Baldwin & the Essay Form
A deep dive into James Baldwin's essay craft — from Notes of a Native Son to The Fire Next Time. Participants write their own personal essay in response. All levels welcome.
A deep dive into James Baldwin's essay craft — from Notes of a Native Son to The Fire Next Time. Participants write their own personal essay in response. All levels welcome.
Monthly book club working through Octavia Butler's complete catalog. We start with Kindred and don't stop until we've read everything. Discussion guides provided.
Walk the streets that Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, and Countee Cullen walked. Visit the sites of the Renaissance — the salons, the clubs, the churches — and read the work in the places it was born.
An evening salon exploring the poetry of Sonia Sanchez, Nikki Giovanni, and Amiri Baraka. We read aloud, we discuss, we argue, we leave changed.
Inspired by Maya Angelou, Kiese Laymon, and the great Black memoirists — a six-week workshop guiding you through writing your own life story. Weekly prompts, peer feedback, and craft instruction.
A walking tour of Oakland's Black literary landscape — from Marcus Books to community murals — with readings from Morrison, Butler, and local Oakland authors woven throughout.
Monthly author talks featuring emerging Black writers — the Deesha Philyaws, the Rion Amilcar Scotts, the voices you haven't heard yet but will never forget. Q&A and book signing included.
An evening of oral storytelling rooted in the African griot tradition. Community members share stories — personal, ancestral, mythological. No experience required. Just your voice.
From Octavia Butler to N.K. Jemisin to Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah — a workshop on writing speculative fiction as a Black author. What does the future look like when we build it?
A three-day immersive journey through the literary South — Zora Neale Hurston's Florida, Richard Wright's Mississippi, Jesmyn Ward's DeLisle. Visit the places. Read the books. Feel the ground.
The Gold Trail Learning Hub partners with schools, libraries, community centers, and cultural institutions to bring Black literary education everywhere it's needed. Contact us to host a workshop, salon, or tour.
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