Royals admitted that it was difficult for her to see racial injustice in the world but said the key in creating her work is "mining the passion without getting consumed by the rage."
Kincaid, on the other hand, said she does not feel the pull of the outside world when she creates.
"When I sit down to write, my inner life isn't driven by these people," she said. "When I'm writing, my only responsibility is to myself.
The panel attracted a large crowd to the Starr Auditorium at the Institute of Politics.
"We thought it was fabulous, very dynamic," said Amanda L. Hillman '02, business and publicity co-chair of the Black Arts Festival. "We got a lot of really deep perspectives."
The festival also included a series of artistic presentations, workshops, exhibitions and additional discussion that lasted until Saturday evening.
"Everything not only went as planned, it was amazing," Hillman said.