The Friends of the Library (FOL) will hold its 55th Annual Book & Author Luncheon on Friday, May 10, 2024, from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at The Garden City Hotel, featuring Ilyon Woo, author of the nonfiction bestseller Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom, one of The New York Times 10 Best Books of 2023. She will appear in conversation with Port’s own Kelly McMasters, a bestselling memoirist, editor and Hofstra professor.
(Contributed photos)
Event sponsorships and individual tickets can be purchased online at pwpl.org/fol/reserve or patrons can pick up a reservation brochure in the library. The Luncheon is the FOL’s sole fundraising event. Tickets are $125 per person. Sponsorships begin at $250. Sponsors enjoy prominent seating, a signed copy of the featured book, inclusion on signage at the event and in thank-you ads, and other benefits. Reserve early to guarantee seating!
“We are so excited to feature Ilyon Woo, who, with just her second book has reached a level of acclaim few writers of history achieve,” said FOL President Pamela O’Connell. Master Slave Husband Wife tells the remarkable true story of Ellen and William Craft who escaped slavery in 1848 through daring, determination, and disguise, with Ellen passing as a wealthy, disabled White man and William posing as “his” slave. It is one of the most inspiring self-emancipation stories in American history and already a classic in the literature of slavery.
Kelly McMasters is an accomplished essayist, professor, mother, and former bookshop owner. She is the author most recently of The Leaving Season: A Memoir-in-Essays (2023). Her first book was Welcome to Shirley: A Memoir from an Atomic Town (2008), which was turned into an acclaimed documentary film. She is currently Associate Professor of English and Director of Publishing Studies at Hofstra University.
For further information email fol@pwpl.org.
—Submitted by The Friends of the Library
