Online
Let's Talk Race Family Book Festival: Selina Alko & Sean Qualls
Sunday, September 26, 2021 3 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Richland Library's second event in our Let's Talk Race Family Book Festival is a virtual conversation with award-winning author and illustrators of The Case for Loving: The Fight for Interracial Marriage, Selina Alko & Sean Qualls.
Join this husband and wife as they discuss their books, what inspires them to create and how race impacts their work, their lives and their family.
It is no wonder that award-winning writer-illustrator Selina Alko now spends her days melding words and mixed-media art to convey stories of hope and inspiration—as well as an alternative viewpoint.
Growing up in Vancouver, British Columbia with a Turkish Jewish father who spoke seven languages and taught painting, and a Jewish mother who worked in the family’s century-old metal recycling business, she was surrounded by the melody of words and stories from different places and varied visual possibilities.
The skills her parents imparted to her as a child, the creative environment that supported them, and the diverse world view she was privy to, have inspired and fueled her ever since and are evident in her many children's books. Some of her award-winning books include: The Case for Loving: The Fight for Interracial Marriage, Daddy Christmas & Hanukkah Mama, and Joni: The Lyrical Life of Joni Mitchell.
Selina continues to find inspiration in the world around her, whether it’s the streets of Brooklyn, where she has lived for more than 20 years, her native Canada, or the small but universal experiences of a child as she watches her kids grow up.
Read More➤
For more information about Selina Alko, visit www.selinaalko.com
Sean Qualls finds inspiration everywhere.
Growing up in the 70's in central New Jersey, his family didn't have much money for art supplies but he made the best of what was available; discarded paper, blank end pages from old books and sometimes walls much to his mother's chagrin. Some of his earliest inspirations were the crayons and coloring books his mom would buy for him and his older sister, drawing and handwriting competitions with classmates and an illustrated bible he received for Christmas in the 2nd grade.
His fine art focuses on race & identity and the intersection of history & mythology, ultimately examining how we create our own identities or allow them to be scripted to for us. Together his paintings and illustrations reveal simultaneously unique and universal moments that reveal the human spirit.
Sean has also illustrated Emmanuel's Dream (Schneider Award recipient) written by Laurie Ann Thompson, Giant Steps to Change the World written by Spike Lee and Tonya Lewis Lee and Before John Was a Jazz Giant (Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor) written by Carole Boston Weatherford.
He lives in lives in Brooklyn where you can also find him DJing on occasion.
Read More➤
For more information about Sean Qualls, visit www.seanqualls.com
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Join online, here:
Zoom: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/99353820363?pwd=VFFyQzhoZ0hrR2hodjRiNjk0Ymh6UT09
BY PHONE: 1 929 436 2866
WEBINAR ID: 993 5382 0363
PASSCODE: 550666
Please click the link above to join.
This event will be recorded.
Questions? E-mail hmccue@richlandlibrary.com.
The Let's Talk Race Family Book Festival will take place virtually August-October 2021 and will feature a monthly conversation from an incredible author, illustrator or book creator. This year's festival will include: Tiffany Jewell, Selina Alko & Sean Qualls and Nic Stone. In addition, we will be highlighting content on our website to keep the family discussions going with book lists, activities, blog posts and more.
This Let's Talk Race program is made possible thanks to funding from the Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation.