The Power of Words : The 11th National Black Writers Conference

When I first attended The National Black Writers Conference, in the mid ’90’s, I was moved by Marita Golden, the author of Migrations of the Heart, who I had the opportunity to meet.

When I read The Autobiography of Malcolm X by, Alex Haley, it changed my life. That’s how powerful words are. When I read Black Boy, by Richard Wright, he convinced me that I could write. That’s how inspiring words can be.

When I first attended The National Black Writers Conference, in the mid ’90’s, I was moved by Marita Golden, the author of Migrations of the Heart, who I had the opportunity to meet. And since then, I have made it a point to attend this event. Words in Motion, the theme of this year’s conference, was organized by The Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College, in Brooklyn, from March 29-April 1, under the leadership of Conference Director, Dr. Brenda Greene.

The National Black Writers Conference presents a stellar cast of great writers and thinkers, as well as informative workshops for writers. A popular workshop was, “Writing an Undeniable Book Proposal,” for those writers interested in being commercially published. This year’s honorees were: Ishmael Reed, Ngugi Wa Thong’ O, Nikki Giovanni and Dr. Howard Dodson. One of the highlights of the event was the one-on-one conversation with radio and television host, Tavis Smiley.

He commended C-Span for being in the house and covering the event, while chastising BET, and TV One for not being present. Accompanied by his mentor, Dr. Cornel West, Smiley and West have a new book titled: The Rich and the Rest of Us. Smiley and West will host a fundraiser for the Center for Black Literature on April 20 at 6:30 p.m. at 695 Park Avenue and E. 68th St., N.Y. Preregister with a $35 donation and receive the new book.

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