University of South Florida
Navigation
Public invited to New York Times Best-selling Author's lecture at USF on March 22[03.09.2017]
TAMPA, Fla. – Yaa Gyasi, a Ghanaian-American novelist and author of “Homegoing,” will interweave topics of history, race and family during a lecture at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 22, 2017, in the University of South Florida’s Sam and Martha Gibbons Alumni Center. The event is free and open to the public, and is sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences, the Office of the Provost and the Institute on Black Life, as part of the university’s Frontier Forum lecture series.
Gyasi, recipient of the National Book Foundation’s 2016 “5 under 35” Award, will discuss “Homegoing,” which highlights the history of slave trade in Ghana and the United States and its impact on two half-sisters raised apart in 18th century Ghana.
Praised for being a captivating and engaging speaker, Gyasi also will touch upon the topics of exploring contemporary craft, cultural identity, and the complex racial landscape of America’s past and present using personal struggles with her identity.
Born in Ghana and raised in Alabama, Gyasi earned a Bachelor of Arts in English at Stanford University and a master’s degree in fine arts from the Iowa’s Writers’ Workshop. A gifted young writer, she traveled to Ghana’s Cape Coast Castle to research for her novel in depth. The site is a symbol of the slave trade where British soldiers kept African slaves before selling them to plantation owners in the U.S.
Doors open for the event at 7 p.m., with parking for the public located next to the Gibbons Alumni Center off of Fowler Avenue. Following the lecture, Gyasi will be participating in a book signing, with books available for purchase.
The University of South Florida, established in 1956 and located in Tampa, is a high-impact, global research university dedicated to student success. The USF System includes three, separately accredited institutions: USF; USF St. Petersburg; and USF Sarasota-Manatee. Serving more than 49,000 students, the USF System has an annual budget of $1.6 billion and an annual economic impact of $4.4 billion. USF is ranked in the Top 30 nationally for research expenditures among public universities, according to the National Science Foundation. In 2016, the Florida Legislature designated USF as “Emerging Preeminent,” placing USF in an elite category among the state’s 12 public universities. USF is a member of the American Athletic Conference.
-USF-
Filed under:Arts and Sciences CreditsAuthor: Contact: