Keri Blakinger, a Los Angeles Times reporter and the author of the 2022 memoir Corrections in Ink, will be speaking at 6 p.m. Monday, April 22, in the Walker Community Room of the Fayetteville Public Library.

The event is being sponsored by the U of A Humanities Center, the Department of English, the Gender Studies Program and the Fayetteville Public Library.

The evening will begin with Blakinger speaking about her memoir and her work as a reporter. Later, there will be an opportunity for Q&A with audience members.

The first part of Corrections in Ink focuses upon Blakinger's early life, including her time as a young, nationally competitive figure skater. It also describes how her skating career gradually ended as her struggles with drug use, depression and an eating disorder increased.

Close to finishing her undergraduate degree at Cornell, Blakinger was arrested for heroin possession and incarcerated for nearly two years. While in prison, she recovered from addiction, developed several close relationships and wrote on a daily basis about her experiences. 

The second part of Corrections in Ink tells about what Blakinger achieved following her release. After being re-admitted to Cornell, she graduated with a degree in English. She then went on to pursue a career as an investigative reporter, covering stories about justice-impacted individuals and the challenges that they face.

Blakinger wrote for the Ithaca Times, the New York Daily News, the Houston Chronicle and the Marshall Project before starting her current position as a reporter for the Los Angeles Times.

Piper Kerman, New York Times bestselling author of Orange Is the New Black, describes Corrections in Ink as "a groundbreaking debut from an extraordinary writer ... a searing work of self-examination ... a testament to where a woman can go after rock-bottom, the power to transform oneself and the imperative to discover and tell the truth."

Sarah Hepola, New York Times bestselling author of Blackout, calls Blakinger's book "a hair-raising tale of a girl torn between perfectionism and self-destruction, and a woman who uses her profound gifts to help set others free."

Wesley Lowery, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of They Can't Kill Us All, says, "It's hard to think of a reporter more deeply devoted to exposing the brokenness of the American prison system than Keri Blakinger, who in Corrections in Ink turns her journalistic eye and narrative gift to her own story — a riveting journey through the depths of addiction and incarceration."

This event is free and open to the public, and Blakinger will be signing copies of her book afterward.

ASL interpretation will be provided by the Sign Language Interpreting Network, and CART services will be provided by Access Resource.