Barnswallow Books will host Caleb Gayle for a reading, talk, and signing Thursday, Aug. 7, at the barn (166 Russell Ave, Rockport). The talk will begin at 5 p.m., and a reception will follow. This event is free and open to the public. Light bites and refreshments will be provided. Registration is not required.

Caleb Gayle is an award-winning journalist and the author of We Refuse to Forget: A True Story of Black Creeks, American Identity, and Power. A professor at Northeastern University, he is a contributing writer at The New York Times Magazine, and his work also has appeared in The Atlantic, TIME, The Guardian, Guernica, The New Republic, and The Boston Globe. Gayle will discuss his body of work and his upcoming book, Black Moses.

“In Black Moses, Gayle brings to vivid life the world of Edward McCabe: the Black people who believed in his dream of a Black state, the white politicians who didn’t, and the larger challenges of confronting the racism and exclusion that bedeviled Black people’s attempts to carve a place in America for themselves," said a news release. "Gayle draws from extraordinary research and reporting to reveal an America that almost was.”

Gayle will be interviewed by Ben Lisle, associate professor of American Studies at Colby College. Gayle’s talk will be followed by a Q+A segment as well as a book signing. Barnswallow will have copies of his work for sale.