9th National Black Writers Conference

The Ninth National Black Writers Conference
Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 12, 2008

CONTACT: Chris Hundley, 718-270-6926
For Program Information, 718 270-6976

The Ninth National Black Writers Conference

Black Writers: Reading and Writing to Transform Their Lives and the World

NEW YORK - The Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College, CUNY will host the Ninth National Black Writers Conference (NBWC) Black Writers: Reading and Writing to Transform Their Lives and the World on Friday, March 28, 2008 through Sunday, March 30, 2008. The Conference is dedicated to the centennial of Richard Wright’s birth. Featured authors include Randall Robinson, Cornel West, Julia Wright and the notable Susan L. Taylor as the Honorary Conference Chair.

The three -day conference, to be held on the Medgar Evers College campus in Brooklyn, NY, will feature discussions, youth workshops, talkshops, author readings and signings. In addition, an array of vendors will be on display at the NBWC marketplace. Early registration at discounted rates for the biennial conference has already begun.

The 2008 Ninth National Black Writers Conference: Black Writers: Reading and Writing to Transform Their Lives and the World draws upon famous novelist Marita Golden’s concept of the transformative power of literature and focuses on the ways in which black writers use literature to transform their lives and the larger global community. It examines this concept of literature as transformative from historical, cultural, and political perspectives.

Described by bestseller author Walter Mosley as "the most significant gathering of black writers in the country," the National Black Writers Conference is the largest gathering of its kind in North America and has been described “as a glorious opportunity to meet fellow writers and scholars and a fertile environment for creativity!” Initially conceived in 1986 by the late author John Oliver Killens, the Conference has consistently attracted a stellar array of writers and scholars including Maya Angelou, Amiri Baraka, Alice Walker, and others.

Dr. Brenda M. Greene, Director of the National Black Writers Conference and Executive Director of the Center for Black Literature states that, “Black writers and artists have had a tremendous impact on our global culture. This Conference offers writers, booksellers, scholars, youth and the general public opportunities to engage in conversations on the ways in which black literature impacts their lives and the

lives of others. Language and story are important to our survival. Through our stories we create memories and history. Our stories represent our lifeline to the past, present and future.”

As part of its tribute and recognition to black writers, there will be a special Awards Program and VIP Reception on Saturday, March 29, 2008 at 6:30 pm. Conference attendees must register for this program. Sonia Sanchez will receive the lifetime literary award. Other honorees for the Conference include Susan L. Taylor, Randall Robinson, Cornel West and Cheryl and Wade Hudson of Just Us Books.

The Brooklyn Public Library at Grand Army Plaza will host a special pre-conference Reading on March 9th at 1:30 pm by acclaimed author John Edgar Wideman. Wideman’s most recent book is Fanon: A Novel.

The NBWC’s list of confirmed participants for the main program consist of such literary visionaries, scholars, poets, and publishers as Amiri Baraka, John Edgar Wideman, Jerry Ward, Brenda Marie Osbey, Thulani Davis, Quincy Troupe, Kevin Powell, David Durham, Terry McMillan, Nancy Rawles, Jabari Asim, Valerie Kinloch, Eisa Ulen, Thomas Bradshaw, Valerie Boyd, Fred Beauford, Regina Brooks, Martha Southgate, Tayari Jones, Thomas Glave, William Jelani Cobb, Angela Dodson, Jaira Placide, Kassahun Checole, Quraysh Ali Lansana, and Thomas Ellis Sayers, just to name a few.

This year's Conference has received funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, Brooklyn Assemblyman Karim Camara, the Big Read, the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, the New York Historical Society and the Washington Mutual Savings Bank. The Center for Black Literature is also partnering with AALBC.com (African American Literature Book Club), the Brooklyn Public Library, the PEN American Center, the Brooklyn Literary Council, The BIG READ, The Links Incorporated and the Caribbean Research Center.

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For further information about this historic literary event and for conference updates, please call 718 270-4811, email:nbwc@mec.cuny.edu or visit the conference website at www.mec.cuny.edu/nbwc.

Review the Conference Schedule

Meditations and Ascension: Black Writers on Writing
Click to order via Amazon

Register on-line for The 9th National Black Writers Conference (General Admission - 3 Days / FULL + Book) and receive book, during the conference, at a 33% discount

by Brenda M. Greene (Editor), Fred Beauford (Editor)

Paperback: 300 pages
Publisher: Third World Press (May 1, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0883782960
ISBN-13: 978-0883782965

An added feature of the NBWC approaching conference will be the release of the proceedings of the 2006 Eighth National Black Writers Conference, Meditations and Ascensions: Black Writers on Writing, published by Third World Press. Contributors to Meditations and Ascensions: Black Writers on Writing. The book was edited by Dr. Brenda M. Greene and Fred Beauford and includes a foreword by Myrlie Evers, activist and widow to the slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers. Production is in progress for the highly anticipated book. The public can order the book along with early registration for the conference.

Book Description
Representing conversations from the Eighth National Black Writers Conference in 2006, this collection provides in-depth meditations and analyses of literature by black writers. Reflections on the black experience, the American experience, and a more global experience and worldview are all widely discussed, as well as future trends and ascensions for black literature. Students, teachers, journalists, and other writers will welcome the chance to view parts of the writing process and see inside the heads of prominent black writers. Participants include Marita Golden, Walter Mosley, Ishmael Reed, Herb Boyd, Valerie Boyd, Haki R. Madhubuti, Elizabeth Nunez, Tananarive Due, Valerie Wilson Wesley, Camille Yarbrough, Susan McHenry, and many others.

Related Links

The Ninth National Black Writers Conference Schedule (March 28 - 30 2008)
http://events.aalbc.com/9th_nbwc_schedule_2008.htm

The Ninth National Black Writers Conference: An Evolving Process
A reflective piece by Dr. Brenda M. Greene, Executive Director Center for Black Literature
http://events.aalbc.com/the_nbwc_an_evolving_process.htm

National Black Writers Conference 2000
Report from the Field by Kalamu ya Salaam
http://events.aalbc.com/nat'l1.htm