| Author | Message | ||
     Troy "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Troy Post Number: 304 Registered: 01-2004 Rating: N/A |
The Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College Presents The Eighth National Black Writers Conference Black Literature: Expanding Conversations on Race, Identity, History and Genre Thursday, March 30, 2006 - Sunday, April 2, 2006 The Eighth National Black Writers Conference held at Medgar Evers College (CUNY), Brooklyn, New York is the largest gathering of its kind in North America clearly focused on literary excellence in the Black Diaspora. Mrs. Myrlie Evers, wife of the late civil rights activist, Medgar Evers, is the Honorary Conference Chair. This Conference, which was initially conceived by the late John Oliver Killens in 1986, has consistently attracted a stellar array of writers and scholars including Maya Angelou, Amiri Baraka, Alice Walker, Ishmael Reed, Paule Marshall, Sonia Sanchez, Bebe Moore Campbell, Maryse Conde, Henry Louis Gates, Stanley Crouch, E. Lynn Harris, Houston Baker, and John A. Williams. Octavia Butler, and John Edgar Wideman among others. Walter Mosley has called this Conference, the most significant gathering of black writers in the country. This Eighth Conference will bring together writers, readers, agents, editors, publishers, and the general public to: a) hear black writers read from a range of genres, b) raise awareness and consciousness about black literary writers and black literary texts; and c) examine the ways in which the themes and issues in black literature require us to expand our conversations on race, identity, history, and genre. The conference opens on Thursday evening with a keynote by Marita Golden, Writer and Founder of the Hurston Wright Foundation. Marita will also engage in a conversation on the conference theme with Susan McHenry, Senior Editor of Black Issues Book Review. A major component of the conference is its support of literacy. Friday is dedicated to providing elementary and high school students with an opportunity to meet and engage in a dialogue with children’s and young adult authors. Friday evening will be a celebration of poetry with spoken word artists and poets. The evening culminates with Haki Madhubuti, poet and institution builder, discussing his life and work. On Saturday and Sunday, panel discussions will focus on the conference theme and include History as Narrative in the Literature by Black Writers, The Paradox of Race and Identity in the Literature by Black Writers, Speculative Fiction: Craft and Commentary, the Black Writer as Literary and Cultural Artist, the Impact of the New Religious Literature and Writer, Editors, Agents, and Publishers on Publishing Black Literature. Invited writers for the Conference include Walter Mosley, Jewell Parker Rhodes, Valerie Boyd, Samuel Delany, Quincy Troupe, Ishmael Reed, Elizabeth Nunez, Staceyann Chinn, Tananarive Due, Steven Barnes, Sheree Rene Thomas, Walter Dean Myers, Abiodun, Jacqueline Woodson, Toni Blackman, Elizabeth Nunez, Lindamichelle Baron, Obery Hendricks, Carl Hancock Rux, Javaka Steptoe, Willie Perdomo, Valerie Wilson Wesley, Ellease Southerland and Camille Yarborough among others Initially, funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Conference obtains program support from public and private foundations and organizations as well as individuals. Previous funders have included also included the Nathan Cummings Foundation, the New York Times, the CUNY Office of Academic Affairs, Verizon, and Con Edison, This year’s conference has received funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. It is also partnering with Black Issues Book Review and the African American Literature Book Club. For further information about this historic literary event and for conference updates, please call 718 270 4811 or visit the conference website at mec.cuny.edu/nbwc. ### | ||
| Troy "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Troy Post Number: 305 Registered: 01-2004 Rating: N/A |
Schedule (subject to change) Eighth National Black Writers Conference March 30 – April 2, 2006 Black Literature: Expanding Conversations on Race, Identity, History, & Genre Honorary Chair. Myrlie Evers-Williams Thursday, March 30, 2006 Keynote Address: Marita Golden with Susan McHenry 7:00 pm, Medgar Evers College Medgar Evers College Auditorium Friday, March 31, 2006 Medgar Evers College Auditorium 9:00 am- 10:00 am Storytelling. Griot Tracy Cook 10:00 am – 11:00 am Readings and Storytelling: Children’s Literature Re-imagining Our Lives through Literature Irene Smalls , Javaka Steptoe, Lynnette Velasco, Valerie Wilson Wesley 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm Panel Discussion Hip Hop in the Classroom Abidodun, Toni Blackman, Tracy Cook 1:45 pm – 3:00 pm Re-imagining Our Lives through Literature Readings & Discussion from Young Adult Authors Lindamichellebaron, Eric V. Copage , Jacqueline Woodson, Cathy Wright Lewis 1:45 pm – 3:00 pm Seminar with Walter Dean Myers 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm Performance Workshop with Staceyann Chin 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm Tales of Our Times: Stories by Elder African Americans 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm A Celebration of Black Poetry “An Evening with Haki Madhubuti” and Readings with Tracy K. Smith and Willie Perdomo Saturday, April 1, 2006 Medgar Evers College Auditorium 10:00 am – 11:30 am Panel Discussion: History as Narrative in Literature by Black Writers Herb Boyd, Valerie Boyd , Christopher John Farley, Jewell Parker Rhodes 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm Panel Discussion: The Paradox of Race and Identity in Literature by Black Writers Mohammed N. Ali, Elizabeth Nunez, Emily Raboteau, Ishmael Reed 2:15 pm – 3;45 pm Panel Discussion: Speculative Fiction Samuel Delany, Tananarive Due, Walter Mosley, Sheree Rene Thomas 4:00 pm – 5:30-pm The Black Writer as Literary and Cultural Artist Steven Barnes, Carl Hancock Rux, Camille Yarbrough 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm Featured Writer, Valerie Wilson Wesley 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm NBWC Poetry Café Sunday, April 2, 2006 10:30 am – 12:30 pm Workshops: Fiction – Wesley Brown Poetry – Quincy Troupe Reviewing Black Books – Angela Dodson 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm. Workshops: Book Proposals – Regina Brooks Speculative Fiction – Sheree Rene Thomas Memoir – Ellease Southerland 3:30 pm. – 5:00 pm Panel Discussion: Editors, Agents, and Publishers on Publishing Black Literature Tonya M. Evans, Manie Barron , Earl Cox Panel Discussion. Passivity or Empowerment: The Impact of the New Religious Black Literature on the Reader Obery Hendricks et al. |
