Our Mission
Expand, broaden, and enrich the public’s knowledge and aesthetic appreciation of Black literature by people of the African Diaspora.
We're Celebrating the Art of the Short Story in October!
On Thursday, October 14, 2021 (6:30 pm ET), the Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College, CUNY will present a roundtable discussion, The Art of the Short Story, with award-winning authors Danielle Evans (far left) and Jocelyn Nicole Johnson (second from right). This is a free virtual event and everyone is welcome.
To learn more about the event, about the authors, and to register for this free program, visit our EVENTS page.
The #WritersOnWriting Radio Program Is Also on YouTube!
WAYETU MOORE
Dr. Brenda Greene interviews Wayétu Moore, author of "She Would Be King," released by Graywolf Press in September 2018. Her memoir, "The Dragons, The Giant, The Women" was also released with Graywolf on June 2, 2020. She is the recipient of the 2019 Lannan Literary Fellowship for Fiction.
Click the image above to watch the video or click HERE.
Dr. Brenda Greene interviews Uwem Akpan, author of the best-selling work "Say You're One of Them" (2008) and the soon-to-be-released "My New York, My Village" (November 2, 2021, WW Norton). Uwem's short stories and autobiographical pieces have appeared in the special editions of The New Yorker, Oprah magazine, the Nigerian Guardian, and other publications.
Click the image above to watch the video or click HERE.
ICYMI (In Case You Missed It), Watch the Replays!
Broadcasted on September 30, 2021
Jennifer Baker (senior editor, Amistad Books at HarperCollins Publishers), far left, moderated a stellar panel of gifted writers for the September edition of our John Oliver Killens Reading Series.
The Black Women Writers at Work panel featured Ladee Hubbard (The Rib King), second from left; Morowa Yejidé (Creatures of Passage), second from right; and Karla FC Holloway (Gone Missing in Harlem), far right. It's our honor to share the replay of this gathering of brillant creative minds.
Broadcasted on September 16, 2021
Fittingly, the inaugural event of the 2021-2022 program season was a tribute to literary giant JOHN OLIVER KILLENS. Distinguished writers who knew Killens either on a personal or professional level focused on his vision as an author, educator, and activist. The program also highlighted the newly published novel The Minister Primarily (written in the 1960s and published posthumously July 2021 by HarperCollins).
Purchase it today from the Black-owned African American Literature Book Club (AALBC): https://bit.ly/theminister. Read the review from The New York Times: https://nyti.ms/2WG0u5R
About the Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College, CUNY
For nearly 20 years, the public and academic programs of the Center for Black Literature (CBL) have been highly revered and have had a dynamic impact in the literary field. The author readings and book signings, journals, symposia, conferences, panel discussions, and writing workshops—and the Center’s intellectual and accessible approach to programming—form an integrative approach that sets CBL apart from others. CBL’s body of work is known for the way in which it ensures that Black literary scholarship and conversations are valued and sustained.
Contact Us
Center for Black Literature at
Medgar Evers College, CUNY (CBL)
1534 Bedford Avenue, 2nd Floor
Brooklyn, New York 11216
Office: (718) 804-8883
Email: writers@mec.cuny.edu
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