More Than A Single Story

EMBRACING OUR ROOTS: ROOTED AND RISING- A conversation with Dr. Yolanda Williams & PaviElle French
2024-09-07 13:00 - 15:00 (America/Chicago) | 2106 S 4th St Minneapolis, MN 55455, 2106 S 4th St, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, United States
*This is an in-person event*
Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/embracing-our-roots-rooted-and-rising-a-conversation-with-dr-yolanda-will-tickets-958655222577?aff=oddtdtcreator
Panelist bios:
Rev. Yolanda Y. Williams, Ph.D., is a performer, educator, scholar, and pastor. Yolanda performed soprano and mezzo-soprano repertoire with Vocalessence, the Rochester Symphony, La Choeur Symphonique de Fribourg, Lundi Sept Heures, Ensemble de Cuivres Jurassien, the Montreux Symphony, and the Israel Philharmonic. Her worldwide performances have been of music from the Classical, Jazz, Blues, and Gospel genres. Dr. Williams teaches music as a cultural artifact through the African American/African Studies department at the University of Minnesota. Scholarly work on musical styles and genres of the African Diaspora can be found in the Greenwood Encyclopedia of African American Folklore (2005) and the Encyclopedia of African American Music (2010). With the completion of a second master’s degree, Yolanda became a pastor in the United Methodist Church. She was ordained in May 2023 and serves a congregation in Fridley, MN.

PaviElle French is known for such works as – A Requiem for Zula (2018) written in celebration of her Mother’s life; Sands of Time (2021) with The SPCO (commissioned by The Sands Family); a self-produced album called SOVEREIGN (2020); The SOVEREIGN Suite (2022) commissioned by The Schubert Club in connection with PaviElle’s Artist in Residence with The American Composer Forum (22-24); and has most recently released The SOVEREIGN Suite Video filmed by Peter Myers, and Soundtrack in December of 2023. PaviElle is finishing up both her ACF Residency (2022-24), and Jerome Artist Fellowship (2021-23). She is currently working with a stellar team of educators, toward a curriculum, based on her work through her SOVEREIGN Series. For more info, please check out: www.paviellefrench.com.

Writer to Writer: A conversation between May Lee-Yang and Anisa Hagi-Mohamed
2024-09-19 18:30 - 20:00 | MN
*This is a virtual event*
Register here: https://tinyurl.com/2mz4hwys
Panelist Bios:
May Lee-Yang is a Hmong American writer, performer, and educator. Her debut poetry collection, How I Lost My Name, will be published in Spring 2025 through Sundress Press. She teaches creative writing at the University of Minnesota and is in the process of launching Mayhem Games, a board game company that centers Asian American experiences.
Anisa Hagi-Mohamed is a Somali American educator, artist, leader, and small business owner. She holds degrees in Applied Linguistics and is dedicated to education and community empowerment, creating cultural assets like “My Diasporic Diary” and “Kalsooni Affirmation Cards.” An advocate for Somali culture, she promotes positive representation and has been featured in various publications.

The Ins and Outs of Writing a Successful Novel with A.Rafael Johnson
2024-11-12 18:00 - 19:30 | MN
Please Join us for a three part writing workshop!
Workshop dates:
November 12th- Promise
November 14th- Characters
November 19- Plot
November 26- After the Draft
Register here: Click Here

practice event
2024-12-10 08:00 - 17:00 | MN
This is a test event

Writer to Writer: A conversation between Mary Moore Easter and Christopher P. Lehman
2025-01-16 18:30 - 20:00 | MN
*This is a virtual event*
Register Here
Panelist Bios:
Mary Moore Easter is the author of a memoir The Way She Wants to Get There and four books of poetry including Free Papers, inspired by the testimony of Eliza Winston. She was the Founder and Director of Carleton College’s dance program. In 2022, Carleton College named their new studios in the Weitz Center for Creativity to honor her legacy: the Mary Easter Dance Studios. Now emerita professor, she continues in her performance and written works the overlap of movement, words and song sourced from African American culture.
Christopher P. Lehman is a professor in the Department of Social Sciences at St. Cloud State University. He is the 2023 winner of the Minnesota Humanities Center’s Ruth Riester Award and the 2020 winner of the Minnesota Book Award in the Minnesota Nonfiction category for his book Slavery’s Reach: Southern Slaveholders in the North Star State. He has been a visiting fellow at Harvard University’s Hutchins Center for African and African American Research. His latest book is It Took Courage: Eliza Winston’s Quest for Freedom.

