Honoring Dr. Naomi Long Madgett On the Occasion of the Broadside Lotus Merger

Detroit Main Library

March 31, 2015

Widely esteemed for her grace and eloquence as a “Queen of Black Literature,” Dr. Naomi Long Madgett, founder of Lotus Press, has published several generations of African American poets over the last four-and-half decades. Under her direction, Lotus Press became a leading institution in the field of African American literature and culture.

Dr. Madgett’s achievements, as a scholar, writer, and poet, have been recognized by many honors and awards, including the Kresge Eminent Artist Award, the Furious Flower Lifetime Achievement Award, and the National Literary Hall of Fame.

This evening, Dr. Madgett, as we celebrate the merger of Broadside Press and Lotus Press, we honor you for:

• Your tireless, often solitary years as publisher and editor;
• Your steadfast belief in the value and necessity of African American literary production, and your insistence upon excellent literary standards;
• Your strong promotion of poets, poetry, and a lively arts community during your tenure as Detroit Poet Laureate; and finally,
• Your camaraderie with Broadside Press publisher, Dudley Randall, and your magnanimous spirit in seeking to merge Broadside and Lotus into one thriving African American institution moving into the future.

For all these reasons, we praise you and express our deepest gratitude.

Broadside Lotus Press Board of Directors