6:00 - 7:30
Rasheed Newson discusses his groundbreaking page-turning novel, My Government Means to Kill Me, in conversation with Pulitzer-prize winning author Andrew Sean Greer.
Newson’s My Government Means to Kill Me follows the journey of Earl "Trey" Singleton III, a young gay Black man who leaves his affluent family in Indianapolis to navigate 1980s New York City. Trey finds himself in a place of political and social reckoning, forming connections with figures like civil rights leader Bayard Rustin and facing off against his negligent landlord, Fred Trump. As Trey immerses in gay rights activism and directly involved with ACT UP, he grapples with the complexities of family and the realities of life and death. Through a blend of historical events and fictional narrative, Newson delivers a dynamic a Black Queer coming-of-age in 80s NYC set in the backdrop of the AIDS epidemic.
Newson is the author of the debut novel, My Government Means to Kill Me (Flatiron Books, 2022), a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice for 2022 and a finalist for the LAMBDA Literary Award for Gay Fiction. He is also a writer and co-executive producer of the hit television shows Bel-Air, The Chi and Narcos, along with his creative partner T.J. Brady.
Born and raised in Indianapolis, he is the oldest of three children. He currently resides in Pasadena, California with his husband and two children.
On Wed., Aug. 14, Newson with be in conversation with Andrew Sean Greer.
Greer is the author of seven works of fiction, including the bestsellers his recent book, Less Is Lost, the follow-up to his Pulitzer Prize winning, Less. Greer has taught at a number of universities, including Stanford and the Iowa Writers Workshop. He was a New York Public Library Cullman Center Fellow, a judge for the National Book Award and a winner of the California Book Award and the New York Public Library Young Lions Award. He lives in San Francisco and Milan.
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