On Saturday, Oct. 14 at 1 p.m., author Lawrence P. Jackson will discuss his latest book, Chester B. Hines: A Biography, which explores Himes’ writings including his Harlem detective series featuring black NYPD detectives: Gravedigger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson. Praised by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. as “one of the towering figures of the black literary tradition,” Himes, author of the bestsellers If He Hollers, Let Him Go and Cotton Comes to Harlem, published 20 literary works in his career. Jackson depicts the improbable life of the controversial writer whose novels confront sexuality, racism, and social justice. Lawrence P. Jackson is a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of English and History at Johns Hopkins University