What: Authors Series: Sixth Annual NOMMO African American Authors Series
Sponsored by the Givens Foundation for African American Literature and the Friends of the University of Minnesota Libraries
Where: Coffman Memorial Union Theater
When: All events begin at 7:00 p.m. Dates detailed below.
Tickets available through Northrop Ticket Office: Each event: $15 • Series pass: $25
Complimentary tickets available for U of M students and members of the Friends of the University of Minnesota Libraries (limit two)

Order tickets:

• By phone: Call the Northorp Ticket Office at 612-624-2345 and purchase your tickets using a major credit card


• In person: Northrop Ticket Office is open Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and is located at 105 Northrop Auditorium, 84 Church Street S.E., Mpls, 55455


• On the web: www.tickets.umn.edu
  Complimentary tickets must be obtained by phone or in person at Northrop Ticket Office.

In this series, host and moderator Alexs Pate, University of Minnesota professor and author of Amistad, takes you on a journey into the consciousness of two luminary writers. These dynamic events feature the authors reading from their work and engaging in spirited dialogue with Pate about the state of the art of African American literature.

November 11, 2009: Ishmael Reed
Ishmael Reed is the author of 25 books, including New and Collected Poems, 1964-2006, which was listed as one of the four best books of poetry in 2006 by The New York Times Book Review, and Conjure, which was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. He is also a publisher, television producer, radio and television commentator, teacher, and editor of numerous anthologies and magazines. He is the founder of the Before Columbus Foundation, which annually presents the American Book Awards; the Oakland chapter of PEN; and There City Cinema, an organization that furthers the distribution and discussion of films from throughout the world. For over 30 years, Reed taught creative writing courses in the English Department at the University of California, Berkeley, before retiring in January 2005.

April 28, 2010: Quincy Troupe
Quincy Troupe is the author of 17 books, including American Book Award winners Snake-Back Solos and Miles: The Autobiography. In 1991, he received the prestigious Peabody Award for "The Miles Davis Radio Project," broadcast in seven parts on National Public Radio. Troupe co-authored the best seller The Pursuit of Happyness with Chris Gardner, which chronicled Gardner's journey from homelessness to success on Wall Street. The book became the basis of an award-winning movie of the same name, starring Will Smith. Troupe is professor emeritus of creative writing and American and Caribbean literature at the University of California, San Diego, and the founding editorial director for Code Magazine. He is currently editor of Black Renaissance Noire, published by the Institute of African American Affairs at New York University.

This series is co-sponsored by the University of Minnesota Urban Research and Outreach/Engagement Center.