About this Event
Black love exists in more places than we sometimes recognize. It lives in our relationships with ourselves, our families, our friends, our communities, and across the Black diaspora. Some expressions of love are celebrated openly, while others receive less attention. How might our understanding of love change when we make space for all of them?
Join DC filmmaker Zoë Poindexter, founder of Black Love Documentary LLC, for Black Love in All Its Forms, the final gathering in this fall's Defining Love Community Salon series.
This free community event brings together two perspectives on Black love: Mama Ayo Handy-Kendi, who founded Black Love Day in Washington, D.C., in 1993, and Nikki Payne, a DC-based romance novelist and cultural anthropologist whose storytelling explores love, relationships, and belonging.
Together, we'll consider how different expressions of Black love influence one another, why certain forms receive more attention than others, and what it means to practice love beyond the relationships we traditionally associate with it.
About the Evening
The evening begins with a screening of the proof of concept for Defining Love: Voices of Black D.C., a documentary-in-progress gathering Black Washingtonians' reflections on love through the five tenets of Black Love Day: Creator, Self, Family, Community, and Black Diaspora.
The screening will be followed by a reading from The Black Love Book and a moderated conversation featuring Mama Ayo Handy-Kendi and Nikki Payne. Audience members will also have opportunities to contribute their own experiences and perspectives.
Thursday, October 29, 2026
6:30–8:30 PM
Busboys and Poets — Anacostia
Marion Barry Jr. Room
Washington, D.C.
Free and open to the public. Registration encouraged.
Guest Speakers
Mama Ayo Handy-Kendi — Founder of Black Love Day
Mama Ayo Handy-Kendi founded Black Love Day in Washington, D.C., in 1993 to encourage healing, reconciliation, and stronger connections within Black communities. Through the holiday's five tenets, she invites people to practice love as a personal and collective responsibility. She is also the author of The Black Love Book, which explores the principles and practices of Black Love Day.
Nikki Payne — Romance Novelist and Cultural Anthropologist
Nikki Payne is a DC-based romance novelist and cultural anthropologist who explores Black love, identity, and belonging through storytelling. Her work brings humor, cultural insight, and imagination to the ways Black people navigate romantic relationships, offering a perspective on one of the most visible—and often most complicated—expressions of love.
What to Expect
- Screening of the Defining Love proof of concept
- Reading from The Black Love Book
- Moderated conversation with Mama Ayo Handy-Kendi and Nikki Payne
- Audience questions and community discussion
- Salon raffle drawing
Salon Raffle
Three attendees will win prizes at this salon:
- One gift card
- One 18 × 24 Defining Love: Voices of Black D.C. poster
- One e-book copy of the third edition of The Black Love Book
Register for and attend the salon to be entered into the drawing.
No purchase or donation necessary. Donations do not increase your chances of winning.
About Defining Love: Voices of Black D.C.
Produced and directed by Zoë Poindexter through Black Love Documentary LLC, Defining Love: Voices of Black D.C. is a documentary-in-progress exploring what Black love means to Washingtonians through the five tenets of Black Love Day.
The project is funded in part by a grant from HumanitiesDC.
Event venue & nearby stays
Busboys and Poets, 2004 Martin Luther King Junior Avenue Southeast, Washington, United States
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.