An Evening With Local Author Rita Lorraine Hubbard

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An Evening With Local Author Rita Lorraine Hubbard 

Local author Rita Lorraine Hubbard will be the next author for Southern Lit Alliance’s South Bound Lecture series on March 18 at 6:00 PM on Zoom.  Hubbard will join Southern Lit Alliance to discuss her craft and the variety of books she has published, including African Americans in Chattanooga: A History of Unsung Heroes and the children’s books The Oldest Student and Hammering for Freedom. 

This event is free to the public, but donations are suggested.  For more information and to register for this event, please visit southernlitalliance.org/virtual-south-bound-rita-hubbard.

About African Americans in Chattanooga: A History of Unsung Heroes

Chattanooga is the site of one of the first integrated police departments in the South.  It's also the hometown of the first African American appointed to lead counsel on a Supreme Court case.  Hubbard, in African Americans in Chattanooga: A History of Unsung Heroes, chronicles these facts and more, showing how African Americans have shaped the history of Chattanooga as far back as the 16th century, and teaching her readers a slew of unacknowledged history.

About The Oldest Student

The Oldest Student tells the story of Mary Walker, who was born into slavery in 1848. By age 15, she was freed, and by age 20, she married.  She worked numerous jobs throughout her life to provide for herself and her family, including cooking, babysitting, and selling sandwiches for her church, but she never learned to read.  At the astonishing age of 116, she was able to learn to read.  The Oldest Student tells her story and teaches us that with hard work, determination, and perseverance, anyone, at any age, can achieve their dreams.

About Hammering for Freedom

William "Bill" Lewis was born into slavery in Chattanooga, Tennessee.  He learned the blacksmith trade as soon as he was old enough to grip a hammer and proved to be an exceptional blacksmith, earning so much money fixing old tools and creating new ones that he was able to set a daring plan in motion: he was determined to free his family.  Hammering for Freedom tells his story.

About Rita Lorraine Hubbard

Hubbard, a Chattanooga native, is a former special education teacher of 11 years, with an MS in School Psychology.  Her books include educational materials and books for children, with a particular focus on the history of black Southerners.  She is a member of SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators), and AACBWI (African American Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) and is the author of several unpublished children's books focusing on the challenges of children with disabilities.

About Southern Lit Alliance

Southern Lit Alliance is a longstanding literary arts organization in Chattanooga, Tennessee, founded in 1952. Its mission is to utilize the incomparable power of literature to inspire, create, connect and uplift, delivering opportunities that encourage people to read and write. The organization engages audiences through innovative and interesting literary arts experiences and educational enrichment opportunities in Chattanooga and the surrounding area. For more information about Southern Lit Alliance, please visit www.southernlitalliance.org. Southern Lit Alliance is funded by a grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission and Arts Build.