James Baldwin and the Work of Witnessing, Teaching, and Public Intellectualism

I am seeking James Baldwin scholars and contributors to a forthcoming/newly completed Baldwin anthology who are interested in participating as virtual guest lecturers in my Fall 2026 course, ENG 393: Special Topics: James Baldwin, at Philander Smith University, an HBCU in Little Rock, Arkansas.

The course is an intensive, 16-week reading seminar that approaches Baldwin as literary artist, cultural critic, public intellectual, and witness. Students will engage Baldwin's essays and short stories alongside If Beale Street Could Talk and Raoul Peck's I Am Not Your Negro. The course considers Baldwin's evolving thinking about race, education, sexuality, gender, religion, violence, love, citizenship, identity, and social responsibility.

I am particularly interested in inviting scholars to share their own approaches to Baldwin and their current or recent research. This might include discussion of a contribution to the new Baldwin anthology, an ongoing research project, a particular Baldwin text, or a question that has shaped your own engagement with his work.

The goal is not to ask scholars to deliver a formal conference paper. Rather, I hope to create an informal scholarly conversation in which students can encounter Baldwin scholarship as a living intellectual practice and engage directly with scholars whose work is helping to shape contemporary Baldwin studies.

Guest Lecture Format

Guest lectures will take place virtually during the course's regular meeting time:

Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:30–10:50 a.m. Central Time

A typical visit would include approximately 30–45 minutes of presentation or conversation, followed by time for students to ask questions and engage with the guest scholar.

Dates will be coordinated according to the course reading schedule and the scholar's availability. A virtual meeting link and participation details will be provided upon confirmation of a date.

An Invitation to Support HBCU Students

At the heart of this invitation is a desire to give students at Philander Smith University an opportunity to encounter Baldwin scholarship through a range of scholarly voices and perspectives. Bringing Baldwin scholars into the classroom allows students to see themselves as participants in an ongoing intellectual conversation rather than simply consumers of established scholarship.

I would be grateful for your support in making that conversation possible.

Although participation is voluntary, I will provide each guest lecturer with a formal letter documenting their scholarly contribution and engagement with students. The letter may be used as documentation of teaching, service, community engagement, or other professional activity in tenure, promotion, annual review, or professional-development materials.

If you are a Baldwin scholar, teacher, researcher, or contributor to the new anthology and would be interested in joining us for a virtual class visit, I would be delighted to hear from you.

Dr. Sonia Mae Brown
Associate Professor of Language and Letters
Philander Smith University
Little Rock, Arkansas