Author Talk with Daniel Black

Join award-winning author Daniel Black as he discusses his novel, Issac's Song, about a young queer Black man finding his voice in 1980s Chicago.

Isaac's Song is a return to the beloved characters of Don’t Cry for Me. Isaac is at a crossroads in his young life. Growing up in Missouri, the son of a caustic, hard-driving father, he was conditioned to suppress his artistic pursuits and physical desires, notions that didn’t align with a traditional view of masculinity. But now, in late ’80s Chicago, Isaac has finally carved out a life of his own. He is sensitive and tenderhearted and has built up the courage to seek out a community. Yet just as he begins to embrace who he is, two social catalysts—the AIDS crisis and Rodney King’s attack—collectively extinguish his hard-earned joy.

At a therapist’s encouragement, Isaac begins to write down his story. In the process, he taps into a creative energy that will send him on a journey back to his family, his ancestral home in Arkansas and the inherited trauma of the nation’s dark past. But a surprise discovery will either unlock the truths he’s seeking or threaten to derail the life he’s fought so hard to claim.
Books will be available for sale and signing from The Book Cellar

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Daniel Black was raised in Blackwell, Arkansas and now teaches at Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, Georgia. He earned the Ph.D. in African American Studies from Temple University then returned to Clark Atlanta as a professor with hopes of inspiring young black minds to believe in themselves. His heart's desire is to write literature which celebrates the African American presence in America and teaches the world how to be more human. He is the author of Twelve Gates to the City, Perfect Peace, They Tell Me of a Home and The Sacred Place.

Moderating the talk will be Michaeljulius Y. Idani, an Atlanta-based writer of fiction. In partnership with A Cappella Books, he is a coordinator for the Black-ish Book Club.