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SEEING OURSELVES IN THE RIVER, IN THE MIRROR, IN THE WORLD: African Americans and Children's Literature On Tour




(Photo credit from Esther Productions, Inc's programs)- https://www.estherproductionsinc.com/aachildrensliterature ​




Ms. Joy Jones will talk about her journey becoming a children's author at Cleveland Park Library (3310 Connecticut Ave. NW-DC 20008) for the event entitled: SEEING OURSELVES IN THE RIVER, IN THE MIRROR, IN THE WORLD: African Americans and Children's Literature On Tour on April 20th.

" Joy Jones has taught creative writing and public speaking to middle school students and coached poetry slam teams. Her children’s book Tambourine Moon (Simon & Schuster) was chosen in 2000 as a Kid’s Pick of the Lists by the American Booksellers Association, selected as one of the best books for children by the black caucus of the ALA, and seen on Fox TV’s hit show The Bernie Mac Show. She is also the author of Private Lessons:A Book of Meditations for Teachers (Andrews McMeel), Fearless Public Speaking (SparkNotes), Jayla Jumps In (Albert Whitman & Company, 2020 and Black Caucus of the American Library Association BCALA, 2020 Best of the Best Booklist), Between Black Women: Listening with the Third Ear (African American Images), and a contributor to the anthology Days I Moved Through Ordinary Sounds: The Teachers of WritersCorps in Poetry and Prose.

She has won awards for her writing from the D. C. Commission on the Arts & Humanities, and the Colonial Players Promising Playwrights Competition, plus awards from both the D. C. Department of Recreation & Parks and the D. C. Commission on National & Community Service for outstanding community service.

Joy Jones’ provocative op-ed on marriage trends for The Washington Post, “Marriage is for White People”, went viral. She is the director of the arts organization, The Spoken Word, and the founder of the Double Dutch team, DC Retro Jumpers, which has led exhibitions and classes throughout metropolitan Washington and abroad.”

"From the Diary of A Negro Volunteer: How Eugene E. Miller became E. Ethelbert Miller during the DC Years of our Lord 1968-1976.” This the title of E. Miller's presentation on April 20 at the Cleveland Park Library (3310 Connecticut Ave. NW-DC 20008). He is speaking at SEEING OURSELVES IN THE RIVER, IN THE MIRROR, IN THE WORLD: African Americans and Children's Literature On Tour.

Ethelbert Miller is a memoirist, award-winning poet and 2022 Grammy nominee for the Best Spoken Word Poetry Album--Black Men Are Precious. Mr. Miller is the author of two memoirs and several collections of poetry. He also is the editor of three anthologies of poetry. He is the editor of Poet Lore magazine and the host of the radio show "On the Margin," which airs Thursday mornings on WPFW-FM. He is the former director of Howard University's African American Resource Center, and has taught at several universities and colleges including American University, Emory & Henry College, and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Register at https://www.estherproductionsinc.com/events-1/seeing-ourselves-in-the-river-in-the-mirror-in-the-world-dcs-african-american-literary-history-on-tour.

Info: aachildrenslit2023@gmail.com.

"AFRICAN AMERICANS AND CHILDREN'S LITERATURE ON TOUR, presented by Esther Productions Inc. in partnership with The Black Student Fund and The Institute for African American Writing, is a humanities project that captures DC's rich literary history and the role played by Black writers in building canon and fortifying community. Supported, in part, by a grant from HumanitiesDC, the project includes a historical exhibition and conversations with some of the city's most acclaimed African American authors."

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