African American literature has always been under assault and faced threat of erasure. Yet, we are experiencing a heightened moment of attack, when political activists are using legislative action to attempt to eradicate Blackness, intersecting identities, DEI initiatives, and the history of race in America from public education and consciousness. Therefore, this is an important time for us to proactively discuss how we teach African American writing and its expressive power to help us understand our pasts, presents, and futures.

Our Northeast Modern Language Association (NeMLA) roundtable will focus on strategies for and / or experiences of teaching African American literature (broadly defined, including film and other mediums) in today’s classrooms. Any period or genre of African American literature is welcome.

Roundtable participants will have between 5-10 minutes to introduce a topic, and conversation will follow. Participants can read a paper or present more informally.

NeMLA's convention will be held March 7-10, 2024 in Boston, MA. For more information, visit: https://www.buffalo.edu/nemla.html

In order to submit a proposal, please submit a 200-word abstract using NeMLA's submssion form: https://www.buffalo.edu/nemla/convention.html

If you have questions, please contact Dr. Clark Barwick at mbarwick@indiana.edu. Proposals are due October 15, 2023.