Lyric + Lever is a panel discussion examining the intersection of archivism, literature, and community development in Black communities across the Midwest. The panel moves past the familiar model of art as representation or reflection of community life, and presses instead toward mechanics: how does the literary artist's relationship to memory, record, and story change what gets built, funded, protected, and sustained in a Black community?

The discussion is organized around three questions:

• What is the Black literary artist's responsibility to archivism — not simply as subject matter, but as method and discipline?

• What is archivism's responsibility to community development — does preserved story change what a community can build, access, or defend?

• How can community development hold both artist and archivist together so that story and archive connect to the real tools of community development?