Red Stained: The Life of Hilda Simms by Jokeda “JoJo” Bell | Nonfiction
Wednesday, January 15 | 6:30 p.m.
Rondo Community Library | 461 North Dale Street, Saint Paul
OR via Zoom | REGISTER HERE

About the Book

Hilda Simms joined Harlem’s Negro Theater in 1943 and helped chart a path for Black actors who wanted to be considered serious dramatists. She openly supported civil rights and was blacklisted during the McCarthy era for “un-American” activities. Despite this setback, she continued her efforts to create opportunities for people of color in theater and film.

About the Author

Jokeda “JoJo” Bell is executive director of exhibitions and programming for the African American Interpretive Center of Minnesota. She is a PhD student in the history department at the University of Minnesota. She studies Black women and land ownership in the Upper Midwest.

About the Fireside Reading Series

Great authors by the fireside.

FREE
Wednesdays | January 8 – January 29, 2025 | 6:30 p.m.
Rondo Community Library | 461 North Dale Street, Saint Paul

or via Zoom
thefriends.org/fireside

Cozy up for four weeks of readings with great writers. In partnership with Saint Paul Public Library, Fireside Reading Series highlights some of Minnesota’s finest writers who have published new work.

Captioning will be provided for all four livestreamed events. ASL interpretation is available upon request with at least seven days’ notice. Contact [email protected] or 651-222-3242.

These programs are made possible in part through an appropriation from the Minnesota State Legislature to The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library as the Minnesota Center for the Book.

All Fireside Events

Wednesday, January 8^th
Taiyon Coleman, Traveling Without Moving: Essays from a Black Woman Trying to Survive in America
Memoir

Wednesday, January 15^th
Jokeda “JoJo” Bell, Red Stained: The Life of Hilda Simms
Nonfiction

Wednesday, January 22^nd
Naomi Cohn, The Braille Encyclopedia
Poetry/Memoir

Wednesday, January 29^th
Pallavi Dixit, Edison
Novel