Events to celebrate the centenary of the birth of James Baldwin

Literary events and talks to pay tribute to the African American author James Baldwin

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, September 6, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- A new international anthology celebrating the centenary of the birth of #African-American author James Baldwin, 'Encounters with James Baldwin: Celebrating 100 Years' (Supernova Books) has prompted a series of literary events to discuss Baldwin's life and legacy.

Contributors from the UK and US read excerpts from the book at the first event in August at Adiaha Antigha Centre in Hackney, and spoke about the poignancy of the event taking place on the night of the planned riots across the UK, highlighting the continued racial and political unrest that #JamesBaldwin wrote about in his own lifetime. The contributor list features five authors who met Baldwin and share their recollections of their meetings with him:

• Anton Phillips — “The Amen Corner”
• Fred D’Aguiar — ‘In A Photograph with James Baldwin’
• Rashida Ismaili AbuBakr —“Three Memories of Baldwin”
• Lindsay Barrett — “Meeting James Baldwin in Paris”
• Ray Shell — “A Higher Calling”

• Other notable contributors include SuAndi, who won the Benson Medal and in 2024 was made an honorary fellow at the RSL; Zita Holbourne, who was named by Serendipity as one of 100 Black women who have made a mark; Tony Medina, whose book 'Because the Sky', an homage to those suffering in Palestine was published in June 2024; and Nii Ayikwei Parkes, whose novel 'Azúcar' was published in June 2023 with Peepal Tree Press and was longlisted for the Jhalak Prize 2024.

OTHER READINGS/TALKS TO COME
Books on the Rise, Richmond, Surrey on 3rd October
Black British Book Festival, 5th October, Barbican Centre
Afrori Books, Brighton, 15th October
Brixton Library, 16th October
Push the Boat Out Festival, Edinburgh, 24th November

PRAISE FOR THE BOOK
Rich Blint, writer and critic said:
“From reflective pieces, interviews, essays, and poetic interventions, 'Encounters with James Baldwin' confirms the enduring resonance of the life and work of James Baldwin across the globe. This is an important text for readers eager to consider the expansive legacy of arguably the most piercing and committed author and critic of the last century."

Kevin Powell, GRAMMY-nominated poet; human & civil rights activist said:
“'Encounters with James Baldwin' is the spiritual evidence seen by some of the finest writers and thinkers and doers of our times. It is their majestic love letter to J.B., a love letter that is poetry, essay, social justice, awareness, and the beautiful struggle for freedom for all that Jimmy Baldwin represented his entire life. Life, yes, the words of this remarkable collection are breath blown back to our beloved ancestor James Baldwin, and he to them, to us: the air we breathe, the air we need, for these troubled times.”

Claire Estelle – Reviewer, netgalley said:
“What a joy this book is, a fabulous collection of poems, interviews, think pieces and cultural commentary, all marking and celebrating the life and work of James Baldwin. One to dip in and out of, rather than read all the way through, you need time to fully absorb what each writer has to say and process the new perspectives on Baldwin. Wonderful. ” ****

QUOTES BY THE EDITORS
Cheryl Robson, Founder of Aurora Metro and Co-Editor of Encounters with James Baldwin, said:
“We are delighted to be publishing this moving collection of new writing which pays tribute to James Baldwin’s inspirational words and thought in his centenary year. This literary anthology continues Aurora Metro’s commitment to pluralism in publishing, bringing the voices of Black authors to the fore.”

CONTRIBUTORS
The full list of contributors is as follows: Victor Adebowale; Toyin Agbetu; Rosanna Amaka; Michelle Yaa Asantewa; Lindsay Barrett; Eugen Bacon; Gabriella Beckles-Ray; Alan Bell; Selina Brown; Michael Campbell; Fred D’Aguiar; Thomas Glave; Sonia Grant; Zita Holbourne; Rashida Ismaili-AbuBakr; Paterson Joseph; Peter Kalu; Roy McFarlane; Ronnie McGrath; Michael McMillan; Tony Medina; Bill V Mullen; Nducu wa Ngugi; Lola Oh; Ewuare X. Osayande; Nii Ayikwei Parkes; Anton Phillips; Ray Shell; SuAndi; Tade Thompson; Patrick Vernon; Tony Warner

'Encounters with James Baldwin: Celebrating 100' Years is now on sale ISBN 9781913641412. Price £15.99

Media Pack available with photos media pack
Supernova Books is an imprint of Aurora Metro
+44 208 948 1427 marketing@aurorametro.com
For press enquiries including interviews, please contact
Amy Zamarripa Solis
amy@thistooisreal.co.uk
07732 697 290

'Encounters with James Baldwin: Celebrating 100 Years' is a new international anthology of essays, poetry, interviews, and vignettes, co-edited by Kadija George Sesay and Cheryl Robson, featuring over 30 contributors.

Acclaimed British writer and artist Stella Dadzie provides an insightful overview on the author-activist's life. In this Black Lives Matter age, this new anthology interrogates Baldwin’s legacy through an international body of new work, by distinguished and award-winning Black writers, poets and activists from the UK, US, Africa and Australia and Europe, reflecting on the legacy of the author and activist who spoke truth to power during the Civil Rights era in the US and beyond.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR OF THE INTRODUCTION
Stella Dadzie, who wrote the introduction, is a feminist writer, historian and education activist, best known for her co-authorship of The Heart of the Race: Black Women’s Lives in Britain, which was re-published by Verso in 2018 as a Feminist Classic. She is a founder member of OWAAD (Organisation of Women of African and Asian Descent), a national umbrella group for Black women. Her most recent book,' A Kick in the Belly: Women, Slavery and Resistance' (Verso, 2020) centres women in the story of West Indian enslavement. She also wrote the foreword to 'Hairvolution: Her Hair, Her Story, Our History' (Supernova Books) in 2021.

Cheryl Robson
Aurora Metro Books
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