Embracing Our Roots: Rooted and Rising with Dr. Haki Madhubuti and Chaun Webber
2025-02-01 13:00 - 15:00 | Elmer L. Andersen Library, 222 21st Ave S, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, United States
Join Dr. Haki Madhubuti and Chaun Webster in a conversation about self-determination in Black writing, publishing and distribution. Elder Madhubuti a widely published author and poet, and is the founder of Third World Press, the oldest Black Publishing house in the world. Chaun Webster is also a widely published poet and graphic artist. This event continues a series of intergenerational discussions between African American creatives and is co-sponsored by More Than a Single Story, The Givens Collection of African American Literature and Life, the In Black Ink publishing arts initiative, Givens Foundation For African American Literature, and University of Minnesota MFA Program in Creative Writing Program with funds from the Edelstein-Keller Endowment.
This is an in-person event at the following address:
Elmer L. Andersen Library
Givens Conference Suite 120
222 21st Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55455
Please Register here: Click Here

Panelist Bios:
Haki R. Madhubuti is an award winning poet, author, and educator. Widely regarded as one of the architects of the Black Arts Movement (BAM), he is the founder and publisher of Chicago’s Third World Press, the oldest independent Black book publishing company in the world (1967). Madhubuti holds an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. He has authored more than 37 books and has been awarded five Honorary degrees. He is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Chicago State University where he founded and directed the Gwendolyn Brooks Center for Black Literature and Creative Writing. His poetry and teaching have been recognized by numerous awards, most recently the “Living in her Legacy Lifetime Achievement Award” given by the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center in recognition of his lifetime of service and exemplary art activism.
Chaun Webster is a poet and graphic designer living in Minneapolis whose work is attempting to put pressure on the spatial and temporal limitations of writing, of the english language, as a way to demonstrate its incapacity for describing blackness outside of a regime of death and dying. Webster’s books include, Gentry!fication: or the scene of the crime (Noemi Press, 2018), and Wail Song: wading in the water at the end of the world, (Black Ocean Press, 2023). Both books were awarded the Minnesota Book Award for Poetry.

An Afternoon with Jason Reynolds
2025-05-08 13:00 - 15:00 | Guthrie Theatre, 818 South 2nd Street, Minneapolis, 55415, United States
More Than a Single Story is excited to be bringing Jason Reynolds, #1 bestselling children’s and Young Adult author and MacArthur Genius, to the Twin Cities for a stimulating conversation with our own Shannon Gibney and two 15-year-old readers, Boisey Corvah and Asher Parks. Minneapolis Poet Laureate, Junauda Petrus will open with a poem.
Reynolds has written over 20 books that depict the rich inner lives of children of color and offer profound moments of human connection. Beyond the page, he is a dynamic champion of storytelling who inspires reluctant readers and the adults who teach and care for them.

In order to ensure that the event is accessible to educators and their students, it will be in the afternoon.

Thursday, May 8, 2025, 1-3 pm
Guthrie Theater Wurtele Stage

The event is free and open to the public. All are invited but you will need to register. ASL interpreters available upon request.
Register Here: Click Here

Many thanks to the MN Humanities Center for their sponsorship, and Hennepin County Library for partnering with us. We couldn’t have done it without you.
Who Should Attend?

Writers and readers of all ages and communities
School groups, after school groups, and other interested groups
Parents and adults who want to hang out with a young person for an afternoon

All other interested persons

Registration Tips
The Guthrie Theater is taking registrations for this event.

If you want to register your group, click on the registration link, scroll down to Student Groups and fill out the form provided

If you want to register as an individual, click Register, then click Select. Then select your seats from the highlighted sections, Orchestra Center or Orchestra Left.

If you have special needs, call or email the Guthrie Box Office

Box office hrs Tues-Fri 1-8pm, Sat-Sun 10am-8pm
612.377.2224 or 1.877.447.8243 (toll-free)
Email: boxoffice@guthrietheater

