Tougaloo SLAM Program, JSU English Week, and Upcoming Events
Dear Parents, Teachers, Principals, and Community Friends:
We are writing to provide information about the Summer SLAM Program. What would be your reaction if someone told you that there is a summer program that for the past twenty-three years functions to improve high school students’ GPAs, improve their ACT scores, enables them to earn multiple academic scholarships, and prepares them for a career in the medical field? Well, this program does exist, and it is the Tougaloo Jackson Heart Study Summer SLAM Program. Established in 2000, SLAM was developed after the initial findings of the Jackson Heart Study—a joint venture between the National Institutes of Health, the University of Mississippi, Jackson State University, and Tougaloo College—showed that one of the major contributors to the high rate of heart disease in the African-American community is due to a lack of healthcare professionals available to African Americans. To address this critical need, the Summer SLAM Program was developed to expose the top-performing students in the Jackson-Metro area to a rigorous and fast-paced program that enlightens local students about the skills and work ethic needed not only to succeed in college but within the healthcare profession. Following this mission, during a three-year program, students begin in the ninth grade being exposed to advanced math, science, and English courses with their curriculum culminating by the eleventh grade into some of the most advanced study and research available.
To be clear, this is not an “at risk” program. Students must have, at minimum, a “B” average to be considered for the Summer SLAM Program as it is a highly advanced program that is designed to enable students already performing at or above grade level to maximize their potential. By the third year of the program, students are exposed to forensic science, calculus, trigonometry, and graduate school-level articles and writing assignments. Additionally, to keep the program competitive with students performing at their highest level, slots decrease by four each year, beginning with thirty-six students in year one, decreasing to thirty-two students in year two, and finishing with twenty-eight students in year three. This design keeps the students focused and exposes them to the highest levels of academic competition, preparing them to compete for prized slots at some of the most prestigious institutions in the country. As such, the students who complete all three years of our program tend to graduate high school with A averages, improve their ACT scores by 2 to 5 points, and earn full scholarships to a variety of universities.
We are asking that you share information regarding the Tougaloo Jackson Heart Study Summer SLAM Program with your fellow teachers, students, parents, and any other community members. Here is a link that provides additional information about the program and the application. And, here is a link to a video in which one of our teachers, C Liegh McInnis, was interviewed about the program on WLBT. Anyone interested in the program can also contact Ms. Kisa Harris, SLAM Coordinator, at (601) 977-7754 or kkharris1@tougaloo.edu, or Ms. Beverly Kelly, Program Assistant, at (601) 977-7820 or bkelly@tougaloo.edu. Moreover, the teachers and JHS UTEC staff are available to come to your institution to talk with administrators, faculty, students, and parents. In fact, we would love to be included in your next faculty or PTA meeting to provide even more information. We appreciate you taking time to read this letter and look forward to hearing from someone from your institution or community soon. To download this letter as a PDF to share with others, go here.
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The Jackson State University English and Modern Languages Week will begin today at 3:00 p.m. with Poetry Cafe sponsored by the Jackson State Writer’s Alliance, the department’s creative writing students’ organization, which will feature readings by students and faculty. For more information, see the calendar of events below.
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Mississippi native and Jackson State University Creative Writing student Kaitlyn Taylor has published her short story, “Lord, What Now?,” in Palooka, which can be read here. Taylor has also been accepted to two MFA Creative Writing Programs, and once she makes her choice, we’ll share that information.
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Afrikian Art Gallery is seeking poets to read Saturday for its Freedom School project. For more information, contact Asinia Lukata Chikuyu at afrikan_tbt@yahoo.com and see the calendar of events below.
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Here is an insightful article about the dinner party given by Charles S. Johnson and Alain Locke—two Black academic titans that gathered the brightest of Harlem’s creative and political scene to mingle with white purveyors of culture. The relationships formed that night would soon blossom into the Harlem Renaissance.
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Cave Canem, one of the most important organizations in the development and nurturing of black poets, has announced essayist and poet Ajibola Tolase as the 2024 Cave Canem Prize winner. Tolase will receive $1,000, publication by University of Pittsburgh Press in Fall 2024, and a feature reading of his book, 2,000 Blacks, later this year. Tolase’s forthcoming poetry book explores and questions the alarming phenomenon of “African Brain Drain,” the politically and economically motivated migration of highly skilled professionals from their home countries in search of more favorable opportunities abroad. Here is a link to Tolase being interviewed by The Washington Post.
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Poet, professor, and editor Dr. John Zheng—Chair of the MVSU English Department—has excerpts from his latest poetry collection, The Dog Years of Reeducation, published by Vox Populi (here). Also, we have been remised to share with y’all that Zheng also had two Valentine haiku published here and here.
