ABOUT THIS VIDEO
RECORDED LIVE FROM MoCADA CULTURE LAB II
PRESENTED BY THE CENTER FOR ART AND ADVOCACY + MoCADA
The Center for Art and Advocacy hosted a landmark conversation at MoCADA on March 26, 2026 to celebrate the work of John Edgar Wideman and his newest book, Languages of Home: Essays on Writing, Hoop, and American Lives 1971–2015.
For this special conversation, Wideman, is joined by Mitchell S. Jackson (2019 Center for Art and Advocacy Fellow and 2021 Pulitzer Prize Winner) and Reginald Dwayne Betts (2017 Center for Art and Advocacy Fellow and 2021 MacArthur Fellow), and Elizabeth Alexander (poet, scholar, educator. Mellon Foundation President and author of The Trayvon Generation) moderates.
All three authors explore themes of explore themes of identity, creative expression, what true advocacy looks like in the digital age, and so much more. Tune in and take notes. This new book highlights the first-ever collection of Wideman’s most influential essays and articles spanning five decades.
This conversation was made possible thanks to generous support from the NYC Coalition of Theaters of Color in collaboration with NYC Department of Cultural Affairs and NYC Council.
