SJC Presents Brooklyn Voices: A Literary Series

April 11, 2012

BROOKLYN, NY April 12, 2012 St. Josephs College, in partnership with Greenlight Bookstore and the Brooklyn Rail, is pleased to announce that author and commentator Tour and acclaimed writer, filmmaker and producer Nelson George will speak at the spring installation of the Brooklyn Voices literary series. This event, entitled, Tour and Nelson George in Conversation, will take place on Wednesday, May 2 at 6:30 p.m. in the OConnor Mall, St. Josephs College, 239 Vanderbilt Avenue. The event is free and open to the public.

Nelson George, author of the novel The Plot Against Hip Hop, is one of the first writers to document hip hops rich history and value to our culture and is the author of several award-winning books on the subject, including Hip Hop America and The Death of Rhythm & Blues; he also coauthored Russell Simmons' autobiography Life and Def: Sex, Drugs, Money and God. He directed Queen Latifah in the HBO film Life Support, and is an executive producer of VH1's long-running Hip Hop Honors broadcast. Most recently, his documentary, Brooklyn Boheme, an examination of the creative culture of Fort Greene in the 1980s, was an official selection for the 2nd Annual DocFest in 2011. Nelson George resides in Fort Greene.

Tours writing regularly appears in publications such as The New York Times, Ebony, and The New Yorker, among others. His three previous books include the short story collection The Portable Promised Land, the novel Soul City, and a collection of his journalism Never Drank the Kool-Aid. He is a regular contributor on culture for MSNBC and hosts two programs on the FUSE network: The Hiphop Shop and On the Record.  He also serves on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nominating Committee. Tour lives in Fort Greene.

"We are thrilled at the opportunity to have two of the nations preeminent social commentators share the same stage at St. Josephs, said Dr. Richard Greenwald, professor and academic dean at St. Josephs College. "The free-flowing conversation between these two friends should yield countless insights on a myriad of topics ranging from race, music, culture, literature, to our home neighborhood of Fort Greene.

Created in collaboration with Greenlight Bookstore, and the Brooklyn Rail, the aim of the Brooklyn Voices series is to promote and enhance the creative vitality of our home neighborhoods of Fort Greene and Clinton Hill by providing local writers, artists, and intellectuals with a forum in which to discuss and present their works to our neighbors, patrons, and students. Through lectures, forums, performances, and public discussion, Brooklyn Voices seeks to make a meaningful contribution to the thriving intellectual culture of the neighborhood and ensure that our community remains a stimulating place in which to live, learn, and do business.