Conference To Address 'Crisis' In Review Of Books By DC Authors

WASHINGTON, DC — Renowned author and critic Joyce Carol Oates and D.C. poet and literary activist E. Ethelbert Miller are among the featured speakers at an annual arts journalism conference coming Feb. 22-26.

Organized by Washington, D.C.-based arts nonprofit Day Eight, the virtual conference, titled “The Crisis in Book Review: An Arts Journalism Conference,” will look at how to boost the number of books by D.C. area authors that get reviewed in journals and magazines.

Conference organizers hope to address the "crisis in book review" by increasing the number of qualified local book reviewers.

The conference consists of a series of workshops, panels and keynote sessions. The conference is produced in partnership with The DC Line, The Washington Independent Review of Books, Alan Squire Publishing, Barrelhouse Press, Dryad Press, The Writer’s Center, Tagg Magazine, and with support from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities and HumanitiesDC.

The conference opens with a virtual panel discussion Feb. 22 at 7 pm, featuring critics, editors, and publishers.

Workshops also will be offered for prospective book reviewers. On Feb. 26, Stephanie Merry, Washington Post book editor, Ron Charles, Washington Post book critic, and Holly Smith, editor in chief of The Washington Independent Review of Books will conduct the free workshops.

Keynote speakers on Feb. 25-26 include Joyce Carol Oates, E. Ethelbert Miller, playwright and Pen/Faulkner executive director Gwydion Suilebhan, historian Russell Jacoby, poet Teri Ellen Cross Davis, author and Hurston/Wright Foundation co-founder Marita Golden, New York Times editor Jennifer Harlan, and author/commentator Brian Broome.

As part of the conference, eight writers have been commissioned to draft book reviews. The reviews will be published after the conference by Washington Independent Review of Books and The DC Line.

All conference events are free and open to the public, but each event requires separate registration to attend live on zoom.