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The National Black Book Festival (NBBF), sponsored by Cushcity.com, has announced its dates for this year. As one of the largest online sources for African-American authors and literature, NBBF attracts a wide array of authors, publishers, book clubs, libraries, and individual readers from the Southwest U.S. and nationwide. For more information, including a detailed list of authors and events, see the calendar of events below.
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Award-winning novelist Ellen Morris Prewitt, author of In the Name of Mississippi, and Alisha Johnson Perry, children’s book author, social justice advocate, and certified fundraising executive, have joined forces to establish Contemplative Writing Group that meets weekly. Each week is led by a member of the group. They catch up on their writing week; then, the leader offers a contemplative writing prompt. They write for 30 - 40 minutes and share if anyone wants. It’s come-and-go/participate when you can and of indefinite duration—as long as folks are getting something from it, the workshop will be offered. To join the group, folks can email the School of Contemplative Living at livingschool12@gmail.com. For more information, see the calendar of events below.
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Noted Prince scholar and NYU Professor De Angela Duff has posted her monthly newsletter, Polished Solid, celebrating all things Prince and Prince-related. Y’all can read it here. Additionally, Duff will be curating the annual Polished Solid Prince Symposium, #EroticCity40, in April at NYU. In celebration of the 40th Anniversary of Purple Rain, this year’s symposium will feature panels, roundtables, keynotes, and special guests to analyze and celebrate four albums: Purple Rain, The Time’s Ice Cream Castles, Shelia E’s The Glamorous Life, and Apollonia 6’s Apollonia 6. For more information, including the schedule of panels, presentations, and presenters, see the calendar of events below.
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In honor of National Poetry Month, Kevin Powell with a full band will perform poem-songs from his 2024 Grammy-nominated spoken word poetry album, Grocery Shopping with My Mother, in April. For more information, see the calendar of events below.
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The always busy fiction writer and cultural critic Michael Gonzales was interviewed by On Theme about rediscovering late author Diane Oliver’s writing in a little-known anthology which led to her recent short story collection publication and acclaim. They also discuss the work of other authors, including Nettie Jones, Darius James, and Charlotte Carter, to which y’all can listen here.
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Mississippi native, poet, playwright, cultural critic, and editor Charlie R. Braxton has a new commentary, “Toward Understanding the Current Immigration Crisis,” in the Jackson Advocate, which can be read here. Additionally, the Jackson Advocate, one of the oldest African-American newspapers, has more insightful articles that can be read here.
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Mississippi native, fiction writer, playwright, and health advocate Katrina Byrd has a new Substack newsletter that y’all can read here.
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Obsidian invites you to the O|Sessions Listening Room! The newly launched O|Sessions Listening Room is a curated collection of pulsating soundscapes, evocative visuals and text, and thought-provoking poetry from a diverse array of artists pushing the envelope of creative expression. The Listening Room continues the conversation initiated by luminaries Lauren K. Alleyne, Duriel E. Harris, Douglas Kearney, Rosamond S. King, and avery r. young in 2021 as part of Obsidian’s O|Sessions: Black Listening virtual event. To listen, go here.
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Lived Places Publishing (LPP) has started a Black Studies Collection, edited by Dr. Chris McAuley, that focuses on the many lived dimensions of Blackness that defy neat categorization and racial reductionism (here). LPP is seeking book proposals for this collection with a focus on identity and place. If you are interested in submitting, contact Commissioning Editor Susannah Butler at Susannah.butler@newgen.co or go here.
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Narrative 4 is an organization of creatives that uses storytelling to build community and civic engagement. It has identified four more amazing women working within the Narrative 4 community, to uplift their work and express sincere appreciation for their commitment to N4’s core beliefs. These women truly embody compassionate change-making in the world and are doing the work to build support and connection in their communities. Go here to read about how they’ve partnered with Narrative 4 and consider making a small donation in honor of your own inspirational woman!
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Novelist Toni Lee has a new short story (30 pages), J.L.'s Departure, available on Kindle Unlimited for free with an account or $2.99 without an account. To read a sample or to purchase, go here.
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In April, internationally renowned educator, oral historian, and Prince scholar Zaheer Ali will be the keynote speaker at the annual NYU Liberal Studies Student Research Colloquium. For Ali, oral history is key to cultural preservation. Storytelling, he says, serves as a powerful medium for marginalized voices and challenges notions dictated by the mainstream discourse. His keynote address, “Listening as Creative Act: Story-Listening for Social Change,” will discuss the role of storytelling in advancing social justice and explore the importance of listening to everyone’s stories and its pivotal role towards nurturing inclusive communities. For more information, see the calendar of events below.
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The Mississippi Humanities Council has published its March Newsletter that y’all can read here.
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Reel Sisters celebrates Women in Hip Hop and African Voices’ Hip Hop @ 50 Special Issue in April. For more information, see the calendar of events below.
