Les Payne’s new biography of Malcolm X already has made waves, revealing a clandestine meeting between the incendiary civil rights activist and an armada of Ku Klux Klan leaders in the 1950s to explore a shared interest: the formation of a separate, all-Black state. 

Five days before Americans go to the polls, two leading writers/journalists with both local and national perspective – best-selling author and columnist Sarah Smarsh and The New York Times’ John Eligon – assess the issues, trends, and events that have shaped the political landscape and what they portend for November 3.  The election-year Writers for Readers event benefits an ongoing partnership between the Kansas City Public Library and the University of Missouri-Kansas City's MFA Program in Creative Writing. It enables a graduate student to teach writing classes at the Library and assist in planning for a new literary award and city-wide book festival.  Tickets to the virtual presentation provide access to the exclusive stream of the discussion. Additional details will be sent to ticketholders prior to the event date.