Author, screenwriter and musician James McBride presented the 2016 Mary Ellen Borges Memorial Lecture to about 150 attendees, the vast majority of whom were community members. McBride’s innovative approach used gospel and spiritual music to present his National Book Award winning novel, The Good Lord Bird, which follows a young protagonist named “Onion” in his adventure with abolitionist John Brown.

The Mary Ellen Borges Memorial Lecture honors the life and ministry of Marry Ellen Borges, who advocated for children and education throughout her life.

In his introduction, McBride explained his longstanding connection with music and the church before reading an excerpt from The Good Lord Bird. He then introduced his band, The Good Lord Bird Band, which included a cellist, drummer, pianist, and bass player, who began playing gospel and spiritual songs from the pre-Civil War time period. McBride continued to read short excerpts from his book, with songs played by the band between each excerpt.

After several of these excerpts, the band resumed playing, uninterrupted and eventually brought the entire crowd to its feet. In concluding the program, McBride thanked Borges for the positive influence he and his late wife had on the community, stressed his belief in the strength of God’s love, and related recent political events, commenting, “we survived the Civil War and we will certainly survive Donald Trump.”

McBride invited students Eli King ’19 and Morgan Bates ’19 to accompany him on stage after meeting them earlier in the day. According to King, as the two were leaving the Clarke Forum, McBride said, “you know what? Bring your horns [instruments].” Neither were sure whether McBride was kidding, said King, until receiving a message telling them when to show up for a sound check. Following his performance with the band, King said it was “really amazing to be able to play with people so talented and professional” and that the energy was “very powerful.”

Carlisle resident Christy Hoover came to the event after reading The Good Lord Bird as a preview for her reading group. The event definitely lived up to her expectations, she said. “Those guys were rockin’! And the level of musicianship… I mean these guys are outstanding!” she exclaimed.

Madison Milazewski ’19 also decided to attend the event after recognizing McBride’s name from his books. Milazewski read The Color of Water: A Black Man’s Tribute to His White Mother over the summer and described it as “one of the best books [I] had ever read.”

“It was really cool to hear him speak,” said Milazewski. “The music here is incredible and everyone here is so talented. It’s just very moving, the environment and the last song… you really get into it.”

Clarke Forum Student Project Manager Leda Fisher ’19 said that it was great to see McBride’s work as a writer and artist together, something “you don’t get when you just read the book.” Executive Director Amy Farrell added that the incorporation of music was “a key way to challenge us to think critically in ways that are different than a standard lecture.”

James McBride is the author of Color of Water, Miracle at St. Anna, Song Yet Sung, The Good Lord Bird and Kill ‘Em and Leave: Searching for the Real James Brown. McBride has been honored as a New York Times Bestselling author and recipient of the National Award for fiction. He is also an award-winning composer and saxophonist.