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Third World Press, one of the largest black-owned publishers on the planet, has wonderful collections of poetry, fiction, and prose by award-winning and historic writers, including their wonderful collection celebrating Women’s History Month here. To browse their catalog, go here.
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Noted Prince scholar and NYU Professor De Angela Duff will be curating the annual Polished Solid Prince Symposium, #EroticCity40, in April at NYU. In celebration of the 40th Anniversary of Purple Rain, this year’s symposium will feature panels, roundtables, keynotes, and special guests to analyze and celebrate four albums: Purple Rain, The Time’s Ice Cream Castles, Shelia E’s The Glamorous Life, and Apollonia 6’s Apollonia 6. For more information, including the schedule of panels, presentations, and presenters, see the calendar of events below.
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Off the critical success of Black Fire This Time, edited by Dr. Kim McMillon, Black Fire This Time, Volume Two, edited by Dr. Derrick Harriell and Professor Kofi Antwi is available for preorder (here). We are proud to inform y’all that C Liegh McInnis will have a poem, “Mississippi Like…” and a short story, “Kroger Cart,” included in this new volume. Like Volume One, Volume Two will have some of the most noted black poets, fiction writers, and essayists in the tradition of the Black Arts Movement. See the list of contributors attached.
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As most of y’all know, the Jackson State University Sonic Boom of the South has been selected to march in the 2025 Rose Bowl Parade, and there is a fundraiser to cover some of the costs. Although entities are selected for the Rose Bowl Parade, they must finance their way there. Here is the link to the fundraiser.
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Tougaloo College grad Dr. Howard Rambsy II aka Doc HR is the author of two excellent books, Bad Men: Creative Touchstones of Black Writers and The Black Arts Enterprise and the Production of African American Poetry. He has as dedicated time over the years to chronicling the work of C Liegh McInnis at his wonderful website Cultural Front, which can be read here. His latest commentary on McInnis’ work, “A Local Conscious Poet Who Knows a Lot about Prince,” can be read here.
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I am both honored and excited to have been interviewed by the brilliant Scott Woods, editor of Rock Critics.com, which features interviews with some of the most noted music journalists of the past sixty years. (This Scott Woods is not to be confused with the other brilliant Scott Woods who is a noted Prince scholar.) The title of the interview is “The Aesthetics of Prince: An Interview with C Liegh McInnis” and can be read here. It’s a very lengthy interview of my work as a Prince scholar and engages a few things that I haven’t discussed regarding my work on Prince. One of the coolest parts of the interview, for me, is that I got to shout out Prince scholar Harold Pride about midway through the interview and that I got to shout out the Polished Solid Prince Symposium and What Did Prince Do This Week? at the end of the interview. RockCritics.com is also on Twitter, which y’all know that I’m not. So, if y’all feel so inclined, locate and checkout his tweet about the interview as well. I hope y’all enjoy the interview and, as always, feel free to hit me back with your thoughts or feedback.
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The Jackson State University Creative Writing website is live and can be accessed here. Also, to give to this new program, go here. Once you are at the page, complete the amount and contact information, type “Department of English, Creative Writing,” in the “or other” box at the bottom of the form, and submit payment. And, here is a link to poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis discussing the newly established JSU Creative Writing Concertation and Minor.
The JSU creative writing offers a concentration and minor for its Bachelor of Arts program. Unlike many creative writing programs across the country, JSU’s creative writing concentration and minor will allow students to specialize in multiple genres if they desire. Additionally, unlike most creative writing programs across the country, JSU’s creative writing concentration and minor will encourage and prepare students to use their writing to engage social justice and socio-political issues by offering a capstone class that will match a student with an organization or institution that is doing the type of social justice work that the young writer desires to engage with one’s writing. This new concentration and minor were developed as a collaborative effort between Dr. Ebony Lumumba—Chair, Dr. RaShell Smith-Spears—Graduate Coordinator, and C Liegh McInnis. For more information, contact Dr. Lumumba at ebony.o.lumumba@jsums.edu or Dr. Smith-Spears at rashell.smith-spears@jsums.edu.
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Poet, emcee, educator, activist, and financial aid guru Dr. Treasure Shields Redmond has a new episode of her podcast, How to Find Scholarships, to which y’all can listen here.
Additionally, Dr. Redmond’s latest project is The Community Archive, which will be an African-American oral history collection with a mission to “serve as a platform for arts education and a repository for collected creative wisdom.” The first project will be a podcast series that features the stories of descendants of survivors of the 1917 East St. Louis Race Massacre. Y’all can listen to the second episode here. For more information, contact Redmond at treasure@femininepronoun.com. To view the website go here, and to donate, go here. The first episode can be heard here.
