A G U I D E T O G I V I N G

MEDGAR EVERS COLLEGE1650 BEDFORD AVENUE | BROOKLYN, NEW YORK 11225

CONFERENCE THEME

ABOUT THE CONFERENCEThe 14th National Black Writers Conference (NBWC), a major program hosted by the Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College, CUNY, will be held at Medgar Evers College, from Thursday, March 22, to Sunday, March 25, 2018. Dr. Myrlie Evers-Williams is the Honorary Chair. Award-winning writers Colson Whitehead, Kwame Dawes, David Levering Lewis, Susan L. Taylor; speculative fiction writers Steven Barnes and Tananarive Due; and cultural historian Eugene B. Redmond are 2018 National Black Writers Conference Honorees. Through invigorating panel discussions and round-table conversations, author readings, film screenings, workshops and performances, writers, scholars, literary professionals, students and the general public will convene over four days to discuss issues related to the Conference theme; to examine the state of literature produced by Black writers; to listen to writers read from their work; and to attend writers’ workshops.

Colson Whitehead

Dr. Myrlie Evers-Williams

David Levering Lewis

Steven Barnes Tananarive Due

Eugene B. Redmond Susan L. Taylor

Kwame Dawes

The 14th National Black Writers Conference “Gathering at the Waters: Healing, Legacy, and Activism in Black Literature” acknowledges our concern about the recent, and still continuing, issues of social inequality and injustices that challenge us and builds on the legacy of healing through activism. This timely theme centers on the ways in which Black writers use their writing to explore and convey messages that heal and restore our individual selves and collective community. The Conference will also examine the instrumental role that Black writers have played in building our cultural history; the imprint that this has left in Black literature; and how the literature of Black writers has impacted present-day and future generations. And lastly, we will also look at the significance of activism in writers’ works, that is how a writer’s beliefs and personal vigorous actions are used to support the political and social change they want to see take place in today’s society and in the world.

A major strand of the Conference will be a series of panels focused on Community Conversations on Race, Resistance, and Activism. The intent of the “Community Conversations” is

to create public spaces that will expand conversations on race, resistance, and activism; thus the Host Institutions represent diverse institutions in Brooklyn, New York City, Washington, D.C., and Virginia. “Community Conversations: Writers on Race, Resistance and Activism” sponsored by the Center for Black Literature will occur in Founders Auditorium located on the campus of Medgar Evers College and at host locations sponsored by the Department of Africana and Puerto Rican/Latino Studies at Hunter College, CUNY; the Black Studies Program at The City College of New York, CUNY; the Institute for Research on the African Diaspora in the Americas and the Caribbean (IRADAC) at the CUNY Graduate Center; the Department of Afro-American Studies at Howard University; the English Department at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville; the Central Brooklyn Public Library; and RestorationART at Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corp. The “Community Conversations” will be listed on the Center for Black Literature’s website, www.centerforblackliterature.org, and programs at the Host Institutions will be listed on the Center’s website and linked to the Host Institution.14

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The target population for the Conference is an intergenerational and diverse audience comprised of the general public, adolescents, academics, professionals and stakeholders in the literary field and publishing industry. The Conference is widely promoted throughout the CUNY educational system, which spans 24 campuses across New York’s five boroughs. Approximately 1,500 to 2,000 people will attend Conference activities over the four days.

Most Conference participants come from the tristate area; however, they also come from states such as Atlanta, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia; and from countries in the Caribbean, Europe, and Africa.

Each day of the Conference will feature film screenings, panel discussions, author readings, and workshops.

