One Author, One Kirkwood
One Author, One Kirkwood is a yearly community read for the people throughout our St. Louis community. All events are free and open to the public.
Brendan Slocumb
Originally from Fayetteville, North Carolina, he started playing the violin at the age of nine and majored in music at the University of North Carolina. In addition to performing in orchestras, he also works as a teacher in kindergarten, elementary and junior high and high school music education. The Violin Conspiracy is his debut work as a novelist, followed by Symphony of Secrets. (Bio courtesy of the author)
Beethoven – Quartet No.4 Op.18 in C minor
With Nova Annandale Symphony
New Voices New Room (NVNR) Interlude: Brendan N. Slocumb on being a Black violinist
PBS Weekend Spotlight
NPR Author Interview
The Violin Conspiracy (2022)
Ray McMillian loves playing the violin more than anything, and nothing will stop him from pursuing his dream of becoming a professional musician. Not his mother, who thinks he should get a real job, not the fact that he can’t afford a high-caliber violin, not the racism inherent in the classical music world. And when he makes the startling discovery that his great-great-grandfather’s fiddle is actually a priceless Stradivarius, his star begins to rise. Then with the International Tchaikovsky Competition–the Olympics of classical music–fast approaching, his prized family heirloom is stolen. Ray is determined to get it back. But now his family and the descendants of the man who once enslaved Ray’s great-great-grandfather are each claiming that the violin belongs to them.
Symphony of Secrets (2023)
When he is asked to authenticate a newly discovered piece from famed 20th-century composer Frederick Delaney, Bern Hendricks uncovers clues that indicate Delaney may have had help composing his most successful work, which makes him a target of a powerful organization that will stop at nothing to keep its secret hidden.
We also have book club kits available for checkout to your book club!
Past Years’ Selections
2023 – Morgan Talty Night of the Living Rez
2022 – Diana Abu-Jaber Fencing with the King and Life without a Recipe
2021 – Brit Bennett The Vanishing Half and The Mothers
2020 – Lisa See The Island of Sea Women, China Dolls, and On Gold Mountain
2019 – Chris Bohjalian The Flight Attendant, The Sandcastle Girls, and Buffalo Soldier
2018- Stephanie Powell Watts No One Is Coming to Save Us
Past Years’ Selections
2017- Ariel Lawhon Flight of Dreams
2015- Robin Sloan Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore *Skype visit
2014- Alex George A Good American
2013- Joseph Schuster The Might Have Been
2012- Timothy Schaffert The Coffins of Little Hope
