and the creator of quote glor has always been our headstrong for possibility. for the act every teeny and reading in and of themselves, the berates us into self-determination. the more read the last billable we are. the more we write, the clearer hour own sense of kn, will come list of, i do, did. but the will to independent thought is the collective will to act. how many political and social movements have been launched by the work of writers? too numerous but here in

this country we can begin with freedoms journey and david walker's appeal to the colored citizens of the role. with the work of frederick douglass, marcus garvey, w. e. b. dubois, and the poets and a novelist of the harlem renaissance, the post renaissance and the black arts movement with the lights of john oliver killens. and others and with the panelists year before you. the writers on this panel are here to examine the social, political, cultural ways they use for social

change to actively in gauge and actively break ground for the transformation. among our panelists i thought it would be nice to present them. our first is the award-winning activist with a career that spans well over 40 years of consistent commitment and in addition to authored or edited no less than seven books of poetry common to children's books, three collections of essays, several major anthologies, numerous plays including a musical, kalamu ya salaam is a producer of literary festivals, poetry and jazz concert tesoro was

records, cds, dvd's and video programs while continuing to moderate the newsletter that tracks well over 800 black writers and supporters and as educators educators, code directing students act the center and a great team program. >> among his books you may want to check out the magic coach you do. everywhere is a literary anthology. our music is no accident. what is a life claiming it self? what skills do we require to bridge the gap between a writer and reader?

how best to hold that level of critical thinking required by both. the answers to these two questions have been made to manifest in our second panelist. among his many acts, patrick oliver has warranties and contrast administrator director sales and marketing for third world press for the open book program and founder of the and program developer for say it aloud. readers and writers and enter generational the greek words for of. he is the producer of literary nation talk radio were authors come activist and engage in public dialogue and the editor and

publisher of at least one anthology. turn the page. he is a panel facilitator and consultant for the association of raiders and the american library association, a texas library association and the hardie -- harlem book fair in new york city. and short, we have a pro activist who makes it not just possible but most probable that the books republish it into the hands of readers. the highly respected poet and artist, dorothea smartt smartt, "british

born, international, a performance cultured makes a poetic form to build the bridges read so sure of the need interchanging through standard is and caribbean and language between myth and history, observation and reflection. in addition to recitals leading workshops and lectures currently for the united kingdom and on and apples and snakes devolve program and among those are shipshape and connecting medium in which he slurs issues of heritage of identity as bad as a artist in addition to being gay poet. one installation she calls

like and herve video we have fought explains exploits the james of the people's. her most recent commission focuses in on the tool sorg. noboby is trying to change in social justice. in addition she serves as the poetry editor and co-director of a black and asian writers the melamed program. our fourth panelist, another native of new orleans, award winning poet and prose writer frank wilderson iii spend several years in south africa. during which time, mind you

you, he became an elected official of the african national congress and remains a member of the congress of south african writers. the number of "inconegro." and other projects and red white and black. and the black precision. right than while preparations continue to reach the drama with the african-american studies, irvine, did i say that right?

i guess they pronounced it that way over there. if that is the case each of the panelist as i shouted them out, will speak for roughly 10 minutes. i have the dubious beauty of reminding them when that time is up then we will engage in a q&a with the rest of you. there are microphones on each side of the iowa and feel free to ask anything new-line i am sure between the five of the c will kit and adequate response. in either case, will come kalamu ya salaam. [applause] >> >>

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if it in context ♪ [applause] >> i just thought since you have some literary stuff one we should have some literature. i had another presentation have a complete so i would say we live in a world changing paradigms. to celebrate the founding brothers were a man that never gave birth to nothing.

that goes to the heart of nationalism. i used to celebrate nationalism. nationalism as defined by the european oppressors is one of the major baines of the world. one reason the africans have a problem is because there are no african nation states in africa. each one of the boundaries of those nations states was defined by europeans for the benefit of europeans. two try to maintain those boundaries is to try and maintain european hegemony. on top of that nationalism is based in fact, of holland symbolically the claim a

better way to put to a dick in a hole. is about the oppression of women. you cannot own men you cannot own land. we will move forward number two. just this is a black writers conference we do not know what black this is. one of the hallmarks i am not black. so you see, aid dark skin person says i ain't black you know, that person is why? black. recently we have had two major poets make their

transition, one was lucille one said the quintessential black poets. one o who did not claim to be a black poet. our blackness must be defined and embraced. and if it cannot do that because our blackness has been about the results of the encounter with others and unfortunately being here in the united states we have become brown skin rednecks philosophically we hate the others and reebok into american exconal listen. there is nothing different

about your ass other than where you are any given moment. so we was deal with the definition brother frank is smiling. it turns out we crossed the train together by accident trying to discover our way over here. he told me a that i talked to him in 1981? and 1980. i don't even remember it at the time i was doing something else. but the point* is, if you move on your past you will discover fellow travelers. if you're past is consistent with consumers them, capitalism, need i go on? do you know, who you will discover?

