Schomburg Courtyard Salon | Robert Jones, Jr, The Prophets

“May this book cast its spell on all of us, restore to us some memory of our most warrior and softest selves.” —The New York Times Book Review

Join us for an intimate salon with author Robert Jones, Jr. reading from his debut novel The Prophets. The Schomburg Courtyard Salon series is an outdoor event featuring authors whose books were published during quarantine. The author will be available to sign books throughout the evening.

Recently listed as a finalist for the 2021 National Book Award, The Prophets is a singular and stunning debut novel about the forbidden union between two enslaved young men on a Deep South plantation, the refuge they find in each other, and a betrayal that threatens their existence.

With a lyricism reminiscent of Toni Morrison, Robert Jones, Jr., fiercely summons the voices of slaver and enslaved alike, from Isaiah and Samuel to the calculating slave master to the long line of women that surround them, women who have carried the soul of the plantation on their shoulders. As tensions build and the weight of centuries—of ancestors and future generations to come—culminates in a climactic reckoning, The Prophets fearlessly reveals the pain and suffering of inheritance, but is also shot through with hope, beauty, and truth, portraying the enormous, heroic power of love.

Robert Jones, Jr. is author of The New York Times Instant Bestselling novel, The Prophets, which has been longlisted for the 2021 National Book Award for Fiction. He has written for numerous publications, including The New York Times, Essence, and The Paris Review. He is the creator and curator of the social-justice, social-media community Son of Baldwin, which has over 288,000 followers across platforms.

PUBLIC NOTICE AND DISCLAIMER By registering for this event, you are acknowledging that an inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present. By attending an in-person program at The New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, you voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19 and agree not to hold The New York Public Library, its Trustees, officers, agent and employees liable for any illness or injury.

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PUBLIC NOTICE AND DISCLAIMER

POLICIES & PROCEDURES To ensure the health and safety of the public and our staff as our libraries reopen with nearly full service, policies and procedures created in collaboration with safety experts must be followed. As of July 6, at all our open locations, visitors must wear a mask the duration of the program, in accordance with the Library policy. Patrons not wearing a face covering will not be permitted to enter.

By registering for this event, you are acknowledging that an inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present. By attending an in-person program by The New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, you voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19 and agree not to hold The New York Public Library, its Trustees, officers, agent and employees liable for any illness or injury.

PRESS Please send all press inquiries (photo, video, interviews, audio-recording, etc) at least 24-hours before the day of the program to Leah Drayton at [email protected].

Please note that professional video recordings are prohibited without expressed consent.

Host or Publisher Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York Public Library