Smart Bets: All the Songs We Sing

In August 1995, African American men and women gathered at poet Lenard D. Moore’s house in southeast Raleigh and shared rough drafts of works in progress. Twenty-five years later, the Carolina African American Writers’ Collective remains active and strong, and in June celebrated its quarter-century anniversary with All the Songs We Sing, an anthology of works by members of the collective, edited by Moore. On Thursday, July 16, at 7 p.m., the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance presents a livestream discussion of CAAWC’s history, hosted by Wiley Cash. Moore and North Carolina Poet Laureate Jaki Shelton Green will partake and be joined by contributors L. Teresa Church, Crystal Simone Smith, Bridgette A. Lacy, Grace Ocasio, Fred Joiner, Carole Boston Weatherford, Camille T. Dungy, Angela Belcher Epps and Gideon Young, who will read selections from poems, stories and essays included in the collection. Malaprop’s is a participating bookstore. Free, but registration is required. avl.mx/7nw. Photo of Moore by Dave Russo and Green by Sylvia Freeman