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Thanks to everyone who sent kind and encouraging feedback regarding my interview with 1$t Letter—an emcee, educator, and entrepreneur who is doing a lot with his talents to improve our community. Since the interview is so long, here are links to a few clips:
First, for my Prince folks, I discuss Prince mostly from the midway point of part two and all of part three: here
and here.
Here is a clip where I discuss how Charlie Braxton, Jimmy Kimbrell, and Jeff Gibson all impacted me early as a writer. I’ve discussed Charlie and Jimmy at length before so I’m glad that I got to discuss how Jeff impacted me as a JSU classmate, watching him be a serious writer while we were in college. At the end, I briefly discuss how my embracing the myth of American Individualism kept me from being tutored by Margaret Walker Alexander when I was in college. The entire segment is about five minutes and thirty seconds long. Y’all can stop watching when I begin discussing how James F. Cooper almost caused me to fail eleventh grade English.
Here is a clip where I discuss how my wife and stepchildren taught me the real definition of manhood.
Here is a clip where I discuss having multiple part-time jobs in college and learning how not to be a toxic male.
Here is a clip where I discuss my respect for local poet, emcee, and activist Skipp Coon and people not supporting conscious artists yet being disappointed when the artists they do support don’t meet a major moment with impactful art.
And, y’all can watch the entire interview here, here, here, here, here, and here.
Again, thanks to all of y’all who emailed your feedback and especially to y’all who watched all six parts. That is, indeed, some true love and support. In the words of the great poet Smokey Robinson as vocalized by David Ruffin of The Temptations, “I don’t need no money, fortune, or fame. I’ve got all of the riches one man can claim. What makes me feel this way? My folks, my folks, my folks, talkin’ ‘bout my folks!”
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Props to the Jackson State University Faculty Senate, under the leadership of Dr. Dawn Bishop, for passing the “Resolution of the Jackson State University Faculty Senate Defending Academic Freedom to Teach about Race, Gender Justice and Critical Race Theory Adopted by the Faculty Senate January 27, 2022,” which reads, in part, “THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Jackson State University Faculty Senate resolutely rejects any attempts by bodies external to the faculty to restrict or dictate university curriculum on any matter, including matters related to racial and social justice, and will stand firm against encroachment on faculty authority by the legislature or the Boards of Trustees… BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Faculty Senate affirms the Joint Statement on Efforts to Restrict Education about Racism, authored by the AAUP, PEN America, the American Historical Association, and the Association of American Colleges & Universities, endorsed by over seventy organizations, and issued on June 16, 2021.”
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Every Monday at 6:30 p.m., Afrikan Art Gallery & Bookstore (800 North Farish Street) will hold weekly meetings every to discuss and organize around the newly published Long Term Strategic Plan for Black America. For more information contact Asinia Lukata Chikuyu at afrikan_tbt@yahoo.com.
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Every Tuesday, at Coffee Prose from 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., Neighbors Writing Group will facilitate weekly creative writing workshop with a different lead writer. For more information, contact Dr. Alison Turner at aturner@operationshoestring.org.
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The first Tuesday of each month, from 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., at the Capital Club, Women for Progress of Mississippi, Inc., will host its monthly Lunch and Learn, featuring various women in impactful leadership in the city and around the country. For more information, contact mail@womenforprogress.net.
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Every Wednesday from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m., Dependable Source Corp. Center for Community & Workforce Development, which is a black woman-owned business, hosts The Working Woman Report, which is a live podcast that curates conversations on a variety of topics with professional women. Y’all can join the conversation here, and for more information contact Willie Jones, owner and CEO of Dependable Source Corp at williejones@drivingyourfuturems.com.
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Every Friday from 10:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m., Refill Jackson—a nonprofit designed to equip young adults ages 18 – 24 with the skills needed to enter the workforce and be self-sufficient—holds its Friday Forums, which are at 136 S. Adams Street Jackson, MS 39203. For more information, contact Nicole McNamee at nmcnamee72@gmail.com or visit their website here.
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The first Friday of each month, at 8:00 p.m. at The Event Center (716 S Gallatin Street), Spoken Soul Open Mic holds its monthly open mic readings and performances. Hosted by Queen Speaks, the cost is $10. All poets and performers welcomed. For more information, contact Erica Garrett at ericamvsu03@gmail.com or (601) 500-3502.
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The first Saturday of each month, the Mississippi Museum of Art will begin its Access for All: Free First Saturdays. For more information, go here.
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Each Saturday at 5:00 p.m. CST, award-winning novelist Ellen Morris Prewitt, author of In the Name of Mississippi, and Alisha Johnson Perry, children’s book author, social justice advocate, and certified fundraising executive, have joined forces to establish Contemplative Writing Group. Each week is led by a member of the group. They catch up on their writing week, then the leader offers a contemplative writing prompt. They write for 30 - 40 minutes and share if anyone want. It’s come-and-go/participate when you can and of indefinite duration—as long as folks are getting something from it, the workshop will be offered. To join the group, folks can email the School of Contemplative Living at livingschool12@gmail.com or go here.
