writing short pieces. “I always had a dream to write a book that mattered, that dealt with civil rights, gay rights, and human rights. One email changed my life and it was like placing a hand into a glove,” Fieseler said. His session will take place Saturday, June 23, 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. at the 2018 ALA Annual Conference & Exhibition in New Orleans.
Tinderbox: The Untold Story of the Up Stairs Lounge Fire and the Rise of Gay Liberation, available in June 2018, is an essential work of American civil rights history. It mesmerizingly reconstructs the fire that devasted New Orleans’s subterranean gay community. The book chronicles the tragic event that claimed the lives of 31 men and one woman at a New Orleans bar, the largest mass murder of gays until the Pulse tragedy in 2016. Relying on unprecedented access to survivors and archives, Fieseler creates an indelible portrait of a closeted, blue-collar, gay world. The aftermath of the fire, which saw families ashamed to claim their loved ones, the city impervious to the survivors’ needs, and almost zero media coverage, is considered an even more woeful part of the story.
His work has appeared in the Big Roundtable, the Brooklyn Ink, and The Week.
His appearance at the conference is sponsored by Liveright/W. W. Norton & Company.
Get details and add to your schedule now.
Grammy-nominated Musician Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews to Perform
Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews is an author, philanthropist, and a Grammynominated multi-instrumentalist who leads the band Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue. He has performed and shared the stage with countless musicians, including U2, Lenny Kravitz, Eric Clapton, and Madonna. He performed at the White House event “Red, White & Blues” and recently made a cameo on the longest-running American sitcom, The Simpsons.
Andrews is the author of Trombone Shorty—winner of the Coretta Scott King Book Award and the Caldecott Honor. His latest picture book is another unforgettable love letter to his hometown of New Orleans. The 5 O’Clock Band, illustrated by Coretta Scott King Book Award and Caldecott Honor winner Bryan Collier, is about a young musician who benefits from NOLA-bred wisdom as he hits the streets of New Orleans to find answers and inspiration.
Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews Annual Conference Welcome Celebration
Friday 6/22, 4:00 p.m.
Sponsored by ABRAMS The Art of Books
Andrews is the recipient of the prestigious Heinz Award in recognition of his community service with the Trombone Shorty Foundation—committed to preserving the musical heritage of New Orleans while providing music education and mentorship to underserved young musicians. His performance is sponsored by ABRAMS The Art of Books.
Get details and add to your schedule now.
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