On Thursday, Sept. 6 (Thursday): Elizabeth Acevedo, rising star of American poetry and bestselling YA novelist. Craft Talk — 4:15 p.m., Multi-Purpose Room, Campus Center West Addition, and Presentation/Q&A — 7:30 p.m., Recital Hall, Performing Arts Center

Elizabeth Acevedo, the daughter of Dominican immigrants, is a National Poetry Slam Champion (2014) and author of the New York Times bestselling Young Adult novel, The Poet X (2018), the story of an Afro-Latina teenager growing up in New York City. She confronts prejudice and sexual harrassment while disovering her voice and her literary ambitions. School Library Journal called it, “magnificently crafted,” and bestselling YA author Jason Reynolds called it, “an incredibly potent debut.” Acevedo’s viral poetry videos about oppressive beauty standards and rape culture have been showcased by Cosmopolitan, Huffington Post, Latina Magazine and PBS.

Cosponsored by the UAlbany Student Association