OUR STORY

Rooted in Durham, NC, the Griot and Grey Owl Black Southern Writers Conference was formed from a need. Far too often Black stories are pushed to the margins leaving diasporic writers without access or opportunity. Griot and Grey Owl seeks to answer that call. G&G is a 3-day writing conference for Black Southern writers packed with world-class workshops, panels, and historical tours that cover culture, career, and community.

November 9th-12th, 2023, writers will gather to connect with renown Southern workshop facilitators stationed at historical locations, panels with renowned southern authors, field trips tethered to the thriving Black Wall Street scene, and more! Our goal is that after a weekend of writing in Durham, attendees will leave our conference energized, empowered, and inspired to take the seeds learned at Griot & Grey Owl back to their own communities.

We write alone, but we grow together.

The pandemic disjointed many writing communities. After polling over 150 BLK Southern writers we learned that 90% of them did not feel like they had a true community, and that writing for them was a solo/isolated practice. We believe that writing and creation is synonymous with community. We do not create in a vacuum.

Continuing the Afro-Carolina Oral Tradition

Named for both the evergreen Durham, North Carolina plant and majestic bird, grey owls are wide-spanning and wide reaching, while also used as symbols of healing and wisdom. We aim to grow a thriving Black writing community that spans the Southern region and provides healing and resources for generations to come. Ancestral griots would meet around the fire to tell stories, and we seek to carry on the Black oral tradition by igniting a flame of inspiration that burns bright in the city, from its murals and beautiful architecture to the vibrant dance and poetry scene.

Durham, NC | November 2023

Contact Us

email: griotandgreyowl@gmail.com
phone: ‪(919) 808-2067‬

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Kickstarter launching soon! For large donations and sponsorships contact us via email!

All donations are tax deductible.

The Triangle’s first writing conference dedicated to bringing together Black writers.

Mission: Our conference seeks to create a sense of unity among writers throughout the South by creating a space for unity, skill sharing, gate breaking, access and comradery.

We aim to build stronger writing communities and stewards of the literary craft throughout the South while focusing less on commercial publishing and finished manuscripts. With its vibrant, rich history of Black artistry, Durham is an ideal place for writers to immerse in workshops, community events, and its ever-changing art scene.

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Our Organizers

Khalisa Rae is an award-winning storyteller, poet, and activist whose career is driven by intersectional community engagement. She is the acclaimed author of the debut poetry collection, Ghost in a Black Girls Throat and the sold-out women’s rights play production, 7+ Deadly Sins of Being a Woman. A lifelong advocate for racial and gender equity, Khalisa has served as director of multiple women & gender rights organizations throughout North Carolina and has given speeches in front of thousands. Her powerful articles and essays have been featured in countless literary journals and magazines such as Lithub, Autumn House, PANK, Jezebel, Bitch Media, Blavity, NBC-BLK. She is the winner of an Appalachian Arts and Entertainment Award, a Bright Wings Poetry Prize, Vulgar Genuis, Gwedolyn Brooks Prize, numerous Pushcart nominations, among countless other awards. Khalisa Rae is currently the founder of Think in Ink Literary Arts nonprofit, Women Speak reading series, and the forthcoming YA novel in verse, Unlearning Eden. Find her online at khalisarae.com.

LB (lyrically blessed) is a multi-talented writer and lyricist that hails from the city of Wilson NC. LB is an N.C. A&T alum where he was a part of the spoken word group Couture Word. He has been writing for roughly 12 years, and fueled his writing passion into the starting of the spoken word group S.B.E (separate but equal). With his broad range of subject matters, from humor, to family, to race, to violence, self-esteem & confidence, to tragedy and loss, LB is a well-rounded, award-winning writer and slam poet with an uncanny ability to move people. He is currently a member of the Bull City Slam team and is releasing his 2023 chapbook project entitled, “Voices in My Head”.

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUITIES

Note: All sponsors enjoy benefits listed in their category, as well as, benefits offered to sponsors below their category.

Garden - $5000

Presenting Sponsorship
3 complimentary tickets
Name listed on all materials as a premiere sponsor
Acknowledgement in all media and press related promotional efforts
Sponsorship materials distributed at registration
(sponsor provides materials, G&G responsible for distribution)