Center for Black Literature

What Center for Black Literature does

The Center for Black Literature (CBL) is a non-profit cultural and literary organization founded in 2002 and based at Medgar Evers College, City University of New York (CUNY) in Brooklyn, NY. It serves Black writers, scholars, students, and the broader literary community through a portfolio of programs that includes the National Black Writers Conference (NBWC), the Wild Seeds Retreat for Writers of Color, the Rural Outreach for Library Leadership (ROLL) program, the John Oliver Killens Reading Series, the Dr. Edith Rock Workshop, and the Writers on Writing radio program. It also publishes literary periodicals including the Killens Review, Tales of Our Times, and Emergents, which together span established, contemporary, and emerging Black writing.

CBL's revenue model is that of a mid-sized arts and humanities non-profit: foundation grants, individual donations, and program fees from conferences, retreats, and workshops. Distribution is hybrid — local and on-campus convening at Medgar Evers College, paired with broadcast radio and a YouTube channel for Writers on Writing that extends reach nationally and internationally. The organization operates with a small staff (11-50) under an executive director (recently transitioning from founder Dr. Brenda M. Greene to Donna Hill) and a board.

The technology footprint is minimal: there is no proprietary software platform, no AI/ML component, and no documented data product. Strategic value resides in brand, programming IP, the periodical archive, and the network of writers, scholars, and funders built over more than two decades. Growth vectors visible in the available data are programmatic (new retreats and publications) and channel-based (digital radio distribution) rather than commercial.

Name

Center for Black Literature

Legal name

Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College, CUNY

Website

https://centerforblackliterature.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Center for Black Literature is a Brooklyn-based non-profit literary organization, founded in 2002 and housed at Medgar Evers College, CUNY, that operates conferences, retreats, workshops, publications, and radio programming to support Black writers and cultivate literary community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Literary and Cultural Education Services

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130), Periodical Publishers (51312), Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAHAK

Literary Arts & Writing Organizations

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Arts, Culture & Heritage Nonprofits

SECONDARYMPAJABAC

Academic & Scholarly Journals Publishing (Peer-Reviewed)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Publishing (Books, News, Magazines)/Educational & Academic Publishing (Textbooks, Scholarly, STM)

SECONDARYMPAJAEAN

Arts, Culture & Literary Magazines

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Publishing (Books, News, Magazines)/Magazine Publishing (Consumer & B2B/Trade Magazines)

SECONDARYEDAGAIAC

Children’s Nonfiction Educational (Science, History, Nature)

Education/Educational Publishing & Learning Content/Children’s & Young Adult Educational Trade Publishing

Keywords

• Black literature programs
• Literary arts education
• Writer workshops
• Cultural conferences
• Community literary outreach

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The organization accepts public donations year-round through RFCUNY, the nonprofit arm of CUNY, which is a 501(c)(3) organization. Donations support literary programs and special events.
2. Program Fees: The Wild Seeds Writers Retreat charges application fees ($25 non-refundable) and tuition fees ($300 for winter 2026 virtual program, $600 for summer 2026 program). NBWC vendor marketplace charges registration fees.
3. Grants and Foundation Support: Funding received from National Endowment for the Arts, Nathan Cummings Foundation, Humanities New York, Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, New-York Historical Society, Poets & Writers, Brooklyn Community Foundation, NYC Council, and other public and private sector sources.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Center for Black Literature is a cultural and educational organization housed at Medgar Evers College, CUNY, in Brooklyn, NY. It delivers literary programming—including conferences, writing workshops, a youth storytelling initiative, an elders' writers' workshop, and a long-running radio program—designed to expand public knowledge of Black literature and the work of writers of the African Diaspora. It also produces literary publications and anthologies supporting emerging and established Black writers.

Product overview

The Center for Black Literature offers a portfolio of interconnected literary programs and publications focused on expanding knowledge and appreciation of Black literature from the African Diaspora. Core offerings include the National Black Writers Conference (NBWC), a major annual gathering; the Re-Envisioning Our Lives through Literature (ROLL) youth program; the Wild Seeds Writers Retreat for writers of color; the Dr. Edith Rock Writing Workshop for Elders; the John Oliver Killens Reading Series; and the Writers on Writing Radio Program. The Center also publishes the peer-reviewed Killens Review of Arts & Letters, the Tales of Our Times Anthology from its elders program, and Emergents: Poetry from Wild Seeds. These programs collectively serve students, emerging and established writers, elders, and the general public through workshops, readings, conferences, and literary publications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• National Black Writers Conference (NBWC): Major biennial conference dedicated to exploration of emerging themes, trends and issues in Black American literature, African diasporic literature, and African literature
• John Oliver Killens Reading Series
• Killens Review of Arts & Letters
• Wild Seeds Writers Retreat
• Re-Envisioning Our Lives through Literature (ROLL)
• Dr. Edith Rock Writing Workshop for Elders
• Writers on Writing Radio Program

