Author Talk: Black Joy in the Urban Outdoors Panel Discussion

The Author Series Committee welcomes journalist Desiree Cooper for a jubilant discussion about Black Summers (Wayne State University Press, 2026), a collection of writings paying tribute to the urban outdoors through tales of Black resilience and joy across generations. Desiree, editor of and contributor to Black Summers, will be joined in conversation by contributors Pamela Hilliard Owens and Lillien Waller.

Remember frolicking outside during the long, jubilant days of summer? This vibrant collection invites readers to breathe deeply and return to that "carefree" season. From riding bikes with friends through the neighborhood, to hopping the ferry to Boblo Island, catching catfish along the river, dancing on warm nights to Afrobeats and jazz music, and cooling off in the Swimmobile, those sun-drenched memories were often clouded by racism for the Detroiters in this evocative anthology. These emerging and award-winning creators of all ages recount the struggles and triumph of staking their claim to public spaces. Ranging from poetry to essay, creative nonfiction to comics, this collection blends nostalgia with struggle and resilience. Arising from the iconic city of the African American experience comes this exploration of Black joy in the urban outdoors.

Other contributors, who will not be part of the panel discussion, include Tommye Blount, Justin Boggués, Isaiah Chambers, Esperanza Cintrón, Zig Zag Claybourne, Nandi Comer, Bridgett M. Davis, Kahn Santori Davison, Jean Alicia Elster, shannon garth-rhodes, D'Nae Hearn, Stephen Henderson, Charisma Holly, Xavier Jackson, Mic Jennings, Luther Keith, Angela Atabex Lugo-Thomas, MARS. Marshall, Chace Morris, Keith A. Owens, Kamron Reynolds, Brittany Rogers, Satori Shakoor, Renee Simms, Cassandra Spratling, Rochelle Wilson-Ellis.

About Desiree: Desiree Cooper is an attorney and former Pulitzer Prize–nominated, Detroit Free Press columnist. Her first published short story, “Night Coming,” appeared in Detroit Noir (2007) and was later included in Best African American Fiction 2010, selected by Nikki Giovanni (2010). Since then, she has published two books with Detroit’s Wayne State University Press: her acclaimed collection of flash fiction Know the Mother (2016) and the picture book Nothing Special (2022), one of the New York Public Library’s "10 Best Children’s Books of 2022." Her essays and stories have been widely published, including in The New York Times, Oprah Daily, Michigan Quarterly Review, and Norton’s Flash Fiction America 2023. She has received three nominations for the Pushcart Prize. A 2015 Kresge Literary Arts Fellow, Cooper now lives in coastal Virginia, but remains a Detroiter at heart. descooper.com

About Pamela: Pamela Hilliard Owens is a Detroit-based author, business coach, and creative solopreneur with more than 35 years of experience in education, sales, and marketing. After a long career in teaching and corporate leadership, she launched her first writing and editing business in 2008 and went on to found multiple companies supporting independent authors and entrepreneurs. She has worked with clients across numerous countries, providing services in writing, publishing, branding, and marketing. Owens is also a speaker, podcaster, and founder of a global creative community dedicated to helping professionals communicate effectively and build successful brands.

About Lillien: Lillien Waller is an essayist and poet whose work often explores the relationship between art and experience and the intimate spheres of family life. Her poems have been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and Best New Poets, and she was a 2015 Kresge Literary Arts Fellow. She has shown interdisciplinary artwork at Wasserman Projects in Detroit (2019) and as part of Wayne State University Galleries’ public art series In the Air II (2021). In 2023, Waller received an Arts Writers Grant from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. She writes regularly at The Dominant Sound on Substack. lillienwaller.com

Copies of Black Summers will be available for purchase from Detroit's own Source Booksellers!

This is not a ticketed event, which means seats are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Questions? Email [email protected].

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