Kansas State University

Save the dates: 2021 K-State First Book author virtual visit, other common book events

Submitted by Jennifer Tidball

Cherie Dimaline — author of Kansas State University's 2021 common book, "The Marrow Thieves" — will give a virtual lecture during the fall semester for K-State students, faculty and staff. 

The lecture will be at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 23, through Zoom. Additional details will be shared as they are finalized. The lecture is sponsored by K-State First Book and the Student Governing Association Diversity Programming Committee. 

"The Marrow Thieves" is an award-winning and bestselling novel that tells the story of a dystopian future where humanity has nearly destroyed its world through global warming. The protagonist, Frenchie, struggles to survive in a world where the Indigenous people of North America are being hunted and harvested for their bone marrow, which carries the key to recovering something the rest of the population has lost: the ability to dream.   

Other fall semester events are being finalized to coincide with the 2021 book selection. Visit k-state.edu/ksfb for updated information in the upcoming weeks.

Events that have been scheduled include:    

• Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art common work of art, "From Upstream I Caught a Fish" by Neal Ambrose Smith, panel discussion, 5:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 2. Livestream will be available through Zoom. The event is sponsored by the Beach Museum of Art.
• "Nothing About Us Without Us: The Importance of Indigenous Perspective in All Things Indigenous" panel discussion, 7 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 16, Bluemont Room in the K-State Student Union. Livestream also will be available through Zoom. The event is sponsored by the Department of Diversity and Multicultural Student Affairs.
• "Why are there so few materials from folks of marginalized identities in institutional archives?" presentation, noon, Tuesday, Oct. 5. Livestream will be available through Zoom. The event is the first in a three-part series of events presented during American Archives Month and is sponsored by the Richard L. D. and Marjorie J. Morse Department of Special Collections with K-State Libraries.
• "How has the way archivists have historically described archival materials contributed to harm toward marginalized communities? What is changing?" presentation, noon, Tuesday, Oct. 12. Livestream will be available through Zoom. The event is the second in a three-part series of events presented during American Archives Month and is sponsored by the Richard L. D. and Marjorie J. Morse Department of Special Collections with K-State Libraries.
• "A Conversation with CARE: Social Factors Contributing to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women" discussion, 6 p.m., Monday, Oct. 18. The event will be a hybrid in-person and online event and is sponsored by the Center for Advocacy, Response and Education, or CARE.
• "How can we address the absence of marginalized folks from the archive via a collaborative, equitable and justice-driven method?" presentation, noon, Tuesday, Oct. 19. Livestream will be available through Zoom. The event is the third in a three-part series of events presented during American Archives Month and is sponsored by the Richard L. D. and Marjorie J. Morse Department of Special Collections with K-State Libraries.
• "Indigenous Peoples: Past, Present, and Future" lecture, 4:30 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 20. Livestream will be available through Zoom. The event is sponsored by the College of Education and the Department of English. 

University and community programming partners for the 2021 common book include the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art; the Center for Advocacy, Response and Education; the Department of English in the College of Arts and Sciences; the Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences, or MANRRS, chapter in the College of Agriculture; the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering; the Department of Diversity and Multicultural Student Affairs; the Richard L. D. and Marjorie J. Morse Department of Special Collections with K-State Libraries; the Staley School of Leadership Studies; the Indigenous Faculty and Staff Alliance; the College of Education; and USD 383.  

Interested departments or groups should contact ksbn@k-state.edu to join the effort for the 2021 selection.   

More information about the K-State First Book program, the 2021 book selection and resources for its inclusion in fall activities and classrooms is available at the K-State First Book website, k-state.edu/ksfb.