Author Reading: Thomas Kneeland

Join Thomas Kneeland at Indy Reads on June 8th from 2-4 pm for a reading, disucssion, and signing of his poetry collection We Be Walkin’ Blackly in the Deep.

This event is recommended for ages 13+.

All proceeds from book sales at Indy Reads support our English literacy programming.

We Be Walkin’ Blackly in the Deep

From the advent of White Lion to the current state of systemic racism, forcibly woven into institutions of power, we’ve found ways to combat oppression. If we look at influential figures within our literary landscape, we’ll find Amiri Baraka, James Baldwin, Maya Angelou, Gwendolyn Brooks, Toni Morrison, Zora Neale Hurston, and a host of prolific Black writers. They are the ones who set and reset the literary arts landscape, time and time again, to ensure that we would always have a place in the larger American and global society.

These writers, most of whom were poets, established the barriers between societal order and chaos. And while those barriers found, and find, themselves cracked by the thunderous, battering ram of injustice, there will always be new waves of literary cement to rebuild and strengthen the indestructible power of Black words.

This chapbook collection begins to unearth and restore color to the white-washed notions about the dark and terrifying facets of American history.

Meet the Author

Thomas Kneeland is the author of We Be Walkin’ Blackly in the Deep (Marian University Department of Media, Communication, and Design) and a 2022 Frontier Poetry Global Poetry Prize finalist. He is a 2024 Speculative Play & Just Futurities Scholar-in-Residence, which is funded by Indiana University, the Mellon Foundation, IUI Arts & Humanities Institute, IUI Center for Africana Studies & Culture, and the Ray Bradbury Center. He is also the Founder & Editor-in-Chief of The Elevation Review. His publication credits include Southern Humanities Review, The Amistad, The Rumpus, Vagabond City Lit, Up the Staircase Quarterly, South Florida Poetry Journal, and elsewhere. Thomas received his BA in English Writing from DePauw University, an MA in Ministry from Wesley Seminary, and an MFA in Poetry from Butler University.

This event is Pay-What-You-Can. Here’s what your suggested donation can do for the Indy Reads community:

FREE – This ticket is for attendees that would like to attend this event and are unable to purchase a ticket. Indy Reads values our community and facilitators. We are proud to provide programming to all. Thank you for being a part of our community!

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$20 – This donation covers the cost of two attendees to this event. If you are attending as an individual, your ticket at this level makes it possible for another who cannot afford a ticket to attend. It is only through the generosity of our community that we are able to support programs that enrich the lives of all Hoosiers. Thank you for your support!

Other – “Pay-What-You-Can” really does mean pay what you can. Indy Reads appreciates that every one of our community members is able to support our vision of 100% literacy for all in different ways. Whether you can pay $5 or $50, we are so excited to see you – and thank you for your support!