The Griot & Grey Owl Black Southern Writers Conference & Book Fest is scheduled for November 13-15, 2026, in the Durham/RTP area. The three-day gathering is built around the theme “We Were Never Meant to Survive: Rest, Resilience, and Radical Joy” and brings together workshops, panels, author conversations and a keynote address from poet Danez Smith.
The event was co-founded by local author Khalisa Rae Thompson and Eric Thompson, according to CBS 17. Khalisa Rae Thompson has said Triangle residents should have more access to a literary community, and the festival aims to foster a sense of belonging among Black Southern writers, readers and literary enthusiasts, per the same report. General admission tickets will be available on a sliding fee scale, and the festival offers scholarship applications for people in need, CBS 17 reports.
A Full Slate of Panels, Workshops and a Book Fair
The program includes writing workshops, author conversations and a book fair, according to the station's report. Research Triangle Park describes the conference as bringing writers, readers, scholars, artists and cultural storytellers together in Durham, North Carolina, with workshops, panels, conversations and other literary programming. Danez Smith will serve as the conference's keynote speaker, RTP confirms.
The book fair itself is described on the conference's own website as a place to browse books from independent authors, Black-owned presses, and literary organizations. That mix of small presses and independent writers is meant to put attendees in direct contact with the kind of Southern literary voices the conference is built to spotlight.
Venue Details Differ Between Listings
Exactly where the bulk of the action takes place depends on which listing you check. RTP states that Frontier RTP will serve as the primary location for conference events, with additional activations taking place at Boxyard RTP and the Hub RTP Experience Center. A separate listing from The Triangle Weekender, however, names Hub RTP as the site, telling readers to visit Durham for the conference November 13-15 at Hub RTP.
The Triangle Weekender listing also lays out how access varies by day. On Friday, the keynote and the book fair are free to attend and open to everyone, per that listing. Saturday conference sessions are reserved for BIPOC participants, while paid passes are available for other experiences, the same listing notes.
For organizers, the mission remains consistent: giving Black Southern writers a dedicated space to gather, learn and be celebrated in the heart of the Triangle.
