WE ARE WORDSMITHS
A Community Event
As part of the African diaspora, we are descended from kings and queens. We are also descended from griots. We come from an oral tradition vs. the western written tradition. Our griots knew the history and the legends; they were and are storytellers. As modern-day authors and poets, Al McFarlane, journalist and managing editor of Insight News, refers to us as “wordsmiths.”
As part of Black History Month, We Are Wordsmiths is coming to south Minneapolis. There is a myth that “Blacks don’t read.” The following gifted and amazing authors featured at this event, who come from a diversity of genres, tell an entirely different story:
Tierre Caldwell
T. Aaron Cisco
Willie Dean
Sharon Botts Garth
James Darnell Johnson
Shayla Michelle Reaves
Anthony Walsh
Mercedes (Mizz Mercedez) Yarbrough
This community literary event and program will take place on Saturday, February 24 from 6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. at St. Peter’s AME Church, located at 401 East 41st Street in south Minneapolis. In addition to our guest authors, we will also feature artwork by Vaughn Larry, handcrafted jewelry by DMchelle, and words from the Minnesota Black Authors Expo.
Light refreshments will be served.
We invite you to come out to meet and support our authors and vendors by hearing their stories and purchasing their work. Representation matters; if we don’t share our stories, who will?
W.D. Foster-Graham
W.D. Foster-Graham is a native son of Minneapolis, Minnesota. He received a B.A. in psychology from Luther College, and he was an original member of the multi-Grammy-Award-winning ensemble, Sounds of Blackness. He has also been recognized by the International Society of Poets as one of its “Best New Poets of 2003,” is a guest writer for journalist/author/entertainer Wyatt O’Brian Evans.
