College of Charleston’s Department of English and the African American Studies Program co-host an African American Read-In to celebrate Black History Month and Toni Morrison’s 89th birthday.

This event is focused on raising awareness and celebrating the African American literary tradition. Created by the National Council of Teachers of English in 1990, read-ins are held every year in February across the world. Faculty, staff, students and the public are invited to read aloud (often dramatically) from their favorite African American writers. The goal is to spend several hours reading, sharing and celebrating writers of African descent. Our focus will be on celebrating the work of Toni Morrison, who transitioned in August 2019.

You can bring your own selections (poetry, prose, plays, fiction, nonfiction, biography, memoir, etc.) to read or choose from several options that will be available. Stay for 20 minutes or 2 hours. All are welcome. Just drop in to recite or listen. We will read, eat cake and uplift the diverse body of work broadly defined as African American/African Diaspora literature!