Join us to close out our fourth season with bestselling author Matthew Desmond in conversation with award-winning journalist, Natalie Moore.
Desmond is a professor of sociology at Princeton University and author of the award-winning book, Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City. The recipient of a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship, Desmond was named one of “fifty people across the country who are most influencing the national political debate” by Politico 50 in 2016. His research focuses on poverty in the United States, city life, housing insecurity, public policy, racial inequality, and ethnography.
Natalie Moore is an award-winning journalist based in Chicago, whose reporting tackles race, housing, economic development, food injustice and violence. She is the author of the acclaimed The South Side: A Portrait of Chicago and American Segregation and co-author of The Almighty Black P Stone Nation: The Rise, Fall and Resurgence of an American Gang. Moore is the recipient of Chicago Library Foundation’s 21st Century Award and a Studs Terkel Community Media Award among many others. Her work has helped shift the way Chicagoans today think about segregation in the region.
This event is made possible by Illinois Libraries Present, a statewide collaboration among public libraries offering high-quality events. Illinois Libraries Present 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).
Illinois Library Presents: Author/Illustrator Dan Santat
Join bestselling author and illustrator Dan Santat for an afternoon event all about books and art with friend and collaborator, author Minh Lê.
Dan Santat is the author and illustrator of over a hundred books for young people! Many of his books are New York Times-bestsellers, including The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend, Are We There Yet?, and After the Fall (How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again). His latest works include the best-selling graphic novels, The Aquanaut and A First Time for Everything. He is also the creator of the Disney animated hit, The Replacements.
Santat won the Caldecott Medal for most distinguished picture book in 2015, the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature in 2023 and Golden Kite Award for Middle Grade Fiction in 2024.
Minh Lê is the award-winning author of picture books including Drawn Together (winner of the 2019 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature), The Blur (with Dan Sanat!),Real to Me, Lift, and graphic novels such as Green Lantern: Legacy and Enlighten Me. In addition to writing books, Dan serves on the board of We Need Diverse Books, and has been a contributor to a variety of national publications, including NPR, HuffPost, and the New York Times.
This event is made possible by Illinois Libraries Present, a statewide collaboration among public libraries offering high-quality events. Illinois Libraries Present 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).
Celebrate Earth Month with BlackForager, Alexis Nikole Nelson. A forager, outdoor educator, chef, and influencer based in Ohio, Nelson uses her platforms to yell, sing and celebrate all the edible plants hiding in plain sight. She invites all to come on her foraging journey with her via @alexisnikole (TikTok) and @blackforager (Instagram). Through her search for freely accessible edible plants, she peels back historical layers on African American and Indigenous food traditions that have traditionally been repressed and empowers those living in food deserts with greater self- sufficiency.
Nelson has also cooked up quite a few awards, receiving the James Beard Award for “Best Social Media” 2022, being chosen as a ‘TikTok Tastemaker’ for Forbes 30 Under 30 list, and honored as part of Fortune Magazine’s Creator 25 in 2021. With 5 million followers joining, Alexis takes audiences into the woods and to the oceans in search of edible plants and tasty recipes to enrich their palates and the planet. As Alexis would say, happy snacking, don’t die!
Nelson will be joined in conversation by Natalie Evans, a wild edible foods instructor based in Chicago.
This event is made possible by Illinois Libraries Present, a statewide collaboration among public libraries offering high-quality events. Illinois Libraries Present 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).
Watch the award winning documentary from the comfort of your home! The documentary highlights the creation of the 9to5 movement, established to fight for workplace equity and against wage discrepancy and was the basis for the feature film, 9 to 5, starring Jane Fonda, Dolly Parton and Lily Tomlin.
In the early 1970s, secretaries in Boston decided to fight against humiliating, harassing and illegal work environments. Their movement became national and is a largely forgotten story of U.S. twentieth century history. Director Julia Reichert was an Academy Award and Emmy Award winning documentarian.
This event is made possible by Illinois Libraries Present, a statewide collaboration among public libraries offering high-quality events. Illinois Libraries Present 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).
Get an inside look at the space industry with Illinois’ own Coralie Adam. She’ll be joined in conversation by Renae Kerrigan, Curator of Science and Director of the Dome Planetarium at Peoria Riverfront Museum.
Born and raised in Illinois, Coralie holds a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering and Astronomy from the University of Illinois, and an M.S. in Aerospace Engineering Sciences from the University of Colorado. She leads the multi-mission Optical Navigation team at KinetX Aerospace, the first privately held company to provide deep space navigation and flight dynamics expertise to NASA. At KinetX, Coralie has had lead roles on the navigation teams for NASA’s New Horizons, OSIRIS-REx, Lucy, and OSIRIS-APEX missions. Coralie’s work enabled the first exploration of the Pluto system and the historic sample collection of near-Earth asteroid Bennu. In addition to leading the OSIRIS-REx optical navigation team, she co-convened the scientific investigation of Bennu’s active particle ejection phenomena. Coralie is currently the Deputy Navigation Chief on NASA’s Lucy mission to the Jupiter Trojan asteroids, as well as supporting several commercial and government exploration initiatives to the moon and beyond.
This event is made possible by Illinois Libraries Present, a statewide collaboration among public libraries offering high-quality events. Illinois Libraries Present 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).
National Humanities Medal winner and bestselling author of The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan joins us to share on her body of work and reflect on the wonder of slowing down and savoring the quiet moments. Her connection to nature is captured in her latest, The Backyard Bird Chronicles, a collection of sketches and essays which debuted at #1 on both the New York Times and the Indie bestseller list.
