In Conversation with National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Tara Roberts
When National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Tara Roberts first saw a photograph at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History & Culture depicting the underwater archaeology group Diving With a Purpose, it called out to her. Roberts joined the group and started on a path of discovery more challenging and personal than she could ever have imagined. From the coasts of Senegal and South Africa to the waters of St. Croix and beyond, she confronted the Middle Passage's harrowing history while uncovering her roots and exploring what it means to belong.
Roberts, the first Black female explorer ever to be featured on the cover of National Geographic, is the author of the powerful new book Written in the Waters: A Memoir of History, Home, and Belonging, which interweaves these deeply personal experiences with historical insight. In her new memoir, Roberts reflects on the resilience of the human spirit, the importance of remembering the past, and the shared threads that connect us all. Her journey, also captured in the podcast Into the Depths, offers a rare and intimate look at history, identity, and discovery. Join Roberts and bestselling Atlanta novelist Tayari Jones (Silver Sparrow, An American Marriage) for an unforgettable evening of conversation.
Roberts will appear in conversation with New York Times best-selling author Tayari Jones. Jones, who is the author of four novels, most recently An American Marriage, which was awarded the Women's Prize for Fiction, is also a 2021 Guggenheim Fellow and has been a recipient of the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, United States Artist Fellowship, and NEA Fellowship. Her third novel, Silver Sparrow, was added to the NEA Big Read Library of classics in 2016. Jones is a graduate of Spelman College, University of Iowa, and Arizona State University. She is an Andrew D. White Professor-at-Large at Cornell University and the Charles Howard Candler Professor of Creative Writing at Emory University.Tickets are $35 for the general public and include a pre-signed book. Tickets are non-refundable. If you are unable to attend the event, your ticket still entitles you to a signed copy of the book; A Cappella Books will hold your book for one month from the event date, and you may pick it up in-store at 208 Haralson Ave. NE.
Tickets are $35 and include a signed hardcover edition of Written in the Waters. Tickets are nonrefundable; if you cannot attend, your ticket still entitles you to a signed copy of the book. A Cappella Books will hold your book for one month from the event date, and you may pick it up in-store at 208 Haralson Ave. NE or contact SCADshow to request shipping. A select number of complimentary tickets are also available for SCAD students, faculty, and staff, who should email [email protected] to reserve their ticket. Please note that complimentary tickets do not include a pre-signed book.
A select number of complimentary tickets are also available for SCAD students, faculty, and staff, who should email [email protected] to reserve their ticket. Please note that complimentary tickets do not include a pre-signed book.