June 11, 2018
K-State Book Network 2018 author Angie Thomas to visit in spring, call for faculty and staff participation for fall
The K-State Book Network announces that Angie Thomas, author of the 2018 KSBN book selection "The Hate U Give," will visit K-State next academic year.
Thomas's talk, titled "Finding Your Activism and Turning the Political into the Personal," will take place 7-8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 15, 2019, in the K-State Alumni Center Banquet Room. The talk is co-sponsored by the Diversity Programming Committee and the English department's student honorary society, Sigma Tau Delta, among others. It will be free to attend, but a ticket will be required.
"Our students are very excited about Angie Thomas's upcoming visit. She has written a novel that speaks powerfully to issues and concerns that our students want to talk about. Having her on campus to talk with our students is going to be a real treat," said Greg Eiselein, professor of English and director of K-State First.
Thomas's best-selling and award-winning novel tells the story of a 16-year-old girl named Starr Carter. Starr has grown up in an urban, poverty-stricken neighborhood and now attends a suburban prep school. After she witnesses a police officer shooting her unarmed friend, she must find a way to share the truth of her experience for her family, friends, community, and herself.
The 2018 selection emerged as the favorite following campuswide conversations and review by the KSBN selection committee, comprised of 48 faculty, students and staff from colleges and units across the university's campuses.
"We're looking forward to another great year of campus and communitywide programming," said Karin Westman, chair of the KSBN PR/Events Committee and department head of English.
"In advance of Angie Thomas's visit, events will include a public lecture series by members of the K-State community and a panel on community policing, co-sponsored with Riley County Police Department and K-State Police Department," announced Westman.
The KSBN PR/Events Committee is now assembling a roster of faculty, staff, and students who would like to present as part of the public lecture series as well as contribute to the resource guide for "The Hate U Give."
Possible topics include, but are not limited to: education, family, identity, community building, civil disobedience, civil discourse, code-switching, social media, incarceration and popular culture.
Potential contributors should complete the Qualtrics survey to provide their name, the title of the contribution, and a 50-word description of its content.
For priority consideration, please submit information by June 30.
For more information about Thomas's book and about the K-State Book Network, visit the KSBN website. To request an examination copy of the 2018 selection to use for a class or program, contact ksbn@k-state.edu.