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Inheritance: Storytelling and Identity with Charmaine Wilkerson

  • Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum Claremont McKenna Colege (map)

Those of us who read or write stories know that a fictional tale can have a great impact on a person’s life. But the most powerful narratives in our lives often are the stories that are shared in our daily lives, from one generation to the next, or from one region of the world to another. Stories have the power to shape our identities and influence our relationships, whether they are told or not. Taking a cue from her debut novel Black Cake, former Southern California journalist-turned-novelist and expat Charmaine Wilkerson will explore the impact of storytelling on our ideas of home, family and self, and what happens when untold stories come forward.


Ms. Wilkerson’s Athenaeum presentation is co-sponsored by the Gould Center for Humanistic Studies and the Center for Writing and Public Discourse, both at CMC.

Photo credit: Sian Trenberth

Register for the Ath talk HERE

The Center for Writing and Public Discourse will also be sponsoring a lunch and informal conversation with Charmaine Wilkerson on Wednesday, February 8th, from 12 pm-1 pm at the Ath. If you are interested in attending this lunch, please register via the sign-up link below.

Space is limited to 20 individuals (signups beyond 20 will go on a waitlist.)

Register for Ath lunch HERE

Earlier Event: February 6
"Let's Write a Pilot" Workshop
Later Event: February 9
A Poet at Work with Christopher Reid