Unlikely Collaborators Spark Salon with Ian Manuel

At 13 years old, Ian Manuel was sentenced to life in Pr*son without the possibility of parole. He would spend the next 26 years incarcerated, including 18 years in solitary confinement.

In this Spark Salon, poet, activist, and author Ian Manuel shares how reflection, forgiveness, and imagination helped him survive and transform his life. During his years in Pr*son, Ian turned to poetry as a way to confront his past, examine the beliefs he carried about himself, and question the story that his life had already been decided.

Drawing from his memoir My Time Will Come, Ian explores how the stories we tell ourselves can either confine us or open the possibility of change. His journey includes an extraordinary friendship with the woman he shot as a teenager, who later became an advocate for his release, a relationship that challenged both of them to see each other in a completely different way.

Through poetry and lived experience, Ian invites us to reflect on accountability, forgiveness, and how our beliefs about who we are and who others are can shape the course of a life.

6:00 p.m.: Doors open, reception

7:00 p.m.: Program begins promptly

8:00 p.m.: Book signing and reception

EVERY IN-PERSON ATTENDEE must present a government-issued ID. Please note that your photo will be taken for the building registration system upon arrival. You will also be asked to sign a general liability waiver and photo release form. No exceptions.

Manuel is the author of My Time Will Come: A Memoir of Crime, Punishment, Hope, and Redemption, available for purchase at your favorite book retailer.

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Host or Publisher Unlikely Collaborators