Center for Black Literature

18th National Black Writers Conference

Women's History Month

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Writers on Writing

Writers on Writing Interview
with Kassahun Checole

Dr. Brenda Greene interviews Kassahun Checole, the renowned international president and publisher of Africa World Press, a publishing company focused on printing books on history, culture, and politics in Africa and the African diaspora. Checole is also the founder of The Red Sea Press, a distributor for Africa World Press. Greene and Checole discuss the challenges facing Black publishers and writers and the impact of Africa World Press on the community and in academia. Checole will receive the forthcoming 2026 National Black Writers Institutional Building and Legacy Award for his contributions to publishing Black scholars and writers.

Writers on Writing Interview
with Natalie Braszile

Donna Hill, Executive Director for the Center for Black Literature interviews author, scholar and filmmaker, Natalie Braszile. Braszile is best known for her debut novel Queen Sugar. Her passion for land ownership, legacy and justice as a means to generational wealth are just some of the topics discussed, including her major anthology We Are Each Other's Harvest, which speaks to "food justice" and "food sovereignty." Braszile's upcoming novel Good People will be released in fall 2026.

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The Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College presented the Tenth National Black Writers Conference: March 2010: Pictured (front row, left to right): Honoree Amiri Baraka; Dr. Brenda M. Greene, Executive Director, Center for Black Literature; poet and presenter Sonia Sanchez; Honorary Chair Toni Morrison; Dr. Cornel West; and Susan L. Taylor. (Back row, left to right) Dean Richard Jones; Dean Moses Newsome; MEC student, and Honoree Kamau Brathwaite. Photo by Andre Beckles.

About the Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College, CUNY

For 20 years, the programs of the Center for Black Literature (CBL) have had a dynamic impact in the literary field. The highly anticipated 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 to programming that sets CBL apart from others. CBL’s events are known for the way they ensure that Black literary scholarship and conversations are valued and sustained.

Contact Us

Center for Black Literature (CBL)
at Medgar Evers College, CUNY
1534 Bedford Avenue | 2nd Floor
Brooklyn, New York 11216
(Click HERE for the Postal Mailing Address)

Main Phone: (718) 804-8884
Main Office: info@centerforblackliterature.org

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