First Annual American Writers Festival

The inaugural American Writers Festival happened this past weekend at the American Writers Museum and Chicago Cultural Center. Coinciding with American Writers Museum’s fifth anniversary, the event featured over 75 contemporary authors, artists, and playwrights and addressed immigration, book censorship, racism, and equality.

Attendees enjoyed a full day of literary excellence as we shared the room with and learned from trailblazers in the world of literature who have written so many great works and paved the way for generations of writers. I am grateful to have written about several of these talented individuals. I met some great authors and added books to my library, including Ashley C. Ford’s Somebody’s Daughter, Jabari Asim’s Yonder, and Chicago Literary Hall of Fame’s Wherever I’m At: An Anthology of Chicago Poetry.

Leonard Moore, author of Teaching Black History to White People, spoke on his book, which includes tools for actionable steps that white people can take to move beyond performative justice and toward racial reparations. “White liberals think they know what’s best for Black people, and they want to speak for Black people,” he said. Moore believes that his purpose at predominantly white schools is to look out for Black students and give them an advantage. His experiences have shown him that the humanity in students transcends race.

Michael Warr, editor of the compilation Of Poetry & Protest: From Emmett Till to Trayvon Martin, joined several other poets on stage to read their works. Among them was multidisciplinary artist Avery R. Young, who performed a powerful, heart-wrenching musical piece surrounding the murder of Emmett Till. Warr read the poems “Hallucinating at the Velvet Lounge” and “Duke Checks Out Ella As She Scats Like That,” influenced by Quincy Jones, from his book The Armageddon of Funk.

The Slippery Slope of Censorship: What Can You Do to Preserve Your Community’s Freedom to Read panel discussed ways to protect the freedom to read without restrictions. Also addressed were the harms of censorship. The main targets of censorship are books that focus mainly on marginalized individuals and controversial issues and those of Black authors. Pro-censorship groups have attempted to take over elected offices to push their selfish agendas. However, we must demand the freedom to speak, publish, and read. “Book banning is a dehumanization act,” said children’s author Jarrett Dapier. “It’s attacking the rights of children to read and be.”

Participants in America’s National Student Poets panel are part of a program that “believes in the power of youth voices to create and sustain meaningful change, and supports them in being heard.” We must hear young people’s voices in the literary world. One of the panelists stated, “When people try to keep out writers of color, LGBTQ+ writers, and others, then they are pretending like the work that happens doesn’t exist.”

David W. Blight discussed his book, Frederick Douglass: Library of America. He said that Douglass felt it was necessary to make it known that he was not just an orator but also a writer who worked out what he had to say on paper first. In one of his speeches, Douglass stated, “Our democracy is in deep peril and cannot last.” Blight made a statement during his discussion, with which I agree. “You can read any Frederick Douglass speech and find yourself thinking about right now.” One example is that Douglass advocated for voting rights and limiting government power. The issues have never gone away. Douglass endured denial, humiliation, and defeat during his lifetime, yet he continued to fight. He spoke out through his writing, including the 1859 book, The Ballot or the Bullet, which speaks to the need for immediate abolition.

The Crossing Boundaries panel discussion, presented by StoryStudio Chicago, addressed the struggle of crossing borders in writing and giving yourself permission to do so. “Saying ‘yes’ to yourself means saying ‘no’ to things that impede your time,” said Dionna Griffin-Irons. She added that we must “turn inward to see ourselves before expecting others to see us.”

Todd Brewster discussed the book Seen and Unseen: Technology, Social Media, and the Fight for Racial Justice, written by him and Marc Lamont Hill. Brewster said, “A White officer’s knee on a Black man’s neck is a symbolic representation” of an image that does not change. When asked about the effect of social media on current events, he replied, “We now can see things that we couldn’t see before. How do we know they’re true?” A significant issue is the rehashing of videos to make those who commit racial violence look like heroes. Speaking of the ancestors of those born into society, Brewster stated, “This is the history of our experience. We need to come to terms with it. We need to confront what we’ve done.” In response to the question of how we stray from social media to find legitimate points of view, he said, “It is important to understand the concept of freedom of speech. When speech is free, it leads to better outcomes.”

The American Writers Museum held a live taping of “Dead Writer Drama.” Soyica Diggs Colbert discussed her book, Radical Vision: A Biography of Lorraine Hansberry, a narration of “a life at the intersection of art and politics.” She argues that Hansberry used the theater as a space for her political and intellectual work. Colbert mentioned that reading Hansberry’s book, A Raisin in the Sun, was required during her time in high school, not just for Black students but all students. She has described Hansberry as a “movement baby.” A Raisin in the Sun reflects her education in civil rights and self-defense as a child. “I wanted the world to know that she was an intellectual, a radical, and a brilliant thinker,” said Colbert. “She proved that no matter what scares you or causes self-doubt, you can still be fierce as a writer.”

In the book South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation, Imani Perry explores the undeniable influence of the South in shaping America. The story is an “essential, surprising journey through the history, rituals, and landscapes of the American South.” Perry reveals things that she says represent an invitation to reconsider what we think we know, yet she doesn’t expect readers to agree with her.


Four of the 150 contributors to the anthology, Wherever I’m At: An Anthology of Chicago Poetry, discussed and shared their poems. “Chicago’s history vibrates through these pages. Chicago’s culture. Chicago’s beauty and its scars. Chicago’s landmarks and joints. Chicago in all its glory, Chicago in all its sadness. In a word: life. Chicago life.” The panel included Illinois' current Poet Laureate Angela Jackson, Johanny Vázquez Paz, Faisal Mohyuddin, and Carlos Cumpián. Inspired by Lorraine Hansberry, Jackson stated, “Her devotion to the act of writing fascinated me.” Mohyuddin said of his childhood experience, “Not being told things made me more hungry to know things.”

The American Writers Festival was educational, thought-provoking, inspirational, and entertaining. I am grateful for the journey that brought me here.