This February, our online author talks are taking a look at history from many angles. We’re starting the month with Vanessa Riley’s newest book, Fire Sword & Sea, based on the folk story of the female pirate Jacquotte Delahaye. We’ll meet philosopher Dr. Lindsey Stewart and her book, The Conjuring of America: Mojos, Mermaids, Medicine, and 400 Years of Black Women’s Magic, exploring the legacy of America’s founding Black women. Finally, we’ll close the month with Smithson's Gamble as Tom D. Crouch, a Smithsonian veteran of almost 45 years, shares how the Smithsonian Institution became the world's largest museum and research complex during its first 60 years and helped to shape the nation's developing identity.

Submit questions to the author when you register or during the live event online!

https://libraryc.org/chelmsfordlibrary/upcoming

Feminist philosopher Dr. Lindsey Stewart’s book, The Conjuring of America: Mojos, Mermaids, Medicine, and 400 Years of Black Women’s Magic, tells the stories of Negro Mammies of slavery; the Voodoo Queens and Blues Women of Reconstruction; and the Granny Midwives and textile weavers of the Jim Crow era. These women, in secrecy and subterfuge, courageously and devotedly continued their practices and worship for centuries and passed down their traditions. 

Conjure informs our lives in ways remarkable and ordinary—from traditional medicines that informed the creation of Vicks VapoRub and the rise of Aunt Jemima’s Pancake Mix, to the original magic of Disney’s The Little Mermaid (2023), and the true origins of the all-American classic blue jean.

From the moment enslaved Africans first arrived on these shores, conjure was heavily regulated and even outlawed. Now, Stewart uncovers new contours of American history, sourcing letters from the enslaved, dispatches from the lore of Oshun and other African mystics. The Conjuring of America is a love letter to the real magic Black women used, their herbs, food, textiles, song, and dance, used to sow rebellion, freedom, and hope.

Join us to take part in the magic and celebrate the legacy of America’s founding Black women. Register for free today!

About the Author: Lindsey Stewart is a Black feminist philosopher and an Associate Professor of philosophy at the University of Memphis. She is the author of The Politics of Black Joy. Her work has been featured in Blavity, Signs, Hypatia, and the British Journal for the History of Philosophy, and she holds a 2021 Michael Beaney Prize. She lives in Memphis, Tennessee.