NEWARK, N.J. — Filmmaker and author Nelson George will examine Brooklyn’s influence on Black art and culture during “Do The Write Thing! Is Brooklyn in the House?” at the Dodge Poetry Festival on Oct. 17.
The multimedia conversation, scheduled for 8 p.m. at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, will explore the Brooklyn Moon poetry scene and the Black bohemian arts movement that emerged from neighborhoods including Fort Greene and Clinton Hill.
George will draw from the history explored in his forthcoming book, “Brooklyn Bohemians: How the Funky, Fly, Soon-to-Be-Famous Black Artists of Fort Greene/Clinton Hill Changed American Culture.”
The book traces the growth of Brooklyn’s arts community beginning in 1985, when musicians, filmmakers, writers, poets, and performers helped transform the borough into a center of Black cultural expression.
That era included collaborations such as Spike Lee and Public Enemy’s work on “Fight the Power” for the 1989 film “Do the Right Thing,” along with the rise of the Brooklyn Moon Cafe. The venue became part of the spoken-word scene and was associated with artists including Mos Def, Talib Kweli, and Saul Williams.
George has spent much of his career documenting Black music, film, and culture. His work includes books, fiction, and documentaries such as “Brooklyn Boheme,” “Say Hey, Willie Mays!” and “A Ballerina’s Tale.”
The Dodge Poetry Festival program will also feature Jessica Care Moore, Tracie Morris, Vernon Reid, Carl Hancock Rux, DJ Spinna, and other artists representing poetry, music, film, and performance.
The event is part of the larger Dodge Poetry Festival, which runs Oct. 15-17 and includes readings, workshops, panel discussions, open mics, film screenings, and performances throughout Newark.
Other scheduled festival events include conversations on grief, revision, poetry and liberation, Black writers, translation, mental wellness, and the relationship between poetry and oral tradition. The festival will also include a Def Poetry reunion and a performance by Patti Smith.
“Do The Write Thing!” will take place at 8 p.m. Oct. 17 at NJPAC’s Prudential Hall. Tickets for the program are sold separately from festival passes.
