Lit Youngstown, Youngstown Action Center, and Westside Bowl are hosting esteemed Ohio writer and scholar Dr. Kimberly Mack in discussion about her new book focusing on the rock-metal band Living Colour's 1990 album, Time's Up.  The discussion takes place on Friday, June 9, at 6 pm, at Westside Bowl, on Mahoning Avenue, in Youngstown. Mack is Associate Professor of African American literature and culture at the University of Toledo. More information at lityoungstown.org.

Mack's book discusses Living Colour's epic importance in returning rock to its roots as Black music, while also being musically innovative and politically conscious. Valley music fans have long adored the hybrid of rock and metal that Living Colour represents, and this reading will give them deeper insight into music of the era, the genre, and the cultural landscape of Black creativity at large. 

Written by Kimberly Mack, Associate Professor of African American literature and culture at the University of Toledo, Living Colour, Time’s Up (Bloomsbury Academic) combines elements of oral history, biography, memoir, and cultural criticism, and features the full participation of members of Living Colour and other people associated with the album’s production. The result is a deeply researched look at Time’s Up’s importance and place in the rock canon. “In the big picture, this is a book about the reclamation of rock music as Black music,” Mack says. “Time’s Up affirms and amplifies Black participation in, and vital contributions to, rock music.”

The book talk is co-hosted by Lit Youngstown, Youngstown Action Center, and Westside Bowl.