The Black Literature Network Launch

We are excited to announce the launch of the Black Literature Network during the Futures of Black Digital Humanities Conference on Monday, November 18, at 6 PM at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Follow this link to reserve tickets. 

Funded by a grant from the Mellon Foundation, the Black Literature Network is a collaborative effort by Black literary scholars and specialists to advance the study of African American literature. At its core is a novel recommendation generator, an exciting tool that uses metadata about Black novels to provide personalized book suggestions based on user-selected features. The website also includes a data visualization gallery, a keyword guide, and a podcast series with over 150 episodes, offering deep insights into Black literary works and their cultural contexts. 

Dana Williams (Howard University) will deliver a keynote on Toni Morrison’s editorial legacy, drawing on a dataset she compiled that details Morrison’s influential work as an editor. Her talk will showcase data visualizations that offer new insights into how Morrison shaped the careers of Black writers. A talk-back session with Howard Rambsy II (Southern Illinois University Edwardsville) will follow. 

Co-sponsored by Howard University Graduate School and the Robert F. Smith Center, this event celebrates Digital Humanities and the preservation of African American literature and history.