Kevin Allred (Ain’t I A Diva?: Beyoncé and the Power of Pop Culture Pedagogy) and Eric Nielson (Rap on Trial: Race, Lyrics, and Guilt in America) discuss American black music and its juxtapositions from viral popularity, to layers of lyrics that explore gender, race, sexuality, and power, to our legal system’s use of rap lyrics to prosecute crime. Book sales and signing will follow. FREE to attend and open to the public. Njelle Hamilton moderates.

Coming up at the 2020 Virginia Book Festival: Authors Sara Collins (The Confessions of Frannie Langton) and Njelle Hamilton (Phonographic Memories) explore the Caribbean sources for their writing, considering history, music, and marginalized voices in fiction. Book sales and signing will follow. FREE to attend and open to the public.

The Carter G. Woodson Institute of African American and African Studies is pleased to host the launch of Prof. Hamilton’s book, Phonographic Memories: Popular Music and the Contemporary Caribbean Novel, featuring guest panelists Jack Hamilton, Carter Mathes, Carolyn Cooper, and Nadi Edwards. Reception follows.

Alex Jennings (New Suns), Erik A. Otto (Detonation), and V.E. Schwab (Vengeful) discuss their latest science fiction work and the roles the genre can play in entertaining and questioning contemporary reality. Njelle Hamilton moderates.

Njelle Hamilton moderates a LISTENING ROUNDTABLE for "SLEEPWALKING 2 [a mixtape/e/ssay | OTR]" by UVA hip-hop musician and professor, AD Carson.