September 12, 2012

Join us for a reading by local author Lois Leveen - 9/13

Join us for a reading by local author Lois Leveen - 9/13

Please join the Department of English, Gender Studies, and Ethnic Studies for a reading by local author Lois Leveen on September 13, at 7 p.m. in the Armstrong Lounge of the Manor House.  Refreshments will be provided.  Free and open to the public.  We look forward to seeing you there!

About the book:
The Secrets of Mary Bowser is based on the true story of a daring woman who sacrificed her own freedom to change the course of history. Mary Bowser was born a slave in Richmond, Virginia.  Freed and educated in the North, she returned to the South and spied for the Union—by posing as a slave to the family of Confederate President Jefferson Davis.  The novel interweaves historical events and real people to introduce readers to little known aspects of American history, including the lives of free and enslaved blacks in industrialized, antebellum Richmond; the vibrant African American community in antebellum Philadelphia; the conflicts that arose among abolitionists of both races; and the Union underground that operated in the Confederate capital throughout the war.

About the author:
Award-winning author Lois Leveen earned degrees in history and literature from Harvard, the University of Southern California, and UCLA, and taught at UCLA and at Reed College. She is a regular contributor to Disunion, the New York Times coverage of the Civil War, and her poetry and essays have appeared in numerous books, literary journals, and on NPR.  Lois gives talks about American history and literature, race in America, social justice, and the writing process, at libraries, bookstores, universities, museums, teacher training programs, and conferences throughout the country.