Virtual Illinois Libraries Present: “Beyond the Page with Percival Everett" -- March 19.
Thursday, March 19, 7 p.m.
Presented by the Rock Island and Silvis Public Libraries
With the event's subject a Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winner whose 2001 novel Erasure was adapted into Cord Jefferson's Oscar-winning 2023 comedy American Fiction, Beyond the Page with Percival Everett will enjoy a virtual March 19 presentation in an event hosted by Illinois Libraries Present, the author's prize-winning James from 2024 hailed by the New York Times as "Everett's most thrilling novel, but also his most soulful."
A Distinguished Professor of English at the University of Southern California, Everett has described himself as "pathologically ironic," and has explored numerous genres such as Western fiction, mysteries, thrillers, satire and philosophical fiction. His books are often satirical, aimed at exploring race and identity issues in the United States. Everett is best known for his novels Erasure (2001), I Am Not Sidney Poitier (2009), and The Trees (2021), which was shortlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize. His 2024 novel James, a re-imagining of Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the perspective of the runaway slave character Jim, won the Kirkus Prize, the National Book Award for Fiction, and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Erasure, meanwhile, was adapted as the 2023 film American Fiction, and its ensemble cast included Oscar nominees Jeffrey Wright and Sterling K. Brown.
Industrious, irreverent, humble–though he may deny the accusation–Percival Everett, like his fiction, defies categorization. Everett’s other titles include Dr. No, Telephone (finalist for the Pulitzer Prize), and So Much Blue, Despite these accomplishments, however, he remains devoted to reviewing his own work critically, and indeed his writing process involves intensive research and revision. Tune in for our conversation with Percival Everett to get a glimpse beyond the page.
Brandis Friedman, a passionate champion for libraries and writer/anchor for WTTW’s Chicago Tonight and Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, will moderate the March 19 event. and the virtual session is made possible by Illinois Libraries Present (ILP), a statewide collaboration among public libraries offering premier events. ILP is funded in part by a grant awarded by the Illinois State Library, a department of the Office of Secretary of State, using funds provided by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services, under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA).
The virtual program Beyond the Page with Percival Everett will take place on March 19, participation in the 7 p.m. event is free, and more information is available by calling (309)732-7323 and visiting RockIslandLibrary.org, or calling (309)755-3393 and visiting SilvisLibrary.org.
