Andrew Holter: "Murray Kempton"

A definitive collection of the writings of legendary, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and reporter Murray Kempton (1917-1997), Going Around gathers dozens of columns, articles and essays, from The New York Post, The New York Review of Books, The New Republic, and Newsday, among others, most never before collected in book form.

Known for riding his bicycle around New York City in three-piece suits and polished oxfords while listening to his CD Walkman and smoking a pipe, Kempton possessed a roving and unconventional mind, which often led him to the toughest issues of the day—especially the Civil Rights Movement—which he covered with wit and a breathtaking sense of moral urgency. Whether he was describing a hardscrabble coal town in Western Maryland, a bus carrying Freedom Riders through Mississippi, or an encampment of guerrillas in El Salvador, Kempton had a knack for saying the things that no other reporter could or would, writing unequivocally in a way that made him a hero to other writers and editors.

Here is a legendary figure of journalism, whom David Remnick once described as “the greatest newspaperman in town."

Andrew Holter will be joined in conversation by editor and columnist Osita Nwanevu.

About the Editor:

Andrew Holter is a writer and historical researcher in Chicago, originally from Maryland. His writing about photography, literature, music, history, food, and other subjects has appeared in publications including Rolling Stone, The Times Literary Supplement, The Baffler, The Los Angeles Review of Books, Lapham's Quarterly, Eater, The Brooklyn Rail, The Paris Review Daily, The Quietus, and The Baltimore Beat.

As an independent researcher, historical consultant, and editor, he has contributed to radio programs, articles, academic monographs, and photographic exhibitions, including Unscripted Moments: The Life and Photography of Joseph Kohl at the Maryland Center for History and Culture. With the filmmaker Theo Anthony, he worked on the award-winning, PBS-syndicated documentary RAT FILM, which The New Yorker called one of “62 Films That Shaped the Art of Documentary Filmmaking” and Paste Magazine called one of the “30 Best Documentaries of the 2010s.”

About the Moderator:

Osita Nwanevu is a contributing editor at The New Republic and a columnist at The Guardian. He is a former staff writer at The New Republic, The New Yorker, and Slate, and his work has also appeared in The New York Times, The New York Review of Books, The Nation, Harper’s Magazine, the Columbia Journalism Review, and Gawker. His first book, The Right of the People: Democracy and the Case for a New American Founding, will be published by Random House in August.

About the Program:

• Doors will open to registered attendees at 6 pm.
• A local bookseller will be on-site and have books available for purchase.
• Free parking vouchers are available to program attendees who park at the Franklin Street Garage (15 W. Franklin Street) after 4pm. Ask Pratt event staff for your parking voucher prior to or after the program.
• There is no registration required for virtual attendance, simply visit the Enoch Pratt Free Library's Facebook or Youtube page.

Host or Publisher Enoch Pratt Free Library