The 24th GWENDOLYN BROOKS BLACK WRITERS’ CONFERENCE

A Virtual Conference

“We Are Each Other’s Harvest”

Friday, October 28th | 9:30 -4:30 (CST)

Saturday, October 29th | 11:30-5:30 (CST)

FREE ONLINE EVENT* | OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/24th-gwendolyn-brooks-black-writers-conference-tickets-418133728237

*Instructions and link to join virtual conference will be sent the day before the event to the email address used to register.

FEATURING: Nora Brooks Blakely, Dr. Haki R. Madhubuti, Emily Hooper Lansana, Dr. Cole Lavalais, Dr. Kelly Norman Ellis, Adrian Matejka, Dr. Randall Horton, Dr. Derrick Harriell, Nicholas Caldwell, Amanda B. Holiday, Pemon Rami, Dr. Brenda Aghahowa, Patric McCoy, Sandra Jackson Opoku, Dr. Concetta Williams, Pancho McFarland,  Jurema Gorham, Jennifer Price, MLIS, and more! Also, rare footage of past Black Writers’ Conference and Gwendolyn Brooks Center events.

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We are Each Other’s Harvest is the theme for Chicago State University‘s 24th Gwendolyn Brooks Black Writers’ Conference. The theme is a line taken from Gwendolyn Brooks’ poem, ‘Paul Robeson.’

In 1991, retired CSU Distinguished Professor Haki R. Madhubuti founded the Gwendolyn Brooks Black Writers Conference to honor Gwendolyn Brooks, the first Black person to ever win the Pulitzer Prize and the Poet Laureate of Illinois for over 30 years. This year, we are pleased to continue this bi-annual pilgrimage for writers and Black culture enthusiasts in a virtual format.

Join the many hundreds of writers of all genres who, over the years, persevere and thrive despite the daily inequities that try to arrest our persistent creativity. Novice writers, professionals and literary devotees have contributed their perspectives and come away with fresh ideas and inspiration.

The 24th Gwendolyn Brooks Black Writers’ Conference 2022 is a virtual event happening online on Friday, Oct. 28th from 10:30 am – 4:30 pm and Friday, October 29th from 12:00 noon – 5:30 pm.

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All Times Central Standard Time

Day 1 – Friday, Oct. 28, 2022

• 9:30 – 10:00 Pre-Event Presentation
• 10:00 – 10:45 Opening and Welcome
• 10:45 – 12:00 Session 1- Conversation with Dr. Kelly Norman Ellis & Adrian Matejka
• 12:00 – 12:15 Break
• 12:15 – 1:30 Session 2 – Black Poetics and Aesthetics
• 1:30 – 1:45 Break
• 1:45- 3:00 Session 3 – A Bountiful Harvest: Black Literature Meets Music and Visual Arts
• 3:00 – 3:15 Break
• 3:15 – 4:30 Session 4 – KEYNOTE 1 – Pemon Rami
• 4:30 – 4:45 Day 1 Wrap Up

Day 2 – Saturday, Oct. 28, 2022

• 11:30 – 12:00 Pre-Event Presentation
• 12:00 – 12:15 Opening and Welcome
• 12: 15 – 1:30 Session 1 – A Communal Harvest: Cultivating Community
• 1:30 – 1:45 Break
• 1:45 – 3:00 Session 2 – A Reading – MFA Alumni Reading
• 3:00 – 4:00 Extended Break
• 4:00 – 5:00 Session 3 – KEYNOTE 2 – Dr. Haki R. Madhubuti
• 5:00 – 5:15 Closing

This event is brought to you by Chicago State University’s Gwendolyn Brooks Center for Black Literature and Creative Writing, with support from Chicago State University Foundation, Gwendolyn Brooks Library at Chicago State University, and Brooks Permissions!

Questions?

Email us at gwendolynbrooksctr@csu.edu or call 773- 995-3286.