The 21st Annual John Howard Birss, Jr. Memorial Program celebrates the 50th anniversary of the publication of Ernest J. Gaines’ The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman with a digital library exhibition; a keynote panel on "Talking About Race Through Storytelling and Music"; and two Bristol community events sponsored by Rogers Free Library.
Published in 1971, Gaines’ The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman is a fictional autobiography that tells a story of race in America through the eyes of one woman whose life spans the end of Slavery and into the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement. The publication of the book (as well as the acclaimed 1974 TV-film adaptation starring Cicely Tyson) was an important cultural moment for further understanding the human side of the African-American experience in the United States.
The Digital Exhibition — Opening February 9, 2021
Prepared in collaboration with Ernest J. Gaines Center at the University of Louisiana, Lafayette, the digital project explores Gaines and The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman through an archival look at early manuscripts, images, interviews, reviews, and other related items. Beginning February 9, it can be accessed here.
Book Discussion Hosted by Rogers Free Library
Date: Wednesday, February 24, 2021, Zoom Meeting (Click here for more information on how to attend.)
Time: 7:00 pm
Instructor: Susan Tacent, PhD
A One-Evening Writing Workshop Presented by Rogers Free Library: Make it Come Alive! — Ernest Gaines, Miss Jane Pittman, and the Power of Storytelling
Date: Tuesday, March 2nd, 2021, Zoom Meeting (Click here to Register for the workshop.)
Time: 6:30 - 8:30 pm
Instructor: Susan Tacent, PhD
Talking About Race Through Storytelling & Music
Date: Monday, March 15, 2021
Time: 7:00 PM
Place: Zoom, register here: https://rwu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Lr4ehV1WRjqnNdMX-bBagQ
Presented in conjunction with the Mary Tefft White Endowment.
In honor of the 50th anniversary of Ernest J. Gaines, The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, a keynote panel, based on Gaines’ practice and philosophy, will focus on talking about race through storytelling and music. Panelists include: writer Danzy Senna (author of Caucasia); New Orleans jazz legend Michael White; and Cheylon Woods, archivist and Head of the Gaines Center at University of Louisiana, Lafayette.