Songs For Our Fathers: Fathers Shaping the World
2025-05-31 14:00 - 16:00 | Rondo Community Library, 461 Dale St N, St. Paul, MN, 55103, United States
Fathers shape the world. Through their love, labor, lessons and sometimes through their absence, they leave a legacy that lives on in us. Join More Than a Single Story and The Friends of the Saint Paul Library for a series of 2 panels that aim to bridge cultural, racial, and generational divides as single fathers, married fathers, stepfathers, and grandfathers gather to explore the songs and silences passed down by our fathers, and the stories we’re crafting now as we raise, support, and stand beside the next generation.
Co-Moderators: Suleiman Adan and Ben Weaver.
To Register Click Here
Panelist Bios:
Imam Makram El-Amin is a respected religious and civic leader whose work for over two decades has centered on human dignity and community uplift. He leads Masjid An-Nur in Minneapolis and Al Maa’uun Community Outreach Services, addressing food insecurity, housing, career support, and mentorship. A student of Imam W. Deen Mohammed, his balanced approach to Islam has led to global interfaith work including meetings with Pope John Paul II, the Dalai Lama, and Bishop Desmond Tutu. He served as advisor to Keith Ellison and was once called the “congressman’s imam” by The New York Times. Imam El-Amin has lectured internationally, served as a police chaplain, and currently chairs the Urban League Twin Cities. He earned his MDiv from Bayan Islamic Graduate School and is pursuing a Doctorate in Leadership there. He is married to Sharon, and together they have three children and three grandsons.
Lars Kommienezuspadt is an internationally recognized photographer, videographer, and illustrator. For over a decade, he has documented times of social crisis. His work has captured pivotal moments such as the killing of Philando Castile and George Floyd in Minneapolis, the Dakota Access Pipeline protests at Standing Rock, and the ongoing Palestine movement during the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
Long Vang is a father of three sons and has worked in the Human Services Field for more than 25 years. He has worked with front-line staff, case managers, mental health practitioner and upper management as well as Executive Director. He is currently with Oyate Hotanin (One People). As one of the co-designers for the Repair Circle Process. Oyate Hotanin is looking for alternatives to incarceration and system reform to improve lives and communities. He also pioneered and developed one of the first aftercare programs for youth and families for the Hmong community in the early 1990’s when families were struggling with adjudicated youth in Minnesota. As a member of the Hmong community, Vang mentors young adults finding their career journey and serves his civic duties to inform and educate families struggling to navigate our currently broken system.
Josh Tecumseh Wabaunsee is a lighting designer/director, and is currently the Lighting Supervisor at Northrop Auditorium at the University of Minnesota. He is an enrolled member of the Prairie Band of Potawatomi and currently live in Annandale, MN. He is father to three children: One biological, Forest Tecumseh, 18, and two step children, Maddie, 23 and Abhram, 21. Abhram was adopted from Ethiopia. He and Forests mother divorced when he was 3. She had the majority of parenting time initially, but Forest has been living with Josh full time since he was in 6th grade.
Moderater Bios:
Suleiman Adan is a writer, poet, and writing teacher whose work has been published in the anthology We are Meant to Rise: Voices for Justice from Minneapolis to the World. In addition to his creative pursuits, Suleiman is a dedicated systems builder, community advocate, and DEI trainer with over a decade of experience empowering teams and building capacity through grassroots trainings and organizing efforts. Passionate about youth education, he has operated a free tutoring company focused on increasing literacy and proficiency in BIPOC youth, while also serving on Education and Arts boards. As an experienced project manager and fundraiser, Suleiman has led diverse global initiatives across sectors. A skilled trainer, he has mobilized volunteers in 8 countries for social justice causes and facilitates critical dialogues on diversity, equity and inclusion. Suleiman currently serves as the Deputy Executive Director at CAIR MN, the nations largest civil rights organization.
Ben Weaver is a father, caregiver, songwriter, poet and hide tanner, who travels by bicycle. He uses music and poetry to strengthen relationships and culture between human and non-human entities. He has released nine studio albums of music and five books of poetry. Given the choice he will side with the animals, lakes, rivers and trees. Relationship is the repair.

