Not Being Silent About The Grace of Silence and Our Event at Alverno College on September 30th

You may remember that Norris took a short leave of absence from hosting "All Things Considered" to put The Grace of Silence together. What started out as a book about keeping the discussion on race going in the age of the Obama presidency became something quite different, something very personal. It turned out in the Norris family that there were a few secrets on both sides of the family, and it took some detective work on Norris's part to find out all the details.

It's a gently powerful book that still has me thinking about what it must have been like for her grandmother to play Aunt Jemima at county fairs. Even at that time, African Americans likely understood the connotations of the product, offering what was M. M. Manring called a "slave in a box."

Norris is traveling the country to discuss The Grace of Silence. We're hosting the event at Alverno College's Pitman Theatre. (Of course we hope for the best, but you know the drill--if we don't sell enough tickets, the event will move to one of the very close, slightly smaller spaces). Tickets are $26 and include a signed copy of the book. If you wish, you can substitute a $20 gift card. There's a box office fee of $5, but remember that is per order. If folks are coming together, by all means by your tickets in one transaction.

We've got a lot of sponsors on this one!

WUWM is our lead sponsor. Mitch Teich of Lake Effect will be introducing Norris and handling the question and answer session. The event is also sponsored by the Alverno College Research Center for Women and Girls and the Alverno College International and Intercultural Center.

And finally, we are also working on outreach with Carla Allison at The Reader's Choice: Presenting the Best in Literature by Minority Authors.

That's a full plate! Let's hope for the best. With a worthy endeavor like this, you want to go the extra mile. Don't forget, it's Thursday, September 30th, 7 PM, at Alverno's Pitman Theatre. Buy your tickets on their handy website!