The American LGBTQ+ Museum

THERE’S A DISCO BALL BETWEEN US: A THEORY OF BLACK GAY LIFE BY JAFARI S. ALLEN | HOSTED BY BRIONA JONES

The American LGBTQ+ Museum Book Club is a space for community and connection, bridging generations through the magic of storytelling. The selections will be a mix of popular queer history and memoir with inspiring authors and iconic guest facilitators. The pages we turn will become stepping stones for intergenerational dialogue, fostering understanding, empathy, and unity. Together, we’ll traverse the landscapes of queer culture, savoring the nuances and complexities that make our stories uniquely ours.

This isn’t just a book club; it’s a movement. Reading together becomes a powerful act of empowerment, a catalyst for change, and a testament to the resilience of the LGBTQ+ spirit. Participants will be a part of something extraordinary. In this book club, we won’t just read, we’ll weave the threads of our stories into a tapestry of strength, resilience, and pride.

AUTHOR:

Jafari Sinclaire Allen is Professor of African American and African Diaspora Studies at Columbia University, where he is the Director of the Institute for Research in African American Studies, and Editor-in-Chief of Souls: A Critical Journal of Black Politics, Culture, and Society. Professor Allen is the author of There’s a disco ball between us: a theory of Black gay life (Duke 2022), which won the Society for Cultural Anthropology’s Gregory Bateson Prize; and ¡Venceremos?: The Erotics of Black Self-Making in Cuba (Duke 2012); He conceived and edited the GLQ special issue Black/Queer/Diaspora; and has published scholarship in numerous journals and collections, including Unsettling Queer Anthropology: Foundations, Reorientations, and Departures; No Tea, No Shade: New Writings in Black Queer Studies.

HOSTED BY:

Briona Simone Jones is Assistant Professor of English and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at the University of Connecticut. She is the editor of the multi-award-winning book, Mouths of Rain: An Anthology of Black Lesbian Thought. Jones is currently a Scholar-in-Residence at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture working on her second book, Black Lesbian Aesthetics.

GRAPHIC:

Our beautiful graphic is designed by the incredible Loveis Wise (they/he), a multidisciplinary artist, designer, creative director, and Capricorn, drawing reimagined futures and playfulness in Los Angeles.

ACCESSIBILITY

This program will be presented via Zoom with live captioning in English. We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully. Please reach out with any questions, requests or needs to info@americanlgbtqmuseum.org.