Books

An Exciting March 2025 Writers Conference

Sonja D. Williams African Americans, Biography, Books, Education, Journalism, Nonfiction, Podcast, Podcasting

Happy New Year!

If you’re a writer or book lover looking for an event that could stimulate your creativity and engage your curiosity, you might want to check out the upcoming  Telling the Stories of Black Lives through Biography Conference.

Set for March 21-22, 2025 in Montgomery Alabama, this first-of-its-kind national conference is sponsored by the Biographers International Organization (BIO) in partnership with Troy University.

Author and journalist A’Lelia Bundles (Joy Goddess: A’Lelia Walker and the Harlem Renaissance, 2025) will serve as the conference’s keynote speaker.

Fellow biographer and historian David Greenberg  (John Lewis: A Life, 2024) is set to deliver the luncheon address.

Conference attendees can explore the joys and challenges of producing biographies of Black subjects through panel discussions, talks and tours of Montgomery’s civil rights memorials. The conference is a must for writers and/or readers of biography and history, along with teachers and students from throughout the Southeast region.

So don’t miss this exciting two-day, deep dive into biographical storytelling – with an African American twist!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Sonja D. Williams Audiobook, Biography, Books, History, Holiday Sale, Nonfiction, Podcast, Podcasting, Radio, Sale

(photo credit: Keisha Eugene)

Greetings!

Here’s wishing you all the best during this holiday season…and let me suggest that you might want to check out the latest edition of the Biographers International Organization’s Podcast Series. In it, distinguished author Maryemma Graham talks about her biography of the award-winning poet, novelist, and educator Margaret Walker.

Click here  to listen to Dr. Graham’s fascinating conversation with fellow biographer Kevin McGruder.

And if you’re searching for more listening options, the audiobook of my Word Warrior  biography currently is on sale.

So as we quickly approach a new year, please stay safe and well, enjoy my listening suggestions, and I hope to see you 2024!

 

A Fascinating Examination of a Trailblazing Athlete & Her Times

Sonja D. Williams Biography, Books, Nonfiction, Nonfiction Writing, Podcast, Podcasting

Althea Gibson.

She was a one-of-a-kind tennis star and golf professional.

Back in 1957 and 1958, Gibson became the first African American ever to win the coveted championship titles in Wimbledon and in what is now the U.S. Open. By the time her tennis career ended, she had walked away with about 58 national and international singles and doubles titles.

Then in 1964, Gibson became the first Black American woman to join the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), where she broke course records in several  tournaments.

But there was much more to Gibson than her sporting conquests. She was a talented singer, an aspiring actress, a businesswoman and a New Jersey state athletic commissioner.

And there’s more.

So if you’re interested in finding out more about this dynamic woman who inspired scores of younger athletes – including Venus and Serena Williams – you should check out my interview with Ashley Brown, assistant professor of history at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Brown’s biography of Gibson was published in February of this year, and it’s a fascinating account of Gibson’s life and times.

Click here to listen to my intervew with Professor Ashley Brown (via the Biographers International Organization podcast series), and enjoy!

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