New York, NY —

The 10th National Black Writers Conference kicked off today at Medgar Evars College in Brooklyn. The four days of events examine issues and trends in literature produced by black writers in the U.S. and abroad. Emerging authors are joined by some of the field's brightest stars, including poet Sonia Sanchez and writers Kamau Brathwaite, Edwidge Danticat, and James McBride. Director Brenda Greene says the gathering is evidence that the literary world is changing. "The canon is really evolving and it evolves as more and more people become part of that canon and part of that narrative and begin to tell their stories," she says. Nobel-Prize winning author Toni Morrison is being honored on Saturday with a lifetime achievement award.