Award-winning filmmaker and author Nicole Franklin's latest project is the children's book, Ella's Sunday Song, a story she co-wrote with her mother, musician Irene Franklin.

Ella's Sunday Song explores the meaning of the Spiritual, a musical artform that emerged from centuries of slavery in the United States. In the story, six-year-old Ella is the Sunday soloist at her Church. During the short trip from her Grandmother's lap to her choir director's piano, young Ella realizes she has to break a code in order to hit all of the right notes.

Guest speaker and one half of the writing duo Nicole Franklin, who also holds the title of SIUE's Director of Communications, will present the book, the spiritual and the ancestral history that inspired a portfolio of work.