Join Tara Roberts, National Geographic Explorer in Residence, for an unforgettable afternoon as she discusses her powerful memoir, Written in the Waters: A Memoir of History, Home, and Belonging.
When National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Tara Roberts first saw a photograph at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History & Culture depicting the underwater archaeology group Diving With a Purpose, it called out to her. Roberts joined them—and started on a path of discovery more challenging and personal than she could ever have imagined. From the coasts of Senegal and South Africa to the waters of St. Croix and beyond, she confronted the Middle Passage's harrowing history while uncovering her roots and exploring what it means to belong.
Interweaving deeply personal storytelling with historical insight, Roberts reflects on the resilience of the human spirit, the importance of remembering the past, and the shared threads that connect us all. Her journey, also captured in the podcast Into the Depths, offers a rare and intimate look at history, identity, and discovery.
Roberts is the first Black female explorer ever to be featured on the cover of National Geographic magazine. She was named the Rolex National Geographic Explorer of the Year in 2022 and a Fellow at the MIT Open Documentary Lab in 2019. She spent her early career years working as an editor for women and teen magazines like Essence and CosmoGirl.
Sponsored by Resonance: A Cultural Art Series Sponsored by OUDI
“Tara Roberts is a pioneer and an inspiration. Her work does not so much ‘unearth’ the past as pull it respectfully out of the depths of the sea and the shadows of history. I am deeply moved by this book, and by her journey.”
—Elizabeth Gilbert, New York Times bestselling author of Eat, Pray, Love
