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Mia McKenzie's visit couldn't come at a better time. The author of Black Girl Dangerous, will be doing a book signing at College of the Redwoods on Thursday, April 12 at 6 p.m. in Humanities Room 129 for a talk and Q&A. McKenzie's novel, The Summer We Got Free won the 2013 Lambda Literary Award for debut fiction and has been nominated for a number of literary prizes. McKenzie writes about race, gender, queerness, class and their intersections, and Black Girl Dangerous is a pointed, poignant, fiery collection of essays and blog posts previously published on the website she founded, www.blackgirldangerous.com.

McKenzie's way of melding her quirky brand of sarcasm and raw, focused social analysis sets this collection apart. It is both unique and fresh, featuring straightforward titles like, "White Silence," "On Rape, Cages, and the Steubenville Verdict," "To the Queer Black Kids," "4 Ways to Push Back Against Your Privilege" and "The Myth of Shared Womanhood and How It Perpetuates Inequality." She also has a knack for creating lists that call attention to the hypocrisies and inequities of American society that are so relevant today.

McKenzie's visit seems especially timely as the removal of Arcata's statue of President McKinley is garnering national attention and local racial tensions are at the forefront during student and community protests over the investigation into the killing of Humboldt State University student David Josiah Lawson last year.