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.
ILLINOIS LIBRARIES PRESENT | SPRING 2025
Jan 9, Virtual Visit with Steve Dolinsky, 7 pm
Jan 23, Virtual Visit with Michelle Buteau, 7 pm
Feb 4, Virtual Visit with James McBride,7 pm
Feb 19, Virtual Visit with Amy Tan,7 pm
Mar 4, Virtual Visit with Coralie Adam, 7 pm
Mar 21-23, 9 To 5: The Story of a Movement,
Apr 10, Virtual Visit with Alexis Nikole Nelson,7 pm
May 3, Virtual Visit with Dan Santat, 2 pm
May 15, Virtual Visit with Matthew Desmond, 7 pm
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 is committed to inclusion and accessibility.
Our beautiful, state-of-the-art Main Library opened on January 6, 2008. You’ll find a wide variety of books, movies, and music, as well as free events for all ages. Looking for tech options? We offer free Wifi, dozens of public computers with internet access, and public meeting rooms.
