Please join the Special Collections Research Center from the comfort of your home or office on Tuesday, February 9, at 4:00pm, for the second of our Winter 2021 After Hours virtual events: "Broadside and Lotus: Black-Owned Presses in Detroit."
This event will feature a selection of published work and archival material from the Broadside Press Records and the Naomi Long Madgett and the Lotus Press Papers, both held in the Special Collections Research Center. Dudley Randall established Broadside Press in 1965 with the goal of cultivating the work of African American writers. The Press’ first publication was a broadside of Gwendolyn Brooks’ “We Real Cool” in 1966 and over the following decades, Broadside published more than 200 poets and writers in broadsides, collections, anthologies, records, and videotapes. Naomi Long Madgett founded Lotus Press in 1972. It was initially intended as a way of publishing her fourth book of poetry, Pink Ladies in the Afternoon, but it soon developed into a long-term project to find, support, and publish a wide range poets and authors, including Toi Derricotte, May Miller, and Dudley Randall.
Curator Juli McLoone will briefly introduce these two historic presses and their founders, and attendees will have an opportunity to (virtually) explore and discuss materials from the collection. Please register through this form: After Hours Registration. We will send you an email, with details for joining the Zoom meeting, approximately 24 hours in advance of the event.