Songs For Our Fathers: The Glory That is Fatherhood
2025-06-07 14:00 - 16:00 | Rondo Community Library, 461 Dale St N, St. Paul, MN, 55103, United States
Fathers shape the world. Through their love, labor, lessons and sometimes through their absence, they leave a legacy that lives on in us. Join More Than a Single Story and The Friends of the Saint Paul Library for a series of 2 panels that aim to bridge cultural, racial, and generational divides as single fathers, married fathers, stepfathers, and grandfathers gather to explore the songs and silences passed down by our fathers, and the stories we’re crafting now as we raise, support, and stand beside the next generation.
Co-Moderators: Ben Weaver and Suleiman Adan.
To Register Click Here
Panelist Bios
Alexei Moon Casselle, known on stage as Crescent Moon, is a father, educator, and artist who first discovered the power of words at age 12—thanks to a teacher who turned classroom outbursts into creative writing assignments. By 15, he was writing rap lyrics and performing at South High School, launching a music career rooted in Hip Hop that remains at the core of his work. As a former member of the group Oddjobs and current member of Kill The Vultures, he has toured internationally and shared stages with artists like Snoop Dogg, Shock G of Digital Underground, and De la Soul. Over the years, his creative expression has expanded to include Folk/Americana, Spoken Word, and experimental music that resists easy categorization. Alexei is the proud father of a teenage daughter, and together they write and perform as the duo DoubleDragon. His journey as a parent deeply shapes both his songwriting and his work as a secondary educator, where he helps amplify young voices.
Nick Metcalf is Sicangu Oyate – Burnt Thigh People – Rosebud Sioux Tribe. Nick has lived in the Twin Cities for 30 years where they’ve made a life filled with lots of friends, family, and community. Nick is a proud Parent and Grandparent. Nick is a Poet and Writer. Nick participated in the Loft’s 2024 year-long Poetry Apprenticeship with Heid E. Erdrich. Abdirahman (Abdi) Mukhtar is passionate about the health of the young people in his community. A leader, coach for numerous sports teams, mentor, and passionate youth worker over two decades, he is widely known on the West Bank of Minneapolis and in the Somali American community in Minnesota for his community work. He founded Daryeel (the Somali word for “care”) Youth to be a non-judging beacon of light for young people in the throes of active addiction. He welcomes all to his Friday night gatherings, where he supplies food, clean clothing, personal hygiene products, a first aid kit with Narcan, and dressing for wounds. His compassion has earned him the trust of his community, especially parents who are trying to help their children reclaim a healthy life.
Mohamud Nur has been living in Minnesota since 1998. He is a proud father and grandfather. While raising his children, he worked double shifts to support them and ensure his familys survival. Raising children, especially boys in the United States, and particularly in Minnesota, comes with many challenges. It requires time, space, and most importantly, presence. Mohmed made it a priority to not just be a parent, but also a friend to his children.
Moderater Bios:
Suleiman Adan is a writer, poet, and writing teacher whose work has been published in the anthology We are Meant to Rise: Voices for Justice from Minneapolis to the World. In addition to his creative pursuits, Suleiman is a dedicated systems builder, community advocate, and DEI trainer with over a decade of experience empowering teams and building capacity through grassroots trainings and organizing efforts. Passionate about youth education, he has operated a free tutoring company focused on increasing literacy and proficiency in BIPOC youth, while also serving on Education and Arts boards. As an experienced project manager and fundraiser, Suleiman has led diverse global initiatives across sectors. A skilled trainer, he has mobilized volunteers in 8 countries for social justice causes and facilitates critical dialogues on diversity, equity and inclusion. Suleiman currently serves as the Deputy Executive Director at CAIR MN, the nations largest civil rights organization.
Ben Weaver is a father, caregiver, songwriter, poet and hide tanner, who travels by bicycle. He uses music and poetry to strengthen relationships and culture between human and non-human entities. He has released nine studio albums of music and five books of poetry. Given the choice he will side with the animals, lakes, rivers and trees. Relationship is the repair.

Writer to Writer Queer Voices: Curators, Past and Present
2025-06-24 18:30 - 20:00 | Quatrefoil Library, 1220 E Lake st, Minneapolis, 55407, United States
Writer to Writer is a series featuring conversations between BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color) writers.
Queer Births & Queer Battles: A Panel Discussion with Queer Voices Curators
The four curators of Queer Voices, past and present, have been honored to celebrate the queer literary community of Minnesota and create space for all voices across our big, beautiful, and bold rainbow. This Pride month founding curators, Andrea Jenkins, and John Medeiros, along with present curators, LM Brimmer and Sherrie Fernandez-Williams will share their work and discuss their writing lives, while providing some stories around Queer Voices’ 32-year history.
This program takes place at Quatrefoil Library.
To register please Click Here
Panelist Bios:
Andrea Jenkins is a soulful poet, educator, artist, respected historian and political powerhouse. In 2017 she became the 1st out Black Trans woman elected to public office in the United States. She serves on the Minneapolis City Council. She holds a Masters Degree in Community Economic Development from Southern New Hampshire University, a Masters of Fine Arts from Hamline University, and Bachelors Degree from Metropolitan State University. Additionally she completed the Senior Government and Executive Leadership program at Harvard University. She has been featured in TIME Magazine, Essence, Teen Vogue, The New York Times, The Guardian, Minneapolis St. Paul Magazine. In 2022 she was named on the OUT100 list by OUT Magazine, Twin Cities Business 100 People to Know, and Fast Company Top 50 Queers.
John Medeiros is a poetry, memoirist, and lawyer living in Minneapolis. His is the author of couplets for a shrinking world (North Star Press) and co-editor of Queer Voices: Poetry, Prose, and Pride (Minnesota Historical Society Press). His work has appeared in several anthologies, including Squares and Rebels (Handtype Press), Poetry City, USA, vol. 2 (Lowbrow Press), Collective Brightness (Sibling Rivalry Press), Other Words: A Writer’s Reader (Kendall/Hunt), and Gents, Badboys, and Barbarians: New Gay Male Poetry (Alison Publications). His writing is featured in numerous journals, including qarrtsiluni, Midway Journal, Marco Polo Quarterly, Two Hawks Quarterly, Raging Dove, Second Run, Swell, Sport Literate, Hot Metal Press, Water~Stone Review; Gulf Coast; Willow Springs, The Talking Stick, and Evergreen Chronicles. He is the recipient of two Minnesota State Arts Board grants; Gulf Coast ‘s Nonfiction Award; and the AWP Intro Journals Award. He has an MFA from Hamline University (St. Paul), and his work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, and as a Notable Essay in Best American Essays (2006). He co-curated the Queer Voices Reading Series with Intermedia Arts in Minneapolis, Minnesota, from 2005 to 2018. More information about him can be found at his website, www.jmedeiros.net.
LM Brimmer is an interdisciplinary artist living on Dakota land in Minneapolis, MN. Co-editor of the anthology Queer Voices: Poetry, Prose and Pride, their poetry have appeared in Colorado Review, Voicemail Poems, Impossible Archetype, Gasher Journal, The B’K’, Quarterly West and are forthcoming from Sonora Review. A Randolph College MFA alumni, they are Artistic Director of Queer Voices of Minnesota – a reading series that since 1993 has celebrated and supported queer lives and the writers living them. They teach at Century College and the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities.
Sherrie Fernandez-Williams is a Black, Queer writer who earned her MFA from Hamline University. She is the author of the book of poems, Goddess of the Whole Self, and the memoir Soft. She has published poems and essays in New Limestone Review, Aquifer: The Florida Review, Duke University Press, We are Meant to Rise: Voices for Justice from Minneapolis to the World, How Dare We Write: A Multicultural Creative Writing Discourse, and The Poverty and Education Reader. Her grants and awards include a Jerome Hill Artist Fellowship, a Black Voices in Children’s Literature award, Minnesota State Arts Board, The Loft Literary Center, The Givens Foundation for African American Literature, Intermedia Arts, SASE: The Write Place, and The Playwrights’ Center. Sherrie is Operation Director of Queer Voices.

