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Black Writers Conference Still Necessary In Age Of Obama

Toni Morrison

First Posted: 05/23/10 06:12 AM ET Updated: 05/25/11 04:55 PM ET

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The New York Times:

in the age of President Obama, when successful black writers can be found across genres and a Nobel Prize winner, Toni Morrison, can be tapped to be the honorary chairwoman of the event, do black writers still need a conference to call their own?

Read the whole story: The New York Times

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in the age of President Obama, when successful black writers can be found across genres and a Nobel Prize winner, Toni Morrison, can be tapped to be the honorary chairwoman of the event, do black writ...
in the age of President Obama, when successful black writers can be found across genres and a Nobel Prize winner, Toni Morrison, can be tapped to be the honorary chairwoman of the event, do black writ...
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bobbiisadukefan
25 Fans
03:14 PM on 03/24/2010
UMMM...what?
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Lordcron
Get on my Left if you know you ain't Right!
665 Fans
08:33 AM on 03/24/2010
Who dares to question it and why? That's my question. Blacks don't have a problem with it so why is it a problem? Is it against the law to appreciate yourself? Stop the hate is all I'm saying.
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hilaritee
25 Fans
11:40 PM on 03/23/2010
yes. book publishers are still using white models on the covers of books about black characters in order to boost sales. post-racial is currently just an idea and not yet a reality.
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Cuthach
7 Fans
09:50 PM on 03/23/2010
HOLD ON A SECOND

OBAMA IS BLACK??
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BlueZoo
Independent voter, Independent thinker!
903 Fans
04:41 PM on 03/23/2010
A resounding yes! Black writers create from a unique vantagepoint and their exchange of ideas is enhanced when they meet. The best sellers lists, including the NYTimes, have been filled with books written by black writers, e.g. Toni Morrison, and are no longer relegated to "black studies" in libraries, etc. A black writers conference is no different from other writers conferences. Romance writers, mystery writers, etc. all have their conferences too!
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Parsifals
257 Fans
03:16 PM on 03/23/2010
Yes.

The idea of a post-raciall America is a trumped up media slogan.

Black literature, poetry and general writing, fiction and non-fiction requires a collective voice and a wider audience. Bringing together published and want-to-be writers together can make that happen.
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Samuel Perry
133 Fans
02:58 PM on 03/23/2010
Um. I know we have a black president and all, and I'mma let you finish, but as long as there is still such a thing as a "black book" and books written by black authors are still relegated to the African American studies shelf, yes. Black authors will probably still need to form trade groups and organize conferences.
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noudidnt
397 Fans
01:37 PM on 03/23/2010
What's different in the Age of Obama??????
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ThirdSection
907 Fans
01:27 PM on 03/23/2010
I like President Obama, I voted for him, I even campaigned for him, and the passage of health care reform is a major milestone in the history of our nation, but please, let's refrain from referring to an "Age of Obama" until after he's out of office. Cults of personality don't sit well with me, nor are they appropriate in the context of a republic, and I'm sure he'd agree.
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Knowitall
690 Fans
03:48 PM on 03/23/2010
OK, but is there a need for a Black Writers Conference?
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Iehi Aour
61 Fans
12:39 AM on 03/24/2010
Clearly, there is.
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ThirdSection
907 Fans
06:08 PM on 03/25/2010
The answer to that question is best left to the members of the Black Writers Conference.
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