Acclaimed author Jackson Taylor will discuss his novel The Blue Orchard, which chronicles the life of Verna Krone, a courageous and hardworking woman whose story will captivate you. This fictional account is based on the true story of Krone, who was Jackson Taylor's grandmother. The story offers a vivid account of Harrisburg, PA, during the period before the Depression to the early Civil Rights era.
Verna Krone was born into poverty, but her stellar work ethic took her from a life of domestic servitude to nursing school and eventually to a nursing job with a prominent African-American physician based in Harrisburg. This physician, an upstanding comunity member who is praised for his work in helping others, provides safe but illegal abortions to women in need. This is a fascinating story that took place in our back yard. Don't miss it!
For more than 20 years, Taylor has directed the Prison Writing Program ad PEN American Center. Taylor helped found the graduate writing program at the New School in Greenwich Village, New York.
