One State/One Story: Guest Scholar Leah Milne

Join us on June 29 at 10:30am to welcome special guest scholar Leah Milne, as she shares Mirrors and Windows: Reading for & Beyond Empathy. This presentation and lecture is part of the One State/One Story program supported by Indiana Humanities. A Q&A will follow the presentation.

Indiana Humanities’ One State / One Story program invites Hoosiers to engage deeply with a book as part of a statewide conversation tied to our current theme.

Those in attendance will receive a free copy of Tiya Miles’ All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley’s Sack, a Black Family Keepsake (while supplies last). This book is our Indy Reads Book Club selection for July 28th. Register here for that discussion.

Mirrors and Windows: Reading for & Beyond Empathy What are the connections between reading and empathy, and why should we read outside of our comfort zones?

Scholar Rudine Sims Bishop and author Grace Lin liken reading to mirrors and windows. Some books are mirrors, reflecting one’s identity. In the wake of recent race-based discussions in the US, many readers sought windows, books that offered insights into differing lives and experiences. This talk explores the connections between reading and empathy, and the benefits of reading outside our comfort zones. What are strategies for reading empathetically? On the other hand, what are the limits to this approach to empathy, especially when reading across differences of race, ability, or gender? Do certain narratives more readily foster compassion?

This event is recommended for all ages.

All proceeds from book sales at Indy Reads support our English literacy programming.

Leah Milne (she/her) is the author of Novel Subjects: Authorship as Radical Self-Care in Multiethnic American Narratives, which won the 2021 Midwest Modern Language Association Book Award and examines multiculturalism and self-care in works by authors such as Carmen Maria Machado, Ruth Ozeki, Toni Morrison, and Louise Erdrich. As an Associate Professor of English at the University of Indianapolis, she teaches multicultural, postcolonial, and young adult literature. Her work has been published in journals and magazines such as The Journal of American Culture, African American Review. Newsweek, The Hill, and Ms. Magazine. You can find out more at LeahMilne. com.

This event is Pay-What-You-Can. Here’s what your suggested donation can do for the Indy Reads community:

FREE – This ticket is for attendees that would like to attend this event and are unable to purchase a ticket. Indy Reads values our community and facilitators. We are proud to provide programming to all. Thank you for being a part of our community!

$10 – This donation covers the cost of one attendee to this event. Indy Reads strives to bring the very best programming to Fountain Square and all Hoosiers. Thank you for helping us to keep our quality programs accessible for all!

$20 – This donation covers the cost of two attendees to this event. If you are attending as an individual, your ticket at this level makes it possible for another who cannot afford a ticket to attend. It is only through the generosity of our community that we are able to support programs that enrich the lives of all Hoosiers. Thank you for your support!

Other – “Pay-What-You-Can” really does mean pay what you can. Indy Reads appreciates that every one of our community members is able to support our vision of 100% literacy for all in different ways. Whether you can pay $5 or $50, we are so excited to see you – and thank you for your support!