CALS Speaker Series presents Victoria Christopher Murray

The best-selling co-author of The Personal Librarian

CALS Speaker Series presents Victoria Christopher Murray. The best-selling co-author of The Personal Librarian will present her new novel, Harlem Rhapsody on Thursday, February 27, in the Ron Robinson Theater.

Victoria Christopher Murray is a New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty novels, including The Personal Librarian and The First Ladies (with Marie Benedict) and Harlem Rhapsody.

With more than three million books in print, Victoria Christopher Murray is one of the country’s top African American contemporary authors. Her novels The Personal Librarian (a Good Morning America book club pick) and The First Ladies (Target’s 2023 Book of the Year), both of which she coauthored with Marie Benedict, are beloved by readers and book clubs. Murray's new novel, Harlem Rhapsody, is the extraordinary story of the woman who ignited the Harlem Renaissance. She is a NAACP Image Award Winner for Outstanding Literary Work for her novel Stand Your Ground, which was also a Library Journal Best Book of the Year. She holds an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business. 

"If you like to learn something while lost in a gripping narrative, don’t miss this historical fiction about the woman who kicked off the Harlem Renaissance. Jessie Redmon Fauset was the first Black woman to helm the Black literary powerhouse The Crisis, and was also founder W. E. B. Du Bois’ lover. She’s responsible for launching names like Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen and others, even as her success (and theirs) comes at a cost."
—People

A book signing with Victoria Christopher Murray will follow the program. (Photos are allowed in the signing line, and the author will sign multiple copies of her titles.)

This program will be moderated by Jennelle Primm. Primm is a marketing strategist, wife, mother, and passionate reader. A fan of Victoria Christopher Murray's works for many years, she enjoys immersing herself in powerful storytelling. When she's not crafting and executing communications strategies, the Michigan-born, Tennessee-bred, Arkansas transplant can be found exploring local eateries, enjoying movies with her family, or curling up with a good book in a cozy chair.

Onsite book sales will be managed by Pyramid Art, Books & Custom Framing.

Doors open at 5:30pm. Advanced registration is suggested to ensure a seat in the theater.

This program honors Fred K. Darragh Jr. and his commitment to civil liberties and education.

Photo of Victoria Christopher Murray by Jason Frost.