Book Launch – Mélikah Abdelmoumen and Catherine Khordoc: Baldwin, Styron, and Me
Library and Archives Canada, the Ottawa International Writers Festival and the Ottawa Public Library invite you to the launch of Baldwin, Styron, and Me with Mélikah Abdelmoumen and Catherine Khordoc.
An unlikely literary friendship from the past sheds light on the radicalization of public debate around identity, race and censorship. Host Peter Schneider sits down with author Mélikah Abdelmoumen and translator Catherine Khordoc for a discussion on their acclaimed book, Baldwin, Styron, and Me.
In 1961, James Baldwin spent several months in William Styron’s guest house. The two wrote during the day, then spent evenings confiding in each other and talking about race in America. During one of those conversations, Baldwin is said to have convinced his friend to write, in first person, the story of the 1831 slave rebellion led by Nat Turner. The Confessions of Nat Turner was published to critical acclaim, winning the Pulitzer Prize in 1968—and creating outrage in part of the African American community.
Decades later, the controversy around cultural appropriation, identity and the rights and responsibilities of the writer still resonates. In Baldwin, Styron, and Me, Mélikah Abdelmoumen considers the writers’ surprising yet vital friendship from her standpoint as a racialized woman torn by the often-unidimensional versions of her identity put forth by today’s politics and media. Considering questions of identity, race, equity and the often-contentious public debates about these topics, Abdelmoumen works to create a space where the answers are found by first learning how to listen—even in disagreement.
Event details
- Date
- Friday, May 16, 2025
- Time
- 8:00 p.m. (Eastern time)
- Event admission
- Free admission; registration is required
- Event location
- Library and Archives Canada
Alfred Pellan Room
- Event address
- 395 Wellington Street, Ottawa (Ontario)
Registration
Free tickets are required to attend in person. Seating is limited, so please register:
Register
The event will be streamed live on the Ottawa International Writers Festival website. No ticket required to watch online.
For more information, please email evenements-events@bac-lac.gc.ca.
