Acclaimed author and journalist Wil Haygood and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Clarence Page will participate in a special discussion Saturday, Nov. 12 at the Victoria Theatre in conjunction with the 2022 Dayton Literary Peace Prize.
Haygood, a Miami University graduate and Miami University Boadway Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence, is this yearâs recipient of the Dayton Literary Peace Prizeâs Ambassador Richard C. Holbrooke Distinguished Achievement Award, which will be presented at a gala Sunday, Nov. 13 at the Schuster Center.
On Saturday the Columbus native will be interviewed by Dayton native Page, who grew up in Middletown, in a dialogue expected to include topical reflections on his illustrious career and varied works, which include âThe Butlerâ (2013), âIn Black and White: The Life of Sammy Davis Jr.â (2003), the 2019 Dayton Literary Peace Prize nonfiction finalist âTigerland: 1968-1969: A City Divided, A Nation Torn Apart, And a Magical Season of Healingâ (2018), and âColorization: One Hundred Years of Black Films in a White Worldâ (2021).
âI am drawn to stories where there are footprints, handprints or heartbeats on opposite sides of the battle,â explained Haygood, 68. âAmerica is a land that is not at peace. After 240-plus years of being a nation, we are not at peace. We had an assault upon the U.S. Capitol and some of that happened, I fervently believe, because a significant number of people in this country do not know there were Black people that died for the right to vote. It was an assault upon liberty and freedom.â
In addition to being a Pulitzer Prize finalist, Haygoodâs accomplished career spans The Washington Post, Boston Globe and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He fondly recalls meeting author James Baldwin while on assignment for the Globe at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
âHe told me, âYou must go the way your blood beats,â and I have those words on my writing wall today,â said Haygood. âWhen he told me that I knew in my heart and soul I was going to do everything I could to write books someday. I just knew I was going to grab a hold of stories that had meaning and drama and hone the kind of skills and dedication it takes to write books. In the fact that my work has come to the attention of the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, I canât help but think that James Baldwin would be very proud of this moment as I am.â
âWhen you take a look at the scope of work Haygood has done, he has gently prodded us into understanding some of the darkest aspects of our society,â said Sharon Rab, founder and chair of the Dayton Literary Peace Prize Foundation. âWhat makes him so powerful is his (ability) to take on the most desperate situations in the Black experience and present it to the reader without animosity.â
âOhioans are a tenacious bunchâ
Page, a syndicated columnist and editorial board member of the Chicago Tribune, happily traces his journalism roots back to Middletown High School, particularly writing for the school newspaper.
âThe paper came out every two weeks and was the best experience a young fella could have due to writing for an audience constantly,â said Page, 75. âI was also encouraged to pursue journalism by Mary Kindell, my English teacher, who started a journalism club.â
He also valued the training he received when interning at the Journal Herald in the summer of 1968 while a junior at Ohio University.
âIt was another great experience,â he recalled. âI remember being asked to cover city hall and having (access) to the mayor and city manager. I also learned how to prepare questions, the basics that have served me so well ever since.â
During the span of his career, which encompasses serving as a contributor to âThe McLaughlin Groupâ and âThe PBS NewsHourâ among other programs, he notably interviewed Ambassador Holbrooke, a negotiator of the 1995 Dayton Peace Accords. He is pleased to have been invited to return home to take part in the festivities honoring the Dayton Literary Peace Prize and Haygood.
âRichard Holbrooke was a great diplomat and the Dayton Peace Accords made everyone look at Dayton with new eyes,â he said. âAnd I was very impressed with Wil Haygood before I even met him. âThe Butlerâ was so impressive. Thereâs so much we need to pay attention to about African American history and American history. Dayton has been through economic hard times in recent years but it still has so much to offer. Ohioans are a tenacious bunch.â
A self-described political and history junkie, Page is also reminded of how vital the written word is as dysfunction and upheaval threaten societal norms.
âWeâre in a time right now in which history is happening all around us but we also have (some) who are rewriting the rules, so thereâs a tremendous amount of anxiety and trauma in the public,â he said. âThe most important job for columnists and editorial writers is to try and make sense out of this crazy world. Who would imagine we would be talking about a second Civil War? Who would imagine people raiding the U.S. Capitol and interrupting the peaceful transition of power? A lot of people are in shock right now and thereâs some pretty serious work that needs to be done as far as the next election is concerned.â
âA really insightful experienceâ
The Dayton Literary Peace Prize honors writers whose work uses the power of literature to foster peace, social justice and global understanding.
Launched in 2006, it is recognized as one of the worldâs most prestigious literary honors and is the only international literary peace prize awarded in the United States. Inspired by the Dayton Peace Accords, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize awards a $10,000 cash prize each year to one fiction and one nonfiction author whose work advances peace as a solution to conflict and leads readers to a better understanding of other cultures, peoples, religions, and political points of view.
In a historic first, Black writers take top honors this year as the recipients of the fiction and nonfiction prizes as well as the Holbrooke Award. The fiction winner is HonorĂŠe Fanonne Jeffers (âThe Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Boisâ) and the nonfiction winner is Clint Smith (âHow the Word is Passedâ).
âWe are so happy they are going to be sharing their voices at a time when we need to hear them so desperately,â said Rab.
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Before Haygood and Page take the stage, a panel consisting of this yearâs winners, finalists and presenters will be moderated by Gilbert King, Dayton Literary Peace Prize finalist and Pulitzer Prize winner for âDevil in the Grove.â
Credit: Sydney A. Foster
Credit: Sydney A. Foster
âWe have Pulitzer Prize winners, Oprahâs Book Club picks â itâs an amazing array,â said Rab. âWe call it âA Conversation with the Authorsâ which is what we hope it truly is. We will also have two songs performed by the newly established Dayton Literary Peace Prize Chorus under the direction of William Henry Caldwell. This event has grown in reputation among writers and has put Dayton on the literary map.â
Credit: Photo: courtesy of YWCA Dayton
Credit: Photo: courtesy of YWCA Dayton
Rab also looks forward to the community hearing Haygood and Pageâs perspectives.
âThese two journalists from Ohio have risen to great heights and thereâs a lot we can learn from their interaction because they are bringing us a national view of the Black experience,â she said. âItâs going to be a rich opportunity, a really insightful experience, for all of us.â
HOW TO GO
What: âDayton Literary Peace Prize: A Conversation with the Authorsâ
Where: Victoria Theatre, 138 N. Main St., Dayton
When: 4 p.m. Saturday
Cost: $20-$150
Tickets: Call 937-228-3630 or visit daytonlive.org
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