14th Annual National Black Writers Conference - March 22 - 25!

Calling all my writers, readers, and lovers of black literature!  

The 14th Annual National Black Writers Conference will be presented on Thursday, March 22 through Sunday, March 25, 2018 at The Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College, CUNY,1650 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, 11225. Dozens of writers, scholars, and other literary professionals will be in attendance at this one-of-a-kind 4-day literary conference, participating in panel discussions, roundtables, workshops, author readings,film screenings, a poetry cafe, and more! The 2018 conference theme is Gathering at the Waters: Healing, Legacy and Activism in Black Literature. As noted in the press materials, "This timely theme acknowledges our concern about the recent, and continuing, issues of social inequality and injustices that challenge us and builds on the legacy of healing through activism." This year's Honorary Co-Chair is Dr. Myrlie Evers-Williams, and the 2018 NBWC Honorees are Steven Barnes, Kwame Dawes, Tananarive Due, David Levering Lewis, Eugene B. Redmond, Susan L. Taylor, and Colson Whitehead. This exciting annual event is a "must-attend" for writers of all genres--come and share in the joy of literary expression!

 

For more information and to register, click on the link:

www.centerforblackliterature.org

Visit NBWC on Facebook at:
National Black Writers Conference

 

"Take the Mic: Spoken Word" Saturday, March 17 at Plainfield's Dream House Theater

This Saturday, March 17, from 7:00 - 9:00 PM, Dream House Theater will host "Take the Mic: Spoken Word" at the Parish Hall Theater, 724 Park Avenue. All poets, singers, rap artists, and other spoken word aficionados and practitioners are invited to come out and share their gifts. For more information, call Dream House Theater at (908) 219-7745. With a stated mission focused on "Empowering our community through theater," Dream House Theater provides a space for the arts in Plainfield. Come out and support the arts in our community! Click on the link to visit the website: dreamhousetheater.org

 

2018 Adele DeLeeuw Scholarship Deadline: Wednesday, March 7!

2018 Adele DeLeeuw Scholarship applications--ranging from $1,000 - $5,000--are being accepted until Wednesday, March 7. Graduating high school students in the Plainfield area are welcome to apply, as well as previous DeLeeuw Scholarship recipients. Read the flier below!

Read Across America on Friday, March 2!

I have always been a bookworm. My voracious reading habits were instilled in me as a child, growing up in Jamaica, Queens, with daily browsing through my elementary and middle school libraries in conjunction with making weekly expeditions to my local Queensborough Public Library. I always read biographies—Harriet Tubman, Annie Oakley, Francis Marion, Frederick Douglass, Samuel F.B. Morse, Alexander Graham Bell. I also read any series of books involved in mystery, especially Encyclopedia Brown and Nancy Drew. I also read Classics Illustrated comics—which provided great versions of classic novels. Among my favorite books back then were (are), in no particular order: To Kill A Mockingbird,  Frankenstein, The Soul Brothers and Sister Lou, The County of Monte Cristo, Daddy was a Number Runner, Robinson Crusoe, and Oliver Twist.

Friday, March 2 is Read Across America Day, celebrated in honor of Dr. Seuss and devoted to demonstrating the importance of reading to young people. I will be reading to students at Queen City Academy tomorrow afternoon. I would encourage everyone to read to take some time tomorrow to read aloud to the young people in your sphere—even if only for 15-30 minutes—it really makes a difference!

Best,

Rebecca