The Power of Community - 20 Years of Free Minds

With a look back at 20 years of the transformative power of reading, writing, and building community; poetry readings; moving testimonials; and opportunities to support our work, you don’t want to miss this special evening.

You will have the exclusive privilege to hear author Clint Smith read from his new book, "Above Ground," have the opportunity to ask him questions, and watch as he receives the inaugural Glen McGinnis Award in recognition of his support of Free Minds and the world of poetry and reading.

You will also hear directly from Free Minds members, Executive Director Tara Libert, Board President Jasmine Tyler, and various other guests.

Please join us on October 19th and gather your friends and loved ones together to join you as we spread the message of Free Minds and raise the dollars necessary for our next 20 chapters.

The event is free and open to everyone. Donations and sponsorship opportunities with corresponding benefits are available.

You can also help us make our celebration extra special by recording a short video congratulating Free Minds on this milestone and telling us what Free Minds means to you. Some videos will be aired during the event! Videos are due by 10/1/23. Learn more here.

All dollars go directly to funding the daily work of Free Minds.

About Clint Smith

Clint Smith is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning With the History of Slavery Across America, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction, the Hillman Prize for Book Journalism, the Stowe Prize, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, and selected by the New York Times as one of the 10 Best Books of 2021. He is also the author of two books of poetry, the New York Times bestselling collection Above Ground and Counting Descent, which won the 2017 Literary Award for Best Poetry Book from the Black Caucus of the American Library Association and was a finalist for an NAACP Image Award. He is a staff writer at The Atlantic.

For more information on the work of Free Minds, visit our website.