About the Event

In this Fresh Talk, Stacey Abrams sits down with political strategist Shaniqua McClendon and Well-Read Black Girl founder Glory Edim for a live recording of her hit weekly podcast, Assembly Required. Together they will explore how literature, art, and culture can fuel civic engagement and help shape a more equitable future.

Drawing on Abrams’s work as an organizer and bestselling author, McClendon’s leadership in media and political strategy, and Edim’s vision behind the Well-Read Black Girl community, the conversation will examine the power of storytelling and creative expression to spark collective action. From museums and community groups to digital platforms and podcasts, the speakers will highlight how cultural spaces can help transform ideas into action, encourage social change, and expand what participation in democracy can look like.

Following the conversation, attendees are invited to a salon-style cocktail reception to continue the conversation from 7 to 8 pm.

About the Speakers

Stacey Abrams is a New York Times bestselling author, entrepreneur, producer, and political leader. She served 11 years in the Georgia House of Representatives, seven as minority leader, and was the first Black woman to become the gubernatorial nominee for a major party in U.S. history. Rooted in values instilled by her parents and the belief that her job is to do as much good as she can, Stacey works to open doors of possibility and create solutions, opportunities, and strategies that help others transform their potential into power.

Shaniqua McClendon is the vice president of political strategy for Crooked Media and a sought-after speaker and commentator on media, politics, voting, and race. At Crooked Media, she leads their political strategy and civic engagement program, Vote Save America, which has raised more than $55 million and mobilized 500,000 voters and volunteers to support Democratic wins in 2018, 2020, and 2022. She also created their successful 2020 volunteer engagement and fundraising program, Adopt a State.

Glory Edim is a writer, editor, and literary curator best known as the founder of Well-Read Black Girl, a literary festival and online community celebrating the voices of Black women authors. She is the author of the memoir Gather Me: A Memoir in Praise of the Books That Saved Me (2024), as well as the anthologies Well-Read Black Girl: Finding Our Stories, Discovering Ourselves (2018) and On Girlhood: 15 Stories from the Well-Read Black Girl Library (2021). Glory is also the publisher of Well-Read Black Girl Books, an imprint of Liveright dedicated to championing debut fiction writers. Her work has been recognized with numerous honors, including the Hurston/Wright Foundation’s Madam C.J. Walker Award and the Innovator’s Award from the Los Angeles Times Book Prizes. Through her writing and community building, Glory continues to create spaces that celebrate the transformative power of Black literature, sisterhood, and storytelling.

About Well-Read Black Girl

This program is presented in partnership with Well-Read Black Girl, a global literary community dedicated to Black women. Well-Read Black Girl aims to introduce a cohort of diverse writers to future generations and to address inequalities and improve communities through reading and reflecting on the works of Black women.