"Post-Soul Satire: A Symposium on the Fiction of Paul Beatty, Trey Ellis and Darius James" to be Held at Holy Cross

WORCESTER, Mass. – There will be a symposium held at Holy Cross from Friday, April 6–Saturday, April 7, titled "Post-Soul Satire: A Symposium on the Fiction of Paul Beatty, Trey Ellis and Darius James." Twelve cultural critics from around the U.S. will be attending the symposium to discuss what being "post" really means. Sponsored by the African-American Studies concentration, the event is free and open to the public.

The author of the essay, "The New Black Aesthetic," Ellis' works have helped establish the "post-Soul" era in literature. Beatty, the author of "The White Boy Shuffle," and James, author of "Negrophobia," join Ellis as authors who use satire to explore the post-Soul moment in which we live. Each author makes explicit references to Civil Rights-era black politics and cultural assumptions. In the process, each recalls the "Soul" era in their works.

The schedule of events is as follows:

Friday, April 6: Daily panel presentations by the cultural critics from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. and 2 p.m.- 4 p.m. in the Browsing Room of Dinand Library. Literary reading by Darius James at 7:30 p.m. in Room 519 of the Hogan Campus Center.

Saturday, April 7: Daily panel presentations by the cultural critics from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. and 2 p.m.-4 p.m. in the Browsing Room of Dinand Library. Literary readings by Trey Ellis and Danzy Senna, Holy Cross' Jenks Chair, at 7:30 p.m. in Room 519 of the Hogan Campus Center.