read until you understand book cover_small.png
 

Read Until You Understand:

The Profound Wisdom of Black Life and Literature

Farah Jasmine Griffin has taken to her heart the phrase "read until you understand," a line her father, who died when she was nine, wrote in a note to her. She has made it central to this book about love of the majestic power of words and love of the magnificence of Black life. Griffin entwines memoir, history, and art while she keeps her finger on the pulse of the present, asking us to grapple with the continuing struggle for Black freedom and the ongoing project that is American democracy. She challenges us to reckon with our commitment to all the nation's inhabitants and our responsibilities to all humanity. Griffin has spent years rooted in the culture of Black genius and the legacy of books that her father left her. A beloved professor, she has devoted herself to passing these works and their wisdom on to generations of students.

 

Research Interests

 

African American Literature

Literature and Music/Jazz Studies

History and Politics

20th and 21st Century

 

Book Trailer

Writings

Speaking Events

Virtual Book Launch, Pub Day

Uncle Bobbie’s Books
Conversation with Edwidge Danticat
September 14, 2021
Registration Required. Link will be sent upon registration.

IRAAS Conversations Lecture, Columbia University

Conversation with Professors Daphne Brooks and Imani Owens
September 21, 2021
8:00 PM (ET)

Dean’s Distinguished Lecture in the Humanities, Columbia University

In Person
September 22, 2021
4:15 PM (ET)

Virtual Conversation with Henry Louis Gates

Harvard Bookstore
September 23, 2021
7:00 PM (ET)

Albany Book Festival Conversation with Janell Hobson

In Person
September 25, 2021
12:45 - 1:30pm (ET)

Farah Jasmine Griffin: The Profound Wisdom of Black Life and Literature

Town Hall Seattle
September 27, 2021
6:00 PM (PDT)

Conversation with Erica Armstrong Dunbar

Watchung Bookstore (Virtual)
September 29, 2021
7:30pm (PDT)

New York Society Library Lecture

Hybrid Event
September 30, 2021
6:00 PM (ET)
Livestream registration

Brooklyn Book Festival

October 3, 2021
9:00 PM (ET)
Livestream registration

Conversation with Robin Kelley

City Lights Book Store (Virtual)
October 5, 2021
9pm (ET)

Brattleboro Book Festival

Virtual
October 15 & 17, 2021
7:00 PM - 8: 15 PM & 5:45 PM - 7:00 PM (EDT)

The Profound Wisdom of Black Life: A Conversation Between Farah Jasmine Griffin and Obery Hendricks

Virtual
October 19, 2021
6:30 - 8pm

Well-Read Black Girl Festival with Gloria Edim and Nicole Dennis-Benn

Virtual
October 30, 2021
11:00 - 11:45 AM (ET)

NEA Big Read Finale: Friends Author Series - Meet Farah Jasmine Griffin, Author of Read Until You Understand: The Profound Wisdom of Black Life and Literature

Ferguson Library
November 1, 2021
6:30 - 7:30 PM (ET)

An Intimate & Inspiring Conversation with Dr. Farah Jasmine Griffin

Flowers Bookclub
November 2, 2021
7:00 PM (ET)

Black and Published Podcast

Virtual
November 3, 2021
11:00 AM (ET)

Malcolm Wright in Conversation with Farah Jasmine Griffin: Richard Wright's Lost Book

Bookends & Beginnings
November 10, 2021
12:00 - 1:00 PM (ET)

How Do You Write Podcast

Virtual
November 24, 2021
7:00 PM (ET)

QWERTY Podcast

Virtual
January 6, 2022
2:30 PM (ET)

Write On! Radio Show

Virtual
January 18, 2022
8:00 PM (ET)

Smithsonian Associates Lecture

In Person
February 7, 2022
TBD

Athenaeum of Philadelphia Reading

In Person
February 24, 2022
6:00 PM (ET)

Writer, Writer, Pants on Fire Podcast

Virtual
March 16, 2022
10:00 AM (ET)