Acclaimed Author Edwidge Danticat to Receive St. Louis Literary Award
Jeanette Grider
Senior Media Relations Specialist
jgrider1@slu.edu
314-977-2538
Reserved for members of the media.
09/24/2019
The Saint Louis University Library Associates will present the noted Haitian-American writer Edwidge Danticat, author of acclaimed books that include Breath, Eyes, Memory; Krik?Krak! and The Dew Breaker, with the 2019 St. Louis Literary Award at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 24, at the Sheldon Concert Hall. The event is complimentary, but registration is required to receive a ticket to the event.
Danticat, who has written a variety of fiction and non-fiction chronicling the lives of Haitian citizens, is a graduate of Brown University whose master’s thesis was released in 1994 as her debut novel, Breath, Eyes, Memory and in 1998 was selected as an official book club pick by Oprah Winfrey.
In addition to her books, Danticat has also been recognized for her 2010 essay collection, Create Dangerously: The Immigrant Artist at Work. She is also the recipient of an American Book Award (1999), a National Book Critics Circle Award (2007) and a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship (2009).
A special reception with Edwidge Danticat will be held following the St. Louis Literary Award. Tickets to the special reception are $100 per person.
Space is limited for the St. Louis Literary Award and the special reception.
Click here for more information about the 2019 St. Louis Literary Award event and the reception
A special series of events surrounding the works of Edwidge Danticat will be held beginning Wednesday, Oct. 2. These events are free and open to the public as well as the SLU community.
SLU Law student Tcherlie MacEnat will lead a discussion on how Danticat often focuses on the plight of the Haitian immigrant, a particularly timely topic regarding U.S. immigration policies. Currently, the media has been focusing on the U.S. policy towards Haitians. This will also be a highly interactive discussion.
- 4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 2, Pius XII Memorial Library (second floor)
During the campus read talk, Joya Uraizee, Ph.D., associate professor in the English department, and SLU English graduate student Kathryn Polizzi, will offer a presentation about Danticat's novel Breath, Eyes, Memory with special attention to the themes of Postcolonial identity, trauma and critical responses to the novel. The speakers will also invite discussion from the audience about their experiences reading the book.
- 4:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 7, in Busch Student Center (Rooms 352/353)
English professor Anne Stiles, Ph.D., director of the undergraduate program in medical humanities, will lead an interactive discussion with readers on the themes of medicine and health care in Breath, Eyes, Memory.
- 6:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 21, Learning Resources Center (Pitlyk Auditorium B)
Washington University dance professor Joanna Dee Das will discuss how the renowned twentieth-century choreographer Katherine Dunham forged connections between Haiti and the United States through dance. Dunham dance choreographer Ruby Streate will discuss an oral introduction about the legacy of Miss Katherine Dunham and a physical experience in the Dunham Technique accompanied by a live percussionist and dancers.
- 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 23, SLU University Theater
Craft Talk with Edwidge Danticat and moderator, Joya Uraizee, Ph.D.
- Noon Friday, October 25, Center for Global Citizenship (3672 West Pine Mall)