FOR RELEASE: Immediately
SOURCE: Medgar Evers College, CUNY
CONTACT: For Press Information: Chris Hundley, 718-270-6926
For Program Information, 718 270-6976

The Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College Celebrates The Ninth National Black Writers Conference Black Writers: Reading and Writing to Transform Their Lives and the World

NEW YORK - The Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College will host the Ninth National Black Writers Conference on Friday, March 28, 2008 through Sunday, March 30, 2008. Confirmed authors include Randall Robinson, Cornel West, Jerry Ward, Brenda Marie Osbey, Thulani Davis, David Durham, Nancy Rawles, Valerie Kinloch Thomas Ellis Sayers, Eisa Ulen, Thomas Bradshaw, Regina Brooks, Martha Southgate, Chris Abani, Tayari Jones, Thomas Glave, Angela Dodson, Jiara Placide, Kassahun Checole, Quraysh Ali Lansana, Thomas Ellis Sayers.  Susan L. Taylor, Editorial Director of Essence Magazine, is the Honorary Conference Chair.

The 2008 Ninth National Black Writers Conference: Black Writers: Reading and Writing to Transform Their Lives and the World draws upon Marita Golden's concept of the transformative power of literature and focuses on the ways in which black writers use literature to transform their lives and the larger global community. It examines this concept of literature as transformative from historical, cultural, and political perspectives. Described by Walter Mosley as "the most significant gathering of black writers in the country," the National Black Writers Conference is the largest gathering of its kind in North America. It has been described by Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes as a glorious opportunity to meet fellow writers and scholars and a fertile environment for creativity! Initially conceived in 1986 by the late author John Oliver Killens, the Conference has consistently attracted a stellar array of writers and scholars including Maya Angelou, Amiri Baraka, Alice Walker, an d others. Dr. Brenda Greene, Director of the National Black Writers Conference and Executive Director of the Center for Black Literature states that, "Black writers and artists have had a tremendous impact on our global culture. This Conference offers writers, booksellers, scholars, youth and the general public opportunities to engage in conversations on the ways in which black literature impacts their lives and the lives of others. Language and story are important to our survival. Through our stories we create memories and history. Our stories represent our lifeline to the past, present and future."

This year's Conference has received funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, Assemblyman Camara Karim, and the Washington Mutual Savings Bank. The Center for Black Literature is also partnering with AALBC.com (African American Literature Book Club), the Brooklyn Public Library, the PEN American Center, and The Links Incorporated.

For further information about this historic literary event and for conference updates, please call 718 270-4811 or visit the conference website at www.mec.cuny.edu/nbwc or www.mec.cuny.edu.

The Fourth Annual North Country Institute and Retreat for Writers of Color will be held at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn New York from July 10 to 13, 2008.  The first three retreats were held in northeastern New York at the Valcour Educational and Conference Center overlooking Lake Champlain.  This Retreat is a collaboration between several organizations and is a continuation and expansion of the alumni program for the Paden Institute and Retreat for Writers of Color.  This year's retreat is targeted towards writing workshop participants in the New York region.

Tuition is $400.  Lodging expenses are separate. The Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College is the sponsoring organization for this project

The North Country Retreat will a) provide a writer's retreat for emerging writers of color, b) provide writers of color with an opportunity to draw upon their experiences as writers in a racialized society and c) provide the broader New York State area with an opportunity to become knowledgeable about the issues and concerns facing writers of color.  Writing residents will be invited to study the genres of fiction, poetry, and memoir with faculty mentors.