On September 25, 2024, New York Times Bestselling Author Roxane Gay will visit Chapman University for “Roxane with One ‘N’… Featuring author Roxane Gay,” the 2024 Engaging the World keynote address and book signing event.

The Engaging the World lecture series is an annual event hosted by the Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences to promote discussions of selected topics. This year’s topic is “Gender & Sexuality,” which was chosen to facilitate informed, sustained, and enriching dialogues through an in-depth exploration of gender and sexuality. Please check out the LGBTQ Studies LibGuide and Women and Gender Studies LibGuide, which provide valuable resources for this year’s theme. Please contact our Sociology Librarian and the liaison for LGBTQ Studies and Women’s & Gender Studies if you need any help on this year’s theme.

Gay is a professor, editor, and social commentator who brings her unique intersectional perspective to everything she writes.

Inspired by her upcoming visit to the Musco Center for the Arts, the Leatherby Libraries has curated a selection of Gay’s works for a new book display. This display is a collection of books that journey through Gay’s thought-provoking ideas and powerful narratives, providing a unique opportunity for the Chapman community to delve deeper into the event’s themes.

Among the featured books in this display is Bad Feminist, a collection of various essays showcasing Gay’s unique ability to discuss contemporary issues through an intersectional lens. She delves into race and entertainment, politics, gender, and sexuality to better understand herself and, by extension, encourage introspective reflection on cultural behaviors and practices. Other books on display include Ayiti and An Untamed State, in which Gay explores the complexities of Haiti as a Haitian American. She crafts stories that weave fiction and nonfiction to create a sense of the realities that people face, and shows how intersectional perspectives show a complex image of the world.

You can take a look the books selected for this display on our Reference Desk or through the display’s digital bibliography here. This display was curated by Leatherby Libraries student employees Arianna Tillman ’25 and Isabella Piechota ’25.

* During the Academic Year 2024-2025, Leatherby Libraries proudly celebrates 20 years of supporting the academic experience at Chapman University.