Mid-Sentence | Art and Activism

A panel of celebrated writers explore the connections between art and activism. Featuring:

• Jennifer Baker, editor, Everyday People: The Color of Life


• Renée Watson, author of Piecing Me Together


• Tanaïs (Tanwi Nandini Islam), author of Bright Lines


• Ibi Zoboi, author of American Street

Social justice activists and authors Tanaïs, Renée Watson, and Ibi Zoboi have been outspoken advocates not only within their art but through action. In this conversation moderated by Minorities in Publishing podcast host Jennifer Baker, panelists will discuss the intersections between their creative and activist work and explore how the pursuit of social justice has influenced their artistic output as well as their relationships with their communities.

Ibi Zoboi is a former teacher and founder of a Haitian Girls writing/reading community called Daughters of Anacaona. Renée Watson has taught creative writing and theatre in community centers around the nation. In 2016 she founded I, Too Arts Collective to save Langston Hughes' brownstone as an artistic refuge in Harlem. Tanaïs has more than a decade of experience as a community organizer and teaching artist in NYC, she founded HiWildflower and the Mala Podcast, which focuses on the stories of formerly incarcerated women of color.

This panel will be followed by a Q&A. 

Mid-Sentence presents a series of conversations with groundbreaking literary voices. Indie authors and cult favorites explore the intersections between literature and lived experience.

ASL interpretation and real-time (CART) captioning available upon request. Please submit your request at least two weeks in advance by emailing accessibility@nypl.org.