Writer to Writer with Marian Hassan and Ahmed Ismail Yusuf
2025-09-23 18:30 - 20:00 | MN
Writer to Writer is a series featuring conversations between BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color) writers.
In Somali pastoral tradition, a genre of writing that depicts an idealized rural life, language is the richest possession – carried like water, full of poetry, memory, and heritage. Join Somali American writers Marian Hassan and Ahmed Ismail Yusuf in a conversation of how their writing is a way to remember, resist, and make meaning of stories shaped by migration, tradition, and the shadow of war.
They will explore language as both a bridge and barrier and discuss the challenges of transferring fragmented oral stories to the page, balancing truth with craft, and searching for home in memory and language. Q&A session to follow. Collaborator: More Than a Single Story. This program is funded with money from Minnesota’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
This is a virtual event please Register here
Panelist Bios:
Marian Hassan is a writer, educator, third culture adult, and advocate for bi-literacy and educational equity. Her work focuses on creating inclusive learning materials that honor students’ heritage languages and cultural identities. Hassan is the author of several bilingual children’s books and the editor of Crossroads: An Anthology of Resilience and Hope, a collection of youth writing.
Ahmed Ismail Yusuf was raised in a nomadic upbringing and is the author of three books: Gorgorkii Yimi, The Lion’s Binding Oath, Somalis in Minnesota, and Maana-faay (translated from Somali into English). Two new books will be released in 2026. He holds a BS in Creative Writing and Psychology from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut and an MPA (Master of Public Affairs) from the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota.

Our Stories Ourselves with Crown Shepard
2025-10-02 17:00 - 19:00 | MN
Our Stories, Ourselves (OSO) is our legacy series which include a panel discussion and related writing workshops led by BIPOC writers. Each cluster of OSO events are shaped around a specific theme and a set of BIPOC writers.
Local author Crown Shepherd shares how writers can bring stories to life with bold characters, exciting plots and kid-friendly dialogue! Learn how to write engaging comics that capture children’s imaginations. From crafting compelling narratives to understanding pacing and tone, you’ll gain the tools to create a comic that entertains, educates and connects with young readers. Collaborators: More Than a Single Story, MN BIPOC KidLit Creators. This program is funded with money from Minnesota’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
*This is an online event* – Please register here
Panelist bio
Crown Shepherd is a prolific author with ten published books to her name and many more in the pipeline. She is a seasoned marketing manager at Wise Ink Creative Publishing, a dedicated owner and bookseller at Liberate Your BookShelf, and an unwavering advocate for reading.
Born and raised in the vibrant community of North Minneapolis, Crown Shepherd has always been passionate about literacy and education. Her life’s mission revolves around reducing the illiteracy rate within the Black community. She firmly believes that reading is the key to unlocking a world of knowledge and opportunity.
With the firm conviction that if you can read, you can learn; if you can learn, you can grow; and if you can grow, you can be anything, Crown Shepherd has tirelessly worked to inspire and empower individuals through the written word.
In addition to her literary pursuits, Crown Shepherd actively contributes to her community by serving on several non-profit boards in the Twin Cities. Her commitment to fostering positive change has not gone unnoticed, and she has been recognized as a publishing fellow for Wise Ink.
Crown Shepherd’s dedication to the arts and literature has also earned her accolades in the form of several prestigious Minnesota Arts grants. These grants have allowed her to further her mission of promoting literacy and making a lasting impact on her community.
As an author, marketer, bookseller, advocate, and community leader, Crown Shepherd’s multifaceted contributions continue to leave an indelible mark on the world of literature and education. Her passion for storytelling and her commitment to the betterment of her community make her a true literary force to be reckoned with.
For more about Crown Shepherd, visit www.crownthewriter.com

