Author Kai Harris to Visit CADL’s Downtown Lansing Branch on Tuesday, Nov. 1

Lansing, MI – October 17, 2022 – Kai Harris, author of “What the Fireflies Knew,” will visit the Lansing community this November, thanks to a partnership between Capital Area District Libraries (CADL) and the Red Cedar Writing Project. Community members are invited to an Author Visit with Kai Harris on Tuesday, Nov. 1 at 6:30 p.m. at CADL’s Downtown Lansing Branch, 401 S. Capitol Ave. The event is free and open to community members of all ages. The program will take place in the library’s basement auditorium and community members will be seated on a first come, first serve basis. The program will also be streamed live online. To receive a link to the livestream, fill out the online form here. Harris will be discussing the creation of her novel and will be answering questions from the audience during the program. A book signing will follow the program and copies of the book will be sold onsite by Socialight Society Bookshop. “We are thrilled to be hosting a critically acclaimed author like Kai Harris at our library,” said Downtown Lansing Head Librarian Melissa Cole. “Thank you to the Red Cedar Writing Project for collaborating with us to bring Kai back to the Lansing area.” About the Book & Author Inspired by real-life experiences of visiting her grandfather in Lansing, Harris’ debut novel is the ultimate story of family love, loss and experiences of Black girlhood. “What the Fireflies Knew” is told from the perspective of 11-year-old Kenyatta Bernice (KB), who has just lost her father to an overdose and is subsequently sent to live with her grandfather in Lansing for the entire summer with her sister, Nia. During this time, KB attempts to get her bearings in a world that has turned upside down. Harris’ novel has garnered several accolades since being published earlier this year, including being named the Most Anticipated Book of 2022 by Marie Claire, Buzzfeed, Essence, NBCNews.com and more. It was also selected as a Marie Claire Book Club pick and was longlisted on The Center for Fiction’s 2022 First Novel Prize. Harris is a writer and educator from Detroit, who uses her voice to uplift the Black community through realistic fiction centered on the Black experience. She is a graduate of Western Michigan University’s Ph.D. program and was the recipient of the university’s Gwen Frostic Creative Writing Award in Fiction for her short story, “While We Live.” She currently resides in California with her husband and children, where she is an assistant professor of creative writing at Santa Clara University. About CADL: Under the leadership of an appointed Board of Trustees, CADL serves most residents in Ingham County and part of Eaton County. With 13 branches and a Mobile Library, CADL’s service area includes 23 different municipalities. Its system is funded through a district-wide millage. Visit www.cadl.org to learn more. This event was made possible through the National Endowment for Humanitie

Photo Courtesy of The Everygirl