The Wilberforce Hotel

By Sean Dixon

It's the 1830s. Two travelling minstrels are passing North from London, Ontario, with their song and dance show on the local circuit. Having fallen afoul of the law and desperate for a night's lodging, they stumble into the Wilberforce hotel, owned and operated by Austin Steward, the president of this stalwart black settlement. Through turns highly comic, and deeply moving the two musicians who have spent their showbiz careers painting their faces come to learn something life-changing about the actual black experience of early settlers in Middlesex County at a time of exodus vs. jubilee. Based on the autobiography of Austin Steward; The Wilberforce Hotel is the story of a brave man's dreams, his love of family, and a threatened community's perseverance.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Scirocco Drama
• Release date: Oct 5, 2022
• ISBN: 9781990737923

Sean Dixon

Sean Dixon is a playwright, novelist, and actor. His debut novel The Girls Who Saw Everything was published in Canada, the US, the UK, and Romania, and named one of the best books of the year by Quill and Quire. He is also the author of two middle grade novels and a forthcoming picture book. Sean lives in Toronto.

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