Black and Irish: Leon Diop and Briana Fitzsimons

Winner of the An Post Teen and Young Adult Book of the Year, Black and Irish: Legends, Trailblazers, and Everyday Heroes is a ground-breaking book about the lives and achievements of black Irish people, an inspirational handbook for social change, and a timely commentary on what it means to appear to be different in a rapidly changing society.

Co-authored by Leon Diop and Briana Fitzsimons, Black and Irish includes fascinating profiles of Ruth Negga, Gavin Bazunu, Christine Buckley, Elliot Kwele, Emma Dabiri, Rhashidat Adeleke, Phil Lynott, and many more.

In this event, in the evocative setting of St. John’s Theatre, Leon Diop and Briana Fitzsimons will be in conversation with the poet and 2024 Listowel Writer’s Week Festival programme curator Martin Dyar, exploring the goals of the book, the vibrant community building, podcasting and advocacy that lie behind it, and some of the stories of the legends, trailblazers and everyday heroes that have over the past year made Black and Irish a national phenomenon and a touchstone for a new and urgent vision of equality and diversity in Ireland. The event will include a Q&A, with audience participation encouraged.

'An informative tribute to Black Irish heroes past and present with hopeful messages for those yet to come.' - Kirkus Reviews

More about Leon Diop

Leon Diop is an award winning author, DEI global speaker and co-founder and chief executive of Black and Irish. He is a mixed race man from Tallaght, Dublin. He was born to a white Irish catholic mother and a black Senegalese Islamic father. He grew up in Dublin with a vast range of experience before going to Maynooth University, where he completed a degree in psychology, and was subsequently Students’ Union President for two terms. In June of 2020 he founded Black and Irish, an organisation working on the behalf of Black and mixed race people in Ireland. He is the co-author of Black and Irish: Legends, Trailblazers and Everyday Heroes and a host of the RTE podcast, Black and Irish. He currently serves on the board of the Childhood Development Initiative, Tallaght, South Dublin County Partnership and Work Equal.

More about Brian Fitzsimons

Briana Fitzsimons is an award-winning author, anti-racism advocate, educator and DEI specialist who grew up in Yonkers, New York. Formerly a secondary school teacher for 13 years, she grew up in Tokers, New York, and has been living in Ireland since 2017. She has been working in the area of anti-racism since 2021. With her passion for social justice, one of Briana’s main goals is to empower teachers and young people with the tools they need to make sure that everyone is seen, heard and feels a sense of belonging in all educational spaces. She co-authored with Leon Diop the An Post Teen and Young Adult Book of the Year, Black and Irish: Legends, Trailblazers and Everyday Heroes. Published by Little Island in 2023, the book is being widely used in schools across the country. Briana is also the co-founder of SPARK Teachers, a pan-European community for racialised teachers, in collaboration with the European Network Against Racism. Named by the Irish Times one of the “50 to Watch in 2024”, Briana was also featured in the Irish Examiner’s 100 Women for 2024. She lives in Co. Kildare with her partner and two children and is proud to call Ireland home.

Listowel Writer's Week: where readers celebrate, and writers find their flow.

Listowel Writer's Week is Ireland's oldest literary festival, and one of its most prestigious. Famously hospitable, the beautiful North Kerry town of Listowel is internationally renowned as a wellspring of literary inspiration and heritage. The 2024 Listowel Writer's Week festival programme, exploring the theme Mother Nature, has been curated by the poet Martin Dyar.

See writersweek.ie for more details and the full programme.

Please be aware that all events at Listowel Writers' Week will be recorded and photographed for promotional and archival purposes. Your presence constitutes consent to be filmed or photographed. Thank you.