“The story I want to tell is this: Our lives are not just resistance. Our lives are not just lessons. We are not heroes. We are not villains. We are human—as beautiful as we are terrible. And we are worthy of the deepest love.” - Danté Stewart, Shoutin’ in the Fire: An American Epistle
Hello Family,
Meet Danté Stewart of the Lit 16. He is a writer, speaker, and preacher. His essays have appeared in The Atlantic, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and TIME. He was named one of the "22 Faith Leaders to Watch in 2022" by The Center for American Progress and by Religion News Service as one of "Ten Up-And-Coming Faith Influencers." His debut memoir, Shoutin' In The Fire: An American Epistle earned him the Georgia Writers Association’s 2022 “Georgia Writer of the Year” award.
Here is what I had to say about Danté’s debut:
“Only once in a lifetime do we come across a writer like Danté Stewart, so young and yet so masterful with the pen. This work, this Shoutin' in the Fire, is the thing to make dungeons shake and hearts thunder. Each line is packed with such glowing wisdom and grounding love that it makes the eyes tear and the hair raise on the back of necks. It has the lyrical prowess of a good sermon, yes, but the rhythm is entirely ancestral, like it was conveyed by our departed elders from their intimate prayer circles. What is most striking about Fire is Stewart's commitment to truth-telling in the Black Christian liberation tradition, which is indeed remarkable given how others who refer to themselves as such eschew truth for the warm embrace of dogma. That, in itself, is what makes Shoutin' in the Fire tongue-speak, hosanna, holy, the kind of clarion call that would make Maya Angelou hoot and James Baldwin holler.”
Be sure to tune in to see Danté, and three other members of the Lit 16, read and converse at:
The Lit 16: Second-Quarter Fire Circle Virtual Readings
White Whale Bookstore
Thursday, January 19, 2023
7 p.m. EST
To register, please visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lit16-camonghne-felix-dante-stewart-david-dennis-jr-m-shelly-conner-registration-413730929347
You can purchase copies of Shoutin' In The Fire: An American Epistle at the White Whale Bookstore Lit 16 site. Follow Danté on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
We hope to see you there. And thank you for your support!
Blessings upon blessings,
Robert
In the spirit of community over competition, the Lit 16 is how Deesha Philyaw, Kiese Laymon, and I decided to use our platforms to shine a light on emerging writers whose art has impacted, inspired, and moved us in ways that we wanted to honor and share with you.
We could have easily created a Lit 64; there are so many fantastic recent works that we adore. Unfortunately, for many reasons, we are unable to accommodate that large of a scope. However, we do encourage all of our artistic peers to advance toward the directive set forth by the iconic and legendary Ancestor Toni Morrison: “If you have some power, then your job is to empower somebody else.”
Be sure to follow the #Lit16 hashtag on social media and subscribe to Witness to stay up-to-date on upcoming Lit 16 events. Thank you so very much for joining us in celebration.
The Lit 16: Honoring sixteen emerging literary artists whose works are changing the game.
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