SEEING OURSELVES IN THE RIVER, IN THE MIRROR, IN THE WORLD African Americans and Children’s Literature On Tour Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Esther Productions Inc
202-640-0301
estherproductionsinc@gmail.com
GRAMMY NOMINATED POET E. ETHELBERT MILLER AND AWARD-WINNING CHILDREN’S AUTHOR JOY JONES HEADLINE “SEEING OURSELVES IN THE RIVER, IN THE MIRROR, IN THE WORLD—A CITYWIDE TOUR FOCUSING ON DC’S RICH AND MOSTLY UNEXPLORED
AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERARY HISTORY
On April 20, 2024 from 3-5pm at the Cleveland Park Library (3310 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC),award-winning authors, poets and literary historians E. Ethelbert Miller and Joy Jones will use their own intimate and personal narratives to explore with the audience DC’s rich literary history and the role played by Black writers in building canon and fortifying community. The event is free and open to the public. To register go to: estherproductionsinc.com/events.
Seeing Ourselves In The River, In The Mirror, In The World is the touring component of African Americans and Children’s Literature presented by Esther Productions Inc., The Black Student Fund, The Institute for African American Writing; it is supported by a grant from HumanitiesDC and Kerry S. Pearson LLC.
Both Miller and Jones came of age as writers during the turbulent but prolific Black Arts Movement, which can be tracked from the late 1960s through the 1980s. It was a time when African American writers were determined to claim their own history and reflect, through their works, their own authentic culture. The sought to snatch back those valuables from various industries, including the mainstream publishers, who had previously defined what stories were worthy and deserved to be presented to the public; all too often the choices that were made by editors could distort what mattered most to Black people.
The books that were written and published, the illustrations that were created and the Black-owned bookstores that were established in service to African American writers were all critical to the subsequent political and socio-economic advancement of Black people. Those literary artists helped to empower a cadre of leaders in DC, in the larger United States and in the world.
These stories about DC’s bountiful literary history, the writers who made the city an exciting cultural hub have mainly gone untold and, therefore, under-valued and appreciated. Now, however, through Seeing Ourselves in The River, In The Mirror, In The World Esther Productions Inc, The Black Student Fund and The Institute for
African American Writing are hoping to correct that neglect. They have dedicated themselves to ensuring the important narratives of DC’s Black writers are shared with the public.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHIES:
JOY JONES is a popular speaker, trainer, and the author of several books for adults and children. Her most recent are Fearless Public Speaking, a how-to for teens, and Jayla Jumps In, a novel which received a starred review on Booklist and chosen as one of the best sports books for children by the American Library Association. Her novel in progress, Walking the Boomerang, won the 2022 Pen America/ Phyllis Naylor Grant for Children's and Young Adult Novelists. Joy's next book is The Sky Is
Not Blue which debuts Summer, 2024. She works for DC Public Library.
E.ETHELBERT MILLER is a literary activist and author of two memoirs and several poetry collections. He hosts the WPFW morning radio show On the Margin with E. Ethelbert Miller and hosts and produces The Scholars on UDC- TV which received a 2020 Telly Award. He is Associate Editor and a columnist for The American Book Review. He was given a 2020 congressional award from
Congressman Jamie Raskin in recognition of his literary activism, awarded the 2022 Howard Zinn Lifetime Achievement Award by the Peace and Justice Studies Association, and named a 2023 Grammy Nominee Finalist for Best Spoken Word Poetry Album. Ethelbert’s latest book is How I Found Love Behind the Catcher's Mask, published by City Point Press.
BACKGROUND ON SPONSORING ORGANIZATION:
Esther Productions, Inc. (EPI) is a nonprofit, 501(c) (3) tax-exempt educational, social, and cultural corporation founded in 20004 and based in the District of Columbia. Deploying the arts—visual, performing and literary—as its chief vehicles, EPI is dedicated to inspiring and empowering girls and women. EPI has presented numerous arts and humanities workshops, coaching sessions, youth summits and related programs. It has worked in partnership with dozens of organizations and businesses and received strong financial support from a variety of foundations, corporations and individuals including Cornelia T. Bailey Foundation, Kerry S. Pearson LLC, Busboys and Poets, Emmanuel Bailey-Veterans Service Corp, David Jannarone, AmerigroupDC, the Robert Bobb Group, The Friends of the Francis Gregory Library, Rosalind Blunt and Lesa Warrick.