I attended the Legacy Awards Ceremony for the Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Foundation, a wonderful literary education organization committed to the development, dissemination and preservation of literature, with a focus on the contributions of African American writers.
Given my obsession with books, I was overjoyed to be in the midst of an entire room dedicated to celebrating literature! The presenters and awardees represented the entire spectrum, from poetry to fiction to nonfiction and were authors of world renown. Where else can you find the likes of Marita Golden (Hurston/Wright co-founder), Rita Dove (7th Poet Laureate of the United States), and MacArthur Fellow Nikole Hannah-Jones all in one place?
Hurston/Wright Foundation programs include awards for college writers and published authors, public readings, and writers’ workshops for adults and teens.
A highlight of the evening was meeting Glory Edim, founder of Well-Read Black Girl, in person! Glory was gracious and kind and she truly embodies the spirit of her literary movement. On average, I read 1-2 books a week, so I totally align with the “well-read Black girl” identity! Glory’s book, the Well-Read Black Girl anthology is a great gift for the readers in your life — I sent copies to all my besties. Check out the website to see what book the WRBG community is reading this month and to learn more about the upcoming literary festival in November.