Noted Scholar, Keith Gilyard, to Discuss the Work of Author, John Oliver Killens at Medgar Evers College of the City University of New York, February 17th

On Tuesday, February, 17, 2004, at 6:00pm., The Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College will sponsor a book signing and discussion for Keith Gilyard, author of Liberation Memories: the Rhetoric and Art of John Oliver Killens (Wayne State University Press, 2003).

Brooklyn, New York (PRWEB) January 24, 2004 --On Tuesday, February 17, 2004, at 6pm., The Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College will sponsor a book signing and discussion for Keith Gilyard, author of Liberation Memories: the Rhetoric and Art of John Oliver Killens (Wayne State University Press, 2003). This discussion is a pre-conference activity for the Seventh Annual National Black Writers Conference: A Tribute to and Symposium on John Oliver Killens (Culture and Politics of Black Literature). Using a holistic approach that evaluates John Oliver Killens, theman, writer, teacher, activist, and organizer, Gilyard gives us a comprehensive portrait of an important writer and literary artist work from the perspective of Killens' visiion, rhetorical form, and use of the vernacular.

John Oliver Killens was a two time nominee for the Pulitzer Prize and founding chairman of the legendary Harlem Writers Guild. Regarded by many as a spiritual father who inspired a generation of African American novelists, he believed that the black writer had a responsibility to his craft and to his community. He organized writers conferences from 1965-1986 that addressed issues such as the social resopnsibililty of the writer and the portrayal of blacks in literature. In addition, he produced a great body of work reflecting his commitment to art and to the portrayal of black people in positive ways. His novels include Youngblood (1954), Sippi (1967), And Then We Heard The Thunder (1962), and The Cotillion (1971). The core of his work as an essayist can be found in Black Man's Burden (1965). His work also reflects a call for a literature of Black heroes, myths, and legends and can be found in texts such as Slaves (1969), Great Gittin' Up Morning (1972), A Man Ain't Nothing But A Man: The Adventures of John Henry (1975) and the posthumously published Great Black Russian: A Novel on the Life and Times of Alexander Puskin (1989).

Keith Gilyard is a professor of English at Pennsylvania State University. He is an author, poet, essayist, reviewer. He is also the editor of the acclaimed Spirit and Flame: An Anthology of Contemporary African American Poetry.

The Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College will host the Seventh Annual National Black Writers Conference: A Tribute to and Symposium on John Oliver Killens from March 25-27, 2004. For further information, call the NBWC hotline at (718) 270-4811 or email, LvelascoMedia@mec.cuny.edu.

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