Williamsburg Regional Library to Host Pulitzer Prize-Finalist Author Tommy Orange on January 24th but there are events leading up to his arrival.

One Book One Community:

The Williamsburg Regional Library and William & Mary are partnering this month to launch One Book One Community, a new initiative that encourages students and locals alike to come together and have a shared reading experience.

Visit from the author, Tommy Orange:

The series will culminate with a visit from the author himself on January 24. This gripping novel has received numerous literary prizes and accolades, including being named a finalist for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize and one of the best books of the year by The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, Time, O: The Oprah Magazine, The Dallas Morning News, GQ, Entertainment Weekly, BuzzFeed, San Francisco Chronicle, and The Boston Globe. There There was also the winner of the California Book Awards’ Gold Medal for First Fiction, the 2018 National Book Critics Circle Awards’ “John Leonard Prize” for first book by a new voice, the 2018 Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize, and the 2019 Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award. It was shortlisted for the 2019 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. William & Mary selected it as this year’s Common Book, which all incoming freshmen are encouraged to read.

One Book One Community Program Line-Up At A Glance:

Alcatraz is Not an Island Screening — 1/6 at 2 p.m., 1/9 at 7 p.m (Williamsburg Library) From November 1969 to June 1971, Native Americans from across the country occupied Alcatraz. How did the idea come about, how did activists led by the American Indian Movement successfully land on the island, and what happened when the occupation ended? Archival film and interviews with participants bring an immediacy to the Emmy Award-winning documentary originally shown on PBS.

— 1/6 at 2 p.m., 1/9 at 7 p.m (Williamsburg Library) From November 1969 to June 1971, Native Americans from across the country occupied Alcatraz. How did the idea come about, how did activists led by the American Indian Movement successfully land on the island, and what happened when the occupation ended? Archival film and interviews with participants bring an immediacy to the Emmy Award-winning documentary originally shown on PBS. Novel Ideas Book Group Discussion — 1/13 at 2 p.m.

(James City County)

— 1/13 at 2 p.m. (James City County) The History of the American Indian Movement — 1/15 at 7 p.m. (Williamsburg Library)

— 1/15 at 7 p.m. (Williamsburg Library) Turning Pages Book Group Discussion — 1/21 at 7 p.m.

(Williamsburg Library)

— 1/21 at 7 p.m. (Williamsburg Library) The Lives of Urban Indians — 1/23 at 7 p.m.

Theresa Rocha Beardall, an Oneida and an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Virginia Tech, will explore the lives of urban Indians such as those in There There and how they differ from the popular image of modern Indian life. In this talk on January 23 she will discuss her own life and the work that led her to examine way the law and larger society affect Indian lives today.

(Williamsburg Library)

— 1/23 at 7 p.m. Theresa Rocha Beardall, an Oneida and an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Virginia Tech, will explore the lives of urban Indians such as those in There There and how they differ from the popular image of modern Indian life. In this talk on January 23 she will discuss her own life and the work that led her to examine way the law and larger society affect Indian lives today. (Williamsburg Library) Author Visit: Tommy Orange — 1/24 at 7 p.m. (see text above about this event)

(Williamsburg Library)

— 1/24 at 7 p.m. (see text above about this event) (Williamsburg Library) Post-Author Visit Book Discussion — 1/27 at 7 p.m.

(Stryker Center)

— 1/27 at 7 p.m. (Stryker Center) William & Mary American Indian Students Speak — 1/29 at 7 p.m.

(Williamsburg Library)

The inaugural selection for this series is Tommy Orange’s There There, a breakout bestseller that tells the story of 12 Native Americans living in Oakland, CA. As the first Big Oakland Powwow approaches, the characters share their stories in alternately funny, heartbreaking, and violent detail.

WRL will be hosting a series of events throughout the month of January that tie into the book, beginning with two screenings of the 2002 Emmy Award-winning documentary Alcatraz is Not an Island on January 6 and 9. This film tells the story of the nearly two-year occupation of Alcatraz by Native American activists from across the country, a protest that Tommy Orange included as a significant historical event that affects several characters in his novel. Archival film and interviews with participants bring an immediacy to the documentary, which originally aired on PBS. Several WRL book groups will also be meeting to discuss There There ahead of Tommy Orange’s visit.

Novel Ideas and Turning Pages, our two contemporary fiction book groups, will be meeting to talk about the book on January 13 and 21, respectively.

We will also be hosting a one-time discussion group on January 27, for those who wish to debrief after the author’s visit. WRL is offering several informative talks on Native American topics this month, starting with a history of the American Indian movement on January 15. Against the backdrop of the anti-war and civil rights movements of the late 1960s, the American Indian Movement (AIM) emerged to address Native people’s concerns about broken treaties, poverty, and cultural preservation. Danielle Moretti-Langholtz, Ph.D., Director of the American Indian Resource Center and Curator of Native American Art at William & Mary, will provide an overview of the rise of AIM and its impact on issues of tribal sovereignty and indigenous rights.

On January 29, our community will have the chance to learn about students’ perspectives on Native issues. Members of William & Mary’s American Indian Student Association will talk about their experiences with powwow culture and the role it plays in their lives. They’ll also show images and talk about the regalia powwow participants use in honoring their heritage and creating their own identities.

All of these programs complement One Book One Community’s keystone event, a visit from author Tommy Orange at the Williamsburg Library on January 24. Orange will discuss his book, his life, and his experiences as a writer. This author visit is made possible thanks to the generosity of William & Mary and the Friends of Williamsburg Regional Library. “We are thrilled to partner with William & Mary to bring one of the biggest names in literary fiction right now to our community,” said WRL Director Betsy Fowler. “This series is a fantastic opportunity to not only get our community reading together, but also to explore a fascinating and often overlooked topic that particularly resonates in a historically-minded area such as ours.” WRL has numerous copies of There There available for checkout now.

Head to www.wrl.org/onebook for more information and a complete line-up of events.

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