The Midnight Special With Author Colin Asher
50 spots remaining
About the Event
In American popular music, we often glorify rebellious artists and “outlaws.” But in The Midnight Special, Colin Asher tells a deeper story about the criminal justice system’s impact on our musicians, explored through compelling portraits of five artists whose careers span the twentieth century.
Opening with folk and blues artist Huddie “Lead Belly” Ledbetter, who was made to perform wearing prison clothes, Asher traces the intertwined histories of music and incarceration, from Southern prison farms of the Jim Crow era, through the heroin-driven mid-century drug wars that villainized a generation of jazz artists, and to our present era of mass incarceration.
This event will be located in the Central Library's Art, Music and Recreation Department on Upper Level 2. Join the author for this in-person discussion, followed by book sales and signing.
Reservations are not required but are encouraged. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.
For disability-related accommodations, please call (213) 228-7430 at least five business days prior to the event. The City will make every effort to accommodate requests received with less notice.
