Hargrett Rare Book & Manuscript Library

The history of one of Atlanta’s most prominent Black communities is being preserved thanks to a partnership between the Conservancy at Historic Washington Park and the Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library at the University of Georgia.

Famed photojournalist Nancy Ellison will discuss her career documenting the lives of American icons, capturing portraits of Hollywood stars, world leaders, and other figures in an event next week. The lecture, entitled "Altered Egos: Intimacy Among the Icons," will be held at 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 3 at the UGA Special Collections Libraries Building and is free and open to the public.

Ellison's portraits feature celebrities from Jack Nicholson to Boris Yeltsin. A freelance photojournalist for magazines such as Time, Vogue, and Newsweek, Ellison's career has also spanned genres from author to producer. In addition to publishing 14 books, Ellison has served as producer include several award-winning plays such as Thurgood (2008), The Country Girl (2008), The Seafarer (2008), and Inherit the Wind (2007).

The stories of the University of Georgia’s female athletes will be on display this fall at the UGA Special Collections Libraries.

On These Grounds: Slavery and the University of Georgia, a new digital resource available through the Hargrett Library, highlights the role of slavery on campus and the lives of the enslaved as documented in University Archives, Digital Library of Georgia, and other Libraries resources. This project is part of a nationwide collaboration for universities to identify and describe records of slavery on their campuses and was funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Songwriters say that the best music tells a story through its notes as well as the lyrics. But how do you tell the story of music?

Music lovers can contribute to the Georgia music story on display at the University of Georgia Special Collections Libraries. 

The Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, one of three special collections units at UGA, is preparing to open Georgia on My Mind: Finding Belonging in Music, an exhibition that explores the state’s music history through the genres, spaces, places and performers that have helped to define music in Georgia over time. The community is invited to curate a section of the exhibition, which is scheduled to open July 22.

On Thursday,  June 16th at 6 p.m., the Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library will induct Pulitzer Prize winning poet Jericho Brown into the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame.  Brown will deliver a poetry reading and participate in a Q&A discussion; a light reception will follow. 

A celebrated book of short stories and a nonfiction book exploring racism encountered in transportation systems in America have been named the 2022 winners of the Lillian Smith Book Awards, which honor the top literary and scholarly works dedicated to issues of social justice.

Valerie Boyd, a writer, editor, professor and mentor, will be inducted into the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame later this year.