Join author and producer Essie Chambers for a conversation about her award-winning debut novel, "Swift River"—a Today Show “Read with Jenna” Book Club pick. This event will be held at the Katharine Cornell Theatre, located at 51 Spring Street in Vineyard Haven (above the Tisbury Town Hall) with books available for purchase on-site by Bunch of Grapes. Free and open to the public. No registration required.
It’s the summer of 1987 in Swift River, and Diamond Newberry is learning how to drive. Ever since her Pop disappeared seven years ago, she and her mother hitchhike everywhere. But that’s not the only reason Diamond stands out: She’s teased relentlessly about her weight, and the fact that since Pop’s been gone, she is the only Black person in all of Swift River. This summer, Ma is determined to declare Pop legally dead so they can collect his life insurance money, get their house back from the bank, and finally move on.
But when Diamond receives a letter from a relative she’s never met, key elements of Pop’s life are uncovered. She is introduced to two generations of African American Newberry women, spanning the 20th century and revealing a much larger picture of prejudice and abandonment, of love and devotion. As pieces of their shared past become clearer, Diamond gains a sense of her place in the world and in her family. How will what she’s learned of the past change her future?
Essie Chambers is an award-winning author and producer. Her bestselling debut novel, "Swift River"—a Today Show “Read with Jenna” Book Club pick—won the 2024 Barnes & Noble Discover Prize and was named a best book of the year by The Washington Post, NPR, The Boston Globe, Elle, and more. It was also longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal and The Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, and was a finalist for an NAACP Image Award, among others. A former TV executive turned filmmaker, Essie produced the Oscar-shortlisted documentary "Descendant," released by the Obamas’ Higher Ground and Netflix. She holds an MFA from Columbia University and has received fellowships from MacDowell, the Vermont Studio Center, and Baldwin for the Arts. She lives in Brooklyn, NY.
You may also like the following events from Vineyard Haven Public Library:
- This Tuesday, 24th June, 06:00 pm, Real Island, Fake Shark: The Making of “Shark Summer” in Vineyard Haven
- This Thursday, 26th June, 02:00 pm, VHPL Book Club Reads This Strange Eventful History: A Novel by Claire Messud in Vineyard Haven
- Next Tuesday, 1st July, 06:00 pm, Le Tour: Up Close and Personal in Vineyard Haven
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