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Events

Thank you for choosing to join us at the Phillis Wheatley Poetry Festival 50th Anniversary Convening. This event will take place November 1, 2023 – November 4, 2023. Please review the events/schedule and register before attending. We look forward to seeing you there!

Featured Authors & Events:

  • Tonea Stewart, Vine Burrows, Carole Gregory
    Honoring the Original 1973 Participants
    Opening Reception: Westin Hotel
    6:30 p.m., Wednesday, November 1, 2023
  • Sonia Sanchez, Imani Perry, Joanne Gabbin
    A Tribute to Phillis Wheatley
    Poetry Reading and Conversation
    10:00 am, Thursday, November 2, 2023
  • Angie Thomas and Paula Giddings
    Banned Books
    Luncheon
    12:45 pm, Thursday, November 2, 2023
  • Nikole Hannah-Jones and Eve Ewing
    From Africa to America
    Reception and Conversation, Moderator: Dana Williams
    6:00 pm, Thursday, November 2, 2023
  • Jesmyn Ward and Charlayne Hunter-Gault
    Our People
    Plenary Reading and Conversation
    10:00 am, Friday, November 3, 2023
  • Alice Walker and Ebony Lumumba
    Our Mothers’ Gardens: A Womanist Legacy
    Luncheon and Keynote Conversation
    12:45 pm, Friday, November 3, 2023
  • Maryemma Graham, Shelly Lowe, and Maria Rosario Jackson
    A Tribute to Margaret Walker
    Closing Reception
    6:00 pm, Friday, November 3, 2023
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Official Schedule

  Schedule of Events
Wednesday, November 1 Travel Day
12:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. General Registration: Westin Hotel
6:00 p.m. Doors Open
6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

Honoring the 1973 Participants

Tonea Stewart, Vinie Burrows, Carole Gregory
Welcome Reception
7:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

Welcome Reception
Westin Hotel Foyer
Thursday, November 2 Jackson State University
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. General Registration: JSU Student Center
10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

A Tribute to Phillis Wheatley

Sonia Sanchez, Imani Perry, Joanne Gabbin
Reading and Conversation
JSU Student Center Ballroom A&B
11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Concurrent Sessions I
JSU Student Center
12:45 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.

Banned Books

Angie Thomas and Paula Giddings
Luncheon and Conversation
Jackson Convention Center
2:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. Concurrent Readings I
Jackson Convention Center
6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

From Africa to America

Nikole Hannah-Jones and Eve Ewing
Reception and Conversation
Moderator: Dana Williams
Gibbs-Green Memorial Plaza
7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Exhibition Openings and Outdoor Reception
Ayer Hall, Johnson Hall, H.T. Sampson Library
Friday, November 3 Jackson State University
8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. General Registration: JSU Student Center
10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

Our People

Jesmyn Ward and Charlayne Hunter-Gault
Reading and Conversation
JSU Student Center Ballroom A & B
11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Concurrent Sessions II
JSU Student Center
12:45 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Our Mothers’ Gardens: A Womanist Legacy

Alice Walker and Ebony Lumumba
Luncheon and Conversation
Jackson Convention Center
3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Concurrent Readings II
JSU Student Center
3:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Authors Alley
JSU Student Center
6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

A Tribute to Margaret Walker

Maryemma Graham, Maria Rosario Jackson, and Shelly Lowe
Conversation
JSU Student Center Theatre
7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.

Closing Reception
JSU Student Center Ballroom A
Saturday, November 4 Travel Day
  Tours TBD
  Mississippi Symphony Orchestra Bravo Series
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