AfroFuturism is a vast, forward-looking movement with solid roots in the past. Though it spans art, music, theory - everything - we read new fiction.

WE'VE GONE DIGITAL.

Book clubs are still a thing around here. You're stuck at home, but you're not alone - Get your ticket here, email us your address, we'll mail you your book, and then we'll Zoom together and talk about it.  (Specific instructions follow after you've got your ticket.)

Separated from her sister and brought to live in a hidden island civilization, Rue wrestles with identity, family... and magic, in J. Elle's Wings of Ebony.

HOW IT WORKS:

All book clubs require a ticket, and include the book, and a dedicated moderator - to keep the discussion on track! All clubs meet at The Last Bookstore.

You can get your ticket thru the link on this page (*we'll ship the book to you!).  *Please send a mailing address to larkin.lastbookstore@gmail.com.

TYREE BOYD-PATES is a Los Angeles-based multidisciplinary museum curator, historian, and public speaker.

Starting his career as a Professor of Africana studies at California State University Dominguez Hills, Tyree taught introductory courses into the discipline and the Harlem Renaissance. Simultaneously, he served as a leading contributor for Huffington Post's Black Voices and was selected to Fusion's Rise Up: Be Heard fellowship program for his work in capturing marginalized voices of southern Los Angeles, California as a writer and activist. After a series of successful events, particularly regarding his digital advocacy, community building, and social media savviness, Tyree pivoted into museums as a History Curator and Public Program Manager at the California African American Museum.

Organizing multiple critically acclaimed history exhibitions that have drawn thousands, Tyree's museum curation and work have been featured in Time, The New York Times, Vogue, The Atlantic, Hollywood Reporter, Fast Company, The LA Times, NPR, among many others. Additionally, Tyree has also organized and facilitated popular public programming holding conversations with Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Ava DuVernay, Ruth Carter, Terry Crews, Rakim, Chuck D, and KRS-One. Furthermore, Tyree has also consulted on major museum exhibitions and projects for the Smithsonian, Getty Museum, Broad Museum, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and The Ford.

Recently, Tyree joined The Autry Museum of the American West as the Associate Curator of Western History. At the Autry, he organizes history exhibitions to stimulate and engage communities that have been omitted from American history in the West through exhibits, programming, and partnerships using a cultural and creative lens.

As a leading thought leader and speaker, Tyree has keynoted at NIKE, Apple's Media Arts Lab, The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), for universities like the University of Southern California (USC) and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), offering presentations on African American history, museums, DEI, and how to adequately create pipelines for museum curators of color within the field.

Tyree has been recognized by the State of California and Los Angeles County for his vital work in capturing and displaying American history. In 2018, he received the MLK Jr. Unsung Hero Award from the California Legislative Black Caucus and was named one of Los Angeles' 40 Emerging Civic Leaders. In 2020, Boyd-Pates was also honored by the LA County Board of Supervisors for his excellent service to the city and county.

Alongside his career in public history, Tyree also facilitates a monthly Afrofuturism book club at Downtown Los Angeles's Last Bookstore. Furthermore, he also often writes about race, history, mental health, and ways we can all practice diversity and inclusion.

Currently, Tyree is a 2021 Civic Media Fellow with the Annenberg Innovation Lab at USC and a 2021 Innovation Fellow with the UCLA Luskin Center for History and Policy.