Products and services

• National Black Writers Conference (NBWC)
• ROLL (Reading Opportunities for Literature Lovers)
• Wild Seeds Writers Retreat
• Dr. Edith Rock Writing Workshop for Elders
• John Oliver Killens Reading Series
• Writers on Writing Radio Program
• Killens Review of Arts & Letters
• Tales of Our Times Anthology
• Emergents: Poetry from Wild Seeds

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Brooklyn Public LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor co-presenter of literary events including the John Oliver Killens Reading Series, Poetry Café, and NBWC events. Hosted events at venues including the Dweck Cultural Center.
• Siloam Presbyterian ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership hosting the Dr. Edith Rock Writing Workshop for Elders at the church located at 260 Jefferson Avenue in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.
• Schomburg Center for Research in Black CulturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on programming and cultural events serving the African Diaspora literary community.
• PEN AmericaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting literary programs and initiatives.
• Brooklyn Literary CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting Brooklyn's literary community.
• CUNY Office of Academic AffairscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitutional support through City University of New York system.
• Medgar Evers CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost institution providing physical facilities and institutional support. Center is housed in the School of Professional and Community Development.
• African American Literature Book Club (AALBC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferral resource for recommended reading lists and literary community support.
• Cave Canem FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting Black poets and literary community.
• Center for FictionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting literary programs.
• RestorationART at Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration CorporationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting arts and cultural programming in Brooklyn.
• New-York Historical SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting historical programming.
• BK ReaderminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-presenter of COVID-19 Writers Project documenting the pandemic experience in New York City.
• Greenlight BookstoreminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBookstore partner for author events and book sales.
• AALBC (African American Literature Book Club)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLiterary partnership and referral resource.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Lambda Literary: A literary nonprofit supporting LGBTQ writers through awards, writers' retreats, and public programs. Comparable as a mission-focused literary nonprofit running retreats, awards, and public events for an underrepresented writer community.
• Center for Fiction: A NYC-based nonprofit literary organization supporting fiction writers through workshops, awards, fellowships, and public programs. Comparable in serving emerging and established writers and operating as a Brooklyn-based literary nonprofit; also an existing CBL partner.
• Hurston/Wright Foundation: A national nonprofit that supports Black writers through workshops, awards, and conferences, including the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award and the Hurston/Wright College. Directly comparable in Black literary development programming.
• Cave Canem Foundation: A literary nonprofit specifically dedicated to cultivating Black poets, offering retreats, workshops, and prizes. Directly comparable in mission and program model (e.g., writers' retreats for writers of color), and is already a CBL partner.
• African American Literature Book Club (AALBC): An online platform and community dedicated to Black literature, including author promotion, reviews, and recommended reading lists. Directly comparable in Black literary curation and audience building; an existing CBL partner.

Broad incumbents

• Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture: A New York Public Library research center dedicated to preserving Black history and culture, including literary collections. Operates in an adjacent space with broader scope and significantly larger institutional infrastructure; an explicit CBL partner that also serves as a potential competitor for philanthropic attention in Black literary programming.
• National Book Foundation: A national literary nonprofit running the National Book Awards and year-round literacy programs. Comparable as a literary-cultural nonprofit supporting writers and readers; operates at significantly larger scale and broader scope.
• Poets & Writers: The nation's largest nonprofit serving creative writers, providing funding, information, and literary programming. Comparable as a literary-services nonprofit supporting writers and events, and a current CBL funder.
• PEN America: A major literary and free-expression organization running writers' programs, awards, and advocacy. Overlaps with CBL through Black literary programming support and is an existing CBL partner, but operates at significantly larger scale and broader thematic scope.

Regional players

• Brooklyn Public Library: Brooklyn's public library system, hosting literary events, author readings, and cultural programming citywide. Comparable as a regional literary-programming institution co-presenting CBL events including the John Oliver Killens Reading Series and Poetry Café.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Center4BlackLit
• YouTubeyoutube.com/centerforblackliteraturemedgareverscollege
• Facebookfacebook.com/CenterforBlackLiterature
• Instagraminstagram.com/center4blacklit

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Center for Black Literature