Embracing Our Roots: Rooted and Rising with Dr. John S. Wright & Davu Underwood Seru
2025-11-01 13:00 - 15:00 | Elmer L. Andersen Library, 222 21st Ave S, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, United States
Embracing Our Roots consists of monthly conversations where young arts leaders will join our elders in conversation about their histories of significant milestones in Minnesota’s literary history within their community. The series started with a collaboration between More Than a Single Story, Black Table Arts and In Black Ink to highlight conversations between Black artists across generations.
*This is an in-person event* please register here
Panelist Bios
John S. Wright– Morse-Amoco Distinguished Teaching Professor Emeritus of African American & African Studies and English at the University of Minnesota. Born in the Phillips neighborhood of Minneapolis, Wright earned degrees in three different fields from the University: his Ph.D. (American Studies / History of African Peoples, 1977), M.A., (English & American Literature, 1971), and B.E.E. (Electrical Engineering, 1968). Before leaving in 1973 to build a program in Afro-American & African Studies at Carleton College, he participated in the student movement that helped found both the University’s Department of African American & African Studies and its Martin Luther King Program, which he subsequently administered for three years. After returning to the University in 1984, he chaired the AFRO Department, spearheaded the acquisition of the Archie Givens Collection of African American Literature & Life, and served on the CLA faculty for thirty-five years before retiring in 2019.
While serving as senior editor of Coffeehouse Press’s Black Arts Movement Reprint Series and Simon & Schuster’s Givens Collection Series, he published the critically acclaimed intellectual biography, Shadowing Ralph Ellison: Art, Freedom, and Technologies of the Spirit; and he has consulted for such television documentaries as Africans in America; Midnight Ramble: the Cinema of Oscar Micheaux; and PBS’s Free to Dance series. His extended essay on African American Intellectual Life for the Macmillan Encyclopedia of African American Culture and History remains a scholarly landmark. As performer, he headlined revivals of Langston Hughes’s Ask Your Mama: Twelve Moods for Jazz at Minneapolis’s Walker Art Center on a double-bill with Imamu Amiri Baraka, and on stage with John Faddis and the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band in its 2000 production.
Davu Underwood Seru is the Curator of the Givens Collection of African American Literature and Life and co-author of the book Sights, Sounds, Soul: The Twin Cities Through The Lens of Charles Chamblis, which was a finalist for the 2017 MN Book Award. He has published articles on literature, music, history and culture in American Book Review, The Waker Art Center online magazine MnArtist.org and the French jazz magazine Les Allumés du Jazz. He is currently working on a book project with the artist Seitu Ken Jones.
In 2023, before leaving the English Department at Hamline University, where he had taught since 2011, Davu was awarded the Dr. Colleen S. Bell Outstanding Faculty Award. He continues to teach on- and off-campus.
Davu is also an improvising musician and composer known primarily for his work on drums. His compositions often emphasize interdisciplinarity and draw from archival research. This work has afforded him an international reputation and awards from McKnight Foundation (2020 Composer Fellowship), Jerome Foundation (2017-18 Composer/Sound Artist Fellow) and commissions from Walker Art Center and Zeitgeist ensemble.
Davu remains the longest-serving teaching assistant to Dr. John S. Wright and the longest-serving graduate research fellow to the Givens Collection.

