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Kari Winter, associate professor of English, will give a lecture titled "The Extraordinary 1810 Memoir of Jeffrey Brace" on Feb. 26 at 3:30 p.m. in the Special Collections reading room, Bailey/Howe Library.

Born in West Africa, Brace was captured by English slave traders in 1758 and was brought to Connecticut where he was held in slavery until 1777, when he enlisted in the Revolutionary Army. After receiving an honorable discharge, he moved to southwestern Vermont in 1784. Brace and his wife bought land in Poultney around 1795 and farmed there until a racist neighbor drove them to St. Albans, where their descendants still live. In 1810, Brace published his memoir, The Blind African Slave. Special Collections has a copy of the book, which is extremely rare.

Winter will discuss her research into Brace's life and preparations for publishing the first edition of the book since 1810. Winter has been studying African-American slave narratives for the last 15 years.

To reserve a spot at the talk, call 656-2138.

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