Few American writers have marked their era as powerfully as James Baldwin. As distinctive on the page as on the airwaves, his voice is indelibly associated with the demand for racial justice in the United States, a demand that continues to make him one of our most pressing and urgent contemporaries.
To mark Baldwin’s centenary, the Authors Guild Foundation invites you to join a conversation featuring some of our most exciting writers, scholars, and essayists.
Tickets are required for all sessions. Authors Guild members can buy tickets at a discounted rate. A subscription to all sessions is available here.
Session Schedule
Click any session title for more information or to buy tickets.
| Date | Session |
| Wednesday, February 26 | Jesse McCarthy—An Introduction |
| Tuesday, March 18 | Colm Tóibín—Go Tell It on the Mountain |
| Thursday, April 24 | Imani Perry—“Sonny’s Blues” & “The Uses of the Blues” |
| Wednesday, May 21 | W. Ralph Eubanks & Eddie Glaude, Jr.—Notes of a Native Son |
| Thursday, June 26 | Viet Thanh Nguyen—No Name in the Street |
| Thursday, July 24 | Rachel Cohen—Baldwin & Delaney |
| Thursday, August 21 | Vinson Cunningham—Another Country |
| Thursday, September 18 | Ayana Mathis—The Fire Next Time |
All sessions start at 2 p.m. ET.
The painting of James Baldwin in the graphic above is by Beauford Delaney and reprinted courtesy of the Michael Rosenfeld Gallery.
Beauford Delaney (1901–1979), James Baldwin, c.1945–50, oil on canvasboard, 24 x 18 inches / 61 x 45.7 cm, estate stamp; Private Collection; © Estate of Beauford Delaney, by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire, Court Appointed Administrator, Courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery LLC, New York, NY