Who We Are Writing For: Black Authors Discuss Craft and Audience

GBH News Arts & Culture reporter James Bennett, II welcomes two up-and-coming Black authors for a discussion on the importance of writing to uplift and inform the Black community. Simeon Marsalis and Tatiana Johnson-Boria will read passages from their work, and the three will share why they create work for a Black audience, as well as how they draw inspiration.

Simeon Marsalis is a writer who published his first novel, As Lie Is to Grin, with Catapult in 2017. He is the co-founder of Lampblack, a new literary magazine and a collective of Black writers with a mission to serve the Black literary community. Tatiana Johnson-Boria is a writer and artist exploring identity, inherited trauma, and what it means to heal. She is recipient of both the 2021 MacDowell Fellowship for artists and the 2021 Brother Thomas fellowship, celebrating a diverse group of Greater Boston artists working at a high level of excellence.

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[AngelaKHarrell]

Ty for this educational session. I'm an emerging writer, and I've struggled with the main topic a lot. Your talk has helped to understand not only the problem but my resolution. I wish you all much continued success and look forward to reading your works. God Bless.

[KING]

Keep expressing yourself with your art. Great work.

[erigozeletus]

Thanks you for your reading and your topic brings more vibration in our lives today and also people around me.