| |  | Women's History is Black History Although The Zora Neale Hurston and Richard Wright Foundation celebrates Black history and Black women every day, this issue salutes three Black women who honor our past, celebrate the present, and build pathways to the future. | | Nikky Finney Nikky Finney’s poetry is shaped by her parents' civil rights activism in the South in the 1960s and ‘70s. Literary titan Toni Cade Bambara also inspired Finney’s early career by asking, "[s]o—you can write pretty, but what else can your words do besides adorn?" These experiences influence Finney's storytelling as she gracefully weaves together the personal and political to promote social justice and cultural preservation. Nikky Finney’s awards include the PEN American Open Book Award in 1996 and the National Book Award for Poetry in 2011. For the past 46 years, Finney has mentored students at the University of South Carolina where she is the John H. Bennett, Jr., Chair in Creative Writing and Southern Letters. Nikky Finney, we salute you. | | | | | | Isabel Wilkerson Isabel Wilkerson is a National Humanities Medal recipient, the first Black woman to win the Pulitzer Prize in journalism, and the author of the critically acclaimed bestsellers The Warmth of Other Suns and Caste. A gifted storyteller and devoted researcher, Wilkerson demonstrates how the past shapes our individual lives, our communities, and our country. Throughout her expansive career, she has worked as a reporter for The New York Times and taught journalism at Emory, Princeton, Northwestern, and Boston universities. Wilkerson has dedicated herself to revealing untold histories that encompass struggle, survival, and perseverance. Isabel Wilkerson, we salute you. | | | | Dr. Carla Hayden Dr. Carla Hayden made history in 2016 when she was confirmed as the 14th Librarian of Congress. She is the first woman and the first Black person to oversee the world's largest library. Born to talented musicians, Hayden chose a different path, and pursued her love of knowledge. Over her 40-plus year career, Hayden has redefined the library's role and thrown "open the treasure chest" by digitizing the Library of Congress' vast collection, thus making it more accessible. Dr. Carla Hayden, we salute you for being a fierce preserver of knowledge and history. | | | | | | | | | |  | 2020 Legacy Awards Mark the Foundation's 30th Anniversary 2020 ushered in unforeseen circumstances and uncertainty. The Legacy Awards ceremony provided a much-needed opportunity to gather in community and celebrate Black joy, art, and culture. More than 100 guests from the United States and abroad virtually attended the October 16th event. Best-selling author and political commentator Keith Boykin served as the event's emcee, opening the ceremony from Barnard College, where Zora Neale Hurston was the first Black woman graduate. Nominees presented impassioned speeches that aptly captured H/W's 30-year legacy. H/W looks forward to many more years of serving Black writers and celebrating Black literary excellence. | | | | |  | Preserving Our Legacy, Expanding Our Impact: HWF DC Humanities Film Filmmaker Kia Cabellero is helping preserve our history through the documentary: Hurston/Wright's Legacy: 30 Years in D.C. Organized around themes of origin, purpose, legacy, humanities, and the future, the story is presented through archival footage and interviews with founders Marita Golden and Clyde McElvene; A'Lelia Bundles, biographer and great, great grand daughter of Madam C.J. Walker; Brian Gilmore, poet; and D.C. resident Jamie Lynn Harris, who was inspired to become a writer after taking a H/W workshop. Damien Frierson, board member and history enthusiast, is contributing by reviewing boxes of artifacts dating back to H/W's founding in 1990. Along with documenting H/W's legacy and global impact, the film pays homage to Black literary icons and celebrates H/W award winners, participants, and events. The film will be released in Spring 2021. As a companion to the documentary, Nelly Rosario, a 1997 College Award winner and tenured professor at Williams College, is conducting a graduate-level course at City College of New York titled Hurston/Wright Archives. | | | | |  | Hurston/Wright College Award Winners Celebrate Black History Month with Bumble Sadia Hassan (left) and Christell Roach (right), H/W Award for College Writers recipients (2020/2018), participated in Bumble's "Slam Poetry Night." The event was hosted by Bumble's Black employee affinity group, "Bumble Wakanda," in celebration of Black History Month. | | | | | | | | Hurston/Wright Announces 2021 Workshops | | | | Writers Weekend: June 18 –June 20, 2021 (Virtual) Fiction Workshop: The Art of Revision Leader: Crystal Wilkinson Non-Fiction Workshop: Structural Techniques for Compelling Writing Leader: Imani Perry Poetry Workshop: Finding Your Breath Leader: Tara Betts | | | Writers Week: July 30 - August 6, 2021 (Virtual) Fiction Workshop: The Craft of Writing: Keeping Readers Reading Leader: T. Geronimo Johnson Non-Fiction Workshop: Surviving off of Words Leader: D. Watkins Non-Fiction Workshop: The Fiction in Truth Leader: Tricia Elam Walker Poetry Workshop: Girds and Cables Leader: Patricia Spears Jones Poetry Workshop: Vulnerability, Power, and Afro Futurism Leader: A. Van Jordan | | | | | | | | 5 Ways to Honor Black Women Writers This Month (& always) - Spread the Word! Whether you post on social media, send an email, or simply tell a friend, one of the easiest ways to honor women writers is by sharing their work.
- Support Black Literary Organizations. When you support H/W and orgs dedicated to Black writers, you help provide them with valuable resources.
- Buy their works. Purchase books by Black women for yourself, your family, and friends, preferably from Black-owned or local bookstores.
- Write a Review. Reviews help ratings and increase visibility on platforms such as Goodreads, and are a great way to promote Black authors.
- Amplify their voices. Ask your local library, school, or book club to highlight Black women authors.
| | | | | | | | | | Thank you to Brilliance Publishing for its generous donation at the end of 2020. Hurston/Wright was also the focus of the Brilliance 2020 digital holiday card. Thank you to everyone who contributed to our 2020 year-end campaign! | | | | | | Bundle Up with a Book: Quarantine Reading List Staying home and social distancing have become our reality, but that doesn’t mean we can’t escape, even if for a little while. Here's our list of books to help you get away while staying in. Curdella Forbes' A Tall History of Sugar tells the story of Moshe Fisher, a man who was “born without skin,” and the social and emotional consequences he faces. This captivating and compelling story is delightful to read. (2020 Legacy Fiction Winner) Ladan Osman's Exiles of Eden reimagines the origin story of Adam, Eve, and their exile from the Garden of Eden to explore isolation and displacement. The poems voice displaced people's experiences over multiple generations. (2020 Legacy Poetry Winner) Ladee Hubbard's The Rib King is a timely, unsparing examination of American food industry's fascination with Black iconography and exploitation. (2018 Legacy Debut Fiction Award Winner, The Talented Ribkins) Nafissa Thompson-Spires' Heads of the Colored People tackles race, identity, and the body while presenting the dynamic experiences of the humans who live these experiences. Her unapologetic style leaves no room for disregard, but much for contemplation. (2019 Legacy Fiction Winner) Imani Perry's May We Forever Stand: A History of the Black National Anthem tells the story behind "Lift Every Voice and Sing." Perry's thorough research and insightful storytelling deepens our understanding of how song captures Black struggle and Black joy. (2019 Legacy Nonfiction Winner) | | | | | | | | Hurston/Wright Foundation
info@hurstonwright.org | | | | | | | | | | | |
