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The MLK Library is excited to host author Lonnae O'Neal in conversation about her book Bibb Country: Unearthing My Family Secrets of Land, Legacy, and Lettuce, in recognition of Black History Month.
Learn more about the book, author, and moderator below.
Bibb Country: Unearthing My Family Secrets of Land, Legacy – and Lettuce is a deeply personal and fiercely reported exploration of several generations of Lonnae O’Neal’s family, descendants of both enslavers and enslaved, set against the sweep of American history. What began with planting Bibb lettuce seeds in her backyard led Lonnae on a five-year journey all the way back to the antebellum South—revealing ties to the Kentucky Bibb family, a complicated legacy of enslavement, emancipation, and inheritance, and a powerful connection between food, freedom, and identity. In uncovering her own roots, Lonnae transforms the stories we tell—about ourselves, our families, and our nation.
Lonnae O’Neal is a senior writer for ESPN/Andscape, where she specializes in the intersection of race, sports and culture. She is a two-time winner of the National Association of Black Journalist's Salute to Excellence Award. Prior to her tenure at ESPN/Andscape, Lonnae spent nearly two and half decades as a reporter and columnist for The Washington Post where she won the Society for Features Journalism award for excellence in commentary and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism award for distinguished work in the coverage of race and ethnicity in America. She is an adjunct lecturer at the Georgetown University School of Continuing Studies, and she is the author of Bibb Country: Unearthing My Family Secrets of Land, Legacy - and Lettuce and I'm Every Woman, Remixed Stories of Marriage, Motherhood and Work.
Dolen Perkins-Valdez is the New York Times bestselling author of four novels. Most recently, Happy Land (2025) was longlisted for the 2026 Aspen Words Literary Prize and named a finalist for the Southern Book Prize. Her previous novel Take My Hand was awarded a 2023 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work, Silver Gavel Award from the American Bar Association, Fiction Award from Black Caucus of the American Library Association and was longlisted for the Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award. A three-time nominee for a United States Artists Fellowship, Dolen is widely considered a pre-eminent chronicler of American historical life.
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AGE GROUP: | Adults |
EVENT TYPE: | Author Talk |
