“So many people don’t know about the history, and the parts that people of color played in forming this country and building this country. It’s a fascinating study of those who are what I call ‘unsung.’”—Beverly Jenkins 

Beverly Jenkins is an NAACP Image Award nominee and bestselling author of over 30 historical and contemporary romance novels. Her historical novels, including Indigo (1996), Topaz (1997), and the Women Who Dare series (2019–2022) center Black characters and Black history often overlooked in the romance genre, in American popular culture, and in history classes. Many of her novels are set in the post-Civil War era, a time in which Black Americans were building their lives, their identities, and legacies for generations to come. Jenkins also writes contemporary romances, including the 2021 romantic suspense novella Rare Danger, featuring a rare book dealer as heroine. Join us for a conversation between Beverly Jenkins and Lilly Library Curator of Modern Books Rebecca Baumann in celebration of the Lilly Library’s groundbreaking exhibition Love in the Library: The Romance Novel in English.