Loyalty Presents A Very Special Episode with Camille Acker
About this Event
Join us at Jackie Lee's for a night of custom, themed cocktails and fantastic conversation with two of our favorite DC minds discussing feminist thought in this fantastic novel!
ABOUT THE BOOK
In Washington, D.C.’s powerful Black elite, legacy is everything. When a young heir to one of the city’s most influential institutions seeks funding to cement her future, a shadowy organization offers to help—but it could cost her far more than she’s willing to give.
Nina Johnson has always taken pride in belonging to The Tenth. After all, she’s following in the footsteps of her ancestors: Her great-great-grandmother founded the prestigious DC society—a space for influential African Americans—just forty years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Nina’s been elected to helm the organization, but she’s determined to escape the influence of her mother, who has led the organization with a steadfast commitment to tradition, all while keeping Nina under her freshly manicured thumb. Nina’s determined to forge her own path and do things differently: fewer stuffy, out-of-touch meetings and boring galas, more young people, and a swankier headquarters.
To realize her ambitions, Nina needs funding. So, when a wealthy white benefactor named Sienna Masters offers financial support in exchange for her participation in a mysterious project at a former public housing complex, The Orchard, Nina ignores her initial skepticism and agrees to a partnership. But as Nina and those closest to her piece together Sienna's true motives, they discover far more sinister forces at play, ones that exploit Nina's community for profit, with stakes that extend far beyond her ambitions for The Tenth. But how far is Nina willing to go to shape her future? And what is she willing to sacrifice along the way?
A whip-smart and sly social commentary on the complex interplay of race, class, and family legacy, A Very Special Episode will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Camille Acker is the author of the short story collection Training School for Negro Girls. She grew up in Washington, D.C., and holds a B.A. in English from Howard University and an M.F.A in Creative Writing from New Mexico State University. Her work has been published in The New York Times Book Review, Publishers Weekly, Electric Literature, and in the anthology On Girlhood: 15 Stories from the Well-Read Black Girl Library. Her writing has received support from the Tin House Residency program, Djerassi Resident Artists Program, Voices of Our Nations Arts, and Millay Colony for the Arts, among others. She was a recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship and named a Fellow by the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage. She lives in Philadelphia, PA with her partner.
ABOUT THE CONVERSATION PARTNERRev. Fay C. Acker is a spiritual director and the former Associate Dean of Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel at Howard University. In her previous career, she was an editor, including for Howard University Press.
FAQ!
- This is a ticketed event and you must have a ticket to attend, but there are a viaerty of tiers including free RSVP
- Please note that Loyalty Books and Jackie Lee's have a zero tolerance police for harrasment of employees, authors, or fellow guests.
- This event is held upstairs at Jackie Lee's and there is not an elevator available!
- You can secure a preorder of the book with your ticket or purchase one at the event! The author's previously published title will also be on sale at the event as well.
- The cocktail menu will also be available as mocktails and the full bar and kitchen of Jackie Lee's will be open and available during the duration of the event.
- The event will begin just after 7PM so we recommend arriving at least half an hour early to order in advance and snag your seat, but attendees are welcome to join at any time so long as they have secured a ticket.
Please contact us at [email protected] with any further questions about the event or accessibility.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 0.00 to USD 45.53
