Torchlight Talk: Go Forth and Tell

Join us for March’s Torchlight Talk with children’s book author Breanna McDaniel! This month’s talk will include a collage workshop centered around the power of words. 

GO FORTH AND TELL (written by Breanna McDaniel, illustrated by April Harrison) is a nonfiction picture book about the life of children's librarian Augusta Baker, beloved librarian and storyteller and the first Black coordinator of children’s services at all branches of the New York Public Library. Before Augusta Braxton Baker became a storyteller, she was an excellent story-listener. Her grandmother brought stories like Br’er Rabbit and Arthur and Excalibur to life, teaching young Augusta that when there’s a will, there’s always a way. When she grew up, Mrs. Baker began telling her own fantastical stories to children at the 135th Street branch of the New York Public Library in Harlem. But she noticed that there were hardly any books at the library featuring Black people in respectful, uplifting ways. Thus began her journey of championing books, writers, librarians, and teachers centering Black stories, educating, and inspiring future acclaimed authors like Audre Lorde and James Baldwin along the way.

As Mrs. Baker herself put it: “Children of all ages want to hear stories. Select well, prepare well and then go forth and just tell.”

10am - Doors open to public

10:30am - Book reading & talk

11:15am - Q&A

11:30am - Collage workshop + book signing

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Weeksville Heritage Center, 158 Buffalo Avenue, Brooklyn, United States