"The Impact of Migration, Popular Culture, and the Natural Environment in
the Literature of Black Writers"
Thursday, March 29 - Sunday, April 1, 2012
Overview
As our society becomes increasingly globalized, the themes in the literary
texts and literature created by black writers throughout the African
diasporic communities of the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Europe are shifting
and expanding in varying ways. There is recognition of the importance and
value of preserving cultural memory and identity and of cultivating and
nurturing cultural and geographical spaces. At the same time, there is also
a recognition that politics and popular culture shape what we respond to,
what we read, what gets published, what we teach, and what conversations we
have in our literary communities, in the media, in our educational
institutions, in our work environments, and in our homes.
Through novels, stories, poems, plays, memoirs, and essays, black writers
have explored the importance of memory on our concepts of self and family.
They have examined the impact of popular culture on our personal lives,
belief systems, values, and traditions. And they have chronicled what
happens when we neglect and do not nurture our natural environment. In
essence, they have used the power of words and the literary arts to stir our
imagination and to motivate us to affirm, critique, and reflect on our
responses to personal, societal, and environmental issues in our lives. The
Eleventh National Black Writers Conference will provide writers, scholars,
literary professionals, students, and the general public with a forum for
engaging in dynamic and spirited conversations, panel discussions, readings,
workshops, and performances on themes related to migration, cultural memory,
popular culture, and the natural environment.
