THE SECRET DIARIES OF CHARLES IGNATIUS SANCHO with Paterson Joseph and Kimberly Kersey (In-Person & Livestream)

Actor and playwright Paterson Joseph’s debut novel charts the life of Charles Ignatius Sancho through fictionalized diary entries, letters, and commentary. Georgian London is not a safe place for a young Black man. He must dodge slave catchers and worse, and his main ally—a kindly duke who taught him to write—is dying. Sancho is desperate and utterly alone. So how does the same Charles Ignatius Sancho meet the king, write, and play highly acclaimed music, become the first Black person to vote in Britain, and lead the fight to end slavery? Through every moment of this tale, Sancho forges ahead to see how much he can achieve in one short life: “I had little right to live, born on a slave ship where my parents both died. But I survived, and indeed, you might say I did more.”  

 In-Person Event: $10 non-members, $5 members. Admission price will be deducted from your signed copy of the book with purchase. REGISTER HERE. 

 Livestream: $5 non-members and members. REGISTER HERE. 

Copies of The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho are available for purchase through the Mark Twain Store; proceeds benefit The Mark Twain House & Museum. Books will be shipped after the event. We regret that we are NOT able to ship books outside the United States as it is cost-prohibitive to do so. 

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About the Author: Paterson Joseph is an award-winning actor who has been fascinated by Sancho for many years. He wrote and starred in the play Sancho – An Act Of Remembrance in 2018, which was staged in the UK as well as the US. A veteran of stage, TV and film, Paterson has appeared on The Mosquito Coast, an Apple TV+ original series, “Dr. Who,” Noughts + Crosses, and other BBC programs. 

About the Moderator: Kimberly Kersey is the Executive Director of the Artists Collective in Hartford, CT. For the three years prior, she served as Executive Director of The Amistad Center for Art and Culture at The Wadsworth Atheneum. She is a New Jersey native and graduated from Rutgers University with a B.A. in Art History. She went on to earn a J.D. from Villanova University School of Law. 

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Programs at The Mark Twain House & Museum are made possible in part by support from CT Humanities; the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, Office of the Arts; Ensworth Charitable Foundation, Bank of America, N.A., Trustee; the Greater Hartford Arts Council’s United Arts Campaign; The Hartford; The Mark Twain Foundation; The National Endowment for the Humanities; and Travelers.