Miami University students will get the chance to see a bestselling author, a journalist, a jazz musician and a composer-all at the same time.
James McBride, a man of many talents, will present "Plain Talk: A Meditation on American Pop Culture" at 8 p.m. March 31 at Hall Auditorium. The lecture is part of the Miami University Lecture Series and will be followed by a performance by McBride's jazz quintet, Process.
According to Lana Rosenberg, chair of the Lecture Series, this is the first time the series has combined a lecture with a concert.
The concert will feature much of McBride's own music, which is inspired by themes from his own life experiences, Rosenberg said.
"He's taking things that he knows about and has written about," Rosenberg said. "That forms the basis for his music."
The talk will focus on American pop culture, but Richard Little, special assistant to the provost and a member of the Lecture Series committee, hopes the audience will leave with a new outlook on life.
"While of course his lecture is intended to inform us and make us think about pop culture and identity in a different way, it also is intended to inspire us to realize the great potential of an individual," Little said.
As an author, McBride is best known for his memoir, The Color of Water. The book, which spent more than two years on the New York Times Best Seller List, tells the story of McBride's childhood as one of 12 siblings growing up in an all-black housing project in Brooklyn, N.J. According to McBride's Web site, it is a tribute to his mother, a white Jewish woman, who after being widowed, still managed to send all 12 children to college and many on to graduate school.
The Color of Water has been published in more than 16 languages and has sold almost two million copies worldwide.
McBride also authored Miracle at St. Anna, which is currently being made into a motion picture by director Spike Lee. His latest novel, Song Yet Sung, was published in February.
According to McBride's Web site, McBride earned his masters degree in journalism from Colombia University. He is a former staff writer for The Washington Post, The Boston Globe and People magazine. He has also been published in Rolling Stone, Essence and The New York Times. His article, "Hip Hop Planet," was showcased on the April 2007 cover of National Geographic Magazine.
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McBride, who has recently released a new CD, plays the tenor saxophone. According to his Web site, he has played alongside jazz legend Little Jimmy Scott and has composed songs for artists such as Anita Baker, Grover Washington, Jr. and Gary Burton. McBride studied composition at The Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio and has received several awards, such as the Stephen Sondheim award for his musical Bobos.
McBride was nominated by President George W. Bush to serve on the National Council for the Arts in 2004, in addition to his current job as a Distinguished Writer in Residence at New York University.
Little believes that there will be a large turnout because of McBride's vast array of talents.
"I would hope we would have wide audience participation from across the campus and the community, but in particular the students in music, anthropology, creative writing, art, black world studies and related disciplines will have a particular interest," Little said.
The talk is free and open to the public, but tickets are required. To reserve a ticket, call or visit the Shriver box office.
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