Labyrinth and the Princeton Public Library invite you to a conversation with a distinguished music historian and scholar and Stevie Nicks super-fan Mindy Gonzalez-Backen about Morrison’s new musical biography of Stevie Nicks, which paints a portrait of an artist, not a caricature of a superstar.

Reflective and expansive, Mirror in the Sky situates Stevie Nicks as one of the finest songwriters of the twentieth century. This biography examines Nicks as a singer and songwriter before and beyond her career with Fleetwood Mac, from the Arizona landscape of her childhood to the strobe-lit Night of 1000 Stevies celebrations. Morrison analyzes Nick’s craft, identifies her many influences, and connects Nick’s story to those of California’s above- and underground music history.

Simon Morrison teaches music history at Princeton University. He specializes in 20th-century Russian and Soviet music with expertise in opera, dance, film, sketch studies, and historically informed performance. His books include Bolshoi Confidential: Secrets of the Russian Ballet from the Rule of the Tsars to Today; The People’s Artist: Prokofiev’s Soviet Years; and The Love and Wars of Lina Prokofiev: the Story of Lina and Serge Prokofiev. Mindy Gonzales-Backen is professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Science at Florida State University. She is an author of over 40 scholarly articles and chapters focused on identity, gender, and systems of oppression and privilege as they relate to child development and families. She is a lifelong Stevie Nicks superfan and sometimes described as having a doctorate in Nicksology by friends. Her deep love and respect of Nicks’ music and interest in her life has fostered a growing following among fellow fans.

This event is part of Labyrinth's and the Public Library's joint programming and is cosponsored by Princeton University's Humanities Council.

LLL: Simon Morrison & Mindy Gonzalez-Backen -- Mirror in the Sky: The Life and Music of Stevie Nicks