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The second and fourth Saturday of each month, Dr. RaShell Smith-Spears (rashell.spears@jsums.edu) and Dr. Shanna Smith (shanna.l.smith@jsums.edu) coordinate a creative writing workshop that meets via Zoom. That group has been meeting for almost ten years now, and many of the works developed in that workshop have been published. In fact, I’ve had at least four works that I had workshopped by the group to be published later.
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Two Saturdays a month, Afrikan Art Gallery will host program, Freedom School Saturdays, for middle and high school students that is modeled after the 1964 Freedom Summer/School Project. The mission is to will help with the intellectual empowerment of our children with course in Civics 101, A Meeting with the Elders: What to Expect in Life, Spiritual Pilgrimage to the Mississippi Delta, Spiritual Pilgrimage to Africatown, AL, photo-journalism exercises, cultural expressions and performances for Black-centered events through their Speech - Choir and Afrikan Cultural Pride Dance Troupe, financial literacy workshops, and so much more. For more information, contact Asinia Lukata Chikuyu at afrikan_tbt@yahoo.com.
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Every Saturday, noted Prince scholar and NYU Professor De Angela Duff is beginning another Prince project, What Did Prince Do This Week?, a very, very, very slow read of Duane Tudahl’s entire Prince Studio Sessions book series through an interactive, online, weekly book club web series. Professor Duff will be live via Streamyard video every Saturday at noon ET on YouTube and Facebook to discuss the parallel week, beginning in 1983. The weekly discussion will be recorded if y’all cannot attend the livestream. The first Saturday of the series, Duff was joined by Tudahl, and y’all can watch the recording of the first session here. To get notifications or to join Duff’s listserv, go to
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Mississippi-based funnymen Merc B. Williams and Cocky McFly...real-life brothers…have joined forces to create The Vibe Controllers, which is a podcast that shows the two of them in their natural element discussing various topics, with a little humor and lots of sibling banter! Y’all can checkout the podcast via Soundcloud or YouTube at soundcloud.com/thevibecontrollers and The Vibe Controllers Podcast - YouTube.
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The Center for the Study of Southern Culture has posted its March events that can be viewed here.
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The Mississippi Humanities Council has posted its February events that can be viewed here and here.
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Narrative 4 is an organization of creatives that uses storytelling to build community and civic engagement. To see their previous events and register for their March events, go here.
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Mississippi native, Jackson State University alum, and longtime museum director, arts curator, and activist, Pamela Junior is one of the recipients of the 2024 Mississippi Humanities Council Public Humanities Awards. As former director of the Smith Robertson Museum and the Two Mississippi Museums, which houses the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, Junior has spent years expanding the possibilities of what a museum can be and how it can be a focal point of a community. For the list of all recipients and information about the gala, which will be held March 22, 2024, at 5:30 p.m., go here.
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March 22 – 28, 2024, the Jackson State University English and Modern Foreign Languages Department will curate its annual English and Modern Languages Week. The week of events begins today with Poetry Café, which will feature poetry by students and faculty in room 146 of the Dollye M. E. Robinson Liberal Arts Building. For a full list of the programs, go here. For more information, contact Dr. Ebony Lumumba (Chair of the JSU English Department) at ebony.o.lumumba@jsums.edu.
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March 23, 2024, in the Tupelo/Oxford/Golden Triangle area (Time and Location TBA), the Mississippi Writers Guild (MWG) will facilitate a “Conquer the Publishing World” Workshop. Join them for a two-hour workshop led by Joe Lee, editor-in-chief of Dogwood Press, a small but traditional publishing house headquartered in central Mississippi, and Resting Place, the seventh volume of his critically acclaimed Oakdale suspense series. Topics will include the best way to pitch an agent or editor, the critical nature of editing, and the publishing process from query to printing. He’s also covering how to plan for a book launch, prepare for unforeseen roadblocks, and how, when, and where to market your book and yourself as an author. Free and open to public, but registration required to determine materials and setting. Contact mspresentersnetwork@gmail.com or yacdirector@gmail.com for more information.
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March 23, 2024, from 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. EST., African Voices Gallery will host a free book swap gathering. For more information or to register, go here.
