Local Author Visit: Shellie Moore Guy at the Rock Island Public Library's Watts-Midtown Branch -- April 20.
Saturday, April 20, 11 a.m.
Rock Island Public Library's Watts-Midtown Branch, 2715 30th Street, Rock Island IL
In an April 20 program in which she will share her family history and how that history became the basis for her new book, the Quad Cities' esteemed poet, actor, and performance artist Shellie Moore Guy will take part in a special local-author visit at the Rock Island Public Library's Watts-Midtown Branch, treating family audiences to the saga behind her new release The Family Tree.
Written by Guy and illustrated by Gwen Ballard Patton, The Family Tree tells the real-life story of Charley Wilson and Sandy Terry, two brothers who escaped slavery to join the Union Army to fight for the freedom of their people during the Civil War. Readers are encouraged to learn how the brothers lived during slavery, how they escaped, and what they did during their time as soldiers. They will also follow the siblings' families as they settle following the war, and discover how they and their descendants become important people in their new communities.
A former Poet Laureate of the Quad Cities who uses self-expression as a tool for individual and community empowerment, Guy is lifelong resident of Rock Island, Illinois, whose work as an artist, community activist, and advocate has blended art, activism, and education in many areas. She is the director and founder of Ebony Expressions Dinner and Book Discussions, which encourages adult reading and community fellowship; Healing Waters, an organization that uses artistic monologues of domestic violence survivors to encourage individual and community awareness and healing; and Polyrhythms, a grassroots, non-profit community and cultural-arts advocacy organization.
Guy also created Tribal Team Poetry and Black Art Collage to encourage high-school and college students to express themselves through poetry and visual art, and also published the children's book How Little Billy Learned to Play, which tells a fictionalized story of local music legend William “Bill” Bell and how he learned to play music with the help of his family and friends in the community. Additionally, Guy has written book of poetry titled Remembering Melodies: A Thank You Note that examines and celebrates family and community. And with her area stage credits including roles in the Playcrafters Barn Theatre's A Raisin in the Sun, A Lesson Before Dying, and A Woman Called Truth (in which she played legendary activist and advocate Sojourner Truth), Guy's one-woman shows have included Roots Survive and I Have Come to Testify, Can I Get a Witness, performances designed to teach, uplift and transform.
As Guy explains in her The Family Tree author's note: "My great-great-grandparents Charley and Eliza Wilson and their family settled in Rock Island, Illinois in 1866 following the end of the Civil War. They moved to the town of Port Byron, Illinois in 1876. In 1914 a man named John Hauberg interviewed Charley. The result of that interview is a description of my ancestors’ lives during slavery and how they gained their freedom. This is the basis of my book, The Family Tree.
"Writing this story and bringing my ancestors’ experiences to life has been a source of joy and inspiration. After sharing this story with my family, the children seemed so interested and excited that I decided that other children may be interested and would benefit from learning about local and national history. Our story reflects the stories of many African American families in the United States and it is my hope that this labor of love will provide the readers of this book a sense of history as well as a source of personal inspiration, encouragement, and pride."
The local-author visit with Shellie Moore Guy takes place at the Rock Island Public Library's Watts-Midtown Branch on April 20, participation in the 11 a.m. program is free, and more information is available by calling (309)732-7323 and visiting RockIslandLibrary.org.
