South Africa’s National Poet Laureate comes to Illinois
A Revolution We Can Live For
Mongane Wally Serote
Obsidian is cosponsoring Mongane Wally Serote’s reading from Listen (2024) and a conversation on the Soweto Uprising of 1976. Two in-person events in Normal, Illinois, on October 19 and 20, 2026.
Photo credit: Lisa Hnatowicz
Informal Conversation + Q&A
Date: Monday, October 19, 2026
Time: 1–3 pm CT
Venue: Publications Unit, Williams Hall Annex
Illinois State University, Normal, IL
About the poet
Mongane Wally Serote
The award-winning author of numerous books of poetry and fiction, Mongane Wally Serote is a celebrated South African anti-apartheid activist and writer. He emerged as a core voice of the Black Consciousness Movement during the 1970s before spending years in exile as a military operative for the African National Congress. His honors include the Noma Award for Publishing in Africa, the Ingrid Jonker Poetry Prize, and the Chilean government’s Pablo Neruda Award.
He is currently the National Poet Laureate of South Africa.
“Poetry is a way of giving expression to the experience of the people.”
Planning to attend
Questions
Is this event free and open to the public?
Yes. Both events are free and open to the public.
Who do I contact if I need an accommodation to fully participate?
Please contact Obsidian Managing Director Tara Reeser at tareeser@obsidianlit.org. Please allow sufficient time to arrange the accommodation.
Who is sponsoring these events?
These events are sponsored by the Harold K. Sage Foundation and the Illinois State University Foundation Fund, and cosponsored by Obsidian: Literature & Arts in the African Diaspora and the ISU Department of English, Creative Writing.
How can I support these events?
If you would like to make a donation to Obsidian: Literature & Arts in the African Diaspora (THANK YOU!), please visit obsidianlit.org/donate.
Join us in welcoming Mongane Wally Serote to Normal, Illinois.
October 19 and 20, 2026 · Free and open to the public
