Mosaic Literary Conference: The Black Joy Project

​The Mosaic Literary Conference fosters a collaborative space for individuals interested in literature, education, and the arts. Free Event.

​This year’s event will explore how narratives of Black joy can serve as both resistance and renewal, expanding conversations around identity, creativity, and liberation while inviting writers, artists, and thinkers to engage joy as a critical force in shaping literary and cultural futures.

​Presented by the Literary Freedom Project.

​Friday, November 20, 2026: 6–8 PM
Saturday, November 21, 2026: noon–7 PM

​Location: DREAM Charter School Mott Haven, 20 Bruckner Boulevard, The Bronx, NY 10454.

​Friday, November 20

• ​5:30 PM: Doors open and community gathering

• ​6:00 PM: Inheritance as a Verb: Joy, Memory, and Ancestral Healing • Veronica Agard

• ​7:00 PM: A Piece of Joy • Kleaver Cruz

• ​7:45 PM: Closing and community time

• ​8:00 PM: Event ends

​Saturday, November 21

​Host: Tio

• ​Noon: Workshop • How to Like Your Friend Again!: Navigating Non-Linear Friendships
  • Soil Sistas: Seyhandra Benjamin and Folake Aina

• ​Noon–3:00 PM: Workshop • Complimentary Portrait Activation
  • LR2 Studio

• ​1:00 PM: Workshop • Making the Mundane Sacred: Black Joy, Movement & the Stories Our Bodies Carry
  • Sabrina Frómeta

• ​3:00 PM: Panel • Addressing Quiet Loneliness: The Critical Key to Unlocking Joy
  • Moderator: T. Francis
  • Panelists: Donna Marie, Dalaeja Foreman, Candace Johnson, Tanya D. Jones

• ​4:00 PM: Panel • In Honor of June Jordan & Other Black Literary Ancestors
  • Moderator: Trace DePass
  • Panelists: Ehime Ora, Laney Jade, X Olamina, The UnGrateful Black Artist (UGBA), Marcus Stokes

• ​5:00 PM: Panel • Black Men Read: Turning the Page on Joy
  • Moderator: Matteo J.
  • Panelists: Leslie Buttaflysoul Taylor, Anthony “Da Kidd P.G.” Bagle, Clarence A. Haynes

• ​6:00 PM: The Black Joy Project: A Conversation with Kleaver Cruz
  • Moderated by Branden Janese

• ​7:00 PM: Conference closing