Join us for a celebration of the French Dukes! Author Debbie Taylor will kick things off with a reading of her picture book, Step It Up! The French Dukes! Set in 1960's Ann Arbor, Kenny’s story is inspired by the real-life French Dukes Precision Drill Team. Members of the original team will talk with Debbie about their experience, and then do a short performance. They will also share what's happening with young community members today! Books will be for sale and Debbie Taylor will be available to sign them.

Have a look into the writing of Jeffers’ self-published memoir, Can You Hear the Music?, which documents her diagnosis with and recovery from bipolar disorder as well as PTSD from the Virginia Tech shooting while she was on the tenure track at the University of Michigan. 

In her talk, Zahra Hankir will delve into the intersection of culture, journalism, and history through an anti-colonial lens. The author and journalist will share insights from her writing career, including her latest book, Eyeliner: A Cultural History. She will explore the importance of uplifting and centering communities of color and their contributions to industries as diverse and wide-ranging as beauty and journalism.

Author Nick Baumgardner discusses his new book Mountaintop: The Inside Story of Michigan's National Title Climb, chronicling Michigan's famed 1997 team with new information and never-before-heard perspectives.

This event includes a signing with books for sale.

Graphic novelist Nate Powell will discuss his new books, FALL THROUGH and LIES MY TEACHER TOLD ME: A GRAPHIC ADAPTATION, highlighting different creative approaches to fiction and nonfiction.

This year's selection for the Washtenaw Read is How the Word is Passed by Clint Smith. One of the locations that he visits in the book to explore the legacy of slavery in the United States is the Whitney Plantation, outside New Orleans, Louisiana. The Whitney works to educate people about how slavery has shaped our nation's collective history. Join Ashley Rogers, Executive Director of the Whitney, who will give a talk related to the Read and the work that the Whitney does.

From Intention to Impact shows what organizations, leaders, and people at all levels must do to create more inclusive environments that honor and value diversity. Lazu shares a seven-stage guide through this process as well as a 3L model of listening, learning, and loving that readers can use from the initial excitement of doing “something” to the frustration when the inevitable pushback comes, and finally to the determination to do the hard work despite the challenges—on corporate and political fronts.

In his late twenties, poet Russell Brakefield was diagnosed with keratoconus, a degenerative eye condition causing progressive loss of sight. His new collection, My Modest Blindness, traverses this blurry landscape, connecting art, literature, natural history, and pop culture. In her late twenties, poet Katie Hartsock was diagnosed with late-onset Type 1 diabetes. Her new collection, Wolf Trees, meditates on this chronic illness and its daily demands alongside motherhood, mythology, and Midwestern woods.

David and Susan Schwartz are two of the most enthusiastic speakers and biggest Costco fans you’d ever want to meet. In their new book, The Joy of Costco: A Treasure Hunt from A to Z (Hot Dog Press; September 12, 2023), they describe the many positive attributes of this retail giant and well-known civic leader. During the event, they will discuss the amazing scale on which Costco operates, describe the “behind the scenes magic” of a day in the life of a Costco Wa

Join AADL in welcoming Detroit's own Curtis Chin, author of the memoir Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant. Chin will be be in conversation with Doris Truong.