Mining Black Stories from Appalachia to the Gullah Coast
November 7th - 9th, Downtown Durham, NC
The Carolina Gold 2025 Program is live — right here!
Explore the full schedule below and start planning your weekend of storytelling, community, and creativity.
✨ Carolina Gold: The Harvest of Black Southern Storytelling
Once the prized rice of the Carolinas, Carolina Gold now embodies the richness of Black Southern culture—the rhythms, recipes, and stories that have sustained generations. It’s a symbol of our inheritance: creativity born from resilience, artistry shaped by land and lineage, and storytelling rooted in community.
Griot & Grey Owl is where that legacy gathers—an annual celebration of Southern Black brilliance, where craft, culture, and kinship thrive.
🌾 Workshops & Masterclasses – From poetry and rom-coms to foodways, folklore, and Black fantasy futures.
🎤 Keynotes & Roundtables – Southern oral traditions, publishing, and cultural memory.
🎶 Performance & Sound – Black Banjo and Beyond: The Soundtrack of Black Southern Life.
📖 Book Fair & Vendors – Celebrate new voices, shop local, and meet authors face-to-face.
🤝 Networking & Mentorship – VIP publishing roundtables and author speed dating.
Carolina Gold is more than a theme—it’s a cultural harvest. A place where Black Southern stories take root, rise, and shine.
Heart spoken.
Homegrown.
Carolina Gold.
📅 November 7–9, 2025
📍 Durham, NC
Explore the schedule. Join the Slam. Find your place in the story.
- 00Days
- 00Hours
- 00Minutes
- 00Seconds
🦉Register Now! 🦉
Whether you’re here for the stories, the slam, or the full weekend of magic, there’s a ticket made just for you!
General Admission — $85
- Opening Ceremony
Access to all public conference sessions
Entry to workshops, panels, and keynotes
- Book fair
Sunday community gathering
Great for first-time attendees!
Get GA Ticket Today!
VIP — $115
All General Admission benefits
Early access to exclusive GGO swag
Includes ticket to Saturday Night Slam
- $50 Coupon for the GGO Store!
- Sunday Brunch
- Exclusive Publishing
- Roundtable & Marketplace
- Friday after party reception
Get VIP Ticket Today
All-Access — $135
Everything in VIP
Catered Evening with the Griots dinner
Access to All-Access–only events and panels
Sunday Porch Talk Brunch
Poetry Slam Ticket
$60 Coupon for the GGO Store!
Get All-Access Ticket Today!
🎟 Sliding Fee & Student Tickets
🎓 Sliding Fee & Student Discount
At Griot & Grey Owl, we believe cost should never be a barrier to creativity or community. We’re committed to keeping this experience accessible for students, educators, and community members.
If you’re a writer, artist, or community member experiencing financial hardship, we offer a limited number of sliding-scale tickets. Please complete our short Sliding Fee Request Form, and our team will follow up with available options.
Students: Attend all 3 days for $75 with code STUDENTGRIOT25 (show student ID at check-in).
Educators: Get $25 off general admission with code EDUCATOR25.
Sliding Fee: Need support? Fill out our Sliding Fee Request Form — limited spots available.
Schedule Is Here!!
📅 What to Expect at Carolina Gold 2025
In Downtown Durham, NC
From intimate workshops and electrifying panels to our unforgettable poetry slam and the Evening with the Authors, dinner—this year’s conference will unfold across Durham like a homecoming. Each day is crafted to nourish your roots and lift your voice.
Click here to see the schedule!
The Griot Slam returns!
🎤 The Griot Slam
This ain’t just a poetry slam—it’s a reckoning.
The Griot Slam is where rhythm meets ritual, and every bar carries the weight of lineage. On Saturday night, the mic becomes sacred ground as poets from across the South and beyond compete for over $2,000 in prizes—and the chance to leave the stage unforgettable.
Expect fire. Expect feeling. Expect the kind of truth that makes the whole room lean forward.
🏆 Prizes for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and Poem of the Night
💸 Slam Buy-In: $50
🎟️ Free with VIP and All-Access tickets
🗣️ Slammers can and are encouraged to attend the conference!!
Whether you’re spitting or spectating, the Griot Slam is where the soul of Carolina Gold comes alive.
🎤 Want to Slam at Carolina Gold 2025?
Think you’ve got the words to move the crowd? We want to hear from you!
If you’re interested in competing in the Carolina Gold Poetry Slam, please contact us to secure your spot and get all the details.
For more information visit this page here.
We prioritize poets of color, centering voices that reflect the richness and diversity of our community.
📩 Email: griotandgreyowl+slamQuestion@gmail.com
Be sure to put “Griot Slam, I want in!” in the subject line
Spots are limited, so reach out today and bring your best work to the stage!
Vendors!!
We’re proud to feature a curated marketplace of artists, makers, authors, and small businesses whose work celebrates culture, creativity, and community. Visit our vendor area throughout the weekend to shop books, art, apparel, handmade goods, and more — all while supporting local and regional entrepreneurs.
Interested in vending?
Fill out this form for more information about booth space, setup details, and availability.
Got Questions?
📌 Need to Know
Before you pack your bags or step to the mic, here are a few things to keep in mind to make the most of your Carolina Gold experience:
🕰️ Schedule is here!! — Find all the details here!
🧾 Tickets — All-Access, VIP, GA, and Slam options available. Sliding scale tickets are limited.
📍 Location — Events will take place across Downtown Durham.
🧳 Travel — RDU is the closest airport. Hotel recommendations coming soon.
🍽️ Food & Accessibility — Gluten-free options will be available at catered events. Most venues are ADA accessible.
📸 Media & Photography — Sessions may be recorded or photographed. You’ll have the option to opt out.
🤝 Community Agreements — Respect the mic, the moment, and each other. We create space, not take it.
Got questions? We got you.
👉 Email us at griotandgreyowl+GG025@gmail.com