Advancing African American Literary Studies through a Dynamic Digital Project

One of my goals is to strengthen and advance African American literary studies by building a dynamic, data-rich, and publicly accessible digital network that deepens understanding, visibility, and engagement with Black writing and culture.

Achieving that goal has meant regularly meeting with Meg Smith, director of our DH Center, and Dan Schreiber, the web developer for the center. I feel fairly confident that the capabilities of the Black Lit Network site, particularly our Literary Navigator portal, makes it one of the more powerful sites to emerge in African American literary studies. 

Meg and I have been collaborating since she arrived at SIUE in 2021, and now with Dan on board, we have opportunities to extend the work that we do. I don't take it lightly that such collaborations are rare in African American literary studies. Numerous barriers make it unlikely for a scholar of African American literature to have access and the expertise of a DH scholar and web developer on a project in the field. 

In a lot of cases when it comes to web-based projects, African American literature scholars prepare content and have it uploaded by someone with technical knowledge. The process with Meg and Dan, though, has been far more interactive. We spend considerable time talking through vision, earning out details, and then developing, testing, and refining the site.   

This project reminds me that innovation in African American literary studies depends on partnership within and beyond the field. 

Related:

• Developing the Black Lit Network