Illustrated Black History
with author George McCalman in conversation with Tonya Foster

Join artist and author George McCalman in conversation with poet and professor Tonya Foster on McCalman’s book, Illustrated Black History: Honoring the Iconic and the Unseen. Illustrated Black History is a breathtaking collection of original portraits depicting black heroes—both famous and unsung—who made their mark on activism, science, politics, business, medicine, technology, food, arts, entertainment, and more. Beautifully designed with over 300 unique four-color artworks and accessible to readers of all ages, this eye-opening, educational, dynamic, and timely compendium pays homage to Black Americans and their achievements, and showcases the depth and breadth of Black genius.

This event is co-presented by the Museum of the African Diaspora.

Praise for Illustrated Black History:

'Black icons and pioneers honored in a stunning new collection... The work is a testament to the urgency of our time here: how little of it there is, and how much we can give despite it.' — San Francisco Chronicle

“I have always gotten such a lift from George McCalman’s work—both spiritual and visual. His charming, informed, and always heartfelt art says so much about Black American life and history that he is now an essential part of the dialogue. What a gift this book is.” — Hilton Als

George McCalman is an artist and creative director based in San Francisco. His design studio McCalmanCo collaborates with a wide range of cultural clients. He is a columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle. His Observed and First Person columns document Bay Area culture. His first book Illustrated Black History: Honoring the Iconic and Unseen was published in September 2022.

Social: @McCalmanCo / @George.McCalman

Tonya M. Foster is a poet, essayist, editor and Black feminist scholar. She is the author of A Swarm of Bees in High Court, the bilingual chapbook La Grammaire des Os and coeditor of Third Mind: Teaching Creative Writing through Visual Art. Her writing and research focus on poetry, poetics, ideas of place and emplacement, and on intersections between the visual and the written. Forthcoming publications include the poetry collection—Thingifications (Ugly Duckling Presse), as well as a two-volume compendium on the Umbra Writers Workshop --The Umbra Galaxy (Wesleyan University Press) and an anthology of experimental creative drafts (Nightboat Books). Raised in New Orleans, she is a Louisianian from generations back on the maternal and paternal lines. Dr. Foster holds the George & Judy Marcus Endowed Chair in Poetry at San Francisco State University and is a member of an Emeryville Artists Co-op.