Literary In The Lounge + Interconnections to Present Author Tess Chakkalakal In Conversation In February
Chakkalakal will appear with her new book A MATTER OF COMPLEXION.
By: A.A. Cristi Jan. 10, 2025
On Wednesday, February 12 at 7pm, Bowdoin College professor, Tess Chakkalakal visits The Music Hall Lounge with her new book, A MATTER OF COMPLEXION.
Thoroughly researched and expertly written, this book gives readers the first comprehensive biography of Charles W. Chesnutt, the first Black writer to break into the all-white literary world and win admirers like Booker T. Washington and Ida B. Wells.
The 7:00pm event includes an author conversation with Yankee Magazine's Ian Aldrich, an audience Q&A, and is followed by a post-show meet-and-greet. It will be held at The Music Hall Lounge at 131 Congress St., Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
ABOUT THE BOOK
From Robert K. Martin Prize winner Tess Chakkalakal comes A MATTER OF COMPLEXION — a biography of Charles Chesnutt, one of the first American authors to cross the racial barrier that divided black and white writers.
Tess Chakkalakal gives readers the first comprehensive biography of trailblazing author Charles W. Chesnutt. Chesnutt was born in 1858 to parents who were considered “mixed race” and spent his early life in North Carolina shortly after the Civil War. He went on to become a teacher and a prominent voice in storytelling. Chakkalakal pens the biography of a poor teacher raised in rural North Carolina during the Reconstruction who became the first professional African American to appear in The Atlantic Monthly.
A MATTER OF COMPLEXION captures the life of a poor teacher raised in rural North Carolina who became the first professional African American writer to break into the all-white literary world.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Tess Chakkalakal teaches African-American and American Literature at Bowdoin College. Chakkalakal is the author of Novel Bondage: Slavery, Marriage, which won the Robert K. Martin Prize. She also wrote Freedom in Nineteenth-Century America, and was co-editor of Jim Crow, Literature, and the Legacy of Sutton E. Griggs and Imperium in Imperio. She is co-host and creator of the award-winning podcast Dead Writers: A Show About Great American Authors and Where They Lived. She lives in Brunswick, Maine.
ABOUT THE MODERATOR:
Ian Aldrich is the Executive Editor at Yankee magazine, where he has worked for more than two decades. He is the publication's lead feature editor and as Yankee's staff feature writer, he writes stories that delve deep into issues facing communities throughout New England. In 2019 he received gold in the reporting category at the annual City-Regional Magazine conference for his story on New England's opioid crisis. Ian's work has also appeared in numerous other publications and has been recognized by both the Best American Sports and Best American Travel Writing anthologies. He lives with his family in Dublin, New Hampshire.
TICKETS
The ticket package for Tess Chakkalakal with A MATTER OF COMPLEXION on Wednesday, February 12, at 7pm is $50. The ticket package includes a signed book (A MATTER OF COMPLEXION, $32, hardcover), an author discussion, Q+A, and a post-show meet-and-greet. Tickets can be purchased online at TheMusicHall.org, over the phone at 603.436.2400, or in person at the McKeon Ticketing Hub at 104 Congress St., Portsmouth.
Comments
Videos