In Celebration of Its 5th Anthology and on the Eve of Its 20th Anniversary, the Writing Workshop for Elders Will Host a Book Launch at Medgar Evers College.

As part of its John Oliver Killens Reading Series monthly program, the Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College (CBL) will present a special event featuring members of the Dr. Edith Rock Writing Workshop for Elders program. Thirteen writers from New York City and beyond are featured in Tales of Our Times Anthology. The Year 2020: Looking Back for Healing, Looking Forward with Hope. The recently published work (Fall/Winter 2022) will celebrate the upcoming twentieth anniversary of the workshop in 2023 as well as insightful and sometimes humorous reflections from a special population within the larger African American community—writers 60 years and older.

The free, in-person event will take place on Wednesday, December 7, 2022, from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm ET at Medgar Evers College (in the Edison O. Jackson Auditorium located at 1638 Bedford Avenue in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY). Attendees will enjoy select readings from the anthology, a discussion followed by a question-and-answer session, and a book-signing. All are welcome!

The Tales of Our Times anthology includes a section titled Letters to America. Some of the works in that section are “Time for a Change” by Lena E. Hall; “Oh, America!” by Ebun Adelona; “When Will You Be Ready?” by Shirley V. H. Cooper; “Wake Up, America” by Joan Corbett; “Sadness” by William Craig; “Letter to America” by Elder Flournoy II; “What Is America to Thee” by Rebecca Plunkett; “The Satin-Lined Coffin” by Glenda Pollard; “Letter to America” by Teresa M. Snyder; “Aim” by Claudette Joy Spence; “Greetings, America” by Sylvia Jones Suescan; and “Greetings, America” by Cynthia Goodison Tompkins.

The Dr. Edith Rock Writing Workshop for Elders, founded in 2003, is intended to preserve the memoirs of elders throughout the African Diaspora whose lives span a major part of the twentieth century and beyond. It began as the Writing Project for Older African Americans. Its purpose was to gather information from older African Americans whose history is likely to be distorted or lost for lack of original documentation. Members are encouraged to recall the past so that their recollections would be crafted into inspirational memoirs and stories. To date, the workshop has published five anthologies. Eisa Nefertari Ulen is the long-time coordinator of the program.

Visit our website for more information: www.centerforblackliterature.org

EVENT DETAILS

Wednesday, December 7, 2022 (4:00 pm to 6:00 pm ET)

Medgar Evers College, CUNY (Edison O. Jackson Auditorium)

1638 Bedford Avenue | Brooklyn, NY 11225 | Crown Heights

This is a free, in-person event. All are welcome!

➡️ Visitors to Medgar Evers College, including to this public event, must show proof of a COVID-19 vaccination in order to attend.

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IMPORTANT NOTES

• This Is a Free In-Person Event | OPEN TO ALL | RSVP required.
• Registration for this free event will open until the end of the program on December 7, 2022
• Program subject to change.
• Our programs typically start on time. Please plan accordingly.

MEDIA and MARKETING INFORMATION

• By registering for this program via Eventbrite, you agree to be added to CBL’s email marketing database. Future emails will be sent via “writers @ mec.cuny.edu”
• Media inquiries about CBL, the John Oliver Killens Reading Series, or the event’s participants are directed to the office of AKILA WORKSONGS at (718) 756-8501 or “pr @ centerforblackliterature.org” (attention April R. Silver or Lea Byrd).

SPECIAL THANKS and ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

⭐ A Few Pictures of Elder Writers from Over the Years ⭐