Never Tell a Black Girl How to Black Girl - Amena Brown & Tayari Jones

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. Doors open at 6pm. Event begins promptly at 6:30pm.

Charis and the Auburn Avenue Research Library welcome Amena Brown in conversation with Tayari Jones for a celebration of .

An irresistible delight, this hilarious and heartwarming essay collection gathers essential tales about growing up in the South, the pitfalls of date night, and why no one should ever tell a Black girl how to Black Girl.
Black women always find a place to meet: in the natural hair aisle, at Beyoncé concerts, even online in memes and catchphrases. This book is one of those places: a living room where readers can contemplate how a well-picked afro can defy the laws of physics and why boob sweat has to exist in the first place. Here, Black Girl is a verb. Here, Black women can Black Girl in every way we want to.
Amena Brown’s Never Tell a Black Girl How to Black Girl blends storytelling, humor, and pop culture commentary to traverse the magic and wisdom she's gleaned from being raised by Southern Black women, and supported by the community of Black women who hold her down today. After graduating from the International Black Girl Headquarters (the renowned HBCU Spelman College), Amena has built a career telling stories and celebrating Black womanhood. In her book, she shares stories of dancing in Janelle Monae's "Tightrope" music video and partnering with Tracee Ellis Ross to compose odes to natural hair. She imparts essential life lessons from the Real Housewives of Atlanta, and tells hair tales, including wisdom on the ideal style for her first speaking gig at Essence Fest (box braids, 100 percent).
In the end, Brown shares that Black women are a whole world. A galaxy of customs, language, code, and unspoken understandings, all explored with humor and heart in this unforgettable book.

About the author

Amena Brown is a celebrated speaker and spoken word poet who has collaborated with Tracee Ellis Ross’ PATTERN Beauty, The Moth, Pantene, and the Essence Festival of Culture, and has shared the stage with Mindy Kaling, Glennon Doyle, Michelle Buteau, and Sonia Sanchez, among many others. She’s known for warmly inviting audiences into her world, and she does so with unmatched flavor and authenticity in her new essay collection (Tiny Reparations Books; on-sale June 16, 2026).

About the conversation partner

Tayari Jones is the author of five novels. was an Oprah’s Book Club selection and also appeared on Barack Obama’s summer reading list and his year-end roundup. It won the Women’s Prize for Fiction, the Aspen Words Literary Prize, and an NAACP Image Award and has been published in two dozen countries. Jones is the C.H. Candler Professor of English and Creative Writing at Emory University and lives in Atlanta. Her most recent novel, , was published in February.

About the Venue / Accessibility

• Masks are encouraged but not required.
• The entire building is wheelchair accessible with ramps, including the front and back entrances. Both entrances have powered doors. There are wheelchair accessible bathroom stalls.
• AARL has a free parking lot accessible via Courtland street. There are three dedicated wheelchair accessible parking spots. Please park and enter the library to get a guest pass and place it on your dashboard before getting settled in the auditorium.

The event is free and open to all people, but we encourage and appreciate a donation of $5-20 in support of the work of Charis Circle, our programming non-profit. Charis Circle's mission is to foster sustainable feminist communities, work for social justice, and encourage the expression of diverse and marginalized voices. Donate via our website: www.chariscircle.org/donate.

Please contact us at [email protected] or 404-524-0304 if you would like ASL interpretation at this event.

By attending our event, you agree to our Code of Conduct: Our event seeks to provide a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, religion (or lack thereof), class, or technology choices. We do not tolerate harassment in any form. Unsolicited sexual language and imagery are not appropriate. Anyone violating these rules will be expelled from this event and all future events at the discretion of the organizers. Please report all harassment to Charis staff immediately or email [email protected].

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