Pursue Your
and Live for the Dash!
I believe in living for the dash,
in pursuing a purpose-driven life.
My life’s work and passion over the last five decades as an educator, scholar, literary activist, author, and radio host have been devoted to education and institution building. I have pursued these goals in my roles as professor of English, Founder and Executive Director of the Center for Black Literature, Director of the National Black Writers Conference, host of Writers on Writing on WNYE, 91.5 F.M, and a columnist for Our Time Press.
Upcoming Event
The ALICE PADEN GREEN INSTITUTE AND RESIDENCY FOR BLACK WRITERS
Lake Champlain in Essex, New York
Session One: June 29 to July 8, 2026 and
Session Two: July 14 to July 23
The Alice Paden Green Writers’ Institute and Residency at Content in Essex, New York will provide a nurturing space for Black Writers to work on their writing in a supportive writing community.
Civil rights and criminal activist Dr. Alice Paden Green was founder of the Center for Law and Social Justice in Albany and she was committed to ensuring that there was a presence of writers, and particularly Black writers in the Adirondacks, also known as the North Country. Writing residents selected for the Alice Paden Green Writers’ Institute and Residency will provide evidence that they are committed to this mission.
Lodging
Writing residents will each have their own room at Content, a six-bedroom house located on the shores of Lake Champlain. Residents will share a bathroom. There is a pool located on the property.
Application Process
Applicants can apply for either Session One or Session Two. The 10 days include two travel days to and from the Alice Paden Green Writers’ Institute and Residency and eight days of writing and sharing. Email to brendamgreene@gmail.com. Subject line should indicate: Alice Paden Green Writers Institute and Residency.
The process for selection of writers for the Residency program will be competitive. Applicants are asked to submit a one page synopsis of their writing project, a short writing sample of no more than 1000 words, and two letters of reference. The synopsis should include the goal of the project and evidence that they are committed to the goals of social justice.
Although writers reside free of charge, there is a $20 non-refundable application fee, payable to Brenda M. Greene, PhD, LLC Consulting. Writers will be responsible for providing their own transportation, writing and communication equipment, housekeeping, and expenses for catered meals. Meal expenses for the 10 days will be $600. This includes a continental breakfast, a light lunch, and dinner for nine days (dinner on arrival) and breakfast on the morning of departure.
Application Deadline
May 15, 2026
Payment Process
Zelle: brendamgreene@gmail.com
For more information contact Institute and Residency Director Dr. Brenda M. Greene, brendamgreene@gmail.com
Publications
and influence on the Cultures of the Americas
Brenda M. Greene, Editor,
Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2010
An interdisciplinary collection of essays by scholars and writers whose disciplines include but are not limited to literature, languages, linguistics, history, sociology and psychology, reflects the complexity and diversity of the historical and cultural legacy of the African diasporic reality and provides a critical perspective for examining the persistence of African cultural traditions in the Americas.
Articles & Essays
- Saving Our Sons: Reflections of My Journey
- In “We Refuse to Be Silent: Women’s Voices on Justice for Black Men”
- Dr. Brenda M. Greene on Ntozake Shange
- A Poem in Celebration of Dr. Al Vann
- Co-Street Naming Ceremony: Macdonough Street and Stuyvesant Avenue
MEDITATIONS
Quiet reflections, thoughtful recommendations, and small rituals for a more deliberate reading life.
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Receive the newsletter and a short note whenever a new essay is published.
Championing Black Literature and Cultivating Generational Readers and Writers.
I am committed to expanding, broadening, and enriching the public’s knowledge and aesthetic appreciation of the value of the literature produced by Black writers and to nurturing and cultivating the critical reading and writing habits of a cross-generation of readers and writers.