Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop Book Discussion

1030 Elysian Fields Avenue,New Orleans LA 70117

01 July, 2022

Description

DANYEL SMITH’S NEW BOOK, ‘SHINE BRIGHT’ CALLS ATTENTION TO THE BLACK WOMAN ICONS IN POP. DON'T MISS THIS AUTHOR TALK AT BALDWIN & CO. The book aims to reclaim women’s place in music history, from the 1960s hitmakers the Dixie Cups to musical icons such as Gladys Knight, Mahalia Jackson, and Whitney Houston. American pop music is arguably this country’s greatest cultural contribution to the world, and its singular voice and virtuosity were created by a shining thread of Black women geniuses stretching back to the country’s founding. This is their surprising, heartbreaking, soaring story—from “one of the generation’s greatest, most insightful, most nuanced writers in pop culture” (Shea Serrano) “This book is revelatory about the specific experiences of Black women in music.”—Dawnie Walton, author of The Final Revival of Opal & Nev ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF 2022—Oprah Daily, Essence, Electric Lit A weave of biography, criticism, and memoir, Shine Bright is Danyel Smith’s intimate history of Black women’s music as the foundational story of American pop. Smith has been writing this history for more than five years. But as a music fan, and then as an essayist, editor (Vibe, Billboard), and podcast host (Black Girl Songbook), she has been living this history since she was a latchkey kid listening to “Midnight Train to Georgia” on the family stereo. Smith’s detailed narrative begins with Phillis Wheatley, an enslaved woman who sang her poems, and continues through the stories of Mahalia Jackson, Dionne Warwick, Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, and Mariah Carey, as well as the under-considered careers of Marilyn McCoo, Deniece Williams, and Jody Watley. Shine Bright is an overdue paean to musical masters whose true stories and genius have been hidden in plain sight—and the book Danyel Smith was born to write. Danyel will be joined on stage with the evening's host, Kelli Saulny. Kelli is the Director of Strategic Partnerships for Camelback Ventures. Kelli leverages her expertise at Camelback, leading fundraising activities that focus on increasing access to opportunity and capital for entrepreneurs of color and women through direct investment in their companies and advocating for fairness in their funding. She has nearly 20 years of experience scaling startup businesses, spanning from multi-channel distribution expansion, market analysis, strategic business planning, and collaborative supply chain management. She also has acquisition experience as a key strategist in scaling Carol’s Daughter from startup to acquisition as the Director of Operations at Carol’s Daughter. In addition to her work at Camelback, she serves as Campaign Manager for the Campaign for Equity: New Orleans and is the founder of Bee Legacy, a mentorship program for teenage girls. Kelli has a BS in Management and her MBA in Marketing from Florida A&M University.