Author Talk: History: Muhammad Ali with Author Ishmael Reed
June 3rd, 2021 — 8:00 PM ET | 5:00 PM PT
Thursday, June 3rd at 8pm ET: PBS Books, in partnership with The Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) and the Keiga Foundation, presents this Author Talk with Ishmael Reed about his book The Complete Muhammad Ali. Journalist Stephen Henderson will lead the conversation discussing the fascinating narrative of Muhammad Ali’s life. Together, Reed and Henderson will explore why we continue to remember and celebrate Ali, and delve into the importance of incorporating other, often unexplored voices, in charting one’s legacy. This special event precedes the upcoming documentary Muhammad Ali, a film by Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, & David McMahon, premiering on PBS in September 2021.
About the Book
Reed’s 2015 book The Complete Muhammad Ali discusses American boxer and activist Muhammad Ali (1942-2016), with a unique addition of previously uncharted material and photographs documenting his life. In the biography, Reed traces many of Ali’s notable experiences, including his role as part of the Nation of Islam, feats in competitive boxing, and his undeniable trailblazing in modern African American history. While the book is the culmination of over ten years of research and writing celebrating Ali’s everlasting legacy, it is also a crucial and nuanced portrait of the 20th and beginning of the 21st centuries.
About the Author
Ishmael Reed is a poet, novelist, essayist, playwright, songwriter, lecturer, and publisher. He has won prizes and grants in each category. He is also an illustrator and Jazz pianist. His most recent awards include the Alberto Dubito Award for International Poetry, presented at the Ca’Foscari University in Venice in 2016 and The AUDELCO award for theater presented in 2017. In 2019, he began his 36th year as a professor at The University of California at Berkeley. He also teaches at the California College of the Arts where he is a distinguished professor. His most recent books, published by Baraka Books, are Why No Confederate Statues in Mexico (2019), The Terrible Fours (2021), and the Forthcoming Bigotry on Broadway. He lives in Oakland.
