Griot & Grey Owl Aims to Inspire, Connect, and Transform https://ift.tt/0SgRXin
The SRB was thrilled to talk with the folks behind the Griot & Grey Owl Black Southern Writers Conference coming up in November in Durham, North Carolina. This 3-day writing conference for Black Southern writers will feature phenomenal workshops, panels, and historical tours that cover culture, career, and community. The lineup includes Nikky Finney, Terrance Hayes, Mahogany L. Browne, and so many more fabulous speakers and writers.
We caught up with some of the team putting together the conference, including Maria Tavarez, the Planning Committee Ambassador, and Khalisa Rae and Eric Thompson, the founders of the conference.
How has it been working with the rest of the team and advisors and board members?
Tavarez: The team shares the same goal and vision. Everyone has their own fire and energy towards the success of this event and that is unique, inspiring, and refreshing.
Why is an event particularly for Black writers so important in this cultural moment?
Tavarez: It gives focus to the academic contribution people of color bring to society. It also creates a space to inspire young adults to pursue literature and writing.
Thompson: Now is a time when there are more opportunities than ever to be able to share your story and be heard on different media platforms and social avenues. There is nothing more important than sharing Black writers’ stories.
Rae: Right now is so important because there seems to be an imbalance in industry statistics and what is happening in real time in the community. Industry statistics say that the number of books by Black folks, particularly Black women, is increasing, yet, on a day-to-day basis, Black writers are being overlooked for teaching roles and are not winning awards unless we have academic ties or access to big marketing teams. Black Southern narratives and dialect are still misunderstood and unvalued. The sad thing is, when we did research, there was no contemporary Black Southern writers list, anthology, or catalog that names all of our amazing achievements. This moment is so important because the Black South, in our own communities, is doing powerful things to transform art and creative spaces, yet there has never been a festival or conference to bring all of us together in this way. So, why not now?
Can you talk about what you love best about Southern writing or the South in general?
Tavarez: The South as I know it for the last eight years is a melting pot. I am a transplant here from NYC. There are many northerners moving to the South for a slow-paced life, but the surprise is, it’s not that slow here — it’s just spread out.
Have you ever put on an event of this scale before? What has been the most surprising part of the process so far?
Tavarez: This is the first of its kind here in the South. There are so many moving parts that make this happen — there are numerous meetings between the creators, donors, contributors, volunteer crew, board members, and vendors. It’s a collaboration across many different fields, not just centered around artists.
What do you hope attendees will get out of the conference?
Tavarez: My hope is that attendees are inspired to write, pursue their passion, and get involved for the next event. Let this be a ripple effect, so that next year it becomes an even bigger event.
Thompson: I hope more than anything that the attendees make a connection, not only with their craft, but with their culture, and gain a deeper insight into what it means to be a Black writer and the responsibility they carry.
Rae: When we first started dreaming about a Black Southern Writers Conference in 2021, folks responded on social media saying they were lacking connection and community, so first and foremost I hope they get a deeper sense of community, and what it means to have connections that aren’t competitive or based on accolades and achievements.
I also hope that people learn about new writers and creatives they’ve never heard of, because we have some outstanding instructors and speakers in the Carolinas who may not be household names, but will blow your socks off and offer so many gems in workshops and performance spaces. Lastly, and more importantly, I hope people gain a second home. A home that will inspire them, transform them, and give them a sense of rejuvenation to go back to their lives and creative spaces with a new outlook on their practice.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Rae: A lot of folks have the misconception that these spaces are only for poets, but actually we’ve designed the conference specifically with a wide array of facilitators of all genres. So, I hope folks learn on an interdisciplinary level. I’m excited to see people take away nuggets that span across genres. I think learning and sharing across genres and getting out of your niche is so important to enhance your writing, so I look forward to those lightbulb moments people will have.
If you haven’t already, be sure to snag your tickets for the November 10-12 conference in Durham, North Carolina.
Maria Tavarez is a self-taught expressionist abstract artist pulling influences from Georgia O’KEEFE, Pablo Picasso, Frida Kahlo, and Paul Cézzane. Maria’s medium of choice is acrylic, spray paint, coarse texture paints, and charcoal. She has an MS in Health Administration from Saint Joseph’s University and spends her time volunteering with several nonprofit organizations in the Triangle Area. Maria is the Lead Outreach Liaison for Artforall-NC which focuses on making art accessible to all communities despite means.
LB (lyrically blessed) is a multi-talented writer and lyricist who hails from the city of Wilson, NC. LB is an NC A&T alum where he was a part of the spoken word group Couture Word. He has been writing for roughly 6 years and fueled his writing passion into the starting of the spoken word group S.B.E (separate but equal). LB’s first love is slam poetry and has been slamming for 5 years. LB’s major accomplishments include winning or placing in the top 2 at over 20 poetry slam competitions across the Southeastern area, winning grand slam champion at Bull City Slam in Durham, NC, winning a spot on the Bull City Slam team from 2012-14, winning the Southern Fried Regional Poetry Slam, and placing in a top ranking at the National Poetry Slam in Oakland California.
Khalisa Rae is an award-winning author, activist, and storyteller. As a queer rights advocate and community builder, she seeks to uplift Black queer voices. She is the author of the poetry collection, Ghost in a Black Girl’s Throat and the sold-out play production, Seven Deadly Sins of Being a Woman. An accomplished performer, journalist, and playwright, her writing has been featured in countless literary journals and magazines, including Pinch, PANK, Autumn House, Jezebel, Blavity, and NBC-BLK. Her impactful work has received an Appalachian Arts and Entertainment Award, a Gwendolyn Brooks Prize, and multiple Pushcart nominations, among others. She is the founder of Think in Ink Literary Collective, the WOC Speak reading series, and a co-founder of the Griot and Grey Owl Black Southern Writers Conference. Khalisa Rae’s YA novel in verse, Unlearning Eden is forthcoming.
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