Hi everyone! Please save the date for my fall talk at VCU that's free and open to the public. It's set for Wednesday, Oct. 12 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Singleton Center for the Performing Arts at 922 Park Ave., RVA 23220.
I actually learned this from the recent Times-Dispatch article about the university's choice of The Organ Thieves for its first-year reading program. As reported by Colleen Curran, "The book will be read by roughly 4,500 students in the first year program and be discussed through a series of events by the VCU Health community." In the 16-year-long history of the Common Book program, "This is the first VCU Common Book selected by a Richmond author and which takes place in Virginia." She quotes Dr. Art Kellerman, CEO of VCU Health System, who noted the importance of "understanding how the university's complex history affects our patients." While VCU has "come a long way," he said, "We will not rest until we achieve health equity for all, regardless of race, ethnicity, income or geography." Please consider this my personal invitation to YOU as I complete more than two years of public discussion of The Organ Thieves! I hope to offer fresh perspectives gleaned from hundreds of discussions since the book's publication in August, 2020. Looking forward to joining best-selling author Kristen Green this Saturday, May 14th, from 1-3 p.m. at the Barnes & Noble store at Libbie Place in RVA. I'll sign "The Organ Thieves"and Kristen will sign her new blockbuster, "The Devil's Half Acre." We expect to start our conversation @2 p.m. So bring yourselves and your questions!
I'll make another local appearance next Tuesday, May 17th from 6:30-8 p.m. at the Richmond Public Library with Michael Paul Williams, winner of the 2021 Pulitzer Prize in Commentary at the Richmond Times-Dispatch. We'll discuss "What Makes a Fact True: Local Journalism and American Democracy." Click here to register and here to watch Livestream. Whether it's Putin's deadly lies about Russia's bloody, tragic invasion of Ukraine, or America's own pathetically partisan patter about our shared history, the critical role of a free and skeptical press has never been clearer. So I invite you to join me at the Richmond Public Library for an upcoming panel discussion with my esteemed former colleague at the Richmond Times-Dispatch -- Michael Paul Williams, winner of the 2021 Pulitzer Prize in Commentary. On Friday, May 17 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., Mike and I will be part of the library's speaking series, "Democracy and the Informed Citizen." Our topic will be "What Makes a Fact True: Local Journalism and American Democracy." Click here to register. The library's address is 101 E. Franklin St., RVA 23219. The event should be livestreamed as well, so for those of you who'd rather tune in, I'll send that link along when it becomes available.
And click here for C-SPAN's BookTV coverage of my recent panel discussion at the Virginia Festival of the Book. Spring is almost here, bringing with it literary events like the Virginia Festival of the Book. It starts Wednesday, March 16 and runs through Sunday, March 20. I'll be on a panel at NOON Saturday, March 19, at the CODE Building on Charlottesville's Downtown Mall. It's free and masks will be required. I'll be on a panel called "Fighting for Justice: When our institutions do not serve" with Benjamin Gilmer, author of the just-released "The Other Dr. Gilmer." Our moderator will be best-selling Richmond author, Kristen Green. So if you're looking for a road trip, check out the daily offerings -- with many great authors and books to choose from! I'm also featured on a new Podcast -- "GO Between the Covers" with Ann Bocock, who hosts "Between the Covers" for South Florida PBS. May Your Gardens Bloom! Hi everyone! Thanks to readers like you, interest in THE ORGAN THIEVES keeps building -- leading to an interview with ABC News' anchor Linsey Davis on her evening livestream show, "ABC News Live Prime." After a delay, it's now set for Thursday, March 3. It's likely to be in the final segment of the 90-minute program that starts at 7 p.m.
For other upcoming appearances -- all free, open to the public and safely masked -- check these out: Thursday, Feb. 24 7-8:30 p.m. Book talk with readers at TUCKAHOE LIBRARY in Henrico County (near Three Chopt & Parham) at 1901 Starling Drive, Henrico, VA 23229. Saturday, March 19, Noon-1 p.m. at the "Virginia Festival of the Book" in Charlottesville (at the CODE building on Downtown Mall). Panel discussion with author/physician Benjamin Gilmer ("The Other Gilmer"), moderated by Richmond author Kristen Green. Click here for more about the festival, a nearly week-long event that's packed with plenty of talent! Happy New Year! Thanks to your support and interest, a new paperback edition of The Organ Thieves will be released Feb. 15! Click here to preorder! I'll be appearing on a live Zoom book talk next week -- Thursday, Jan. 13 at 6:30 p.m. -- for Northside Library in Charlottesville. To sign up, click here and scroll down "upcoming programs." I look forward to seeing you!
Thanks for the many kind wishes shared with me after the Library of Virginia named The Organ Thieves winner of its 2021 Literary Award for Nonfiction. “This powerful book shines light on the unforeseen links between racial inequality and the race to perform the first human-to-human heart transplant in Virginia during the 1960s.”
The virtual ceremony was hosted Oct. 16 by best-selling author and award-winning filmmaker Adriana Trigiani. I can’t thank each you enough – some for aiding my research, some for ideas in the writing process , and ALL for being readers. For without readers, books (and authors) are very lonely indeed! I'm honored to be part of a truly talented lineup of authors and scholars next Tuesday for what should be a timely discussion of Virginia history, especially as it relates to the still-untold stories of the contributions and personal experiences of Black Virginians.
Here are two links -- one to Facebook, the other to Youtube -- for the 6 p.m. event Oct. 12. Look for a chance to ask your questions, too! The 90-minute program will be moderated by Kristen Green, who wrote the New York Times bestseller, Something Must Be Done About Prince Edward County: A Family, a Virginia Town, a Civil Rights Battle. This event helps kick off the Library of Virginia's week of events ahead of its Saturday, Oct. 16 virtual gala at 6 p.m. announcing the winners of its 2021 Literary Awards. You can also access that via Facebook or Youtube. The Tuesday night event features the three finalists in the Nonfiction category. Besides me, you'll meet Ryan K. Smith, author of Death and Rebirth in a Southern City: Richmond's Historic Cemeteries; and Nicole Myers Turner, author of Soul Liberty: The Evolution of Black Religious Politics in Postemancipation Virginia. Hi everyone! I hope you’ve had a fun & relaxing summer, despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, western fires, etc. Amid the plethora of bad news, I’d like to share some good news on the book front! The Organ Thieves has been selected as a finalist for the Library of Virginia’s 2021 Literary Awards in the Nonfiction category. Since 1997, the library says, these awards have “celebrated Virginia writers and their contributions to the literary landscape of our state and nation.” The event serves as the Library’s major fundraising event, so my book will join other finalists on sale the week of Oct. 11-16. The winners in three categories – nonfiction, fiction and poetry -- will be announced on Saturday, Oct. 16 in a virtual celebration. Award-winning Virginia author Adriana Trigiani will serve as host. Each winner will receive an engraved crystal book and a monetary prize of $2,500. For awards information and a list of past winners and finalists, click here. Finally, I’m set to appear on a virtual panel with the other two nonfiction finalists on Tuesday, Oct. 12 starting at 6 p.m. I’ll send more information as it becomes available. Thanks for your continued support of The Organ Thieves as we continue to strive for social justice and equal healthcare for all Americans. Thanks to everyone who asked such great questions at the recent Live Zoom event as part of the Richmond Public Law Library's Oliver Hill Book Club! I look forward to many more lively discussions ahead.
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Chip JonesChip Jones is an award-winning author, journalist and former communications director of the Richmond Academy of Medicine. The Organ Thieves is his fourth book. Archives
October 2023
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