Illinois Libraries Present

R.F. Kuang – Tuesday, May 19, 2026

Illinois Libraries Present is a statewide collaboration among public libraries. The collaboration is designed to bring virtual events with bestselling, esteemed, and diverse speakers to library patrons across the state. 192 Illinois libraries have joined Illinois Libraries Present. Working together allows libraries to bring speakers to their communities that might not be possible due to budget constraints or production capabilities.

Babel-On with R.F. Kuang

R.F. Kuang’s genre-bending fiction broaches ordinarily serious topics from a satirical and fantastical perspective. Academic yet approachable, Kuang’s work combines history, magic, and classical literary tradition to render powerful critiques of academia, the publishing industry, and even contemporary popular culture. 

Her most recent novel, Katabasis, follows two graduate students as they descend into hell after the death of their professor, and the screen rights options to the novel were sold to Amazon MGM Studios for an upcoming TV series before its publication. Kuang’s other bestselling titles include Yellowface, Babel, and The Poppy War trilogy, and she is the recipient of the Nebula Award for Best Novel, the Goodreads Choice Awards for Best Fiction, and the American Book Award. 

Kelly Jensen, an anti-censorship advocate, a senior editor at Book Riot, and writer who has compiled such anthologies as Here We Are: Feminism for the Real World and (Don’t) Call Me Crazy, will be joining Kuang in conversation.

This event is intended for adults.

This event is made possible by Illinois Libraries Present (ILP), a statewide collaboration among public libraries offering premier events. ILP is funded in part by a grant awarded by the Illinois State Library, a department of the Office of the Secretary of State, using funds provided by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services, under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA). 

ILP is committed to inclusion and accessibility. American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation and Closed Captioning are provided for all events by default—no special request needed.

If a patron needs accommodations not listed, please email the Librarian at stjosephtownshiplibrary@gmail.com

Register Here: https://bit.ly/ILPKuang

Wednesday, May 20 at 7 PM

Registration for this event closes at 5:00 p.m. on event day. Late registrations will be processed after the live event, allowing access to the event recording.

Recording terms:
30 days public and emailed to all registrants