Atlanta Black Writers Weekend connects Black storytellers with their next big win 

When the federal government cut back arts funding and ended support for diversity, equity and inclusion programs after Donald Trump’s re-election as president, Tamika Jamison knew she had to do something.

So earlier this year, she went to Washington. 

But she wasn’t there to protest at the White House or to rally the troops before a Congressional committee. She chose Washington as the first of five Black Writers Weekend pop-up events meant to celebrate and inspire Black artists through panel discussions and networking mixers. 

“That was my direct response to our government,” said Jamison, adding that more pop-up events followed in Newark, New Jersey, Los Angeles, Dallas and Chicago. “If they’re going to make it hard, we’re just going to pop up everywhere.”

Jamison is the founder of Black Writers Weekend, a conference held every year in Atlanta to honor Black creatives in literature, publishing, film, music and podcasting. This year’s event will be held July 31 through August 2 at the Auburn Avenue Research Library and Loudermilk Conference Center in downtown Atlanta. 

The event, which launched in 2010, will include panel discussions, a film festival, workshops, book signings, a vendor marketplace, on-site meetings with publishers and a chance to land a book deal worth $8,500. Close to 90 people are expected to take part in panel discussions, display their work, coach and consult with attendees on monetizing their creativity.

A documentary titled Dear Black Writers, exploring the “storytellers, dreamers and changemakers” behind Black Writers Weekend, also will be shown. 

“We’re getting ready to launch our own ecosystem where creatives can own their voice and their likeness, and there’s no middleman taking a cut,” she said. “This allows everyone to earn from their creativity and their stories.”

That ownership will extend to artificial intelligence. Jamison herself has embraced the technology, employing a digital double to help her juggle responsibilities. She admitted that while AI is a great tool for productivity, it can be detrimental to the creative community if safeguards are not put into place. 

“We are in the age of AI, and they are taking your voice — they’re taking your likeness and utilizing it without permission,” she said.

For media personality Katie Alexis, Black Writers Weekend may be the bridge to her evolution as a writer. Alexis creates comedic book reviews on social media to encourage reading. She began her content creation journey in 2013, beginning with fashion, then switched to comedy in 2021 and added book reviews to the mix in 2024.

“I started creating just to express myself, but I stayed because I realized I could actually make people laugh and connect with them in real time,” said Alexis, who is attending this month’s Black Writers Weekend for the first time. “My favorite videos are my comedic book reviews — taking a book I just read and turning it into a whole experience.”

Lately, however, she’s been considering doing more than being a fan of literature. She’s thinking about writing a romance book.

“That was not the original plan; it just came from being in the book space and realizing I have stories I want to tell, too,” she said. “Right now, I am still building and evolving. I am open to whatever comes next, whether that is writing, expanding my platform or something bigger down the line. I am not forcing a lane; I am creating one.”

Director Trey Haley of TV drama The Family Business knows what it’s like to get that creative itch, and he sees his job at the conference as encouraging attendees to go ahead and scratch it. When he left his home in Texas more than two decades ago for Hollywood, he never doubted he was on the right path.

“I never thought that it was not possible,” said Haley, who will talk about his history as a director and producer. “There was no Plan B, no foot halfway in, no foot halfway out. You’re going to jump off this cliff, and you’re going to figure out how to fly.” 

He was aware of the odds of success for Black filmmakers. Black stories don’t always find a home because the distribution model doesn’t support them. But he remained undaunted.

“This business is a journey,” he said. “A lot of times, people give up too quickly. A lot of times your yes is just around the corner.”

Those yeses have led to great Black filmmakers such as Spike Lee, Ryan Coogler, Ava DuVernay and Antoine Fuqua, plus mega producer and screenwriter Shonda Rhimes. It’s resulted in movies that personally inspired Haley, such as Boomerang, which reflected a world where Black characters were business leaders, lived in swanky homes and led great lives, he said.

And he hasn’t done so badly himself. As president and partner of Tri Destined Studios with Nikaya D. Brown Jones, Haley has directed several movies and TV shows based on the books of bestselling author Carl Weber, including The Man in 3B, Influence and The Preacher’s Son, as well as the TV show The Black Hamptons.

“You have to believe that everything is working for you, not against you,” he said. “If you stay in that space, you will win.”

Where and When

Atlanta’s Black Writers Weekend takes place July 31 through August 2 at the Auburn Avenue Research Library and the Loudermilk Conference Center. General passes start at $39, and upgrades are available.

::

Leon Stafford is an award-winning journalist with more than 30 years of experience at various newspapers, including The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Lexington Herald-Leader and the Knoxville News-Sentinel. He has covered municipal government, business, education, hospitality and the arts during his career.