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J. Vanessa Lyon: Blackness Thirteen Ways w/ Margo Jefferson & Elizabeth Kendall
Past event
Featured Book
Blackness Thirteen Ways: Art, Life, and the Revisions of a Mulatta Lesbian
"The art historian and romance novelist close-reads images, moving and still, canonical and lesser-known, that have influenced her evolving identity as an American "mulatta" lesbian now entering middle age in this innovative hybrid of life-writing and cultural studies. The daughter of the WASP mother who raised her and a Black father she never knew, Lyon delivers a candid memoir across thirteen uniquely structured chapters in conversation with enduring, often damaging, "mis/representations" of so-called "racial mixing" in fine art and popular media. Reflecting on a lifetime of being dis-read, she examines insidious cultural tropes of "white passing" beginning with art dating from the transatlantic slave trade-from Rembrandt and Rubens, Gentileschi and Stubbs to Manet-before moving on to Br'er Rabbit, Louise Nevelson, fifties melodrama, and Adrian Piper. Original analysis of a broad chronological range of visual art parallels the unfolding of Lyon's sense of self animated by the interiors and geographies-not to mention powerful and challenging women-that have shaped her life. In the course of her explorations, she comes to terms with long withheld information about her heritage, and with the seemingly unchangeable reality of being an out lesbian who, legally considered Black, is rarely seen by whites or other African Americans as she experiences her own raced and gendered identity. By turns scholarly and intimate, Blackness Thirteen Ways reveals surprising connections between the art Lyon teaches and the woman she has become, challenging history to accommodate a newly unapologetic image of herself and other "impassably" Black women"-- Provided by publisher.
This book will be available for purchase at the event.
About This Event
The art historian, poet, and novelist close-reads images, moving and still, canonical and lesser known, that have shaped her evolving identity as an American “Mulatta” lesbian born at the end of the Civil Rights Movement in this singular blend of life-writing and cultural studies. The daughter of the WASP mother who raised her and a Black father she has never known, J. Vanessa Lyon delivers a candid memoir across thirteen uniquely structured chapters in conversation with enduring, often damaging, mis/representations of so-called race mixing in fine art and popular media. Reflecting on a lifetime of being “dis-read,” she examines insidious cultural tropes of White passing beginning with art from the era of transatlantic slavery—from Rembrandt and Rubens, Gentileschi and Stubbs, to Manet—before moving on to Br’er Rabbit, Louise Nevelson, 1950s melodrama, and Adrian Piper. Original analysis of a broad chronological range of visual art parallels the unfolding of Lyon’s sense of self as animated by the interiors and geographies—not to mention the challenging and remarkable women—that have figured in her life. Through her investigations, she comes to terms with long-withheld information and the seemingly unalterable reality of being an out lesbian who, legally Black, may never be viewed by Whites or other African Americans in the ways she experiences her own raced and gendered personhood. By turns scholarly and intimate, Blackness Thirteen Ways reveals surprising connections between the art Lyon teaches and the woman she has become, challenging history to accommodate an unapologetic image of herself and other “impassably” Black women.
Event guidelines: Each ticket includes either a copy of the featured book or a $10 Books Are Magic gift card. Additional copies of the book will be available for purchase at the event. A signing will follow the talk. The conversation will be livestreamed for free online here . As a reminder: If you are not feeling well, please do not come to the event, even if you have a ticket; email us and we'll work it out. If you have any questions regarding these guidelines or to request accessibility accommodations, please contact eventhelp@booksaremagic.net.
Featured Author
Lyon, J. Vanessa
J. VANESSA LYON is the author of Figuring Faith and Female Power in the Art of Rubens as well as The Groves, an Audible Original and Lush Lives, an NBC News Best LGBTQ Book of the Year. A James Baldwin Fellow at MacDowell and a Fulbright Scholar, Lyon holds a PhD in the history of art from UC Berkeley. She has received fellowships from the Yale Center for British Art, the Lewis Walpole Library, and the Huntington Library and Art Museum, among others. Her studies have appeared in Art History, Huntington Library Quarterly, Word & Image, Representations, and elsewhere. Lyon is professor of art history at Bennington College, where she has directed the Visual Arts Lecture Series since 2017. She and her cat divide their time between southern Vermont and Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Presenters
Margo Jefferson
The winner of a Pulitzer Prize for criticism, Margo Jefferson previously served as book and arts critic for Newsweek and the New York Times. Her writing has appeared in, among other publications, Vogue, New York Magazine, The Nation, and Guernica. Her memoir, Negroland, received the National Book Critics Circle Award for Autobiography. She is also the author of On Michael Jackson and is a professor of writing at Columbia University School of the Arts.
Elizabeth Kendall
Elizabeth Kendall is a dance and cultural historian and a memoirist, and a Professor Emerita of New School (Lang College and NSSR). She is the author of the recently published (October 3rd, 2025) Balanchine Finds His America: A Tale of Love Lost & Ballet Reborn (Oxford U Press). Her previous books are: Balanchine and the Lost Muse (2013); Autobiography of a Wardrobe (2006); American Daughter (2000); The Runaway Bride: Hollywood Romantic Comedy of the 1930s (1990); and Where She Danced (1979). Forthcoming from Pantheon Books (Fall, 2027) is Two-Part Inventions: Scenes from a Cross Race Friendship, co-written with Margo Jefferson. She has also published articles and essays in print and online, and received grants from the Rockefeller and Ford Foundations, Fulbright, Cullman Center, Leon Levy Biography Center, and others.
About the Venue
Books are Magic · Brooklyn Heights
Welcome to the independent bookstore serving Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens and Brooklyn Heights! Books Are Magic is a family-owned independent bookstore with locations in Cobble Hill/Carroll Gardens and Brooklyn Heights in Brooklyn, committed to being a welcoming, friendly, and inclusive space for all people. We believe that books are indeed magic, and that literature is one of the best ways to create empathy, transportation, and transformation. We are enthusiastic about offering thoughtfully selected voices and stories on our shelves, and about hosting affordable events featuring emerging writers as well as long-adored authors. Books Are Magic is a place for children to feel comfortable, for young readers to grow into lifelong readers, and for our neighbors to be introduced to vibrant new books. Books Are Magic is owned by Emma Straub and Michael Fusco-Straub. You can read more about Emma Straub's books here.
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