With Clyde McElvene, I cofounded the Hurston/Wright Foundation to provide the kind of institutional support Black writers need to do their work. The foundation provides writing workshops where writers know their stories are valued and understood. Working in community with writers from all over the world and with acclaimed Black writers as their workshop leaders, these writers enrich the meaning and reach of narratives about Black lives.

The foundation’s public readings provide a space for writers and readers to interact and explore Black literature.

The Hurston/Wright Award for College Writers recognizes talented Black writers early in their careers. Winners of the Hurston/Wright Award for College Writers include novelists Brit Bennett, Tayari Jones, David Anthony Durham, Natalie Baszile, and Ravi Howard.