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This event is free and open to the public, but registration is encouraged. This event takes place at the Auburn Avenue Research Library, 101 Auburn Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30303.In celebration of Charis' 50th birthday year, we proudly welcome Glory Edim in conversation with Denene Millner for a celebration of Gather Me: A Memoir in Praise of the Books That Saved Me, an inspiring memoir of family, community, and resilience, and an ode to the power of books to help us understand ourselves, from the renowned founder of Well-Read Black Girl. This event is co-hosted by the Auburn Avenue Research Library and Be Rooted a collection of stationery and gifting products that encourage and motivate women of all backgrounds to express themselves and flourish as the best version of themselves.
“She is a friend of my mind. She gather me, man. The pieces I am, she gather them and give them back to me in all the right order.”—Toni Morrison, Beloved
For Glory Edim, that “friend of my mind” is books. Edim, who grew up in Virginia to Nigerian immigrant parents, started the popular Well-Read Black Girl book club at age thirty, eventually reaching a community of half a million readers. But her own love of books stretches far back.
Edim’s father moved back to Nigeria while she was still a child, marking the beginning of a series of traumatic changes and losses for her family. What became an escape, a safe space, and a second home for her and her brother was their local library. Books were where Edim found community, and as she grew older she discovered authors and ideas that she wasn’t being taught about in class. Reading wherever and whenever she could, be it in her dorm room or when traveling by subway or plane, she found the Black writers whose words would forever change her life: Nikki Giovanni, through children’s poetry cassettes; Maya Angelou, through a critical high school English teacher; Toni Morrison, while attending Morrison’s alma mater, Howard University; Audre Lorde, on a flight to Nigeria. In prose full of both joy and heartbreak, Edim recounts how these writers and so many others taught her how to value herself by helping her to find her own voice when her mother lost hers, to trust her feelings when her father remarried, and to create bonds with other Black women and uplift their stories.
Charis Books and More turns 50 this year with celebrations from November 2nd-9th. Our theme, "Take Root Among the Stars," is a Parable of the Sower inspired invocation of the last 50 years of Charis history and dreams of the feminist future. Gather Me is a glowing testament to how the power of representation in literature can gather the disparate parts that make us who we are and assemble them into a portrait of discovery. We are so glad to have Glory Edim as part of our birthday celebration week.
Glory Edim is a literary tastemaker, entrepreneur, and advocate for diverse voices in literature. In 2015, she founded Well-Read Black Girl (WRBG), an online platform and book club dedicated to celebrating the works of Black women authors and creating a supportive online community for readers. Under Edim’s leadership, WRBG has grown into a nonprofit organization, hosting events, book festivals, and author conversations that highlight the richness and diversity of Black literature. Her efforts have earned her accolades such as the 2017 Innovator’s Award from the Los Angeles Times Book Prizes and the Madam C.J. Walker Award from the Hurston/Wright Foundation. As an author herself, Edim has contributed to the literary landscape with her bestselling anthologies Well-Read Black Girl: Finding Our Stories, Discovering Ourselves, and On Girlhood: 15 Stories from the Well-Read Black Girl Library.
DENENE MILLLNER is a six-time New York Times bestselling author, Emmy Award–nominated TV show host and award-winning journalist who has written thirty-one books, among them Taraji P. Henson’s Around the Way Girl, the picture book Early Sunday Morning, and her debut novel, One Blood. Millner is also the editorial director of Denene Millner Books, an award-winning imprint that has published two Caldecott Honor books, a Newbery Honor Book, the Kirkus Prize for Children’s Literature and a Southern Book Award. A MacDowell Fellow, Millner has written essays for the New York Times, Glamour and NPR, which hosted her critically-acclaimed podcast, “Speakeasy with Denene.” Millner is a graduate of Hofstra University. She lives in Atlanta with her two daughters and their goldendoodle, Franklin.
About the Sponsor
Founded in 2020 by former-Target Buyer Jasmin Foster, Be Rooted is on a mission to create a space for women of color to see themselves in the stationery they love. With a lineup of colorful journals, planners and writing instruments designed by Black and Brown designers, by 2021 Be Rooted became the first and only Black-owned stationery brand available at retail giant Target and Target.com.
The inclusivity-focused brand promotes creativity, self-expression, and personal planning to foster the life you aspire. With creative designs at the heart, the journals and planners include inspirational quotes, impactful imagery, and created with high quality materials including gold spiralbinding and FSC-certified paper.
Be Rooted embodies its name by staying rooted in its philanthropic initiatives. To date, Be Rooted has donated over 400 free minutes of free therapy to Black women through its partnership with the Loveland Foundation. Be Rooted continues to partner with organizations that support women of color in an effort to uplift and encourage positive wellness practices in the Black community. In 2022, Be Rootedwas recognized for its global impact as one of TIMEMagazine’s TIME100 Most Influential Companies.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History, 101 Auburn Ave NE,Atlanta,GA,United States
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