The Pulitzer Prize Winner David Blight Appears On WRITERS ON A NEW ENGLAND STAGE, 1/16

Pulitzer Prize-winning author, professor, and historian David Blight comes to The Music Hall as part of the Writers on a New England Stage series on Thursday, January 16. He will discuss his latest book, Frederick Douglass, a biography of arguably the most important African American of the 19th century. The book traces Douglass' journey from slavery to becoming the greatest orator of his day and one of the leading abolitionists and writers of the era.

The 7pm event includes an author presentation followed by an onstage interview with Peter Biello, host of New Hampshire Public Radio's broadcast of All Things Considered and The Bookshelf from NHPR, an ongoing segment featuring authors from around New Hampshire and the region.

"David Blight captures the complexities of not only this iconic American, but of our country during a time of great struggle," says Biello. "Through his elegant storytelling, he brings to light the honest humanity of a monumental figure. I'm looking forward to discussing the journey that he took to create this beautiful biography."

David Blight's new biography, Frederick Douglass, brings to light new information about Douglass from a recently discovered private collection. As a young man, Frederick Douglass escaped from slavery in Baltimore, Maryland. He was fortunate to have been taught to read and he would go on to become one of the major literary figures of his time. With dignity and great intelligence, he bore witness to the brutality of slavery.

Initially mentored by William Lloyd Garrison, Douglass spoke widely, using his own story to condemn slavery. By the American Civil War, Douglass had become the most famed and widely traveled orator in the nation. In his unique and eloquent voice, written and spoken, Douglass was a fierce critic of the United States as well as a radical patriot. After the war, he sometimes argued politically with younger African Americans, but he never forsook either the Republican Party or the cause of black civil and political rights.

In this "cinematic and deeply engaging" (The New York Times Book Review) biography, David Blight has drawn on new information held in a private collection that few other historians have consulted, as well as recently discovered issues of Douglass's newspapers.

Tickets for Writers on a New England Stage: David Blight with Frederick Douglass on Thursday, January 16, at 7pm are $13.75. For each 1-2 tickets sold, the purchase of a book voucher for (Frederick Douglass, $20.00, paperback) is required. Vouchers can be redeemed on the event night for signed copies of Frederick Douglass. Packages can be purchased online at TheMusicHall.org, over the phone at 603.436.2400, or in person at the B2W Box Office at the Historic Theater, 28 Chestnut Street.

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