As part of its effort to celebrate diversity, West Virginia University will host an African-American Read-In where participants will recite pieces of their favorite African-American literature, poetry or stories.

The read-in will be held Wednesday, Feb. 23, from 6-8 p.m. in the Mountaineer Room in the Mountainlair. Anyone is welcome to attend and listen or participate in the read-in, which is sponsored by English Club, English honor society Sigma Tau Delta, and the Center for Black Culture and Research are sponsoring the event.

Students are encouraged to choose a poem, short story, or passage of African-American Literature to share with the rest of the group. After the readings, the participants sometimes discuss the literature.

“This has been happening nationally for many years,” said Rudy Almasy, professor of English, said of the read-in. “It is a good opportunity for students who want to share something by an African-American writer to get together to read and celebrate and maybe learn the names and works of writers they were not familiar with.”

“This is a chance to appreciate the great African American authors as well as literature itself,” said Hillary Long, an English major and vice president of Sigma Tau Delta and the English Club. “It’s important to celebrate culture and diversity and I believe this would be a great activity for students to participate in.”

For more information, contact Hillary Long at hlong4@mix.wvu.edu.

Click here to see a list of other events being held during WVU’s Black History Month.

-WVU-

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