125 Books on 125th: Hand-to-Hand Lit Campaign with THE RESIDUE YEARS

[Troy]

125 Books on 125th:

Hand-to-Hand Lit Campaign with THE RESIDUE YEARS

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Mitchell S. Jackson, the author of the critically acclaimed debut novel THE RESIDUE YEARS will be giving away 125 free copies of his hardcover book on Harlem’s famous 125th Street on Monday, May 19.

 

THE RESIDUE YEARS, which was published by Bloomsbury in August 2013 and will soon be released in paperback, was first conceived when Jackson was serving time in prison for drug-dealing. Once released, he vowed to take his scribbled stories that were based on his own experiences, and write a novel that would inspire others. Now, years later, Jackson will take to the streets that could have been his drug-dealing corners and dispense a wholly different substance: books.

 

Jackson was born in Portland, Oregon to a teenage single mother, who in his youth became addicted to crack cocaine. In his early teens, Jackson began selling cocaine, a trade he practiced off and into his early twenties when he was arrested and convicted for drug distribution. Jackson spent sixteen months in an Oregon state prison. Upon his release, Jackson—who was already a college Junior—re-enrolled in college, eventually earning BS and MA degrees from Portland State University and later an MFA from New York University.

 

"I wrote The Residue Years for the people I see walking up and down 125th, the people with whom I feel a deep connection. And if they have not yet come to the book, I feel compelled to bring the book to them. In another life, I would stand in neighborhoods filled with people who looked like me and sell crack hand to hand. In this life, I'm out among my people again, but this time giving them what I believe is 300-plus pages of hope. What I mean to say is this is also a form of penance," says Jackson.

 

Sunday, May 18, 2014

3:00-5:00 PM

 

Mitchell S. Jackson has been the recipient of fellowships from Urban Artist Initiative and The Center For Fiction. He teaches writing at New York University and tours the country speaking at colleges, universities, prisons, jails, and other criminal justice and social outreach institutions. He published the e-book Oversoul: Stories and Essays in to critical acclaim. His debut novel The Residue Years was praised by publications including The New York Times, The Times of London, and O, the Oprah Magazine, and The Paris Review. It was a finalist for the PEN Hemingway Award for first fiction and The Center For Fiction’s prize for debut novel of the year. The novel was short listed for the Sayaron International prize for Writing, long listed for the Chautauqua Prize, and named an “Honor Book” by the Black Caucus of the American Library Association.

 

For press inquiries contact:

Summer Smith

212-419-5310

Summer.smith@bloomsbury.com

 

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I'll be there to cover this event.  Mitchell writes for all readers but young men will really "get" what he is saying because he speaks their language and shares their experience.  Here is a video of Mitchell at a reading I attended last week.