91´«Ã½

CHICAGO — Renowned poet, activist and educator Nikki Giovanni will headline a special reception to benefit the 91´«Ã½ (91´«Ã½) Cultural Communities Fund (CCF) at the .

The event, “,” will be held from 7 to 10 p.m. on Friday, June 23, at the new American Writers Museum, 180 N. Michigan Ave., in downtown Chicago.

“Nikki Giovanni is one of the extraordinary poetic voices of our time and a truly steadfast supporter of libraries,” said 91´«Ã½ President Julie Todaro. “We are honored that she will join us in a celebration of library cultural programming at the newly opened American Writers Museum, a thrilling addition to Chicago’s vibrant literary landscape.”

Tickets are $75 for 91´«Ã½ members and $90 for nonmembers. All proceeds will support 91´«Ã½’s Cultural Communities Fund. Attendees must be registered to attend the conference; tickets for the reception may be added to your purchase when . For registration questions, contact 91´«Ã½’s Public Programs Office at publicprograms@ala.org.

Poet, activist, mother and professor Nikki Giovanni is the acclaimed, award-winning author of 27 books, including the seminal "Black Feeling Black Talk/Black Judgment." She is University Distinguished Professor/English at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, and continues to read her work all across the country.

After seven years in the making, the innovative American Writers Museum (slated to open in May 2017) will engage the public in celebrating American writers by examining their influence on our history, identity and culture. With insight from museum docents, reception attendees will be invited to peruse the museum’s interactive exhibits, covering themes such as American Voices, Anatomy of a Masterwork, and Chicago Writers: Visionaries and Troublemakers. Visitors will accompany writers like Jack Kerouac and John Steinbeck on their literary travels and visit writers’ homes and fictional sites such as “Cannery Row” and “The House of Seven Gables.”

About the Cultural Communities Fund

Since 2003, the 91´«Ã½ (91´«Ã½) Cultural Communities Fund (CCF) has supported humanities, civic and STEM programming in libraries of all types. With help from individual and corporate donors, CCF has grown into an endowment of $1.9 million, crucial funding that supports professional development opportunities, both in-person and online, for library professionals at libraries of all types; grants and awards that recognize excellence in library programming; and , 91´«Ã½'s online community dedicated to library programs. To learn more about CCF or to make a contribution, visit .

About the 91´«Ã½

The 91´«Ã½ is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with approximately 55,000 members in academic, public, school, government and special libraries. The mission of the 91´«Ã½ is to provide leadership for the development, promotion and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all.