Griot & Grey Owl Presents: Carolina Gold 2025

Griot & Grey Owl Black Southern Writers Conference 2025: Carolina Gold📍 Durham, NC | 🗓️ November 7–9, 2025✨ Featured venue: American Underground

Three days. Countless stories. One unforgettable experience.

This November, Durham becomes the heart of Black Southern storytelling. Griot & Grey Owl Black Southern Writers Conference gathers writers, poets, scholars, musicians, and culture keepers from the Carolinas and beyond — rooted in traditions that stretch from the mountains of Appalachia to the shores of the Gullah Coast.

This year’s theme, Carolina Gold, honors the legacy, labor, and brilliance sown deep in Southern soil. Together, we’ll craft new futures while celebrating the roots that ground us — through keynotes, panels, workshops, music, storytelling, and more.

Our 2025 griots include a constellation of literary and cultural stars — Crystal Wilkinson, Jaki Shelton Green, Nnenna Freelon, Pierce Freelon, Glenis Redmond, Vanessa Miller, Kamal Bell, Kianna Alexander, Halle Hill, Donovan Livingston, Fred Joiner, James Stewart, Jordan Bailey — and many more voices you’ll want to say you heard here first.

What’s waiting for you:

Your weekend includes:

• Transformative writing workshops, seminars & feedback labs
• Keynotes & panels with award-winning authors & cultural leaders
• Saturday night Poetry Slam
• “Evening with the Griots” (VIP + All-Access only)
• Marketplace of Black-owned books, art & goods
• Live music, storytelling circles & cultural exchanges
• Community, connection & creative fire you’ll carry home with you

Whether you’re a seasoned author, an emerging voice, or a devoted lover of Black stories, this is where you find your people.

Come home to your story. Plant your roots. Grow your gold.

🎟 Ticket Options

General Admission – Access to all keynotes, workshops, panels, and the vendor marketplace. Perfect for readers, community members, and creatives seeking inspiration.

VIP Experience – Everything in General Admission plus priority seating, entry to all workshops, panels, book fair, and critique sessions, and exclusive networking events with featured guests.

All-Access Pass – The ultimate Carolina Gold weekend: All VIP benefits plus All-Access lounge access, reserved front-row seating, and entry to special events such as the Publishing Roundtable and Evening with the Griots — an intimate night of food, readings, and conversation with Hallmark speakers.

Educators/Students – Reduced pricing for high school, college, and graduate students, as well as educators (valid ID required; code available upon request).

Sliding Fee & Needs-Based – Limited tickets available by application on website- griotandgreyowl.org. (email ).

Accessibility Statement: Griot & Grey Owl is committed to creating an inclusive, welcoming space for all. All main venues are wheelchair accessible, with accessible restrooms, elevators, and priority seating available. ASL interpretation, live captioning, and large-print/digital programs can be requested in advance. Service animals are welcome. For additional accommodations, email @gmail.com at least 2 weeks before the event.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

American Underground, 201 West Main Street, Durham, United States