Poets & Writers Theater

“This book is not about blame, it’s about understanding.” In this Enoch Pratt Free Library event in Baltimore, Lee Hawkins speaks about the history and research he encountered in the writing process of his debut memoir, I Am Nobody’s Slave: How Uncovering My Family’s History Set Me Free (Amistad, 2025). Hawkins’s memoir is featured in Page One in the January/February issue of Poets & Writers Magazine.

“I’m trying to tell you that the world is beautiful.” Cynthia Manick reads from her poem “There Are No Unsacred Spaces,” which appears in her second collection, No Sweet Without Brine (Amistad, 2023), in this HarperCollins Studio video. Manick’s collection is featured in Page One in the May/June issue of Poets & Writers Magazine.

In this event for the House of SpeakEasy’s “Seriously Entertaining” series, David Santos Donaldson celebrates the launch of his debut novel, Greenland (Amistad, 2022), by sharing the story of his reckoning with what it means to be Black in America from the perspective of a native Bahamian and queer artist. Donaldson is featured in “5 Over 50: 2022” in the November/December issue of Poets & Writers Magazine.

Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, best known for his role in the legendary rap group Run-DMC, speaks about growing up in Hollis, Queens and what led him to depression. McDaniels's memoir, Ten Ways Not to Commit Suicide (Amistad, 2016), details his struggles with fame and addiction, and his recovery.

“It's important that the criticism be constructive because otherwise it's destructive.” In a video for Big Think, Jacqueline Woodson explains the three stages of critique that are part of her writing process. Woodson speaks about her most recent novel, Another Brooklyn (Amistad, 2016), in “A Great Good” by Rigoberto González in the September/October issue of Poets & Writers Magazine.