18th National Black Writers Conference
Call for Papers
Wild Seeds Retreat for Writers of Color
Thursday, February 19, 2026 - Sunday, February 22, 2026 Winter 2026 Virtual Retreat- DEADLINE: January 9, 2026
Killens Review of Arts & Letters 2026
Spring 2026 | Environmental Reckonings
Visit the CBL Online Archives
Writers on Writing with Dr. Brenda M. Greene
Writers on Writing Interview
with ReShonda Tate
Dr. Brenda Greene interviews ReShonda Tate, best-selling author and award-winning journalist of The Queen of Sugar Hill (William Morrow, 2024) and With Love from Harlem (William Morrow, 2026). Tate’s novels are historical fiction. The Queen of Sugar Hill is the story of Hattie McDaniel and the circumstances she faced and overcame, particularly after receiving an Academy Award for her role as Mamie in Gone with the Wind; With Love from Harlem is the story of the jazz pianist prodigy Hazel Scott. Greene and Tate discuss her motivation for writing the novels, her writing life, and the highlights and challenges of writing these novels
Writers on Writing Interview
with Maurice Carlos Ruffin
Dr. Brenda Greene interviews Maurice Carlos Ruffin, award-winning writer and author of The American Daughters, a New York Times Editors Choice. Ruffin’s novel The American Daughters (One World, 2025) introduces the “Daughters,” New Orleans Black women who served as spies in the Civil War. Ruffin, Greene and Ruffin discuss his motivation for writing the novel, his research and writing processes ,and his writing life. Ruffin, a professor of creative writing at Louisiana State University, is the recipient of many awards and the author of The Ones Who Don’t Say They Love You and We Cast a Shadow.
About the Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College, CUNY
For 20 years, the programs of the Center for Black Literature (CBL) have had a dynamic impact in the literary field. The highly anticipated author readings and book signings, journals, symposia, conferences, panel discussions, and writing workshops—and the Center’s intellectual and accessible approach to programming—form an integrative approach to programming that sets CBL apart from others. CBL’s events are known for the way they ensure that Black literary scholarship and conversations are valued and sustained.
Contact Us
Center for Black Literature (CBL)
at Medgar Evers College, CUNY
1534 Bedford Avenue | 2nd Floor
Brooklyn, New York 11216
(Click HERE for the Postal Mailing Address)
Main Phone: (718) 804-8884
Main Office: info@centerforblackliterature.org
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To carry out our literary programs and special events, we depend on financial support from the public. Donations are welcome year-round. Please click HERE to donate. Thank you!
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