EVENT FULL: Matthew Desmond

press release: Go Big Read authors are such celebrities on the UW-Madison campus, their keynotes are becoming big-ticket events. To address such high demand, the event will use tickets this year.

Students and staff at the University of Wisconsin-Madison will have the first opportunity to get free tickets for this year's Go Big Read Event featuring author Matthew Desmond.

Desmond, a UW-Madison alumnus and author of "Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City," will speak at 7 p.m. Nov. 1 at the Memorial Union Theater.

Tickets are available Oct. 3 for UW-Madison students and staff at the Memorial Union ticket office and Oct. 5 for the general public via the ticket office or online here. While free, there is a $4 processing fee for the online tickets. There is a two-ticket maximum per person. A stand-by line will also be offered for any that want to see if they can get in due to unused tickets.

Demand for seats was great for last year's Go Big Read event featuring Bryan Stevenson, author of "Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption."  Distributing tickets gives students the first opportunity to attend the event, now in its eighth year.  For those who can't attend, the event will also be streamed live via the Go Big Read website and archived.  Many local venues will be hosting shared viewings of Desmond's presentation as well.

This year's book tells the story of eight Milwaukee families faced with losing their homes and highlights the plight of those living in poverty.

Desmond received his doctorate from UW-Madison in 2010. He is an associate professor of sociology and social studies at Harvard University and an affiliate of the Institute for Research on Poverty at the UW. In 2015, he received a MacArthur "genius" grant.

The Go Big Read program is an initiative of the Office of the Chancellor.