National Book Foundation Presents: An Afternoon with the National Book Awards
John Keene (“Punks: New & Selected Poems”) and Robert Samuels & Toluse Olorunnipa (“His Name Is George Floyd: One Man’s Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice”) discuss how singular stories collectively shape history.
Furious Flower Poetry Hour
Join past and present members of JMU’s Furious Flower Poetry Center for poetry readings and discussion.
Deaf Utopia
Nyle DiMarco—an actor, cultural icon of the Deaf community, and now an NYT bestselling author—shares his story of navigating a world built for hearing people.
IN PERSON EVENT SOLD OUT – SELC’s 2023 Reed Award Ceremony (virtual attendance available)
IN PERSON EVENT SOLD OUT – SELC’s 2023 Reed Award Ceremony (virtual attendance available). The ceremony’s featured speaker is Heather McTeer Toney, an expert on environmental and climate justice issues.
SHELF LIFE—Living Queer History with Samantha Rosenthal
Samantha Rosenthal discusses Living Queer History: Remembrance and Belonging in a Southern City and the LGBTQ community in Roanoke, Virginia, that the book documents and celebrates. Interweaving historical analysis, theory, …
SHELF LIFE—Tastes Like War with Grace M. Cho
Grace M. Cho discusses her latest book, Tastes Like War, which was a nonfiction finalist for the 2021 National Book Award. Part memoir, part sociological investigation, Tastes Like War offers …
SHELF LIFE—EcoPoetics: Poetry and the Natural World
Poets Kathy Davis (Passiflora), Danielle Beazer Dubrasky (Drift Migration), and Cathryn Hankla (Not Xanadu) read from and discuss their recent collections. All three hold ties with Virginia and depict its …
SHELF LIFE—Rediscovering Earth: A Conversation with William deBuys and Bill McKibben
William deBuys (The Trail to Kanjiroba) discusses his latest book in conversation with Bill McKibben. In The Trail to Kanjiroba deBuys brings attributes of memoir and travel and nature writing …
SHELF LIFE—The Kissing Bug with Daisy Hernández
Daisy Hernández (The Kissing Bug) and Dr. Rachel Marcus discuss Chagas, the rare and devastating parasite-borne illness that is prevalent in the U.S. Latinx community. In The Kissing Bug Hernández …
Virtual Storytime Marathon
Cherie Fu (Little Messy Marcy Su), Shannon Hitchcock (She Sang for the Mountains), Juana Medina (Juana & Lucas: Muchos Changes), Sana Rafi (Little Seeds of Promise), and Brittany J. Thurman …
Virtual School Visit with Ruth Behar
On April 6 as part of the 2022 Virginia Festival of the Book, Ruth Behar (Tía Fortuna’s New Home: A Jewish Cuban Journey) discussed her picture book in a presentation …
SELC Reed Environmental Award Celebration with Michael Mann
Michael Mann, author of (The New Climate War: The Fight to Take Back Our Planet) will speak at the annual celebration of the Reed Award for Environmental Writing presented by …




