By Rochelle Valverde on November 19, 2021
As part of programming for the ongoing “Ghosts of Segregation” exhibit at the Lawrence Arts Center, bestselling author Clint Smith will be in Lawrence to talk about his book “How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America.”
Smith is a poet, scholar and a staff writer at The Atlantic, according to his website. “How the Word is Passed” was a No. 1 New York Times Bestseller and was long-listed for the National Book Award.
The narrative nonfiction book is a deeply researched and moving exploration of the legacy of slavery and its imprint on centuries of American history, according to an event announcement from the Arts Center. The book includes the story of the Monticello Plantation in Virginia, as well as a former plantation turned maximum security prison in Louisiana, and the history of holidays such as Juneteenth.