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March 23, 2024, multidisciplinary artist, political strategist, educator, and arts activist Tufara Waller Muhammad and Director of Securities and Facilities at the National Museum of African American Music in Nashville and formerly at National Blues Museum in St. Louis Terry Hardin will join forces to spend their birthdays raising funds for the B. B. King Museum and Interpretive Center. There are three ways y’all can help Tufara and Terry help the B. B. King Museum and Interpretive Center. First, you can come to Indianola, Mississippi, in person the day of the event, tour the museum Saturday at 11:00 am, have Blues Brunch with them at the newly renovated Historic Club Ebony, and then party with them from 7:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. at Club Ebony. They will feature live music from some of their favorite artists, most of them under 30-years-old. Next, you can give a donation through the B. B. King Museum website, designating yourself Team Terry or Team Tuffy. If you have a hard decision to make, choose both! Finally, you can become a member of the B. B. King Museum and tell them that Terry and Tuffy sent you. For more information, including prices for packages and ways to donate to the B. B. King Museum and Interpretative Center, go here. For additional information, contact Tufara Waller Muhammad at sistufara1@gmail.com.
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March 23, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. GMT, Lolwe is offering a masterclass on “Getting Published” taught by Remy Ngamije, award-winning author of the critically-acclaimed novel The Eternal Audience of One. The world of publishing can seem overwhelming even to the most ambitious author. The acts of generating ideas, bringing them to life, then querying agents, editors and publishers, to the event of publishing itself are tasking. These processes, however, can be eased if tackled deliberately and with perseverance. Ngamije will teach you how to approach the publishing world. The masterclass is open to anyone keen on getting their work published. Whether it’s a short story or an essay, a novel or any book-length project, you will learn the essentials of getting published and how to navigate this seemingly dreadful terrain. There are limited seats available; so, to register, click here.
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March 28, 2024, from 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., at the Jackson State University COFO Building, The JSU Department of English and Modern Languages is hosting an Oral History Workshop facilitated by Michelle Duster, great-granddaughter of Ida B. Wells. Workshop participants can be at the early or more advanced stages of family or community history to support narrative collection, writing (article/story/book), or project development. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, email shanna.l.smith@jsums.edu.
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The Jackson State University Margaret Walker Alexander Center will curate its annual Creative Arts & Scholarly Engagement (CASE) Festival. The CASE Festival will focus on the legacy of Black women writers and the Black Arts Movement. This year, CASE will feature a keynote address by Sonia Sanchez, world-renowned poet, mother, and professor, who is known for her insights into Black culture and literature, women’s liberation, peace, and racial justice.
Note that the best essay by a JSU student on the “Black experience in the American South” will receive the $1,000 Margaret Walker Annual Award. Submissions for the Margaret Walker Annual Award can be in various forms, including literary analysis, creative writing, research paper, biographical study, autobiography, and historical study. JSU students who would like to be considered for this award must submit their 8- to 10-page essays by Thursday, March 28, and present their papers during the CASE Festival on Saturday, April 6.
The JSU MWA Center will also present the annual $500 Doris Derby Visual Arts and Social Justice Award to a student at any level from any institution whose contribution best reflects this year’s CASE Festival theme in the category of visual arts, including painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, filmmaking, design, and crafts. Students must present their artwork during the CASE Festival on Saturday, April 6, to be eligible for the award. For more information, contact the JSU Margaret Walker Alexander Center (mwa@jsums.edu or 601-979-3935) or the Conference Coordinator, Dr. Robert Luckett (robert.luckett@jsums.edu).
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March 30, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. GMT, Lolwe is offering a masterclass on “Pushing Formal Boundaries” taught by Dami Ajayi, author of the critically acclaimed poetry collections Clinical Blues, A Woman’s Body Is a Country, and Affection & Other Accidents. Poetry, as an art form, yields itself easily to experimentation. In a skillful hand, conventional boundaries can be stretched to extreme lengths without botching the compactness of a poem. This masterclass will show you how to move beyond the constraints of rules. Whether writing a sonnet, free verse, or sestina, you will learn how to bend form while maintaining the soul of your poem, its meaning still within the reach of your readers. The masterclass is open to writers in all stages and will be live on Zoom. To register, go here.
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Until March 31, 2024, the International Museum of Muslim Cultures will showcase its latest exhibit, Oman: Land, Sea, and Spirit—Discovering the Soul of Oman and Mississippi, which is a photography exhibit by Basel Almisshal. For more information, contact IIMC Co-Founder Okolo Rashid at admin@muslimmuseum.org.
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Until March 31, 2024, in San Francisco, CA, New Conservatory Theatre Center will present LAMBDA Literary Award winner Jewelle Gomez’s third play, Unpacking in P’town, in his trilogy about artists of colour in the first part of the 20th Century. Play synopsis: Every summer, former vaudevillians Buster, Lydia, Minty, and Scottie reunite in Provincetown to drink, dance, and forget about the real world. But this year is different. It’s 1959, the fight for Civil Rights is heating up, and a restlessness hangs heavy in the humid air. In between the reminiscing, this chosen family is forced to face changes they’ve been hiding from for so long. Completing Gomez’s Word and Music trilogy, Unpacking in P’town is a world premiere portrait of the queer artists of color who paved the way for others to live out loud. See the calendar of events for more details.
