Lit 16: Meet David J. Dennis, Jr.
Author of "The Movement Made Us: A Father, a Son, and the Legacy of a Freedom Ride"
“This is the story of the Movement. And a father and son who never stopped fighting for freedom and each other, reaching across a wall of Black fighters and ghosts who have been there for generations and days, our fingertips centimeters away from one another. Longing. Loving. Scared. Fighting. Us.”
— David Dennis, Jr., The Movement Made Us
Hello Family,
Meet David J. Dennis, Jr of the Lit 16. He’s a senior writer at ESPN's Andscape. His work has been featured in The Atlantic, The Washington Post, and The New York Times. He is the recipient of the 2021 American Mosaic Journalism Prize, the National Association of Black Journalist Salute to Excellence Award, and was named one of The Root’s 100 Most Influential African Americans of 2020. The Movement Made Us: A Father, a Son, and the Legacy of a Freedom Ride, written in collaboration with his father, is his debut memoir.
Here is what author and MacArthur Fellow Kiese Laymon had to say about David’s book:
“The Movement Made Us takes literature to a momentous Southern Black space I honestly never thought a book could take us. This is literally the movement that made us and both Davids love us whole here with a creation that is as ingenious as it is soulfully sincere. Stunning.”
Be sure to tune in to see David, 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 The Movement Made Us: A Father, a Son, and the Legacy of a Freedom Ride at the White Whale Bookstore Lit 16 site. Follow David on 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.
How have y’all been enjoying #Lit16? Please go on social media and let everyone know!