new york book Launch: Between the River and the Railroad Tracks
TUESDAY, November 17, 2026 | 6:30–9 PM
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York, NY
In her debut memoir, Between the River and the Railroad Tracks, MacArthur Fellow Nicole R. Fleetwood weaves a multigenerational family story into a neighborhood’s history, illuminating the often-overlooked Black Midwest. Join us for a special evening moderated by Hanif Abdurraqib, marking the launch celebration and conversation with Fleetwood, an NYPL Fellow at both the Schomburg and Cullman Centers, about family, place, memory, and history.
Following the public launch conversation, a book reception with the author will be accessible for all with a copy of the book.
Free and open to the public
First Stop on the Ohio Book Tour: Between the River and the Railroad Tracks
WEDNESDAY, November 18, 2026 | 6:30–8 PM
Bexley Public Library, Bexley, Ohio
Nicole R. Fleetwood, Paulette Goddard Professor of Media, Culture, and Communication at New York University, writer, curator, and MacArthur Fellow, returns to the Bexley Public Library to celebrate the release of her memoir, Between the River and the Railroad Tracks. Praised as "meticulously crafted and unflinchingly vulnerable, Nicole R. Fleetwood's multigenerational family portrait braids the intimate life of a neighborhood with the historic arc that shaped it to offer an untold story of the black Midwest." Rachel Cargle, author of A Renaissance of Our Own: A Memoir and Manifesto on Reimagining, will moderate the conversation.
An Evening with Nicole R. Fleetwood: Between the River and the Railroad Tracks
THURSDAY, November 19, 2026 | 6 PM
Humanities Commons, Bachelor Hall 1031
Miami University, Oxford, Ohio
Nicole R. Fleetwood, acclaimed author, curator, MacArthur Fellow, and Miami University alumna (Class of 1994), returns to her alma mater for a student-moderated conversation celebrating the release of her new memoir, Between the River and the Railroad Tracks. Drawing on her family's history and her upbringing in Southwest Ohio, Fleetwood explores the intimate relationships between family, community, race, and place. A graduate of Miami's Western College Program and the university's 2023 commencement speaker, Fleetwood returns for a conversation hosted by the Western Program for Individualized Studies, Department of History, and Humanities Institute.
Hometown Book Launch with Nicole Fleetwood
FRIDAY, November 20, 2026 | 7 PM
Fitton Center for Creative Arts
101 S. Monument Ave, Hamilton, Ohio 45011
Join us for an evening with writer, art curator, professor, and Hamilton native Nicole Fleetwood for the launch of her new memoir Between the River and the Railroad Tracks. This book details her experiences growing up in Hamilton's Second Ward and offers a multigenerational family portrait as part of the untold story of the black Midwest. Book signing to follow presentation.
More information and registration here
Nicole Fleetwood in conversation with Gabe Davis: Between the River and the Railroad Tracks
SUNDAY, November 22, 2026 | 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM EST
Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Rookwood Pavilion
2692 Madison Road, Cincinnati, Ohio
Join acclaimed author, curator, and MacArthur Fellow Nicole R. Fleetwood in conversation with Gabe Davis at Joseph-Beth Booksellers to celebrate the release of her new memoir, Between the River and the Railroad Tracks. Drawing on her family's multigenerational history and her upbringing in Southwest Ohio, Fleetwood explores the intimate relationships between family, community, race, and place. The evening will feature a conversation with Gabe Davis, followed by a book signing with Fleetwood.