HU Annual Read-In Welcomes Author Daniel Black

HU Annual Read-In Welcomes Author Daniel Black

Join Hampton University's Department of English as it celebrates the 2011 Annual Read-In. This year's selected book is Daniel Black's novel “They Tell Me of a Home.” The Annual Read-In welcomes the author to campus for a number of free events held March 30-31.

“They Tell Me of a Home” centers around protagonist Tommy Lee “T.L.” Tyson’s return to his family home in rural Swamp Creek, Ark., after a 10-year absence. Having fled a life of emotional abuse for academia, fate and a Ph.D. in black studies forces him back to his rural origins as he seeks to understand himself and the community that made him. Discovering his baby sister's death, he struggles to unravel the mysteries of her passing and come to terms with is past.

This year’s Annual Read-In events include:

“There’s a Train A Comin’: The Future of African American Literature”
Read-In Lecture featuring author Daniel Black
March 30, 7 p.m.
McGrew Towers
Free and open to the public.

“Once Roots … Now Branches: Reclaiming Home”
Read-In Conference
March 31, 9:30 a.m. – 3 p.m.
McGrew Towers
Free and open to the public.

Master Class on Fiction Writing with Daniel Black
March 31, 12:30 p.m.
McGrew Towers
Free and open to the public, Reservations required, please RSVP to paula.barnes@hamptonu.edu

Each year, the Department of English’s Annual Read-In encourages reading for pleasure by selecting one fictional book that discusses items relevant to issues students confront in their everyday lives. The selected book is integrated into English classes and all HU students, faculty and staff are invited to participate in the reading.

Daniel Black is a native of Kansas City, Kan., yet spent the majority of his childhood years in Blackwell, Ark. He currently serves as an associate professor of English at his alma mater, Clark Atlanta University.

- Alison L. Phillips