The Rare Book & Manuscript Library welcomes Jesse Erickson, Astor Curator of Printed Books & Bindings at The Morgan Library & Museum, for a live presentation over Zoom.
Erickson discusses the ways that Black Vernacular English (BVE) has become central to contemporary Western literacy, tracing its migrations from eighteenth-century literature to that of the hip hop generation. The idea of Blackness has a history which is deeply embedded in English poetry, prose fiction, playwriting, and performative storytelling. Erickson’s talk will explore this history and examine the amalgamation of BVE into the fabric of Anglophonic textuality and its relationship to contemporary media literacy.
This virtual event is free and all are welcome to register and attend. Please sign up to receive the Zoom link at go.illinois.edu/Erickson.