SPEC BLK, Atlanta, GA (2026)

10/07/2026

We’re excited to welcome Eric Pertilla to SPEC BLK: The Inaugural Convening, where he’ll join Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes as their MainStage conversation partner for The Keeper: A Journey from Page to Screen.

Eric is a former Hollywood agent and studio executive who has spent his career working with storytellers and helping bring their creative work to new audiences.

At CBS All Access (now Paramount+), he oversaw development of acclaimed series including The Twilight Zone, Star Trek: Discovery, and The Good Fight. He later served as SVP of Television Development and Production at Endeavor Content (now Fifth Season), where his work included executive producing the webcomic DRAC: Son of Dante alongside Saladin Ahmed, Shaka King, and Travon Free.

His experience also includes optioning novels and comics for television, including Saladin Ahmed’s Abbott, and working in literary representation at Paradigm and Mosaic. Today, he’s the founder of PLOTLiNE, a self-publishing platform for scripts.

For SPEC BLK, having Eric in conversation with Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes is particularly meaningful. This year’s Convening is centered on the journey from page to screen, and we want to have substantive conversations about what that journey actually looks like for Black speculative storytellers.

Eric brings that exact kind of firsthand experience from the development and representation side of the industry to explore the creative possibilities, business realities, and opportunities that exist when Black speculative storytelling moves across mediums. We’re looking forward to this one!

Welcome to the Convening, Eric!

SPEC BLK: THE INAUGURAL CONVENING

Atlanta + Virtual
November 14–15, 2026

Get your tickets at specblk.com/tickets

10/06/2026

We’re excited to welcome Esme Addison to SPEC BLK: The Inaugural Convening.

Esme is an Amazon and BN.com bestselling author and Agatha Award nominee whose fiction work encompasses mystery, fantasy, history, folklore, and family secrets.

She is the author of the Enchanted Bay Mysteries and the Secret Society Mysteries, including An Intrigue of Witches. Her work has been featured and reviewed by Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Booklist, CrimeReads, and Book Riot.

At the heart of Esme’s storytelling is an interest in what we carry forward. That intersection is especially at home at SPEC BLK as we explore questions such as: What can folklore reveal that the historical record doesn’t? How do you merge the supernatural into a mystery without losing the tension that makes the mystery work? And what happens when writers use the speculative to uncover stories that have been buried.

At SPEC BLK, Esme brings a perspective on genre-blending, mystery, folklore, and cultural memory that will help to anchor our conversations.

Welcome to the Convening, Esme!

SPEC BLK: THE INAUGURAL CONVENING
Atlanta + Virtual
November 14–15, 2026

Tickets + information: specblk.com/tickets

10/04/2026

SPEC BLK is NOT an event.

What we’re building extends far beyond a conference weekend.

Because anyone can bring people into a room, put together some great conversations on a stage, take the pictures, and go home.

And that’s cool— but that’s not the vision.

SPEC BLK is about building an ecosystem around Black speculative storytellers. One that helps creators find each other, develop stronger work, access resources and opportunities, build audiences, move stories across mediums, and think seriously about ownership.

Publishing. Film and television. Audio. Live programming. Technology. Funding. IP development. All of it is connected.

The convening matters because community has to come first. Before we start talking about platforms, programs, labs, funding pathways, adaptation, or industry access, we need to know who we’re building with and what Black speculative creators actually need.

So first, we convene. Then we build.
And what we’re building is infrastructure for the long game. Something that can support the writer with an unfinished manuscript today, the independent creator trying to reach an audience, the established storyteller looking toward adaptation, and the Black speculative stories that haven’t even been imagined yet.

That’s SPEC BLK.

Our November convening is the beginning of the conversation, not the end of the work.

First we convene. Then we build.

Join us 11/14-11/15 in Atlanta. Tickets are available at: https://www.specblk.com/tickets

10/03/2026

We’re excited to welcome Jamaad “J. P.” Gould to SPEC BLK: The Inaugural Convening.

J. P. is a science fiction and fantasy author, Associate Professor of English, and motivational speaker whose relationship with storytelling started early. Growing up in San Domingo, Maryland, with a love for sci-fi, fantasy, and superheroes, he began writing poetry and short stories at just eleven years old.

Today, J. P. brings that same imagination to stories that create new worlds while asking very human questions.

Through science fiction and fantasy, he explores morality, diversity, purpose, and the choices that shape who we become. His characters and worlds are designed to do more than take readers somewhere unfamiliar. They invite readers to question themselves and reconsider the world they return to when the story is over.

Now based in Atlanta with his family, J. P. also brings his experience as an educator and speaker to his creative practice, connecting storytelling with learning, reflection, and possibility.

At SPEC BLK, J. P. brings a perspective on worldbuilding, character, morality, purpose, and using speculative fiction to examine the world we already inhabit.

Welcome to the Convening, J. P.!

SPEC BLK: THE INAUGURAL CONVENING
Atlanta + Virtual
November 14–15, 2026

Tickets + information: specblk.com

10/03/2026

We’re thrilled to welcome Nicole Glover to SPEC BLK: The Inaugural Convening as a HEADLINER GUEST.

Nicole is the acclaimed author of the historical fantasy series Murder and Magic, including The Starseekers, bringing mystery, history, and magic together in stories that expand what Black historical fantasy can look like.