your o presser. and most of us are on the path of consumerism, capitalism not to mention sexism the third thing listen ads may well the error -- era of the hegemony of text is over the people that talk that text shit cannot even tax. [laughter] there has been a shift. it has to do with development of digital technology that is made possible we live in the era where gutenberg to the bible for i have to go.

[laughter] win gutenberg did the printing press it ushered in the other era of common this was the era of the domination of the overthrow of the female, the male and this tax has perpetuated that. now we have two elements that run our lives. have to fight bothen with of them were the image and sound as dominant because this is the first time since the masses of the people can make their own image and reproduce their own sound and distribute worldwide. technology has three steps. first was the computer, a second was the internet, the third has come with the mobile platform every river in the third world the mobile platform as a way to communicate perk right to go further i will be glad to talk to you afterwards the

data is a small piece. i have been here and gone. goodbye. [applause] >> we'll come patrick oliver [applause] >> it is always a challenge to follow brother kalamu ya salaam. please give them a big hand. [applause] and all so all of the folks it is very important for these to take place we can gather and share ideas that is the premise under which i work to recognizing the community out there that had so much richness in terms of what it can provide. when i talk about provide

provide, but it is for young people to look at young people to see how they are in a position they are today and that that is where my work begins and ends. i look at how do we do that? what level of partnerships to be engaged in to make it happen? that is my work better utilize a lot of skills because of my time and corporate america with various industries, it was to reduce the best writers cohmad busta activist in our community to convey this to

young people and to gather them whether talented discussions, forgery, i try to make a strong ethic in making sure how a community provides the rich level of resources that are out there. we do it through a number of ways. partnerships, we do a weekly radio show coming on every thursday and i reach our to writers of low for the country they participate this weekend. we want people to hear what it means to feel and their struggle is very common with many of the raiders and it

is very, very common. it is nothing new. therefore if your struggle is common that means your progress can be like those individuals commonality in the success when you follow those so that is what we tried to do to make sure people understand that because they have to understand that negative as well. but this partnership is very important some how the schools, those are in our community and if they add understand allay will show a clip with poetry. of those great to writers, they are right thing and it is very common with those young

people in our community. saying it back 10 days best in the book cultural literacy and retain assurances a theory called called -- and she encourages institutions parents, to make sure literature people read on a daily basis with their environment it there for the book has to look and sound like a very simple theory we have heard quite a bit and make sure you visit to common and have one of the greatest models for providing people with opportunities to learn about our history through

literature for pro the point* is what we have discussed over the years. but also but you take some time i out to go to the schools and prove to those that the work that you do in high school and college six 2/7 what you layout on these campuses is very relevant to those for assisting those who are on the elementary school campuses in junior high if you can play a role to empower them because again, it is community we have to understand it is so important with a growth and development of our community that again, we have a knowledge base but we also

challenge with the institutions that exist, governmental agencies in this political season right now. let's make sure our elected officials keeps the information in its make sure literacy books, dollars available to various agencies, that would receive becomes conversation and part of public policy. there are a number of dollars that are available to schools to young people to make sure public officials make it clear that fab those are elected in conversation because those are very important to make sure the foundation's with

all of these individuals make sure that literacy is a major issue in our community we have been very successful to work and various foundations to make sure they send some it like an arkansas to help develop a technology center in gives people the opportunity to come there, create videos, a rating instructor as part of a technology initiative getting funding from various individuals to make sure we opened eight different text centers around little rock and those refunded -- were funded in our community like the hospital and giving us

dollars so we can focus more around technology, of literacy, more people, those are some of the things in terms of the july seeing literacy and trying to engage people in the right team process but community and activism but it is very proportion to mike area of young people. let's make sure we put them up the front part of a hour -- our next generation of leaders, writers and leaders. let's make sure we have the efforts to engage them. [applause] . .