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Great Black Hope - JLF Colorado: International Literature Festival

Writer and critic Rob Franklin is a cofounder of Art for Black Lives, and teaches writing at the School of Visual Arts. His debut novel, Great Black Hope, is a gripping and elegant tale of a young, queer black man navigating race, class, and grief in the wake of a friend’s mysterious death, and his own arrest. A dizzying journey through New York City's nightlife circuit, the book is a propulsive, glittering exploration of what it means to exist between worlds, to be upwardly mobile yet spiraling downward. In conversation with academic and writer Pardis Mahdavi, Franklin reflects on the themes of his writing.

Venue: Canyon Theater

All are invited to JLF Colorado - an annual international literature festival of books, ideas, stories and camaraderie - September 13-14 at Boulder Public Library.

Date:: Saturday, Sep 13 2025
Time:: 12:00pm - 1:00pm
Location:: Main Library
Audience:: Ages 12 to 18 Ages 18+
Categories:: Author Talk

JLF Colorado is a proud sister festival of the world-renowned Jaipur Literature Festival. JLF Colorado is produced by Teamwork Arts and has been hosted each September in Boulder, Colorado since 2014. We bring together inspiring authors and thought leaders from across the state and around the world.

JLF Colorado is free and open to all. Come for the morning music, stay for engaging conversations—and feel free to attend one session or many. Register for the festival today to secure your spot and receive updates about authors, program sessions, and volunteer opportunities.

Learn about JLF Colorado and register:

Be part of the team that makes it all possible:

Volunteer at JLF Colorado!

Borrow books by current and past speakers.

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