Lesley Announces Maine Scholars Program
The Maine Scholars program gives students prioritization by Maine employers as well as opportunities for financial aid and scholarship benefits.
NewsFeb 5, 2021

Lesley announces Spring 2021 speakers

Award-winning young adult author, MFA in Creative Writing faculty member Jason Reynolds kicks off the virtual series on February 23

Three headshots - jason reynolds, lynn malerba and julia powell
L-R: Jason Reynolds, Marilynn "Lynn" Malerba and Julia S. Powell

Our Spring 2021 roster of virtual lectures, beginning 4 p.m., February 23, with acclaimed young-adult fiction novelist Jason Reynolds.

Two of the guests are invited as part of the university’s annual signature Strauch-Mosse Visiting Artist Lecture Series, while Reynolds, an MFA in Creative Writing faculty member, is our Black History Month speaker. This spring’s events, which will be open to the public and offered free of charge, will be held virtually due to the pandemic.

Reynolds is an award-winning and #1 New York Times bestselling author. His many books include "Miles Morales: Spider Man," the Track series ("Ghost," "Patina," "Sunny," and "Lu"), "Long Way Down," which received a Newbery Honor, a Printz Honor, and a Coretta Scott King Honor, and "Look Both Ways," which was a National Book Award Finalist. His latest book, "Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You," is a collaboration with Ibram X. Kendi. Reynolds is the 2020-2021 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature and has appeared on  The Daily Show with Trevor Noah,” “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” and “CBS This Morning.”

Speakers and dates

  • Tuesday, February 23, at 4 pm: Jason Reynolds, “The R-Word: How Racism Spread Across the Nation.” Reynolds is a faculty member in the Writing for Young People specialization in Lesley's MFA Program and a bestselling novelist.
  • Thursday, March 11, at 7 pm: Marilynn “Lynn” Malerba, 18th Lifetime Chief of the Mohegan Tribe and retired cardio-pulmonary nurse. Read Malerba’s bio page on the Mohegan Tribe site.
  • Wednesday, April 14, at 7 pm: Julia S. Powell, visual artist and social media influencer. Learn more about Powell and explore her artwork.