Kentucky Black Writers Collaborative (KBWC)
A support center for aspiring Black writers around the state.

Are you a Black writer looking for guidance and opportunity?
Carnegie is offering classes at no charge to Black students in recognition of systemic racism, including in education and publishing, where Carnegie operates. Our goal is to welcome Black Kentucky residents to Carnegie, nurture their development, and remove financial obstacles for as long as needed.

All weekly classes and one-time classes at Carnegie are free to members of the Black Writers Collaborative. *

For more information on the KBWC or to register for a class, contact: Claudia Love Mair, KBWC Coordinator, ClaudiaLove@CarnegieCenterLex.org or JC McPherson, KBWC Associate, Jude@CarnegieCenterLex.org.

* Not included free of charge are the Author Academy, the Poetry Gauntlet, the Books in Progress Conference, Writer Mentoring, and Manuscript Review. There is separate financial support available for these programs.

Writing & Publishing While Black – Summer 2023

Black authors face special challenges in the publishing world, from blatant racism to microaggressions to dealing with the expectations of the publishing business, which is by and large centered in whiteness. Learn how you can succeed in writing and publishing while Black. Panelists: Claudia Love Mair, Crystal Wilkinson, makalani bandele, and Angela Jackson-Brown

This class is offered as a pre-recorded webinar. The link to the video and any accompanying materials will be emailed to you after registering.

Black & Lit Book Club – September 25

The Kentucky Black Writers Collaborative continues the popular Black & Lit Book Club celebrating Black Kentucky writers’ recent books. This book group will be open to KBWC members and anyone who wishes to attend. We will explore issues related to race and discuss the characters’ relationships, family, home life, dreams, and challenges. We’ll also study aspects of their writing, such as word choice, themes, character, plot, and setting. When possible, we will meet with the author during our book group. Sponsored by LEXArts, Kentucky Arts Council, and the Chethik Family Fund to Advance Black Writers. Each month, the first 25 registrants receive a free copy of the selected book. 

As a writer and thought-leader, Tracey Michae’l Lewis-Giggetts offers those who read her work and hear her speak an authentic experience; an opportunity to explore the intersection of culture, identity and faith/spirituality at the deepest levels. She is the host of the podcast, HeARTtalk with Tracey Michae’l, and founder of HeARTspace, a healing community created to serve those who have experienced trauma of any kind through the use of storytelling and the arts.

As a writer, Tracey has published 21 books including several collaborations with numerous high-profile authors. Calling herself a “literary midwife,” Tracey is a highly sought-after ghostwriter/collaborator whose work includes the New York Times bestselling book, Feeding the Soul by Tabitha Brown, Better Not Bitter by Yusef Salaam, The Other Side of Yet by Michelle Hord, and many others.

In 2021, Tracey became one of 20 writers who contributed to the groundbreaking book, You are Your Best Thing: Vulnerability, Shame Resilience, and the Black Experience edited by acclaimed researcher, Brene Brown, and founder of the MeToo Movement, Tarana Burke.

In 2022, Tracey’s critically-acclaimed book, Black Joy: Stories of Resistance, Resilience, and Restoration (Gallery/Simon and Schuster) was published. Black Joy won the 2023 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work - Instructional and has received rave reviews from celebrities like Kerry Washington, literary authors like Kiese Laymon and Deesha Philyaw, and media outlets like Good Morning America, Essence Magazine, and USA Today. Tracey’s most recent book, Then They Came for Mine: Healing from the Trauma of Racial Violence (WJK), examines the source and impact of racial violence against Black people in all its forms and offers a blueprint for the way the Christian Church can help facilitate healing. Then They Came for Mine has won the 2023 Wilbur Award, the highest honor given by the Religion Communicators Council, for excellence in the communication of religious issues, values, and themes, in public media.

Tracey has spoken on a number of platforms around the country on topics related to race/social justice, healing, and faith/spirituality. Additionally, her freelance work has been published in print and online publications such as Oprah Daily, The Washington Post, Essence Magazine, The Guardian, The Chronicle for Higher Education, Ebony Magazine, TheRoot.com, and more.