Republished from the September 13 Community Sun Eagle

MIDDLEBURY | Middlebury singer, author, and celebrity François Clemmons will read from his debut memoir “Officer Clemmons”, now out in paperback, on Wednesday, Sept. 22, at 7 p.m., at the Middlebury College’s MAC, Mahaney Arts Center’s Robison Hall.

Clemmons will offer remarks, readings, and songs, followed by a book signing in the lobby. The event is free and open to the public. Masks and vaccinations (or valid medical or religious options) are required.

Known to young TV viewers from his 1968-1993 role on “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” Clemmons has long been known locally as the Alexander Twilight Artist in Residence and director of the Martin Luther King Spiritual Choir at Middlebury College, where he served from 1997 until his retirement in 2015. He is also an actor, activist, and Grammy Award-winning singer

Admission is free.

The event will also be streamed on the Robison Hall YouTube page.

The MAC is located at 72 Porter Field Rd. in Middlebury, on the campus of Middlebury College. Free parking is available. The MAC’s health and safety protocols, including required masks and vaccinations (or valid medical or religious exemptions.) For more information: (802) 443-MIDD (6433) or http://www.middlebury.edu/arts.

A portion of the Vermont Book Shop proceeds from this event will benefit WomenSafe, a nonprofit based in Middlebury that works toward the elimination of physical, sexual, and emotional violence through direct service, education, and social change.

The reading is sponsored by the New England Review, the Vermont Book Shop, the Mahaney Arts Center, and the Middlebury College Office of the President.