The CAALS Bauder Lecture with Percival Everett

Marygrove Conservancy

Percival Everett, award winning author, including the basis for the award-winning film American Fiction, will deliver the Bauder Lecture.

Join us for an unforgettable evening with Percival Everett, our distinguished guest for the Bauder Lecture—the cornerstone event of the Contemporary American Authors Lecture Series (CAALS), now in its 36th year. This celebrated series brings a notable African American writer to the Marygrove campus for an inspiring lecture or reading, and this year’s guest is one of the most compelling voices in contemporary literature.The winner of over a dozen major awards, Everett is the author of 24 novels, including Erasure, the book that inspired the Academy Award-winning film American Fiction. His latest novel, James, a New York Times best-seller, reimagines The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn through the runaway enslaved character, Jim. On November 20, 2024, James received the National Book Award for Fiction. Chicago Tribune hails Everett as “our current Great American Novelist,” calling James “a masterpiece that will help redefine one of the classics of American literature while also being a major achievement of its own.”Everett’s brilliance spans novels, short fiction, and poetry. His acclaimed works include Dr. No, winner of the 2023 PEN/Jean Stein Book Award; The Trees, a finalist for the Booker Prize; and Telephone, a Pulitzer Prize finalist. Critics have compared his satirical genius to that of Richard Wright and Ralph Ellison, making this an extraordinary opportunity to hear from a literary icon.Don’t miss this rare chance to experience an evening of insight, storytelling, and conversation with one of the most influential writers of our time.This event is made possible by major sponsors, including the Lillian and Don Bauder Endowment, the Kresge Foundation, the Mary Helen Washington Endowment, PBS Books, the National Endowment for Arts, and the Michigan Arts and Culture Council.

To further enrich your experience, we’re pleased to share two exclusive resources: a <a href="https://bit.ly/CAALS-Classroom" title="https://bit.ly/CAALS-Classroom" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">classroom toolkit</a> and a <a href="https://bit.ly/CAALS-BC" title="https://bit.ly/CAALS-BC" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">community reading and book club guide</a>. Whether you’re leading discussions in a classroom, a book club, or simply reflecting on the novel in your own time, we hope these materials provide meaningful insights and inspire engaging conversations.

<h3><a href="https://detroitartsculture.wixsite.com/caals/home-2" title="https://detroitartsculture.wixsite.com/caals/home-2" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Learn more about CAALS</a></h3>