This free program is offered in-person and via live streaming. There are two different venues to attend in-person or live streaming. Check information in the description for details. Sponsored by Friends of the Library, Montgomery County.

Join us to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with author Dr. Tony Medina (Howard University) who will discuss Latino identity/culture and his professional career journey.

Dr. Tony Medina is Professor of Creative Writing at Howard University whose work has appeared in over 100 anthologies and journals. He is the author/editor of 24 award-winning books for adults and young people, including Che Che Colé (fiction); Death, With Occasional Smiling (poetry); Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Black Boy (children’s); I Am Alfonso Jones (graphic novel); Resisting Arrest: Poems to Stretch the Sky (anthology). His I and I, Bob Marley audiobook, narrated by actor Jaime Lincoln Smith and produced by Live Oak Media, received the 2022 Audie Award in the Young Listeners category. His novelette, “Porto Rock Pegasus” was recently nominated for a Pushcart Prize by Obsidian: Literature & Arts in the African Diaspora and his poem “I’ve Got the Covid Blues” was featured in the Academy of American Poets’ Poem-A-Day.

There will be live music performance by percussionist Luis Garay. After the presentation, there will be a reception with food and refreshments. During the reception, Dr. Tony Medina will be signing some of his books. Books will be available at the event for purchase from the Friends of the Library Montgomery County or by visiting https://bookshop.org/shop/folmc

The program will take place in the second level open space of the Rockville Memorial Library and it will also be offered via live streaming.  Registration required.

For registration to attend the program IN-PERSON at the Rockville Memorial Library please click the REGISTER button and register there. Seating is limited.

For registration to attend the program via LIVE STREAMING from anywhere, please click HERE.

Registrants for both in-person and via live streaming venues will receive further information as the date for the program approaches.

This Contemporary Conversations program is co-sponsored by Friends of the Library Montgomery County (FOLMC), Montgomery County Office of Racial Equity and Social Justice (ORESJ), Montgomery County Office of Human Rights (OHR), Montgomery County Office of Community Partnerships (OCP), Classrooms 2 Community (C2C) and Montgomery County Public Libraries (MCPL).

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Accommodation Requests

People who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing should request English-language captioning or sign-language interpretation at least five days before the library-sponsored program they plan to attend. Contact the Assistant Facilities and Accessibility Program Manager at 240-777-0002 with all other accommodation requests.