EMBRACING OUR ROOTS: ROOTED AND RISING -A conversation with Mary Moore Easter and Leslie Parker
2026-02-28 13:00 - 15:00 | Elmer L. Andersen Library, 222 21st Ave S, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, United States
Embracing Our Roots consists of conversations where young arts leaders will join our elders in conversation about their histories of significant milestones in Minnesota’s history within their community. The series is a collaboration between More Than a Single Story, The Givens Collection of Literature and Life, and In Black Ink to highlight conversations between Black artists across generations.
Don’t forget to register here
Panelist Bios
Mary Moore Easter, author of five poetry collections and a memoir, continues to comment on her world, inner and outer. Her most recent collection, Dancing on the Precipice, a good description of not falling over the edge, chronicles healing to dance, travel, family, politics and new love following core-opening surgery at 85. Honors: Cave Canem Fellow; recipient of book and dance awards; Carleton College’s Mary Easter Dance Studio in honor of her legacy in that place. Poetry Memberships ongoing: Penchant, Twin Cities Black Women Writing and others.
Leslie Parker was born in the traditional homeland of Dakhóta and Ojibwe and raised in the Rondo neighborhood which led her to refining her dance practice in her second art home base of the Lenape people (aka Brooklyn, NY). Parker, a dance artist, educator, performer, improviser, organizer, choreographer, and director is a 2017 Bessie award recipient, a Jerome Hill Artist
Fellow 2019-2021, 2022 Mcknight Choreographer Fellow and 2024-2026 Jerome@Camargo artist-in-residence in Cassis, France. She holds a MFA from Hollins University in partnership with Dresden Frankfurt Company and Kunstlerhaus Mousonturm in Frankfurt, Germany. She lectured, choreographed, improvised, and taught dance at Spelman College, Florida State
University, TU Dance Center, University of Michigan, Sarah Lawrence College, University of Minnesota, Alabama School of Fine Arts, Keshet Dance School and Performing Arts, Carleton College, Point Park University, Temple University, and Hollins University. Parker has worked and studied with local, national and international choreographers globally.

EMBRACING OUR ROOTS: ROOTED AND RISING -A conversation with Carolyn Holbrook and Arleta Little
2026-04-04 13:00 - 15:00 | Elmer L. Andersen Library, 222 21st Ave S, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, United States
This event has been rescheduled to April 4th

Join beloved artists and culture bearers, Carolyn Holbrook and Arleta Little in a wide ranging conversation as they reflect on the paths that led them to where they are today in their lives and careers; paths that have often been lit by unseen and unexpected sources. Embracing our Roots: Rooted and Rising pairs Black artists and arts activist Elders with next-generation arts leaders in conversation, mining the continuum of cultural knowledge and experience that built today’s arts community. It is a partnership between More Than a Single Story, The Givens Collection of African American Literature and Life, and the In Black Ink publishing arts initiative.
Embracing Our Roots consists of conversations where young arts leaders will join our elders in conversation about their histories of significant milestones in Minnesota’s history within their community. The series is a collaboration between More Than a Single Story, The Givens Collection of Literature and Life, and In Black Ink to highlight conversations between Black artists across generations.
Don’t forget to register here
Panelist Bios:
Carolyn Holbrook is founder and director or More Than a Single Story. Her memoir, Tell Me Your Names and I Will Testify, won the 2021 Minnesota Book Award in memoir/creative nonfiction. She is co-editor with David Mura of the anthology, We Are Meant to Rise: Voices for Justice from Minneapolis to the World (UMN Press) and is co-author with Dr. Josie Johnson and Arleta Little of Hope in the Struggle (UMN Press). Her essays have been published in anthologies including A Good Time For the Truth and Blues Vision: African American Writing from Minnesota. Her 2022 TEDx talk, The Life you Live is the Legacy You will Leave, was presented at Concordia College in Moorhead, MN. Her awards include the Minnesota Book Awards Kay Sexton Award, 2010; Hamline University Exemplary Teacher, 2014; 50 over 50, 2017; Celebrate the Sistahs, 2020; and Flowers Now!, 2024. She is the 2025 McKnight Distinguished Artist.
Arleta Little is a poet, writer, and culture worker who has made good trouble for nearly 30 years in nonprofit organizations and philanthropy in Minnesota. Arleta’s latest book of poetry, Black Swallowtail, pairs her poetry with paintings by visual artist Ta-coumba T. Aiken. Her poems and essays have appeared in multiple journals and publications including We Are Meant to Rise:
Voices for Justice from Minneapolis to the World (UMN Press), Blues Vision: African American Writing From Minnesota (MNHS Press), Water-Stone Review, Calyx, and more. She is a co- author along with Josie Johnson and Carolyn Holbrook of Hope in the Struggle: A Memoir (UMN Press). Arleta was the first Executive Director of the Givens Foundation for African American Literature and co-founder of the influential Givens Black Writers Retreat program. She currently serves as the Executive & Artistic Director for the Loft in Minneapolis, serving literary creatives, culture bearers, and changemakers.

