The theme of the 9th Annual Spring Literary Forum Series is "Song of the Afro-South: Intersections and Connections." We have a number of great sessions designed to enlighten, entertain, and educate our guests. As we explore the theme, we look to the upcoming series to examine the history, literature, and culture of African Americans in the South; an Afro-Southern Aesthetic; and Afro-Southerners’ occupation of spaces—physical and psychic—within and beyond the region. Moreover, through the discourse shared during the series, the intent is to document the humanity and experiences of Afro-Southern communities; their contributions to an American identity; and those “connections” to the cultures, histories, and “songs” of other groups. This year's headliners are Devan Renea, Joe Bullard, Keith Beauchamp, and Dr. Ibram Kendi.

Devan Renea is a screenwriter for OWN Network’s Queen Sugar scripted series which was adapted from a novel of the same name by Natalie Baszile, and it was developed into a series by Academy Award nominees Ava DuVernay and Oprah Winfrey. Renea is also a board member of the Black Employees of Warner Brothers.

Joe “Voice of FAMU's Marching 100” Bullard is a celebrated icons, an on-air personality for Cumulus’s 96.1 JAMZ, and a respected voice in the music industry.

Keith Beauchamp’s documentary on Emmett Till’s lynching is featured prominently at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African-American History and Culture in Washington, DC. Beauchamp’s research is the reason the FBI reopened the Till case in 2004.

Dr. Ibram Kendi is a 2004 FAMU graduate, and he is a recipient of one of the most prestigious book prizes in the United States: the 2016 National Book Award for Nonfiction (announced November 2016). He is also a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award in the General Nonfiction category (announced January 17, 2017). His brilliant Stamped from the Beginning is a timely tome on history and race in the United States.

For more information about the Spring Literary Forum Series at FAMU, contact us: tracee.mason@famu.edu, chandra.clark@famu.edu or (850) 599-8697. Please access our website for the schedule.