Conference Highlights
Theme
Fine Fury: Celebrating Gwendolyn Brooks at 90
On October 17-20, 2007, the Gwendolyn Brooks Center for Black Literature and Creative Writing will host the 17th Annual Gwendolyn Brooks Writers’ Conference at Chicago State University, entitled Fine Fury: A Celebration of Gwendolyn Brooks at 90. Special invited guests at the conference include internationally-renowned poets Sonia Sanchez and Martin Espada, novelist Tayari Jones and Dr. Donda West (mother of renowned rapper-producer Kanye West), and others.
On this very special year, we celebrate the memory of our poet mother, Ms. Gwendolyn Brooks. June 7th marked her 90th birthday and for the writers’ conference founded in her name, the Gwendolyn Brooks Center for Black Literature and Creative Writing has dubbed this year’s conference after a phrase found in her poem, “Young Afrikans.”
This year the conference will feature Donda West, former CSU faculty member and mother of famous rapper Kanye West. Along with renowned writer and journalist Bakari Kitwana, West will take part in a panel entitled “Hip-hop and Social Justice.” This year’s conference will also induct some of the most accomplished literary artists of our time for the International Literary Hall of Fame for Writers of African Descent. Martin Espada, Pulitzer Prize finalist for Poetry and American Book Award Winner, will be among those inducted into this esteemed group of writers and scholars. Our Giant’s Day Honoree is the iconic poet Ms. Sonia Sanchez. CSU University Distinguished Professor Haki R. Madhubuti will join musician, Nicole Mitchell, ranked #1 in Downbeat Magazine’s Critic’s Poll for “Rising Star Flute,” to reprise Mr. Madhubuti’s acclaimed poetry and jazz LP Rise Vision Coming. Award-winning novelist Tayari Jones will take part ina fiction reading and discussion.
The conference will feature programming for young children and teens. Workshops in the study of fiction and poetry writing, as well as publishing and children’s literature, will be a part of the Writer’s Conference. The final day of the conference (Oct. 20) culminates with our Giants’ Day Celebration, where the work and life of an accomplished writer is studied and discussed. Giants’Day closes with a reception and keynote address given by the honoree.
For more information on programming, dates, and locales please refer to www.csu.edu/gwendolynbrooks. For more information, call 773-995-3750.
