Is Suffering the Source of Genius? Irvin Weathersby Jr. & Gia Hamilton discuss at Baldwin & Co.

Irvin Weathersby Jr. and cultural strategist Gia Hamilton deliver a deeply reflective and personal conversation about grief, memory, and the transformative power of storytelling. With poetic clarity and emotional honesty, Irvin shares how the loss of his grandmother and the devastation of Hurricane Katrina shaped his writing and identity as a Black man from New Orleans. Gia Hamilton, in turn, explores the intersections of trauma and creativity, asking how Black artists reclaim beauty from pain and build archives that preserve our truths. Together, they dive into the messy, necessary work of naming what hurts—and finding liberation in the telling.