When Discussion Drives Reading

By Joyce Woodard

For some Black students, college is where they begin reading more intentionally and discover new perspectives and authors, often because a class requires it, but what keeps their engagement with reading once it is no longer tied to a grade?

For Tamaruis Toles, the class-wide discussion is what makes the reading more compelling. “The best part of going over the poems is when everyone doesn’t agree,” Toles said. While she isn’t an avid reader, dissecting and analyzing poems in class with her peers, “...that’s the best part about it,” according to Toles.

Exchanging thoughts and opinions about reading with peers is important to Black students. It is especially crucial for Black students attending PWIs to have spaces where they feel heard and seen, and a lot of them find that in classes with other Black students.

If habits and interests are nurtured then reading can become less about completing an assignment and more about interacting with your peers. Sharing differing ideas can lead to insightful conversations and revelations for students as well as a newfound appreciation for reading.

Related:

• Notes on Black Readers & Digital Culture

Reading Depends on Who’s in the Room

By Joyce Woodard

This week’s discussion of Nella Larsen’s Passing (1929) in my Harlem Renaissance: Topics of African American Literature class, taught by Professor Angel Dye, showed me how much the experience of reading depends on who is in the room.

We began reading Passing and discussed the first two parts of the book as a class, and it was one of the liveliest book discussions I have ever been part of. There aren’t many people in this class, and most of the students are Black women, which I believe contributed to the strength of the conversation.

Given the book’s plot, the discussion focused heavily on how unbelievable or silly we found certain parts, and I left class with both new perspectives and a deeper appreciation for how Black readers discuss books. Black readers are able to analyze texts seriously and thoughtfully while still keeping conversations engaging and dynamic. The class felt short because the discussion was so immersive, allowing us to share different interpretations of the characters’ interactions without the conversation becoming boring.

In other classes I have taken, book discussions were never nearly as interesting as this one. As I grow as a reader, I am learning that the experience of reading and discussing is shaped significantly by the people I am engaging with about reading.

Related:

• Notes on Black Readers & Digital Culture

Donavan Ramon presents research at the Race & Ethnicity Study Group gathering

On the evening of February 11, my colleague Donavan Ramon presented his research during a meeting of the Race & Ethnicity Study Group in St. Louis. The study group, by the Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity & Equity led by its executive director, Dwight A McBride at Washington University, brings together scholars in the region to discuss their ongoing research projects. 

Ramon’s talk, entitled “Keeping It Real: Black Men, Fight Scenes and Self-Making,” served as an overview of a project he is pursuing that focuses on canonical autobiographies and contemporary memoirs by Black men. He is examining how writers use fight scenes to present ideas about masculinity, consider rites of passage, critique systems of power, and rework the memoir as a form.

It was a strong presentation, with Ramon identifying several of the authors he is studying, including Olaudah Equiano, Frederick Douglass, Richard Wright, Ralph Ellison, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Damon Young, Kevin Powell, MK Asante, and Kiese Laymon.

After the presentation, there was a spirited Q&A session. It is rare for scholars to receive so much feedback on work in progress. During typical conference panels, there is usually time for only one or two questions. For this study group, however, about ten people participated in the post-presentation exchange, and some of us were able to ask multiple questions.

Providing a space for sustained feedback for scholars working on projects is one of the most important services that the Race & Ethnicity Study Group offers. I was also pleased that so many of my colleagues from SIUE were in attendance, including members of my crew from African American literary studies group.

The Growth of African American Literary Studies at SIUE

Our ability to achieve a record year of courses depends in part on our large group of contributors. 

Our team of specialists in African American literary studies in English at SIUE includes Tisha Brooks, Elizabeth Cali, Jeremiah Carter, Angel Dye, Donavan Ramon, Cindy Reed, and Treasure Redmond. We also have three graduate students, Rie Holmon, M. Mallon, and Jalen White, who teach courses for us, along with two academic success coaches, Danielle Hall and Daria Spencer, who teach our African American literature labs. 

Strange as it sounds to say now, there was a moment -- longer than I would have liked -- when African American literary studies at SIUE was just me. I'm grateful for how much we've grown. 

Related:

• African American Literary Studies at SIUE

Thinking structurally about Black men as readers

A lot of times, we talk and think about Black men readers, especially exceptional readers like Frederick Douglass, Richard Wright, and Malcolm X, one at a time. But there can be value in stepping back and considering how institutions help shape groups of readers.

One benefit of thinking structurally or institutionally about groups of readers, or about a reading culture in a particular place, is that it allows us to consider the overall support systems that are in place, or that need to be in place. We also become more aware of how various systems and institutions operate to support or deter reading.

In his book Malcolm Before X (2024), Patrick Parr discusses the Norfolk Prison Colony, where Malcolm X had access to an extensive library, teachers who had trained at elite universities, and the opportunity to participate as a member of an accomplished debating society. Malcolm X possessed remarkable talent and resilience, but Parr’s research reveals that the institution where he was incarcerated also granted him unique opportunities and advantages.

Looking beyond individual readers to the environments that cultivate them reminds us of the importance of thinking structurally.

Related:

• Notes on Black Readers & Digital Culture

Cataloging Black Poetry Before the Data

These days, I organize organized collections of information, also known as datasets, about Black writers and literary history. Back in the day, I simply organized lists on Word. 

At that time, I was not guided by concepts like “data” or “quantitative approaches.” Instead, I was influenced by works such as Eugene B. Redmond’s Drumvoices, the articles of Greg Tate, and poems by Amiri Baraka. Like them, I wanted to reference or catalog a wide range of Black ideas, works, and artists within a single composition.

My article " Catching Holy Ghosts: The Diverse Manifestations of Black Persona Poetry" (2008) was  perhaps one of my earliest and most ambitious attempts to produce what I would eventually call cultural cataloging. The spreadsheets, literary data work, and other technology-based processes came later.

Documenting Black Student Reading Practices

Since 2018, I have led an oral history project focusing on Black students. In fall 2025, I narrowed the focus and began asking students more directly about their reading interests and habits. Undergraduates Al Smith and Joyce Woodard are assisting by conducting interviews and producing short reflections on reading, digital culture, and what they are learning through the interview process.

I’m especially excited to have Al and Joyce writing on a regular basis. In earlier stages of the project, we did not produce enough writing that reflected on what we were observing and learning in real time. We do not intend to repeat that oversight.

Together, we will document and share what we are learning. Over time, these entries will form a growing catalog of observations and findings about Black student reading practices and intellectual life.

Related:

• Academic Journeys project

• Notes on Black Readers & Digital Culture

Reading as an Escape

By Albert Smith

Among the genres discussed as being Black men’s favorite, the most consistent one had been novels. When asked why fiction was favored, the response was typically that it allowed an escape from what they had been reading.

Black men cited comic books and graphic novels as being among their favorite books as well. Some even noted that Japanese manga were essential to their reading habits as it allowed for a new world that they weren’t accustomed to or responsible for participating in. The overarching theme of escaping from what they know was very apparent throughout interviews.

This trend was vital in understanding the reading habits of Black men as those I spoke with noted that they weren’t able to do much reading outside of their assigned class readings. In their non-academic reading time, there was a purposeful attempt to engage with reading that would encourage creativity and imagination rather than add to something that was pre-existing and limited by reality.

Recognizing that students often read for escape in their free time helps us understand why their preferences lean toward narrative forms that allow them to imagine worlds beyond their immediate circumstances. experiences.

Related: 

• Notes on Black Readers & Digital Culture