The Quiet Place Book Club: 'Bessie Smith' by Jackie Kay

Join us for the April meeting of The Quiet Place Book Club, where we'll be discussing Bessie Smith (2021) by Jackie Kay, an evocative biography that combines facts, poetic prose and personal memory about 'Empress of the Blues' - Bessie Smith. Seeing Smith as her imaginary counterpart since young, Kay extolls Smith's cultural relevance as she defines her blues as both personal and collective - an intimate way for the formidable Smith to celebrate her identity as a black, bisexual, working-class American female; and an alternate history that documents otherwise neglected facts of racist acts, social inequalities and poverty to the present at large. 

You can purchase bookplate signed editions of Bessie Smith (Faber and Faber, 2021) from Fox Lane Books. The university library also holds a physical copy of Bessie Smith. 

Please register in advance for this meeting. Everyone is welcome!