FREE📍 Harlem

Reading & Writing Workshop: Nature, Place and Black Life

Name: Reading & Writing Workshop: Nature, Place and Black Life
Start: 2026-05-13T17:30:00-04:00
End: 2026-05-13T18:30:00-04:00
Location: NYPL Countee Cullen Branch

📆Wed, May 13 · 5:30 PM

📍NYPL Countee Cullen Branch · 104 West 136th Street, New York, NY, 10030

🏷Free

About this event

This event will take place in-person at Countee Cullen library. Program Description This Reading & Writing Group explores how Black writers have used nature, land, memory, and place as central forces in shaping personal and collective identity. While Black authors are not often associated with nature or place-based writing, there is a deep and expansive literary tradition that centers the land—as home, as history, as witness. Each session focuses on one book by a Black author and combines guided discussion with light, optional writing exercises. Reading excerpts serve as inspiration rather than prerequisites, allowing participants to engage whether or not they have completed the full book. The group is designed to be accessible, discussion-forward, and welcoming to both readers and writers at all levels. Registered participants can pick up a copy of the workshop book, which must be read prior to attending the sessions. Supplies are limited and prioritized for those registered. About the Instructor Benje Williams is the Cofounder of Outlandish, a Brooklyn-based community space focused on reconnecting people of color with nature through outdoor experiences, literature and conversation. He has facilitated reading groups and writing-adjacent programs with organizations like the Center for Fiction, Catapult and Outlandish, leading discussion-driven sessions that combine close reading with optional reflective writing. Benje’s writing has appeared in The New York Times, Longreads, Backpacker, and Los Angeles Review of Books. He is currently working on a book-length project exploring place, history, and belonging. Workshops take place once a month. Attendance to all sessions is strongly encouraged. Calendar: Wednesday, March 4, 2026, 5:30 - 7:00 PM Wednesday, April 8, 2026, 5:30 - 7:00 PM Wednesday, May 13, 2026, 5:30 - 7:00 PM Wednesday, June 3, 2026, 5:30 - 7:00 PM ACCESSIBILITY NOTES In-Person Assistive listening devices and/or hearing loops are available at the venue. You can request a free ASL (American Sign Language) interpretation or CART (Communication Access Real-Time Translation) captioning service by emailing your request at least two weeks in advance of the event: email accessibility@nypl.org or use this Gmail template.

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