BlackLit Durham

BlackLit DurhamBlackLit DurhamBlackLit Durham
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BlackLit Durham

BlackLit DurhamBlackLit DurhamBlackLit Durham
Home
Our Next Event
Partners
Gallery
Contact
More
  • Home
  • Our Next Event
  • Partners
  • Gallery
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Our Next Event
  • Partners
  • Gallery
  • Contact

#BuiLDinAjax

Experience BLACK Canadian Literature Without Going Downtown

Experience BLACK Canadian Literature Without Going DowntownExperience BLACK Canadian Literature Without Going DowntownExperience BLACK Canadian Literature Without Going Downtown

Finally, an event with top Black literary talent comes to Pickering Village, Ajax

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about blacklit durham

BlackLit Durham is a bimonthly literary arts event produced by AfriCANthology Canada and generously supported by Ajax Public Library and St. Francis Centre. The series is designed to showcase, highlight, amplify, and celebrate Black Canadian literary voices of all genres in their full splendour and diversity.

Event History

An event featuring contributors to the book AfriCANthology, hosted at St. Francis Centre in June 2022, was such a rousing success that audience members called for a recurring series based on similar themes to showcase Black Canadian artists. The idea for BlackLit Durham was born.

Our Community

Durham (pop. 697,000 in 2021) is the easternmost regional municipality of the Greater Toronto Area. Most people do not realize that there is a large Black population in the Region. In fact, the Town of Ajax (where the series takes place) has the largest Black population (by percentage) of any municipality in Canada.

Presented by:

UPCOMING Event

Doors open at 6:30 pm & showtime at 7 pm SHARP at all shows.

Wed Oct 25, 2023

BlackLit Durham Literary Showcase

7pm

-

9pm

St. Francis Centre for Community, Arts, & Culture, 78 Church Street. South, Ajax ON, L1S 6B3

Event Details

Wed Oct 25, 2023

BlackLit Durham Literary Showcase

Our theme is A Time for Thanksgiving. Featured writers TBD. PWYC!

7pm

-

9pm

St. Francis Centre for Community, Arts, & Culture, 78 Church Street. South, Ajax ON, L1S 6B3

Wed Dec 13, 2023

BlackLit Durham Literary Showcase

7pm

-

9pm

St. Francis Centre for Community, Arts, & Culture, 78 Church Street. South, Ajax ON, L1S 6B3

Event Details

Wed Dec 13, 2023

BlackLit Durham Literary Showcase

Our theme is Write for the Season. Featured writers TBD. PWYC!

7pm

-

9pm

St. Francis Centre for Community, Arts, & Culture, 78 Church Street. South, Ajax ON, L1S 6B3

Wed Feb 21, 2024

BlackLit Durham Literary Showcase

7pm

-

9pm

St. Francis Centre for Community, Arts, & Culture, 78 Church Street. South, Ajax ON, L1S 6B3

Event Details

Wed Feb 21, 2024

BlackLit Durham Literary Showcase

Our theme is Decade(s) of Black Ink. Featured writers TBD. PWYC!

7pm

-

9pm

St. Francis Centre for Community, Arts, & Culture, 78 Church Street. South, Ajax ON, L1S 6B3

Wed April 24, 2024

BlackLit Durham Literary Showcase

7pm

-

9pm

St. Francis Centre for Community, Arts, & Culture, 78 Church Street. South, Ajax ON, L1S 6B3

Event Details

Wed April 24, 2024

BlackLit Durham Literary Showcase

Our theme is Black Hope Springs Eternal: National Poetry Month Celebration. Featured writers TBD. PWYC!

7pm

-

9pm

St. Francis Centre for Community, Arts, & Culture, 78 Church Street. South, Ajax ON, L1S 6B3

Wed June 26, 2024

BlackLit Durham Literary Showcase

7pm

-

9pm

St. Francis Centre for Community, Arts, & Culture, 78 Church Street. South, Ajax ON, L1S 6B3

Event Details

Wed June 26, 2024

BlackLit Durham Literary Showcase

Our theme is Bringing the Heat: Our Second Anniversary Celebration. Featured writers TBD. PWYC!

7pm

-

9pm

St. Francis Centre for Community, Arts, & Culture, 78 Church Street. South, Ajax ON, L1S 6B3

PREVIOUS Events

See event pictures in our Photo Gallery

Sun June 11, 2023

BlackLit Durham Literary Showcase

7pm

-

9pm

St. Francis Centre for Community, Arts, & Culture, 78 Church Street. South, Ajax ON, L1S 6B3

Event Details

Sun June 11, 2023

BlackLit Durham Literary Showcase

First Anniversary Celebration ft Abigail Grimes, The Pretty Provocative Poet & Judith Shaw. 

7pm

-

9pm

St. Francis Centre for Community, Arts, & Culture, 78 Church Street. South, Ajax ON, L1S 6B3

Sun Apr 30, 2023

BlackLit Durham Literary Showcase

7pm

-

9pm

St. Francis Centre for Community, Arts, & Culture, 78 Church Street. South, Ajax ON, L1S 6B3

Event Details

Sun Apr 30, 2023

BlackLit Durham Literary Showcase

New Beginnings ft Leland Harper, Channon Oyeniran & Thunderclaw Robinson. 

7pm

-

9pm

St. Francis Centre for Community, Arts, & Culture, 78 Church Street. South, Ajax ON, L1S 6B3

Thu Apr 6, 2023

An Evening with Local Black Poets and Spoken Word Artists

7pm

-

9pm

Whitby Public Library Central Library, 405 Dundas St. W., Whitby ON, L1N 6A1

Event Details

Thu Apr 6, 2023

An Evening with Local Black Poets and Spoken Word Artists

NEW Annual National Poetry Month celebration ft Judith Shaw, Daveisha Francis, Thunderclaw Robinson and Greg Frankson in partnership with th...

Event Details

7pm

-

9pm

Whitby Public Library Central Library, 405 Dundas St. W., Whitby ON, L1N 6A1

Sun Feb 26, 2023

BlackLit Durham Literary Showcase

7pm

-

9pm

St. Francis Centre for Community, Arts, & Culture, 78 Church Street. South, Ajax ON, L1S 6B3

Event Details

Sun Feb 26, 2023

BlackLit Durham Literary Showcase

Respect Our Canadian BlackLit Elders ft Tanya Turton, Sifton Tracey Anipare, Aaron Berhane (represented by Freweini Berhane) and Mary Anne C...

Event Details

7pm

-

9pm

St. Francis Centre for Community, Arts, & Culture, 78 Church Street. South, Ajax ON, L1S 6B3

Sun Dec 11, 2022

BlackLit Durham Literary Showcase

7pm

-

9pm

St. Francis Centre for Community, Arts, & Culture, 78 Church Street. South, Ajax ON, L1S 6B3

Event Details

Sun Dec 11, 2022

BlackLit Durham Literary Showcase

Praise for the Season ft Greg Frankson & Andrea Thompson. 

7pm

-

9pm

St. Francis Centre for Community, Arts, & Culture, 78 Church Street. South, Ajax ON, L1S 6B3

More Events

Learn more

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Our Next Event

Our Next Event

Our Next Event

Details about the next BlackLit Durham showcase that you don't want to miss! 

Partners

Our Next Event

Our Next Event

Details about the organizations that collaborate to present BlackLit Durham.

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Contact

Our Next Event

Contact

Reach out to BlackLit Durham with comments, suggestions, and feedback.

BlackLit Durham and the Canadian Black Literary Festival are initiatives of AfriCANthology Canada. Website © 2023 

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