June 20, 2026, Belonging: A Black Writers' Convening

Overview

A one-day conference for Black writers working in any genre, at any stage of their career.

Belonging, a convening of brilliant and dedicated Black writers, creates a space for us to connect with, to support, and to invest in one another as human beings and as artists. We strive to dismantle the narrative that only a choice few of us can thrive in this industry, when in fact, we know there is room for all of us. Whether self-published or supported by a major publishing house and everything in between, the convening is an opportunity to share insights on the publishing process, to build a strong network of writers, and to facilitate an environment where mentorship and creative collaborations between writers are fostered and encouraged. Join us for a day filled with thoughtfully curated conversations and panel discussions, and if we may say so, a damn good time.

We can’t wait to see you there.

This event is produced by the Gloria Steinem Endowed Chair in Media, Culture and Feminist Studies. This position honors and draws to campus eminent scholars and practitioners to immerse the university community in debate and scholarship about new media, social change, and power structures. The Chair is an innovative collaboration among the Rutgers Institute for Women’s Leadership, School of Communication and Information, and the Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at the School of Arts and Sciences.

This event is also produced by The Rumpus and Roxane Gay.

Additional support has been provided by Dr. Brittney Cooper and The RAGE Lab at Rutgers University.

Administrative support is being provided by Nishi Shah and Vanity Gee.