The Clark Atlanta Department of English and Modern Languages presents its 51st Annual Writers Workshop from April 16 - 18, 2024. This year, they celebrate the theme, “Black Boy Joy: Black Men Telling Their Stories and Truths,” a powerful and timely exploration of Black male experiences. They are honoring and hosting six exceptional Black male writers, including Kiese Laymon, Jericho Brown, Michael Datcher, and Authur Flowers, who will share readings from their work and engage in book signings. We extend a warm invitation to the entire community to participate in this enriching event, all of which will be held in Davage Auditorium.
Dr. Georgene Montgomery, Chair of the English and Modern Languages Department, joins us to discuss this year’s event.
I asked Dr. Montgomery about this year’s event, which focuses on Black Men's writing. She spoke about last year’s event, which focused on Caribbean writers from the African Diaspora and ended up with all-women writers. They thought this year they’d turn the focus to Black Male writers. She speaks of the Black male voice as being creative and exceptional.
Montgomery provides a daily breakdown of the activities and speaks to the work of the winning authors. Jericho Brown, who won a Pulitzer Prize, andKiese Laymon, who received the Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Non-Fiction. She shares that the three-day workshop will kick off with a Poetry Slam on April 16th at 7PM hosted by spoken word artist and CAU Professor Queen Sheba.
In addition to published authors, the workshop will also present seminars on writing and getting published. Montgomery shares why that has always been part of the CAU Writer’s Workshop.
The entire community is invited to participate. Montgomery says that you can pop in and out of the activities, all held at Davage Auditorium from April 16th - April 18th.
Details and more information for the CAU 51st Annual Writers Workshop
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