2025-2026 Readers Meet the Author Series Concludes with Dr. Ryan Sharp and Dr. Coretta Pittman

Associate Professor of English and Director of Ethnic Studies, Dr. Ryan Sharp, will be in conversation with Dr. Coretta Pittman, Vice Provost for Community Engagement and Belonging, on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, at noon CDT in the Schumacher Flex Commons of Moody Memorial Library. They will discuss Sharp’s recently published volume, “Another Throat: 21st Century Black US Persona Poetry and the Archive.”

Dr. Ryan Sharp’s book argues that when Black US poets write from a mask of persona, they are able to actively analyze and engage with the history of misrepresented Black voices. “I hope the audience would come away with some understanding of how recent Black US poets have uniquely worked to address gaps in our histories,” Sharp said. “Through imagining possible (counter-)narratives, these poets also help pave the way for positing aspirational, or liberatory, futures.” 

Sharp earned his Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Texas at Austin. His research interests include contemporary Black US literature and poetics, Black and ethnic studies, and creative writing. His work has been published in African American Review, Callaloo, Langston Hughes Review, Copper Nickel, MELUS, and PANK.

Dr. Coretta Pittman, vice provost for community engagement and belonging, strengthens the relationships between faculty, staff, and students. “When we listen and care for one another, we are doing the work God has called us to do,” said Pittman. Before holding this position, she served as associate dean for diversity and belonging in the College of Arts & Sciences, director of the Ethnic Studies minor, and taught professional writing and rhetoric, focusing on rhetorical theory and African American rhetorical cultures.

This event is free and open to the public. The conversation is followed by a question-and-answer session, light refreshments, and a book signing. The Readers Meet the Author Series is presented by the Office of the President and the Office of the Provost and hosted by Baylor Libraries. This event gives faculty, staff, students, and the public an opportunity to gather to both discuss and reflect on big ideas.

For more information, visit provost.web.baylor.edu/rma.