The poet Lucille Clifton wrote, "The literature of America should reflect the children of America." We couldn't agree more.

In this panel conversation, four accomplished writers (Michael Hurd, Varian Johnson, Doyin Oyeniyi, and Jennifer M. Wilks) will discuss why it’s important for readers to seek out diverse books; what can be done to support writers of color (published and just starting out); the ways that writers, publishers, and literary organizations can support diversity in our literature, our programs, and our communities; and the crucial role that black literature plays in shaping the important conversation on race in our country today.

For this August 18 Third Thursday program, the Writers' League partnered with literary organizations and entities across Austin (including ACC's Creative Writing Department, Austin Bat Cave, Austin Public Library Friends Foundation, Austin SCBWI, Free Minds, Huston Tillotson University, Kirkus Reviews, the John L. Warfield Center for African and African American Studies, and the Texas Book Festival) to bring this panel discussion to as a wide an audience as possible and to give away books to those in attendance.

True stories can take the form of memoirs, personal essay, and first-person reportage. But where should the story begin, what is the right frame, how much context and background should the writer provide, and how does the personal fit within larger social and cultural narratives?

At our May 19 Third Thursday, Michael Noll discussed these issues and more with panelists Antonio Ruiz-Camacho, Michael Hall, Donna Johnson, and Deb Olin Unferth.

Shorter doesn't always mean easier. Shorter doesn't always mean less important.

The short story is a beautiful art form - the perfect choice (perhaps only choice) for many narratives. Many will also say that it is a thriving literary market right now.

But how can a writer know when their idea should be a short story as opposed to something else? How deep can a writer go in a short story? How does one know when to end it? How can one tell if a short story can be (or should be) adapted into a novel? Where and how can one publish a short story?

At our April 21 Third Thursday, Michael Noll discussed these issues and more with panelists Michael Barrett, Jill Meyers, Chaitali Sen, and Kirk Wilson.

It has been said that all fiction is autobiographical to a degree. Writers can't help but filter everything through their own experiences and beliefs, so even the most outlandish stories are shaped by their own lives.

But how can a writer borrow overtly from their past -- or someone else's? How does the writing process change when a elements in a narrative are clearly torn from real life?

How do writers disguise them as fiction? How do they decide what facts to keep and what to change? How can they protect the "innocent" -- or should they? How does writing about past events and relationships affect our understanding of them? And do writers sometimes use real life people and events without realizing it?

At our February 18, 2016, Third Thursday, moderator Jennifer Ziegler spoke with authors Charlotte Gullick, Varian Johnson, Ruth Pennebaker, and Mary Helen Specht on these issues and more.

Have a great idea for a book but aren't sure how to get started? Or maybe you need to a return to a project that has lain dormant for a while -- for whatever reason. Sometimes the trickiest part of writing is simply beginning. You can't finish what you don't start, but there is something overwhelming about the blank page or empty screen. And revisiting a manuscript you abandoned a while ago dredges up all kinds of fears and worries. So how do writers cope? How does one motivate him/herself to sit down every day and keep going?

At our January 21, 2016, Third Thursday, moderator Jennifer Ziegler spoke with authors Edward Carey, Lindsey Lane, Greg Levin, and Suzy Spencer deal with the paralyzing effects of starting (or restarting) a manuscript.