F267. I Come to Witness: Writers as the Children of James Baldwin and Audre Lorde

Gold Salon 1, JW Marriott LA, 1st Floor
Friday, April 1, 2016
4:30 pm to 5:45 pm

 

As American racial upheaval sparks a new civil rights movement and activist writers, poets, and playwrights are summoned to bear witness, how can we create written art of enduring value that continues to provoke thought like our queer ancestors James Baldwin and Audre Lorde? Five African American LGBTQ writers dissect the legacy of the creative activism of Baldwin and Lorde and share the results of their search for new-generation writers who are following in their footsteps.


Participants

Moderator:

LeVan D. Hawkins is a published poet and writer. He is a Lambda Literary, Millay Colony of the Arts, and Dorothy West/Helene Johnson Foundation Fellow. He has read his work at venues such as Dartmouth College, UCLA Hammer Museum, Disney Hall Redcat Theater, Minneapolis Central Library, and Links Hall.

JP Howard is a Cave Canem Graduate Fellow, Lambda Fellow, VONA/Voices alum, and Curator of Women Writers in Bloom Poetry Salon, a monthly literary salon in NY, which nurtures women writers of all levels. JP is the author of Say/Mirror. Her poems have been published widely.

Imani Tolliver is a poet and educator. She was the 2007–08 Poet Laureate for the Watts Towers Arts Center and she has been a featured poet nationwide including the Smithsonian Institution, University of Southern California, LA Central Library, and the World Stage Performance Gallery.

Ellery Washington is the author of Buffalo, a forthcoming novel. His short stories, essays, and book reviews have appeared in the New York Times, The International Review, and numerous literary anthologies. He is an associate professor of creative writing at the Pratt Institute.

Charles Reese is an actor, author, educator, and cultural architect for public engagement (C.A.P.E.). He has a BA degree from Morehouse College; he is editor of James Baldwin A Soul on Fire;  he is a contributing writer for James Baldwin: Challenging Authors; and creator of the James Baldwin Literary & Conversation Salon Series.

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February 7–10, 2024
Kansas City, Missouri

Kansas City Convention Center