Act of Grace: A Conversation with Karen Simpson and Robbie Ransom

The Author's Forum presents "Act of Grace: A Conversation with Karen Simpson and Robbie Ransom." Karen Simpson’s first novel, Act of Grace, explores the story of Grace Johnson, a bright, perceptive African American high school senior who saves the life of a Klansman named Jonathan Gilmore. Everyone in her hometown of Vigilant, Michigan wants to know why.

Karen Simpson resides in Ann Arbor, Michigan and is the author of Act of Grace. She received her bachelor’s degree in animal husbandry from Michigan State University and a MS in historic preservation from Eastern Michigan University. A historic preservationist trained in heritage interpretation and administration, she has designed exhibits for museums and other historical groups that deal with issues of cultural diversity and racial reconciliation. The subjects and themes from her fiction are often taken from the stories she discovered while doing historical research. Simpson has participated in many literary conferences including the Hurston Wright and Callaloo Creative Writing Workshops. In 2009 she was awarded the Speculative Literature Foundation’s Older Writers Grant.

Robbie Ransom was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and raised in Flint, Michigan. The mother of two sons and two daughters, Robbie started writing in graduate school after receiving Honorable Mention for Outstanding Graduate Women’s Paper in Women Studies at Eastern Michigan University. She is a member of the African American Women’s Writing Group and an adjunct professor in the Department of Women and Gender Studies at Eastern Michigan University. Ransom recently retired from the University of Michigan as the director of multicultural programs.

Free and open to the public. Followed by a book signing and sale courtesy of Crazy Wisdom Bookstore. Please note the location: North Quad, Room 2435.

Presented by the Author’s Forum, a collaboration between the U-M Institute for the Humanities,University Library, Great Lakes Literary Arts Center, and the Ann Arbor Book Festival.

This event is a special edition of the Ann Arbor Book Festival, focusing on new writers and the local writing groups that support their creative work.