Day 1: Thursday, March 22, 2018, COMMUNITY DAY

• Youth Day Literacy Programs• Presentation of Conference Papers• Tales of Our Times/Elders Writing Workshop• 8th Annual Poetry Café• Film Screening and Talkback

Day 2: Friday, March 23, 2018

• Writing Talkshops: Fiction and Poetry• Film Screening & Film Talkback• Panel Discussion: “Literary Activism in the Post-Obama Era”• Panel Discussion: “The Black Arts Movement: A Foundation for a Literature of Resistance and Activism”• Author Reading with Sonia Sanchez• Welcoming Reception, Akwaaba Mansion• Open Mic – MEC Office of Student Life

Day 3: Saturday, March 24, 2018

• Workshops: Fiction and Book Proposals• One-on-One Meetings• Panel Discussion: “Gathering at the Waters: A Call for Healing” • John Oliver Killens Reading Series; Author Readings • Featured Author Conversation• 2018 NBWC Tribute and Awards Program• 2018 NBWC Benefit Reception

Day 4: Sunday, March 25, 2018

• Writing Talkshops: Creative Nonfiction/Memoir/Book Proposals/Poetry• One-on-One Meetings • Round-table Conversation: “The Influence of Race and Politics on Literary Narratives”• Panel Discussion: “The State of Publishing for Black Writers”

CONFERENCE TARGET POPULATION

CONFERENCE PROGRAM ACTIVITIES

CBL PROGRAMS INCLUDE:

• The National Black Writers Conference and Symposium• Re-Envisioning Our Lives through Literature Educational

Program• Tales of Our Times/Elders Writing Workshop• John Oliver Killens Reading Series • North Country Institute and Retreat for Writers of Color• Writers on Writing radio program • Killens Review of Arts & Letters literary journal

HISTORY OF THE CONFERENCE

DEREK WALCOTT ANGELA DAVIS

SONIA SANCHEZ, TONI MORRISON AND AMIRI BARAKA

EDWIDGE DANTICAT MICHAEL ERIC DYSON

NGUGI WA THIONG’O GLORIA J. BROWNE-MARSHALL AND RITA DOVE

DR. HAKI R. MADHUBUTI

Initially inspired by the late John Oliver Killens, the Conference has been held at Medgar Evers College since 1986. Honorees have included Toni Morrison, Derek Walcott, Maya Angelou, Alice Walker, Gwendolyn Brooks, August Wilson, Rita Dove, Edwidge Danticat, Sonia Sanchez, Amiri Baraka, Ishmael Reed, Quincy Troupe, Walter Mosley, Dr. Myrlie Evers-Williams, Randall Robinson, Kamau Brathwaite, and Ngugi wa Thiong’o among others. Each subsequent Conference has built on the previous one, attracting a national and international audience. C-SPAN Book TV, national and local television programs, and radio shows have covered the Conference. The Conference has also been heavily promoted on the Internet and has been covered in the New York Times, Poets & Writers magazine, and local newspapers and publications. Proceedings of six conferences have been published. Publishers have included Morton Books (2010 and 2008), Third World Press (2006), the Center for Black Literature (2003), and Peter Lang (1998 and 1996).

Sponsorship for the Conference will support the National Black Writers Conference and educational and literary programs presented by the Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College, CUNY. These educational and literary programs focus on the ways in which the literary arts and cultural values inform and influence the work of Black writers and the culture at large; serve as a vehicle for nurturing and cultivating the critical reading and writing habits of a cross-generation of readers and writers; and demonstrate the Center’s commitment to nurturing and supporting emerging writers.

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• Full-page Ad in NBWC Commemorative Program • 10 entries to NBWC & Benefit Banquet (one table)• Banner at NBWC• Mention on all collateral material once agreement is made• Three items in gift bags / or participant folder• Mention from the stage at NBWC• One link from our website to theirs• Press opportunities where applicable• Two entries Saturday luncheon with authors

• Half-page Ad in NBWC Commemorative Program• Four entries to NBWC & Benefit Banquet• Banner at NBWC• Mention on all collateral material once agreement is made• Two items in gift bags / or participant folder• Mention from the stage at NBWC

• Benefits: Sponsor a particular panel for the Conference; name of individual or organization will be listed as a program sponsor.

