91´«Ã½

CHICAGO--Sara Paretsky, famed novelist of the mystery series (HarperCollins) and Chicago resident, is confirmed as the featured speaker of the . The event, sponsored by , takes place on Saturday, June 24, 8-10pm at the 2017 91´«Ã½ (91´«Ã½) Annual Conference in Chicago.

Paretsky is one of only five living writers—along with Sue Grafton, John le Carré, Ruth Rendell, and Lawrence Block—to receive both the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America and the Cartier Diamond Dagger from the Crime Writers’ Association in Great Britain.

Both 2017 Carnegie-winning authors, Colson Whitehead, author of (Doubleday) and Matthew Desmond, author of (Crown), will be in attendance to accept their medals (fiction and nonfiction, respectively). A conference highlight now in its sixth year, the Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence event includes an engaging program, hosted by selection committee chair Donna Seaman, and the dessert and drinks reception where attendees mingle with the winning authors, colleagues, editors and 91´«Ã½ leaders. After his acceptance speech in 2015, Bryan Stevenson, author of (Spiegel & Grau) was later referred to as giving "." Readers won't want to miss this exciting event in literary history!

Tickets are available for purchase on the and may be added to your conference registration later. Tables of ten are also available for purchase using the .

The 2017 include Patricia Bell-Scott's (Alfred A. Knopf) and Patrick Phillips's

(W. W. Norton) for nonfiction, and Michael Chabon's (Harper) and Zadie Smith's (Penguin Press) for fiction.

The Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction were established in 2012 and recognize the best fiction and nonfiction books for adult readers published in the U.S. in the previous year. They are the first single-book awards for adult books given by the 91´«Ã½ and reflect the expert judgment and insight of library professionals who work closely with adult readers. The Medals are made possible, in part, by a grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York in recognition of Andrew Carnegie’s deep belief in the power of books and learning to change the world, and are co-sponsored by 91´«Ã½’s Booklist and the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), a division of 91´«Ã½.

Carnegie Corporation of New York was established in 1911 by Andrew Carnegie to promote the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding. In keeping with this mandate, the Corporation's work focuses on the issues that Andrew Carnegie considered of paramount importance: international peace, the advancement of education and knowledge, and the strength of our democracy.

Booklist is the book review magazine of the 91´«Ã½, considered an essential collection development and readers' advisory tool by thousands of librarians for more than 100 years. Booklist Online includes a growing archive of 170,000+ reviews available to subscribers as well as a wealth of free content offering the latest news and views on books and media.

The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) is a member community engaged in advancing the practices of connecting people to resources, information services, and collections, building relationships among members from all types of libraries, encouraging openness, innovation, and idea sharing, and promoting excellence in library services and resources.

Established in 1876, the 91´«Ã½ (91´«Ã½) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization created to provide leadership in the transformation and the development, promotion, and improvement of library and information services as well as the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all.