English Department
Contact Info
Mailing Address
Cleveland State University
English Department
2121 Euclid Ave., ENG
Cleveland, Ohio 44115
Campus Location
Music & Communications (MU)
2121 Euclid Ave, MU 233
Contact Us
Phone: 216.687.3951
english@csuohio.edu
The Rowfant Club's Second Charles W. Chesnutt Symposium
Saturday, September 26, 2026
9 a.m. - 5 p.m. (breakfast will be served at 8:15 a.m.)
Western Reserve Historical Society
10825 East Blvd., Cleveland, OH 44106
Registration: $80.00
Student Registration: Students are welcomed to attend the symposium at no cost. Please email cuw123@aol.com with Full name and contact information, student status and University name.
Charles W. Chesnutt (1858-1932) was arguably the most important African American author (fiction, essays and advocacy) to ply his trade in America between Reconstruction and the Harlem Renaissance. He was the most important author to come from Ohio during this period and his influence was clearly national. Several of his novels were not published until 50 years after his death, largely because they were considered too provocative for their time.
At the symposium, there will be opportunities to see the Rowfant Club of Cleveland, take a white glove tour of the Chesnutt Archives and interact with the Cleveland community. Continental breakfast and a full buffet luncheon will be served. Local accommodation will be available near the Case Western Reserve University campus, including the Glidden House.
Renowned Scholars Include:
Stephanie Browner, Ph.D.: The New School:
Tess Chakkalakal, Ph.D.: Bowdoin College
Charles Duncan, Ph.D.: William Peace University
William Hardwig, Ph.D.: University of Tennessee Knoxville
Kenneth M. Price, Ph.D.: University of Nebraska Lincoln
Regennia Williams, Ph.D.: Western Reserve Historical Society Cleveland
The Cleveland State Connection
Charles Chestnutt is taught in English, American Literature and African-American Studies courses at Cleveland State University by such faculty as Jeff Karem, Adrienne Gosselin and Thomas Bynum. Chestnutt is also taught in senior seminars.
Dr. Regennia Williams, a Cleveland State University alumna and Adam Sonstegard, chair and professor in the Department of English are co-hosting a panel as part of the symposium. Dr. Williams is also former faculty, of the History Department at Cleveland State University.
Co-Sponsors
Contact Info
Mailing Address
Cleveland State University
English Department
2121 Euclid Ave., ENG
Cleveland, Ohio 44115
Campus Location
Music & Communications (MU)
2121 Euclid Ave, MU 233
Contact Us
Phone: 216.687.3951
english@csuohio.edu