Civil rights icon John Lewis and co-authors to discuss award-winning graphic novel
Editors and reporters: A limited number of media passes are available. Please contact Michael Hoerger, communications and marketing manager, Monroe County Public Library, at 812-349-3057 or mhoerger@mcpl.info.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Civil rights icon U.S. Rep. John Lewis will discuss his award-winning graphic novel “March” at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 21 at the Indiana University Auditorium. Joining Lewis will be co-authors Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell, a Bloomington artist.
The free event, titled "The Power of Words," is presented by the Monroe County Public Library and the Friends of the Library, with co-sponsorship by the Indiana Memorial Union Board.
While free tickets are no longer available, event organizers expect many seats will be available the night of the program. People who are interested in attending are encouraged to join a stand-by line at the IU Auditorium on Monday evening. All empty seats will be filled from the line at 7:15 p.m.
"The Power of Words" will also be carried live by Monroe County Community Access Television Services on the Library Channel on local cable and online at catstv.net.
“The visit of Congressman John Lewis to Bloomington is especially timely, given the recent 50th anniversary of the historic Selma-to-Montgomery march that he co-led, which changed our country’s history,” said Sally Gaskill, co-chair of the 2015 "Power of Words." “The library is indebted to our multiple partners for working to ensure that the visit has a long-term, meaningful impact on our community.”
Lewis, Aydin and Powell will discuss their groundbreaking graphic novel series “March,” an engaging and award-winning first-hand account of Lewis’ lifelong struggle for civil and human rights.
“March: Book One” spans Lewis’ youth in rural Alabama, his life-changing meeting with Martin Luther King Jr. and his involvement with the Nashville Student Movement’s battle to tear down segregation through nonviolent lunch counter sit-ins. The memoir continues in the newly released “March: Book Two,” which includes the 1961 Freedom Rides and the legendary 1963 March on Washington, D.C.
Both books are New York Times bestsellers and are available for checkout at the Monroe County Public Library and for purchase at the event Monday.
This year’s "Power of Words" was coordinated with opportunities for community members to read and discuss the books, meet and hear from the authors, and act on what they learned. More information is available at the 2015 Power of Words website.
"The Power of Words: Changing Our World -- One Author at a Time" is a biannual event sponsored by The Friends of the Library and Monroe County Public Library. Previous "Power of Words" authors include Nicole Mones, James McBride, Rick Bragg and Luis Alberto Urrea.
Partners in presenting the event include the Center on Congress at Indiana University, Indiana Memorial Union Board, IU Civic Leaders Living-Learning Center, the Department of English, the Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies, IU Lifelong Learning, the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center and the Office of the Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Multicultural Affairs. Additional partners include City of Bloomington, Ivy Tech Community College, Monroe County Community School Corp., Richland-Bean Blossom Community School Corp. and South Central Community Action Program.
Related Links
From left, Nate Powell, John Lewis and Andrew Aydin at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala.
Media Contacts
Michael Hoerger
Communications and marketing manager
- Monroe County Public Library
- Office 812-349-3057
- mhoerger@mcpl.info