The Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College, CUNY (CBL) presents the 15th National Black Writers Conference, “Activism, Identity, and Race: Playwrights and Screenwriters at the Crossroads.” It is a public gathering of writers, scholars, literary professionals, theater and film luminaries, students, and the public. The dates are March 26 – March 29, 2020 and the conference will be held on the campus of Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Over the last decade, we have seen an increase in the writing and works by Black playwrights, screenwriters, and scriptwriters. These writers, at a crossroad, are focused on breaking new ground; creating bold new work in theater, film, and television; and expanding the narrative of the Black experience in America and throughout the African Diaspora. During this year’s four-day conference, panelists and special guests will examine the ways race, identity, politics, and popular culture shape the production of plays, films, and television shows. The conference features roundtable conversations, panel discussions, a town hall, film screenings, author readings, writing workshops, and more.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 2020
John Oliver Killens Reading Series Program
6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Edison O. Jackson Auditorium at Medgar Evers College (pending) **
Black Divas on Stage: Challenges of Women Playwrights with invited speakers Elizabeth Van Dyke, Lizan Mitchell, Ebony Jo-Ann, and Trazana Beverly. | Curated and Moderated by MARCIA PENDELTON of Walk Tall Girl Productions.
TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2020
NBWC Poetry Slam
Time: TBA
Welcome Center at Medgar Evers College ** Curated by GREEN EARTH POETS CAFÉ
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25, 2020
Youth Day Literary Program
9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Founders Auditorium at Medgar Evers College **
Elementary school literary program coordinated by WADE and CHERYL HUDSON of Just Us Books.
12:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Founders Auditorium at Medgar Evers College **
High school literary program coordinated by KEL SPENCER, Program Director, R.O.L.L., Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College.
1:00 PM– 3:00 PM
Founders Auditorium at Medgar Evers College **
Creative writing workshops with LIZA JESSIE PETERSON and NSANGOU NJIKAM and MICHAEL GREEN.
6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Founders Auditorium at Medgar Evers College ** Film Screening and Talkback
The Hate U Give (RT 2 hours 13 minutes) is a 2018 American drama film directed George Tillman Jr. with a screenplay by Audrey Wells. It is based on the 2017 young adult novel (of the same name) by Angie Thomas. | Curated by MILES McAFEE, Communications Specialist, School of Professional and Community Development, Medgar Evers College.
THURSDAY, MARCH 26, 2020
Presentation of Conference Papers
10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Edison O. Jackson Auditorium at Medgar Evers College **
Scholars and writers discuss works of honorees and featured speakers who have had their work developed into dramatic plays, screenplays, and documentaries.
Dr. Edith Rock Elders Writing Workshop Presentation
3:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Edison O. Jackson Auditorium (EOJ) at Medgar Evers College **
Members of the Dr. Edith Rock Elders Writing Workshop will present readings on the theme called “Home Remedies” and will travel the African Diaspora with sharp, funny memories of poultices, powders, and potions created to
maintain wellness in our diverse Black communities. They see this as resistance to gentrification (now kale is cool), big pharma, and, of course, to the racism that physically manifests in the form of disease when we aren’t vigilant about strengthening our physical selves. Curated by EISA ULEN RICHARDSON, Workshop Instructor, Center for Black Literature. Pictured: Members of the Dr. Edith Rock Elders Writing Workshop present at a previous NBWC event at MEC.
NBWC Poetry Café
6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Dweck Cultural Center at Central Brooklyn Public Library ** Curated by WENDY ROBINSON and TAI ALLEN
FRIDAY, MARCH 27, 2020
Fiction, Poetry, Screenwriting, and Playwriting Workshops
11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Medgar Evers College
Rooms and Workshop Leaders: TBA
Confirmed Workshop Leader: LIZA JESSIE PETERSON (playwriting)
TOWN HALL
The Role of the Media, Critics, and Reviewers on Black Plays and Film
11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Edison O. Jackson Auditorium at Medgar Evers College **
Presented as a Community Conversation, the town hall will examine the role of the media, critics, and reviewers in (1) shaping the writing of playwrights and screenwriters and (2) in bringing the dramatic play to the stage and the screenplay to the screen.
The conversation will include emerging and seasoned panelists whose work is impacted by professional critics and the media-at-large. Also, audience members will be encouraged to provide their views on the subject and suggest ways for moving forward. Confirmed Speakers: Lisa Cortés, Vincent Cunningham, David Greaves, Pamela Newkirk, and Marcia Pendelton. | Confirmed Moderator: BRIDGETT M. DAVIS | Sponsored by Our Time Press
ROUNDTABLE
The Impact of Hip-Hop and Popular Culture on Black Playwriting and Screenwriting 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
Edison O. Jackson Auditorium at Medgar Evers College **
Panelists will examine how hip-hop and popular culture has influenced and shaped the plays, films, and television scripts created by Black playwrights, screenwriters, and scriptwriters. They will also look at trends in experimental theater and independent films by Black playwrights and screenwriters. Confirmed Speakers: Dasan Ahanu, Radha Blank (pictured), Shaun Neblett, NSangou Njikam, and Carl Hancock Rux. | Confirmed Moderator: SADE LYTHCOTT
ROUNDTABLE
Telling Our Stories: Transcending Barriers and Boundaries on Stage and Screen
3:00 PM – 4:30 PM
Edison O. Jackson Auditorium at Medgar Evers College **
Artists and writers interrogate their interior lives and collective experiences to document their stories in a country where racism, sexual violence, gender discrimination, alienation, miseducation, immigration, and cultural conflicts are very present. The speakers here will explore these issues in theater, film, and television. Confirmed Speakers: Donja R. Love, Amina Henry, Nina Angela Mercer, and H. “Herukhuti” Sharif Williams. | Confirmed Moderator: DARREL HOLNES
Dramatic Presentations
5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Edison O. Jackson Auditorium at Medgar Evers College **
5:00 PM – 5:30 PM: ALEXIS ALLEYNE-CAPUTO, interdisciplinary artist, writer, and filmmaker. 5:30 PM – 6:00 PM: TRACIE MORRIS, poet, educator, and performance artist.
Conference Opening Ceremony
Friday, March 27, 2020 | 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Founders Auditorium at Medgar Evers College **
The official opening of the 15th National Black Writers Conference will feature a robust conversation with Ngozi Anyanwu, Stanley Nelson, Woodie King Jr. (pictured), and Voza Rivers. | Confirmed Moderator: NINA ANGELA MERCER. Hosted by LURIE DANIEL-FAVORS
SATURDAY, MARCH 28, 2020
Fiction, Poetry, Screenwriting, Playwriting Workshops
11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Medgar Evers College
Rooms and workshop leaders TBA
Short Film Screenings and Talkback
11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Edison O. Jackson Auditorium at Medgar Evers College ** Curated by IMAGENATION
PANEL DISCUSSION
Defying Stereotypes: Writing Plays, Films, and Scripts from the Black Gaze
1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
Edison O. Jackson Auditorium at Medgar Evers College **
Panelists will explore the manner in which Black playwrights, screenwriters, and scriptwriters provide the Black gaze in the works they create. They will also examine the importance of writing stories and plays that depict the full spectrum of the Black community and experiences; the importance of resisting stereotypes and creating complex characters to reveal our interior lives; and how gender and identity politics impact the works that are created for the stage, film, and television. Confirmed Panelists: Sandra Shannon, Shay Youngblood, Eisa Davis, and B. Nandi Jacob. | Confirmed Moderator: WALLACE L. FORD II
Loading…