A virtual reading group curated around our Stowe Prize for Literary Activism winners and shortlist. 

Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward

Annis, sold south by the white enslaver who fathered her, is the reader’s guide. As she struggles through the miles-long march, Annis turns inward, seeking comfort from memories of her mother and stories of her African warrior grandmother. Throughout, she opens herself to a world beyond this world, one teeming with spirits: of earth and water, of myth and history; spirits who nurture and give, and those who manipulate and take. While Annis leads readers through the descent, hers is ultimately a story of rebirth and reclamation.

Leading the book discussion is Jennyfer Holmes, Senior Scholarship and Development Officer at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.