PAST Events
Finding Your Voice: Care, Confidence, and Mental Health
Finding your voice is not only a creative act. It is an emotional one.
For part two of The Black Literary Club’s series on finding your voice, Eric Collins was joined by Syreeta Butler, licensed marriage and family therapist, to explore the inner work that makes expression possible.
This conversation looked at what it takes to show up fully. As a writer. As a creator. As a human being.
Drawing on more than sixteen years of experience in mental health, specifically working with bestselling authors and musicians, Syreeta will discuss the emotional barriers that silence creative people, especially within communities of color, and how trust, safety, and self understanding shape the ability to speak, write, and create with confidence.
This session connected storytelling, mental wellness, and identity, offering a rare perspective on voice from the inside out.
Collaboration from Coaching to Ghostwriting - Inside the Invisible Craft
On February 3 at 6pm UK time, The Black Literary Club welcomed author and screenwriter Mim Eichler Rivas in conversation with Eric Collins.
Mim is one of the most respected collaborative writers in publishing. She has co-written bestselling memoirs with Lionel Richie, Jada Pinkett Smith, Berry Gordy, and the late Sidney Poitier. Her work includes The Pursuit of Happyness, adapted into the Will Smith film, and numerous New York Times bestsellers.
This live conversation looked inside ghostwriting and collaboration. How voice is shaped. How trust is built. How some of the world’s most influential books are written behind the scenes.
A rare and honest discussion of the invisible craft that powers modern publishing.
Inside Book Retail: How Independent Bookshops Shape What We Read
How do books actually find their readers.
On January 20th, The Black Literary Club turned to the retail side of publishing with a live digital conversation featuring Meera Ghanshamdas and Jasmina Bidé, owners of Round Table Books, in conversation with Eric Collins.
Independent bookshops sit at the intersection of culture, commerce, and community. Meera and Jasmina decide what is stocked, what is championed, and which voices are given space beyond algorithms and bestseller lists.
This conversation looked inside that reality..
Inside Publishing: In Conversation with Andrea Henry, Commissioning Editor at Pan Macmillan and MoneyMaker host Eric Collins
A rare look at how books are selected, commissioned, and brought into the world.
A Global Table, A Global Story: In Conversation with Annette Anthony and Eric Collins
A focused conversation on food, identity, and global travel with Annette Anthony and Eric Collins. Annette’s memoir, Always Enough, draws on her experiences cooking across three continents and the lessons she learned along the way. This session explored how culture shapes the kitchen, how recipes evolve through place, and how food becomes a record of a life lived globally.
From Idea to Agent: How to Get Published in Today’s Industry
A practical discussion on how to enter today’s publishing world. Eric Collins and Joe Sedgwick covered the steps to finding an agent, preparing a submission, and understanding what publishers look for in new writers. This session offers clear guidance for anyone working toward publication or seeking insight into the industry.