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Outrageous Fortune, the country’s first nationwide online literary magazine for and by undergraduates, is currently accepting submissions! We accept all areas of work, including digital files such as video-recorded spoken word and short films. Each semester OF looks for fiction, non-fiction, drama, film, art, photography, and poetry. As professors and department heads, they would greatly appreciate it if you inform your undergraduate students about this opportunity to submit their work for publication. While they operate on a rolling submissions basis, OF us accepting submissions for consideration to be included in their Spring 2024 issue until March 31st, 2024, to the email outrageousfortune@marybaldwin.edu. Please feel free to browse their website as well as their Submission Guidelines. Outrageous Fortune also encourage you to follow them on Instagram (@outrageousfortune.mag) for regular updates on the magazine and content.
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April 1 – 2, 2024, the Mississippi Valley State University English Department will feature two poetry readings and Q&A sessions with C Liegh McInnis. On April 1, C Liegh will provide a poetry reading and discussion for MVSU’s prison program in Greenwood (about an hour of reading and Q&A with 15 female students), and on April 2, at 9:00 a.m., C Liegh will provide a poetry reading and discussion for the students on the campus of MVSU. The April 2 reading is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Dr. John Zheng (Chair of the MVSU English Department) zheng@mvsu.edu.
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April 3 – 5, the University of Mississippi will hold the annual Oxford Conference for the Book. For a full listing of authors, go here and for a full listing of and panels, go here.
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There is a Call for Papers for chapters for a new book, 60 Years of Star Trek: Influence and Impact. For almost sixty years, Star Trek has served as more than just a television series or a film franchise; it has become a cultural phenomenon, a beacon of hope, and a mirror reflecting humanity’s aspirations and struggles. The editors invite chapters for a volume about the impact of Star Trek on popular culture over the last 60 years. They want to explore what the franchise means for this planet, and our potential for the future that Roddenberry and others placed before us. Just as important, they want to explore how we, as humans, have been impacted by this franchise. This edited, academic, and multidisciplinary book will expand the various analyses of Star Trek and its influence. While the editors respect the array of Trek books, this collection will focus on the multiple series and films. For more information, see the calendar of events below. The deadline to submit is April 4, 2024. For the entire CFP and how to submit, go here.
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April 5, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. EST, internationally renowned educator, oral historian, and Prince scholar Zaheer Ali will be the keynote speaker at the annual NYU Liberal Studies Student Research Colloquium. For Ali, oral history is key to cultural preservation. Storytelling, he says, serves as a powerful medium for marginalized voices and challenges notions dictated by the mainstream discourse. His keynote address, “Listening as Creative Act: Story-Listening for Social Change,” will discuss the role of storytelling in advancing social justice and explore the importance of listening to everyone’s stories and its pivotal role towards nurturing inclusive communities. The keynote address is free and open virtually to the public. Registration for the webinar is required on the Zoom registration page. For more information or to request accessibility accommodations, please email lsdeansoffice@nyu.edu or call (212) 998-7120.
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April 5 – 6, 2024, the Jackson State University Margaret Walker Alexander Center will host its annual C.A.S.E. Festival, which will feature legendary poet, editor, educator, and activist Sonia Sanchez as the keynote speaker. The C.A.S.E. Festival will feature analytical and creative panels featuring undergraduate and graduate students from all over the country, focusing on Black women writers and the Black Arts Movement. For more information, contact the JSU Margaret Walker Alexander Center (mwa@jsums.edu or 601-979-3935) or the Conference Coordinator, Dr. Robert Luckett (robert.luckett@jsums.edu).
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April 5 and 7, 2024, at Toussaint House in New Orleans, Poet and photographer Saddi Khali will facilitate a workshop, “The Art of Visual Storytelling: An Intimate Photography Workshop,” which teaches practices in boudoir, implied, and art nude photography. For more information and to purchase tickets, go here. Also, Khali has a new photography exhibit touring the country. To view dates, go here. For more information about Khali and his art, go here.
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April 6, 13, 20, 27, and May 4 and 11, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. GMT, Lolwe is offering a masterclass on “Screenwriting” taught by Dilman Dila, author of a critically acclaimed collection of short stories A Killing in the Sun. Screenwriting uses elements of storytelling, drama, and presentation to build a narrative arc for a film or TV show. The material for a screenplay can be developed from scratch, from an already existing book, or from a real-life event. Doing this, however, demands a great amount of skill, and this class will explore the elements needed to develop this skill. The six-week-long class will answer the key questions young scriptwriters usually have, some of them being how to research and outline a script, how to develop a script, and how to format a script. The course is open to writers in all stages. There are limited seats available, so here to register.
