Caroline Randall Williams reading
and conversation with Wright Thompson
Friday, April 9, 2021
Caroline Randall Williams reads work that addresses her experiences in the Mississippi Delta.
Ms. Williams is a poet, essayist, novelist, and cookbook writer. Originally from Nashville, Tennessee, she is the co-author with her mother Alice Randall of The Diary of B. B. Bright, Possible Princess and Soul Food Love, winner of the NAACP Image Award in Literature. Her poetry collection Lucy Negro, Redux: The Bard, a Book, and a Ballet, is a fascinating exploration of the theory that a black woman who ran a brothel inspired the “dark lady” of Shakespeare’s sonnets--and a record of Williams’ journey to learn more about her. Her poetry has been adapted into a ballet with Paul Vasterling and the Nashville Ballet. Ms. Williams’ New York Times op-ed “You want a Confederate monument? My body is a Confederate monument" garnered national attention in June 2020. She has appeared on MSNBC as a commentator and has appeared in numerous publications. Southern Living named her “One of the 50 People changing the South.” Currently, she is a writer in residence at Vanderbilt University.
After the reading, she was joined by ESPN senior writer Wright Thompson for a conversation.