The Blockson Collection Presents: Book Signing and Conversation with Deborah Willis– Black Venus 2010: They Called Her Hottentot March 4, 5:30 p.m., Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection Reading Room, 1330 Polett Walk Edited by Deborah Willis, Black Venus 2010 explores the legacy, impact and memory of the “Hottentot Venus,” the young African woman Saartjie Baartman who in 1810 was paraded across Paris and London for ridicule, speculation and desire. Willis will sign copies and discuss this anthology, which explores, through essays, poetry and photography, the impact of Baartman and her ordeal. Willis is a University Professor and chair of the Photography and Imaging Department in the Tisch School of the Arts, New York University. She has been the recipient of Guggenheim and MacArthur fellowships. She is a photographer, scholar and curator. Contributors to the book include: Elizabeth Alexander, Holly Bass, Petrushka A Bazin, William Jelani Cobb, Lisa Gail Collins, Renée Cox, J. Yolande Daniels, Carole Boyce Davies, Leon de Wailly, Manthia Diawara, Diana Ferrus, Cheryl Finley, Nikky Finney, Kianga K. Ford, Terri Francis, Sander Gilman, Renée Green, Joy Gregory, Lyle Ashton Harris, Michael D. Harris, Linda Susan Jackson, Kellie Jones, Roshini Kempadoo, Simone Leigh, Zine Magubane, E. Ethelbert Miller, Robin Mitchell, Charmaine Nelson, Tracey Rose, Radcliffe Roye, Bernadette Searle, Lorna Simpson, Debra S. Singer, Penny Siopis, Hank Willis Thomas, Kara Walker, Michele Wallace, Carla Williams, Carrie Mae Weems, J. T. Zealy, and the editor.