Born in the U.S. to immigrant parents from China, Tan’s first bestselling novel, The Joy Luck Club, offered a look at the immigration experience from the perspective of mothers and daughters. Other New York Times best-sellers followed, including The Kitchen God’s Wife, The Hundred Secret Senses, The Bonesetter’s Daughter,Saving Fish from Drowning, and The Valley of Amazement. Tan is also the author of two children’s books, a memoir, and other works. In keeping with her love of science and childhood love of doodling, she recently took up nature journal sketching. When she found herself overwhelmed by our increasingly divisive culture, she turned to nature and the world of bird life outside her own window.
This event is made possible by Illinois Libraries Present, a statewide collaboration among public libraries offering high-quality events. Illinois Libraries Present 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).
Illinois Libraries Present James McBride, an award-winning author, musician, and screenwriter. His landmark memoir, The Color of Water, was published in 1996 and is considered an American classic, read in schools and universities across the United States. His 2013 novel, The Good Lord Bird, won the National Book Award for Fiction and was adapted by Ethan Hawke and Jason Blum into a Showtime series bearing the same name. His latest, The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, was named one of the New York Times’ 100 Notable Books of 2023.
In 2016, President Obama awarded McBride the National Humanities Medal “for humanizing the complexities of discussing race in America. Through writings about his own uniquely American story, and his works of fiction informed by our shared history, his moving stories of love display the character of the American family.” In 2024 he became the latest recipient of the Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction. A native New Yorker, McBride is a Distinguished Writer in Residence at New York University.
Heather Marie-Montlilla of PBS Books will join McBride in conversation.
This event is made possible by Illinois Libraries Present, a statewide collaboration among public libraries offering high-quality events. Illinois Libraries Present 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).
Join comedian, actress, and producer Michelle Buteau in conversation with Greta Johnsen. Michelle is the creator/writer/star of the Netflix series Survival of the Thickest, inspired by her autobiographical book of essays of the same name. She is also the host of two popular reality competition shows – The Circle and Barbecue Showdown, and hosts the popular podcast, Adulting. In 2024, she starred in Babes alongside fellow comedian/actress Ilana Glazer.
Born in New Jersey to Caribbean parents, Michelle brings her unique perspective and big personality to stage and screen. Her one-hour comedy special, Welcome to Buteaupia, won the Critics Choice Award for Best Comedy Special. Her new special, A Buteau-ful Mind, drops on Netflix December 31.
Greta Johnsen is an interviewer, podcast host, and book person. She is loved as co-host of HBO’s Official Game of Thrones Podcast and hosted WBEZ’s Nerdette podcast for eleven years. She can also be heard on podcasts like Pop Culture Happy Hour and City Cast.
This event is made possible by Illinois Libraries Present, a statewide collaboration among public libraries offering high-quality events. Illinois Libraries Present 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).
Famed Food Guy reporter at NBC 5 (Chicago), Steve Dolinksy has won 13 James Beard Awards for his TV, radio and podcast work. Steve is also the producer and host of Pizza City, a bi-monthly podcast featuring some of the nation’s greatest pizza makers. In 2022, he launched Pizza City Fest in Chicago. Now in four cities, the events bring together 40 of the region’s best pizzerias baking live on electric and wood-fired ovens. Steve is also the author of two pizza books. Join him to dish on The Ultimate Chicago Pizza Guide: A History of Squares & Slices in the Windy City, his comprehensive guide to the styles, locales and people that make the Windy City a prime destination for slices and pies.
Steve grew up in a kosher home in St. Cloud, Minnesota and it wasn’t until he was a teenager that he began to fall in love with food. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin, and moving to Chicago to work as a reporter for CLTV, Steve caught his big break in 1995 when the station launched Good Eating, a weekly program that mirrored the Tribune’s food section. After eight years, Steve moved to ABC 7, Chicago’s #1 news station, where he produced two original reports every week under the moniker, The Hungry Hound.
Since 2014, Steve has hosted The Feed Podcast with Chicago chef/restaurateur Rick Bayless, a podcast covering the world of food from their professional perspectives. He is also a judge on Iron Chef America and has served as one of the 27 Regional Academy Chairs for the World’s 50 Best Restaurants for the past 13 years. Steve lives and works in Chicago, Illinois.
This event is made possible by Illinois Libraries Present, a statewide collaboration among public libraries offering high-quality events. Illinois Libraries Present 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).
Little Women: The Musical An At Home Experience (in collaboration with BroadwayHD) 2 hr 23 min | Musicals | 2022
Louisa May Alcott’s classic story of four sisters growing up in 19th-century Massachusetts made its London premiere in this acclaimed production at Park Theatre. Originally presented on Broadway in 2005 starring Sutton Foster, Lydia White and Savannah Stevenson lead a talented cast in this beloved tale of family, self-discovery, and hope.
Louisa May Alcott’s classic story of four sisters growing up in 19th-century Massachusetts made its London premiere in this acclaimed production at Park Theatre. Originally presented on Broadway in 2005 starring Sutton Foster, Lydia White and Savannah Stevenson lead a talented cast in this beloved tale of family, self-discovery, and hope. Little Women at Park Theatre is directed by Bronagh Lagan with set and costume design by Nik Corrall, musical direction by Leo Munby, orchestrations by Andy Collyer, choreography by Sarah Golding, lighting design by Ben M. Rogers, sound design by Paul Gavin and casting by Jane Deitch. It is produced by Katy Lipson for Aria Entertainment, Hope Mill Theatre and Knockhardy Productions, in association with Park Theatre, and co-produced by Bonnie Comley and Stewart F. Lane. Little Women has a book by Allan Knee (Finding Neverland, The Astonishing Times of Timothy Cratchit), lyrics by Mindi Dickstein, and music by Grammy Award-winner Jason Howland.
This event is made possible by Illinois Libraries Present, a statewide collaboration among public libraries offering high-quality events. Illinois Libraries Present 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).
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