LAND & WATER: A WRITER’S RELATIONSHIP WITH PLACE May 5th Writing Workshop with Diane Wilson
2026-05-05 17:30 - 19:30 | All My Relations Gallery, 1414 E Franklin ave #1, Minneapolis, MN, 55404, United States
Join us for a two-part workshop in support of the Mary Ann Key Book Club conversation with Robin Wall Kimmerer. Today’s workshop, led by novelist Diane Wilson, focuses on land, encouraging participants to write about a beloved place that has influenced their lives. Refreshments begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by the workshop at 6 p.m. The workshop is offered in a hybrid format, both in person at All My Relations Arts Gallery or online via Facebook Live.
Please register by clicking here
Setting is often described as an element in a writer’s story, a tool that helps the reader visualize the place where their characters live. And yet, as humans, we are profoundly shaped by the land we come from, the water we live near, the plants and animals who share the earth with us, and the horizon that greets us each day. Along with discussion of select excerpts by various writers, such as Robin Wall Kimmerer, Linda Hogan, and Kimberly Blaeser, participants will explore their relationship to place through brief writing exercises, and consider how they might extend that visualization to their broader work.
Diane Wilson is a Dakota writer, educator, and bog steward, enrolled on the Rosebud Reservation. She has published six award-winning books as well as essays in numerous publications. Her novel, “The Seed Keeper,” won the 2022 Minnesota Book Award and is a selection for the 2026 NEA Big Read. Her memoir, “Spirit Car: Journey to a Dakota Past,” won a 2006 Minnesota Book Award and her nonfiction book, “Beloved Child: A Dakota Way of Life,” received the Barbara Sudler Award from History Colorado. Wilson has written two middle-grade biographies about Dakota language protectors and co-authored a 2022 picture book – “Where We Come From,” winner of the 2023 Carter G. Woodson Award. Wilson’s work explores seed sovereignty, social justice, cultural recovery, and environmental stewardship. She is currently working on a memoir, “Mapping My Way Home: A Story of Love, Loss, and a Bog.”

Writer to writer with Payal Doshi and Nicole D. Collier
2026-05-07 18:30 - 20:00 | MN
This is an online event please Register Here
Panelist Bios:
Payal Doshi is the author of Rea and the Blood of the Nectar, a middle grade fantasy novel and recipient of the IPPY Gold Award. Her young adult short story, “A Confluence of Fates” can be found in the YA anthology, My Big, Fat, Desi Wedding. Her forthcoming four-book series of chapter books, Magic Gems, published by Scholastic Inc. will be available in 2026. Payal has an MFA in Creative Writing (Fiction) from The New School, New York. Born and raised in Mumbai, India, she currently lives with her family in Minnesota. When she isn’t writing stories that celebrate her South Asian heritage, you can find her nose deep in a book with a cup of coffee or daydreaming of fantasy realms to send her characters into. For more information, visit her website, www.payaldoshiauthor.com, or follow her on Instagram @payaldoshiauthor.
Nicole D. Collier writes warm-hearted stories about learning to be true to yourself. Her books have been nominated for state book awards, earned starred reviews, and been named on ‘best of’ lists. A former elementary school teacher, Nicole champions literacy, critical thinking, imagination and compassion as essential 21st century skills. Born and raised in Atlanta, she is currently based in sunny St. Petersburg, Florida where she is daydreaming about her next project.

LAND & WATER: A WRITER’S RELATIONSHIP WITH PLACE May 20th Writing Workshop with Halee Kirkwood
2026-05-20 17:30 - 19:30 | All My Relations Gallery, 1414 E Franklin ave #1, Minneapolis, MN, 55404, United States
Join us for a two-part workshop in support of the Mary Ann Key Book Club conversation with Robin Wall Kimmerer. Today’s workshop, led by poet Halee Kirkwood, focuses on water, encouraging participants to write about a waterway that nourishes them. Refreshments begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by the workshop at 6 p.m. The workshop is offered in a hybrid format, both in person at All My Relations Arts Gallery or online via Facebook Live.
Please register by clicking here
Setting is often described as an element in a writer’s story, a tool that helps the reader visualize the place where their characters live. And yet, as humans, we are profoundly shaped by the land we come from, the water we live near, the plants and animals who share the earth with us, and the horizon that greets us each day. Along with discussion of select excerpts by various writers, such as Robin Wall Kimmerer, Linda Hogan, and Kimberly Blaeser, participants will explore their relationship to place through brief writing exercises, and consider how they might extend that visualization to their broader work.
Halee Kirkwood’s debut poetry collection, “To Think of a Match,” is forthcoming with Curbstone Press in spring 2027. Kirkwood is a 2023-2025 Jerome Hill Artist Fellow, an inaugural and returning Indigenous Nations Poets fellow, and a 2019 Loft Mentor Series fellow. They are a direct descendant of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe.