• Two entries to NBWC & Benefit Banquet

SPONSORSHIPS COVERS THE FOLLOWING COSTS:Participant honorarium, panel programming, workshops, author readings

SPONSORSHIP LEVELS

JOHN OLIVER KILLENS - PLATINUM PACKAGE $10,000

LANGSTON HUGHES - JUBILEE PACKAGE $3,000

GWENDOLYN BROOKS - LEGACY PACKAGE $5,000

All donations are exempt from Federal Income Tax under section 501.3 of the Internal Revenue Code.

To submit Sponsorship, please contact: Center for Black Literature, Maēshay k. Lewis, Tel: 718-804-8882

The Center for Black Literature Staff:

Brenda M. Greene, Conference Director, is Executive Director of the Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College and Chair of the English Department at Medgar Evers College.E-mail: bgreene@mec.cuny.edu

Clarence V. Reynolds, Conference Coordinator, is Director of the Center for Black Literature,E-mail: creynolds@mec.cuny.edu; Phone: 718-804-8881

Maēshay k. Lewis is the Executive Assistant to the ED and Logistics Coordinator for the Center for Black Literature. E-mail: mlewis@mec.cuny.edu; Phone: 718-804-8882

Please make checks payable to: Medgar Evers College Educational Foundation/ National Black Writers ConferenceMedgar Evers College1150 Carroll Street, Suite 400, Brooklyn, NY 11225

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14TH NBWC PLEDGE FORMTHE CENTER FOR BLACK LITERATURE AT MEDGAR EVERS COLLEGE

14TH NATIONAL BLACK WRITERS CONFERENCE“GATHERING AT THE WATERS: HEALING, LEGACY, AND ACTIVISM IN BLACK LITERATURE

DONOR INFORMATION

NAME:

BILLING ADDRESS:

CITY, STATE, ZIP:

PHONE:

FAX:

E-MAIL:

PLEDGE INFORMATION

I (we) pledge a total of $ to be paid or one of the following:

JOHN OLIVER KILLENS - Platinum Package $10,000

GWENDOLYN BROOKS - Legacy Package $5,000

LANGSTON HUGHES - Jubilee Package $3,000

I (we) pledge to make a contribution in the form of: check credit card other online payment

Credit card type | Exp. date:

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Gift will be matched by (company/family/foundation)

Form enclosed Form will be forwarded Please forward an invoice for payment

ACKNOWLEDGMENT INFORMATION

Please use the following name(s) in the all acknowledgments:

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PLEASE MAKE CHECKS, CORPORATE MATCHES, OR OTHER GIFTS PAYABLE TO:The Medgar Evers College Educational Foundation/National Black Writers Conference

Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College1650 Bedford Avenue | Brooklyn, New York 1122514

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Brenda M. Greene, Ph.D.Executive Director

ADVISORY BOARDDr. Myrlie Evers-WilliamsHonorary Chair

Dale Allender, Ph.D.English Professor of Language and Literacy, California State UniversitySacramento

Patrick A. BuddingtonChief Marketing Officer,IMC Communications Group

The Honorable Hakeem Jeffries U.S. House of Representatives,D-NY, 8th District

Richard Jones Jr.Executive Dean for Accreditation& Quality Assurance,Medgar Evers College, CUNY

Louise Mirrer, Ph.D.President and CEO,New-York Historical Society

Jerald PosmanSenior Vice President/Chief Operating Officer,Medgar Evers College, CUNY

Lawrence Schiller Jr.President and Co-Founder,The Norman Mailer Center

Richard WesleyWriter, Goldberg Chair,Department of Dramatic Writing, New York University

Marcia WhitePresident Personalized Skincare

John Edgar WidemanWriter, ASA Messer Emeritus, Professor of African American Studies and English, Brown University

Cheryl WillsAuthor, Anchor, ReporterSpectrum News, NY1

Schawannah WrightDirector of Community ProgramsBrooklyn Academy of Music

centerforblackliterature.org • www.mec.cuny.edu

THE CENTER FOR BLACK LITERATURE AT MEDGAR EVERS COLLEGEThe Medgar Evers College Educational Foundation/National Black Writers Conference

1150 Carroll Street, Suite 400 | Brooklyn, New York 11225