Jesmyn Ward, the first woman and the first person of color to win two National Book Awards for fiction, will present a public reading 7 p.m. April 12 in Lee Hall's Bettersworth Auditorium and share excerpts from her award-winning books.

The free event is open to the public and sponsored by Mississippi State’s Division of Access, Diversity and Inclusion; the Division of Student Affairs; the African American Studies program; and the Department of English.