Literary Denizens will present a special edition of its Book DiscUSs conversation series at the 2026 Brooklyn Book Festival on Friday, September 25, bringing together writers and scholars to examine the impact of artificial intelligence on African literature.
The virtual event, titled ‘Language, AI, and the Future of African Writing’, will begin at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time (6:00 p.m. WAT) and is free to attend. It is listed as part of the festival’s Bookend events, which extend the Brooklyn Book Festival programme through independently organised literary gatherings.
The conversation will feature Nigerian linguist Kọ́lá Túbọ̀sún, Zambian writer, editor, and scholar Mubanga Kalimamukwento, and Pede Hollist, Sierra Leonean-American novelist, scholar, and educator.
C.I. Atumah, founder of Literary Denizens, will moderate the discussion.
The panel will consider questions around authorship, originality, and creative practice as AI tools become increasingly involved in how writing is produced, edited, and evaluated. It will also examine the implications of artificial intelligence for African languages and the future of African writing.
The event forms part of Literary Denizens’ ongoing Book DiscUSs series, which creates space for conversations involving African writers, readers, scholars and others interested in literature and the ideas shaping it.
Literary Denizens began as a student poetry community in Nigeria’s Niger-Delta and continues to operate through an all-volunteer team. Its participation in the Brooklyn Book Festival places its literary programming within an international festival that brings together writers, readers, publishers and literary organisations.
The Language, AI, and the Future of African Writing conversation will take place virtually on September 25. Registration is free through the official Brooklyn Book Festival website.
