Shine Bright: Black Women in Pop Music

From formerly enslaved poet Phyllis Wheatley to Mahalia Jackson to Tina Turner, brilliant Black women have been instrumental—indeed, foundational—in creating one of America’s most significant cultural contributions: its pop music. One of Oprah Daily’s most anticipated books of 2022, former Billboard editor Danyel Smith’s Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop is a long-overdue, passionate paeon to the songbird geniuses that have too often been hidden in plain sight. Said Publishers Weekly, “this lyrical and whip-smart work is cause for celebration.” In this conversation between Smith and Mariecar Mendoza, Senior Arts & Entertainment Editor for the San Francisco Chronicle, we’ll celebrate a musical lineage as life-affirming as it is awe-inspiring. Don’t be surprised if you feel like breaking into song.

The bookstore partner for this session is Books Inc.! Buy the books online on their website, at Bookshop.org, or purchase them in person at the Festival. More information here.

Book signing information: Books Inc. Tent at the Bookstore Blv (corner of Allston & Milvia in the Outdoor Fair) at in the park immediately after event