Read James Baldwin with Us!
This fall we’re reading some of James Baldwin's essays, and we’d love it if you kept us company. We’re reading a couple selections from his first essay collection, Notes of a Native Son, and the entirety of his short book, The Fire Next Time. This truly is an informal read-along with no pressure for anyone – including us! – to show up as experts.
We’ve provided free copies of the texts and, where possible, audio versions.
Click here to register for session 1 on Wednesday, October 25, at 7:30 p.m. EST. For the first session, we're reading Baldwin's essay, “Notes of a Native Son.” Click here for a free copy of the text. Click here to listen to a reading of the essay.
Click here to register for session 2 on Wednesday, November 8, at 7:30 p.m. EST. For Session 2, we're reading Baldwin's essay, “Stranger in the Village.” Click here for a free copy of the essay. Click here to listen to a reading of the essay.
Click here to register for session 3 on Wednesday, November 29, at 7:30 p.m. EST. For the third session, we're reading the first half of Baldwin's long essay/ short book, The Fire Next Time (pages 291 - 314 in the Library of America edition linked below). Click here for a free copy.
Click here to register for session 4 on Wednesday, December 13, at 7:30 p.m. EST. For session 4, we're wrapping up Baldwin's The Fire Next Time (pages 314 - 347 of the Library of America edition linked below). Click here for a free copy of the essay.
Ground Rules
We’ll invite folks to add during our first session, but here are some initial ground rules for engagement:
No pressure. This is a time for curiosity, community building, and the pleasure of shared learning
This is not a classroom or a competition
Be mindful of how much space you take up
To encourage openness and imperfect/ incomplete thoughts, we won’t be recording
In solidarity,
Olga & Dwayne