Please join Wendy Shaia, antiracist advocate, social work professor, and author from Baltimore, Maryland, for the book launch and reading of her new Black dystopian fantasy The Black Cell, October 1, 2022, from 4 pm - 8 pm. In The Black Cell, Wendy predicts that in the year 2024, there will be a racial civil war in America between Black and whites. Although her book is fictional, the concept stems from her knowledge of historical trends where white nationalism rises after pandemics and racially motivated murders like those of Freddie Gray, George Floyd, and others.
The Black Cell is grounded in the author's experience as a Baltimore anti-racist advocate, professor, and social service leader. Unapologetically targeted to Black readers and others interested in Black liberation, this will appeal to readers of utopian fantasies like Octavia Butler (Parable of the Talents) and Ta-Nehisi Coates (Black Panther).
About the Author
Photo credit: Ruthie Skillman
As a social work professor, Wendy Shaia has published a number of non-fiction articles examining issues of oppression experienced by Black people in urban settings and has a significant following for that work. She regularly speaks and trains on anti-racist practices and Black liberation. Her short stories have been published in The Dillydoun Review, Fiyah Literary Magazine, and Midnight and Indigo.
Sep 14, 2026 7:00 pm - Sep 15, 2026 4:00 am
