Events › Writing While Black: An Interview with Black Authors

Join us in celebrating the 100th Year Commemoration of Black History Month with Writing While Black.

Writing While Black is continuation of the Working While Black documentary series first featured on San Jose Public Library’s YouTube Channel. This addition to the series seeks to branch out and expand numerous career pathways explored by Black Americans that are typically seen as being culturally exclusive or limited.

In this Zoom panel, several Black Authors who represent different spaces in the publishing industry will be speaking about their respective experiences as they discuss Writing While Black.

Meet the authors:

Alessandra Harris is the author of three novels with Red Adept Publishing: Blaming the Wind, Everything She Lost, and Last Place Seen. Her first non-fiction title, in the Shadow of Freedom: The Enduring Call for Racial Justice, was published with Orbis Books. She is also a writer and content creator known for her hard-hitting commentary and advocacy about religion, mental health, and racial and social justice.

Website: alessandraharris.net

Christine Taylor-Butler is the author of more than 95 books for children including the Lost Tribes series. A graduate of MIT, she saw a growing need to improve literacy skills in young people and decided to be part of the solution.

Website: www.ChristineTaylorButler.com

Erica Martin is a freelance editor and a poet. Her debut poetry collection, AND WE RISE, was released in February 2022 from Viking Books for Young Readers/Penguin Random House. She was also one of three editors who oversaw the 2024 poetry anthology POEMHOOD, from HarperTeen/HarperCollins, which highlights many award-winning and New York Times best-selling author. 

Website: https://ericamartinthewriterdo...

Jeff Carroll is a true Gemini because he is both an award-winning pioneer of the Black speculative fiction movement and an award-winning filmmaker. He has written over 15 sci-fi and horror novels, made six movies and penned more than a dozen graphic novels. His second film, Gold Digger Killer, is celebrated as a Black Classic movie on Tubi, and his non-fiction book The Hip Hop Dating Guide got him lauded the “Anti-Playa” by the Sun Sentinel. Website: https://linktr.ee/jeffcarrolllinks

Lakeisha Jackson is a writer/ director/ producer and founder of CineFury Productions, creating bold, genre-driven films and series that center Black voices, psychological depth, and speculative storytelling. As an author and filmmaker, she builds original IP across film, television, and digital platforms—combining creative ambition with hands-on production, ownership, and a commitment to stories that challenge, connect, and endure. 

Website: Instagram.com/filmmakerljackson

Be treated to a moderated panel interview with time allotted for audience questions. The Zoom room will open 10 minutes before the panel begins at 12:00 pm PST. Please check your local time to determine when the interview will begin in your time zone. The Zoom link will be sent out one day prior.

Please register now, and save your seat for this dynamic event! 

Free Program. Appropriate for Ages 12 and Up. Registration required.  

This program is part of SJPL's Black History Month celebration.

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