Shake Library: Programs & Activities

The Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana Authors Award honoree joins community as part of statewide speaker program

VINCENNES (2024)— J.R. Jamison will speak at Shake Library, Vincennes University on October 10, 2024. The conversation with the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana Authors Award honoree is part of the Indiana Authors Awards Speaker Program, powered by Indiana Humanities and made possible through the generosity of Glick Philanthropies.

Award-winning author and NPR host J.R. Jamison explores identity, family, and bridging divides in entitled Hillbilly Queer: A Conservative Father, a Liberal Son, and a Journey Together Across America’s Heartland, an interactive talk and reading that journeys through his relationship with his father to show that sometimes the differences between us aren’t really that different at all.

Author Bio:

J.R. Jamison is an award-winning author and storyteller who hosts the Indiana Public Radio and NPR podcast The Facing Project (based on the organization of the same name that he co-founded, and where he serves as president). The Facing Project has helped over 7,000 people in 20 U.S. states and 11 countries tell their stories on tough topics such as homelessness, depression, gun violence, and more with a goal of creating a more understanding and empathetic world.

J.R.’s nonfiction and fiction writing has appeared in The Huffington Post, Pangyrus, Beyond Words, Writer’s Digest and various other print and web publications, and his work has been covered by outlets such as The Guardian, Harlem World Magazine, PBS, Runner’s World, and The Statesider, among others.

J.R.’s memoir, Hillbilly Queer, was a Libro.fm bestseller in LGBTQ nonfiction (audiobook, narrated by the author) and received starred reviews from Library Journal and Foreword Reviews Magazine, and was chosen as one of The Best Audiobooks of 2023 by Library Journal. In addition, the paperback edition was the silver winner of the 2022 Nautilus Book Award for Best Memoir and a finalist for the 2022 Indiana Authors Award.

He can be found online at jrjamison.com.

About Indiana Authors Awards Speaker Program

Indiana Humanities awarded 30 nonprofit organizations (libraries, schools, museums, etc.) the opportunity to host an honoree of the Eugene & Marilyn Glick Indiana Authors Awards. This program is powered by Indiana Humanities and made possible with the support of Glick Philanthropies.

About Indiana Authors Awards

The Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana Authors Awards celebrate the best books by Indiana authors written in eight different categories and published during the previous two years. Winners receive a $5,000 prize, a physical award featuring Indiana limestone and the opportunity to make a $500 gift to an Indiana public library. Winning and shortlisted books were selected by panels of judges, including former winners, writers, educators, scholars, local bookstore owners and librarians.

About Indiana Humanities

Indiana Humanities connects people, opens minds and enriches lives by creating and facilitating programs that encourage Hoosiers to think, read and talk. Learn more at www.indianahumanities.org.