'Hidden Figures' author signs books

GREENSBORO — Margot Lee Shetterly, author of the book-now-movie “Hidden Figures,” drew out-of-state fans and local ones, including two actors who appear in the movie, to her Sunday book signing at Scuppernong Books downtown.

Tre Stokes, of Greensboro, who plays the son of one of the protagonists, prompted applause when he arrived with his mom.

“Wow, I just met the author of the movie I was in!” the boy grinned after Shetterly signed his book.

When asked what message he believes the movie delivers, the Northern Elementary student replied, “African American women are much smarter than you think.”

Ann Hudgson, a stay-at-home mom in Jamestown, plays one of the cadre of black female mathematicians in the movie. But she has yet to see herself on screen, so it was the author who informed her that her speaking part made it into the released cut.

“I recognized her face immediately,” Shetterly said, smiling at Hudgson, and repeated the line Hudgson delivers in the movie.

The budding actress slapped her hands to her cheeks and squealed, wide-eyed, at the news: “I didn’t know that! Oh my gosh!”

The movie has earned Academy Award nominations for best picture, best supporting actress and best adapted screenplay.

Shetterly, slender, elegant and composed, sat for 2½ hours at a round table decorated with New Yorker magazine covers and signed nearly 200 books — water and cookies untouched.

Her husband, Aran Shetterly, chatted at the coffee bar. He’s working on a book that has something to do with Greensboro, but won’t divulge more.

“Touch base with me in June,” he suggested.

The Shetterly affection for Greensboro began with Robert Shetterly, Aran’s father. Robert spoke in September 2015 at UNC-Greensboro about his collection of paintings and narratives that “highlight citizens who courageously address issues of social, environmental and economic fairness.”

The collection is visible at http://americanswhotellthe-truth.org

Aran and his wife of 11½ years were in town for the talk, and knew they would return.

“We came to Scuppernong on that trip and thought, ‘what a wonderful place,’ ” he said.

The Shetterly’s call last week asking for a book signing incited delight and a bit of panic in the store’s four owners.

“We’ve been pushing hard to get as many (copies) as we can from the distributor,” said David White, the store’s co-owner.

All 120 copies were sold just 30 minutes into the event.

Janice H. Degraffinreid left Spartanburg, S.C., around 9 a.m. to be third in line. Degraffinreid oversees the black history department at the new Prospect Baptist Church in Cross Anchor, S.C., so when she heard about the book and the signing from DeAnna Pruitt, a student at N.C. A&T, she couldn’t miss this opportunity.

“I didn’t know about ‘Hidden Figures,’” she said. “I didn’t know that this happened, and I read a lot about black history.”

She now has the book, has seen the movie, and has the book on her Kindle.

“It encourages our young girls to do better,” she said.

Stephanie Luster-Teasley, chairwoman of the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering at A&T, brought previously purchased books to the signing. She took 20 of her female students to see the movie last week and found the movie’s plot includes the use of Euler’s Method, a topic Luster-Teasley had just covered in class.

“They actually talk about it, that’s how (one of the computers) figures out the location for the landing,” she said.

Alyssa Farrell brought her daughter Grace Farrell, 7, and her niece, Eloise Alexander, 6.

“I think it’s important for them to see work that highlights strong females,” Farrell said. “And I told (the girls) that these women were posthumously told ‘thank you’ for the work they did.”

The line of fans still wrapped around the corner of Washington and Elm streets at 2:30 p.m.

“It certainly livened up our Sunday afternoon,” White said around 4 p.m., when the occupancy had dropped from around 100 to maybe a dozen customers.

“It was thoughtful generosity for her to swing by.”