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Celebrating Black Women’s Voices in Fiction

With authors Eden Appiah-Kubi, Courtney Duke Foster, Shameka Erby, and Nikki Payne

Explore the transformative power of inspiration as local authors share the profound impact Black women writers have had on their literary journeys. Join us for a captivating panel discussion on the diverse voices and stories that have shaped the lives of these talented writers.

Eden Appiah-Kubi, author of "The Bennet Women" and "Her Own Happiness", has been putting her spin on classic stories since third grade. She was born in Washington, DC, and raised in the Maryland suburbs, where she still lives with her husband and hilarious daughter.

Courtney Duke Foster is a lawyer/mom by day, turned fiction writer/mom by night, and day, and all the time. Bitten by the writer bug a few years ago, she has written dozens of poems and short stories. Two of her short stories have been published in the Bay to Ocean Journal, and she published her debut novel, Passing Notes, in 2022.

A graduate of Spelman College and Duke University School of Law, Courtney grew up in Maryland, where she lives with her two awesome daughters and an extremely snuggly cat. In her spare time, she enjoys writing stories, of course, but also watching movies and attending musicals and comedy shows. She loves the art of storytelling in all forms.

Shameka Erby is a writer from Philadelphia currently living in Baltimore. Her love affair with romance novels started early, and she loves writing sweet and sexy love stories. Her work has been featured in Brown Sugar Literary Magazine, Stuck in Notes Magazine, and on websites such as Permission to Write, Oyster River Pages, and Raising Mothers. Besides her fiction works, she also publishes nonfiction essays on Medium and has a newsletter, Just A Girl and Her Laptop.

Nikki Payne is an anthropologist who can. not. turn. it. off. She loves immersing her characters in fresh environments and diverse cultures, compelling them to undergo transformative experiences in the pursuit of love. In her narratives, traditional settings like churches, cemeteries, and the realm of romance novels remain some of the most segregated spaces in America. Drawing inspiration from classic literature, her romances challenge expectations, offering a unique cultural commentary tailored for the hopeless romantic.