Reading and Book Signing: A. Van Jordan and Dr. Ravynn K. Stringfield

A. Van Jordan and Dr. Ravynn K. Stringfield will host a live reading, audience Q&A, and book signing at Shelf Life Books on Thursday, September 10, 2026. This literary event arrives ahead of a historic dual milestone: September 12, 2026 is the 50th anniversary of the passing of MacNolia Cox—the first African American finalist in the National Spelling Bee—and the 5th anniversary of the Senate resolution honoring her legacy. Cox's life is the central subject of Jordan's award-winning poetry collection, M-A-C-N-O-L-I-A.

A. Van Jordan is the author of five collections of poetry: Rise, which won the PEN/Oakland Josephine Miles Award (Tia Chucha Press, 2001); M-A-C-N-O-L-I-A, (2005), which was listed as one the Best Books of 2005 by The London Times; Quantum Lyrics, (2007); and The Cineaste, (2013), W.W. Norton & Co. He is a recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, a United States Artists Fellowship, and a Lannan Literary Award in…