Rememory: Haunting, Trauma, and Historical Fiction

Rememory: haunting, trauma, and historical fiction is inspired by the multiple reckonings we continue to encounter and absorb as we imagine more flourishing, inclusive futures together. No vision for such a future can be sustained without a deep regard for how the past, with its traumas and victories, has produced our present. The texts we will explore in this series use the supernatural, magical realism, and science fiction to give life, agency, and dimension to histories that are at once unbearable and necessary for us to confront.

The series will include monthly community book group meetings (both in-person and virtually, and in both English and Spanish); access to free copies of the books (in both English and Spanish); and a series of five virtual events that coincide with the themes of these novels. Events will include writing workshops (in both English and Spanish), a virtual tour of the collections at the Art Institute of Chicago, a discussion on Afrofuturism, and a workshop on oral histories. Join us to learn more about the series, how to participate in upcoming events, and how to get access to free copies of the novels.

This event features contributions by:

• Nicole Bond, writer and educator at the Smart Museum of Art and Court Theatre, University of Chicago
• Ian Damont Martin, Executive Director of Inclusion and Belonging, Art Institute of Chicago
• Ytasha Womack, author of Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci Fi & Fantasy Culture
• John Jennings, co-author & illustrator of Kindred: A Graphic Novel Adaptation
• Carlos Bossard, Executive Director, Haitian American Museum of Chicago
• Dr. Courtney Joseph, K. & H. Montgomery Assistant Professor of History and African American Studies & Chair of African American Studies, Lake Forest College
• Ruben Quesada, poet, author of Revelations and Next Extinct Mammal
• Book Group Facilitators: Mateo Gonzalez, Josephine McEntee, Itzel Munoz, Wanda Obazee, Armida Olivares, Toy Robinson, and Sylvia Taylor.

This event will include closed captioning in English. If you require other accommodations, please contact Jenn Yoo at Jennifer.Yoo@ilhumanities.org at least 24 hours prior to the scheduled event.

To learn more about how to sign up for our book groups associated with Rememory, as well as our long-standing Long Overdue Book Groups, please visit our Long Overdue Book Groups web page.