Her books have earned rave starred reviews, been featured by NPR, En Forme, and The Virginian-Pilot, and received recognition across the speculative and literary worlds. She’s been a LibraryReads pick, made the Locus bestseller list, and most recently won The Webster Award.

Nicole’s work also sits right at the heart of the conversations we want to have at SPEC BLK, like:

What happens when we take history and give ourselves permission to imagine beyond what the record left behind? How do you build magic into a historical world and make it feel like it has always belonged there? And what changes when a writer brings the structures of mystery, fantasy, and Black history together in the same story?

Nicole has built a body of work around those possibilities. At SPEC BLK, she’ll bring a perspective on historical fantasy, mystery, worldbuilding, genre-blending, and reimagining the past through a speculative lens.

And somewhere in Virginia, she’s probably already plotting her next fictional murder.

We’re excited to have her helping anchor our inaugural gathering.

Welcome to SPEC BLK, Nicole!

SPEC BLK: THE INAUGURAL CONVENING
Atlanta + Virtual
November 14–15, 2026

Tickets + information: specblk.com

10/02/2026

We’re bringing SPEC BLK: The Inaugural Convening to Atlanta’s historic Westside, and we couldn’t be happier about where this first gathering is taking root.

On November 14–15, we’ll convene at The Martin, 960 MLK Dr. NW, with featured guests Tananarive Due, Steven Barnes, Rita Woods, Milton J. Davis + MORE for two days centered on Black speculative storytelling, craft, adaptation, community, and what we build next.

Deep gratitude to Rev. Winston Taylor, owner of The Martin, for opening the space to us, and to Shawn Watwood, who has been an incredible connector in helping make those relationships possible.

And just down the road, Camille Watwood, owner of Darkly Rooted Books , is opening a new bookstore dedicated to speculative fiction on the Westside on October 24.

The timing feels especially beautiful as we celebrate Black Speculative Fiction Month and head toward our first convening a few weeks later.

Black speculative storytelling is putting down roots on Atlanta’s Westside, and SPEC BLK is honored to be part of what’s growing there.

First, we convene. Then we build.

🎟️ Tickets are on sale now!

10/01/2026

Happy Black Speculative Fiction Month. All month we’ll be celebrating all the talented contributors to Black Speculative Fiction including our very own guests at this year’s inaugural convening. Learn more + subscribe to our substack via the link in our bio!

09/22/2026

We’re excited to welcome Alexandria Hudson, aka Alex.da.bibliophile, to SPEC BLK: The Inaugural Convening.

Alex is a book influencer, community builder, and founder of The Bibliobaddies Book Club, where she’s created a space centered on something every storyteller ultimately needs: readers who are excited to discover, talk about, and champion their work.

Through engaging book content, curated literary experiences, and genuine conversations around reading, Alexandria has built a platform that connects her community with diverse stories and emerging voices. She’s especially passionate about supporting both independent and traditionally published authors across genres, helping introduce their work to readers who might not otherwise find them.

And that reader-to-creator connection is an important part of the ecosystem we’re building at SPEC BLK.

Because creating the work is one piece. Finding your people, building community around your stories, and creating lasting relationships between storytellers and audiences matters too.

At SPEC BLK, Alex brings a perspective on book influencing, reader communities, discoverability, literary experiences, and how authors can build authentic relationships with the people who champion their stories.

Welcome to the Convening, Alex!

SPEC BLK: THE INAUGURAL CONVENING
Atlanta + Virtual
November 14–15, 2026

Tickets + information: specblk.com

09/22/2026

If horror, sci-fi, fantasy and Afrofuturism are your lane, this is your room.

Tickets are officially on sale for SPEC BLK: The Inaugural Convening, a two-day gathering centering Black speculative storytellers and the people who love the worlds they create.

Join us November 14–15 in Atlanta + virtually for conversations, craft, community, industry insight and a celebration of Black imagination across books, film, television, audio, comics and more.

Featuring a MainStage Conversation with Tananarive Due, Steven Barnes on their book to film adaptation of The Keeper, come hear from the writers and creators shaping some of the most exciting work in horror, science fiction, fantasy and speculative storytelling, then connect with the community building what comes next.

Atlanta + Virtual
November 14–15, 2026
🎟️ Tickets on sale now at specblk.com

09/21/2026

SPEC BLK is built around the full life of a story.

From the first idea to the page, to production, to ownership, to audience-building + to the futures we haven’t imagined yet—our programming is organized across six pathways designed for Black speculative storytellers working across mediums.

MAINSTAGE
Featured conversations, headliner sessions and marquee moments.

TELL
Story craft, narrative, worldbuilding and the written word.

MAKE
Screen, audio, comics and creative production.

OWN
IP, rights, contracts, licensing and adaptation.

BUILD
Marketing, audience growth, publishing and career strategy.

IMAGINE
Speculative thinking, futurity and bold new possibilities.

We believe creating the work is only one part of the journey. Beyond creating, we need spaces to understand how stories move, how careers grow, how ownership is protected, + how Black creators can build worlds that live far beyond a single format.

This Fall, we’re starting the conversation.

SPEC BLK: The Inaugural Convening
Atlanta + Virtual
November 14–15, 2026

Tickets + more at specblk.com

SPEC BLK

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