Between Borders and Blackness: An Intimate Evening of Poetry and Convo

About the Event:

Experience an evening of lyrical brilliance and thought-provoking dialogue. The poets will open their hearts through readings that reflect resilience, identity, and the beauty of Black womanhood — followed by an intimate conversation.

A free night of poetry readings, performance, and conversation, book signing and sales opportunities, and refereshments!

Special Guests

Nandi Comer — 2023 Poet Laureate of Michigan

Award-winning author of Tapping Out and American Family: A Syndrome. Her work has earned the Society of Midland Authors and Julie Suk Awards, along with fellowships from Cave Canem, Callaloo, and the Academy of American Poets. She is the 2025–2026 Jay C. and Ruth Halls Poetry Fellow at the University of Wisconsin and co-Director of Detroit Lit.

Vida Cross — Milwuakee Poet, Scholar, and Fulbright Fellow

A blues poet and third-generation Chicagoan, Vida Cross is the author of Bronzeville at Night: 1949. Her work draws on the art of Archibald J. Motley Jr. and the legacy of Langston Hughes. A Cave Canem Fellow and Pushcart nominee, she holds MFAs in Writing and Filmmaking from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and has been featured in numerous journals and anthologies.

Opening by: Paulina O’Kieffe-Anthony —Toronto/ Windsor based Award-Winning Poet, Arts Educator, and Facilitator

Featuring: Teajai Travis: A Blaze of Story - Host, Producer, Director; Windsor Inaugural Multicultural Community Storyteller -The City of Windsor (2022 -2024); Ancestral Sound Meditation - Guide and Consultant

Hosted by the Black Scholars Institute at the University of Windsor

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Host or Publisher The Black Scholars Institute at the University of Windsor