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Doors open at 6:00
6:30 - 7:30:  Introduction and 45-minute lecture
7:30: Discussions and questions
8 - 9 pm: Book sale and signing

Extra{ordinary} Courage: the politics of language and masculinity. By exploring courage, Mengestu will present us with his ideas on the politics of language and masculinity. Through his work the multitudes of men and women at work in the cities and small towns in America become personal and quietly heroic.

Mengestu is the author of four novels, including Someone Like Us (Knopf 2024), and The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears (Riverhead, 2007), all New York Times Notable Books. A native of Ethiopia who came with his family to the United States at the age of two, Mengestu is also a freelance journalist who has reported about life in Darfur, northern Uganda, and eastern Congo.

He is a 2012 MacArthur Fellow, among other honors. The lecture is brought to you by the Cheuse Center, Fairfax County Public Library (FCPL), the City of Fairfax & Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI). This lecture series is made possible by the generous support of William Miller & Elisabeth Vermilye. 

Parking: free. Parking map: https://www.fairfaxva.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/19533/638139572124230000