This month, we’re joined by two esteemed guests working at the intersection of Black creativity and history. Tanya Birl-Torres and Monica L. Miller are continuing the stories and impact of Westfield’s Harlem Renaissance icons Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes, who worked together in Westfield to write Mule Bone. Mule Bone a groundbreaking play that was the first to depict Black Americans in a non-stereotypical way.
Monica L. Miller is Chair and Professor of Africana Studies at Barnard College, Columbia University. A specialist in contemporary African American and Afro-diasporic literature and cultural studies, she is the author of the book Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity, which inspired Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, the 2025 Costume Institute exhibition at The Met. At Barnard, she is the resident Zora Neale Hurston scholar and is leading the college’s Hurston Centennial, 2025-2028. A frequent commentator in the media and arts worlds, she teaches and writes about Black literature, art, and performance, fashion cultures, and contemporary Black European culture and politics.
Tanya Birl-Torres is a NYC-based creative director, choreographer, movement director, and systems change facilitator. After a decade on Broadway, she choreographed productions at Goodman Theater, The Public Theater, Signature Theater, and Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Through her company SoHumanity, she brings embodied practices to social innovation, working with National Arts Strategies, Illuminate Network, and Systems Sanctuary to bridge conversations across differences. Birl-Torres is the Artistic Director of the Washington Heights Womanist Arts Festival. Recent honors include the 2024 MAP Fund Grant and 2023 NewYorker 4 NewYork Award. She currently serves as Social Practice Artist in Residence at The Shed for "The Zora Project," honoring the legacy of Zora Neale Hurston. @sohumanity
Join November’s Spotlight Series to learn about Westfield’s historical connection to the Harlem Renaissance and modern Black culture.
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