>
  • RLF News
  • Article

WritersMosaic presents: A celebration of James Baldwin’s centenary

James Baldwin by Bettmann © Getty Images
  • 2 August, 2024

Photo: James Baldwin by Bettmann © Getty Images.

James Baldwin – who was born on this day, 2nd August, 100 years ago – once said that to be a black person in America was to be “in a state of rage almost all of the time.”  Decades after his death, that sentiment, echoed in many countries in the West, still resonates.

Earlier this year WritersMosaic, in collaboration with the Eccles Institute at the British Library, gathered a group of musicians and writers together – including Vanessa Kisuule, Mendez and Chitra Ramaswamy – to celebrate James Baldwin’s centenary.

Watch the full discussion, recorded at the British Library in February 2024:

WritersMosaic is a division of the Royal Literary Fund. An online magazine and developmental resource focused on UK writers of the global majority, WritersMosaic also runs regular events in partnership with the British Library.

For more information about upcoming events, visit WritersMosaic.


You might also like:

Writers News August 2026
RLF News Article

RLF Writers’ News: August 2026

Our writer’s news for August 2026 includes the latest publications, broadcasts, festival appearances, Collected: Live events and more.

Alice Loxton
RLF News Article

My Writing Life: Alice Loxton

“I feel the most satisfaction when I meet readers who have been to historical locations because of reading my books.”…

Maeve Clarke during the 2022 Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony Rehearsal in Birmingham. © Bradley Collyer, PA Images, Alamy.
Collected Article

Let the games begin: what it’s like to write the Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony

From crafting storylines to writing key scenes and drafting lyrics, Maeve Clarke on the role of the writer in an…

Royal Literary Fund Substack

View our Substack. All our articles are free to read and are written by either the RLF team or our contributing writers.

Subscribe on Substack