Library to host MacArthur 'genius' on October 22

Vernon Area Public Library joins more than 200 other Illinois libraries to host 2024 MacArthur “genius grant” winner Jason Reynolds on Zoom on Tuesday, October 22, at 7 p.m. The event is free and open to all; sign up online or call 224-543-1486. 

Reynolds is a New York Times bestselling author, advocate and mentor for children and teens, and the 2020–2022 National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. 

He was recently named among the 2024 cohort of John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Fellows — sometimes referred to as the "genius grant" recipients — who are selected for exceptional creativity and potential. The MacArthur Fellowship is the most recent in Reynolds’ long list of accolades, which include a Newbery Honor, a Printz Honor, and multiple Coretta Scott King Honors. 

His books include Stamped (with Ibram X. Kendi), Stuntboy, the Track series, Miles Morales, All American Boys (with Brendan Kiely), When I Was the Greatest, The Boy in the Black Suit, Look Both Ways, Ain't Burned All the Bright, and Long Way Down. His short story “A Recording for Carole Before It All Goes” is included in the anthology The Collectors: Stories, which was named in January as the winner of the 2024 Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature.

Reynolds lives in Washington, D.C., where he is on faculty at Lesley University for the Writing for Young People MFA program. 

This event is made possible by Illinois Libraries Present (ILP), a statewide collaboration among public libraries offering premier events on a shared virtual platform. 

ILP is funded in part by a grant awarded by the Illinois State Library, a department of the Office of Secretary of State, using funds provided by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services, under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA). Illinois Libraries Present is committed to inclusion and accessibility. To request accommodations, please email [email protected].

Other upcoming events in the ILP series include Chef Art Smith in conversation with Chicago journalist Monica Eng, award-winning graphic novelist Raina Telgemeier, and a virtual screening of the Broadway production of “Little Women: The Musical.”