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April 10 – 12, 2024, at the University of Southern Mississippi, the Fay B. Kaigler Children’s Book Festival will occur. For more information, go here.
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April 12 – April 14, 2024, noted Prince scholar and NYU Professor De Angela Duff will be curating the annual Polished Solid Prince Symposium. In celebration of the 40th Anniversary of Purple Rain, this year’s symposium will feature panels, roundtables, keynotes, and special guests to analyze and celebrate four albums: Purple Rain, The Time’s Ice Cream Castles, Shelia E’s The Glamorous Life, and Apollonia 6’s Apollonia 6. To go to the symposium website, go here. To see the schedule of panels, roundtables, keynotes, and special guests, go here. To register for the symposium, go here. For more information, contact deangela.duff@nyu.edu and to get notifications or to join Duff’s listserv, go to
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April 12 – 13, 2024, Reel Sisters celebrates Women in Hip Hop and African Voices’ Hip Hop @ 50 Special Issue. To see the detailed schedule and purchase tickets, go here.
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April 16, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. at The Public in New York City, in honor of National Poetry Month, Kevin Powell with a full band will perform poem-songs from his 2024 GRAMMY® nominated spoken word poetry album, Grocery Shopping with My Mother, in April. For more information and to purchase tickets, go here.
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April 20, 2024, at 2:00 p.m., at The New School (NYC), Cave Canem, one of the most important organizations in the development and nurturing of black poets, is hosting a celebration for the work of Jay Wright. Critically-acclaimed as one of the most rigorous poets the country has ever produced, Wright has been quietly and diligently crafting an intellectually expansive poetics for more than 50 years. Join Cave Canem in celebrating the achievements of his verse and drama, featuring a reading of Wright’s one-act play The Geometry of Rhythm, followed by a reading from Wright, and concluding with a book signing. For more information and to RSVP, go here.
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April 27, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. GMT, Lolwe is offering a masterclass on “Prose Poetry” taught by Nick Makoha, award-winning author of the poetry collection Kingdom of Gravity. Prose poetry merges the lyrical and metric elements of poetry with the narrative flow of traditional prose. Often perceived as a complicated genre, it offers fresh perspectives and possibilities for the writer. will learn how to blend measured and lyrical language with plot-driven narrative. At the end of this masterclass, you will be able to write prose poems that have a lasting impression on your readers. There are limited seats available; so, to register, click here.
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ARIEL: A Review of International English Literature has a Call for Papers for its special issue, “Decolonizing Museums, Collections and Archives in Postcolonial and Indigenous Literatures in English,” which will examine how postcolonial and Indigenous writers have been writing about museums and collections and how they have been reinventing archival methods. Please submit a 300 - 500 word abstract with a short biographical note (no more than 100 words) to the guest editor, Laura Singeot at laura.singeot@gmail.com by May 1, 2024. To see the entire CFP, go here.
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Until May 11, 2024, The Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience (The MAX) has a new exhibit, America at the Crossroads: The Guitar and a Changing Nation, presented by the National Guitar Museum. The exhibit includes live music, workshops, and more. For more information, go here.
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June 22, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. GMT, Lolwe is offering a masterclass on “Nuances in POF” taught by T.L. Huchu, author of the novels The Hairdresser of Harare and The Maestro, The Magistrate, and The Mathematician. Point of view (POV) shows who is telling a story and the perspective through which the story is narrated. This element is integral to the way a reader interacts with any story. First-person POV, for instance, keeps the narration limited to a single character’s perspective, while third-person omniscient POV allows for a broader view that includes the perspectives of multiple characters. Many writers have started stories afresh after realizing the initial POV used does not work, and this is where understanding the nuances in POV are most effective. Huchu will show you the advantages, limitations, reliability, and unreliability of the different points of view used in storytelling. This masterclass is open to both emerging and established writers. There are limited seats available, so go here to register.
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July 6, 13, 20, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. GMT, Lolwe is offering a masterclass on “Worldbuilding in Fantasy and Science Fiction,” taught by award-winning writer Suyi Davies Okungbowa, author of the critically-acclaimed fantasy novels David Mogo, Godhunter, winner of the 2020 Nommo Ilube Award for Best Novel, and Son of the Storm, first in his epic fantasy trilogy. Worldbuilding is a foundational element in writing fantasy and science fiction. These genres allow for new worlds to be created, worlds where the geography, history, physics, politics and religion differ greatly from that of the real world, and worldbuilding sets the background against which these otherworldly stories happen. Over the years, many writers have drawn influence from Western mythologies, and they tend to create worlds that lack elements in their own culture. One can come across stories set in Africa featuring European attributes such as dragons. This class aims to teach you how to create worlds and characters grounded in your culture and history, which readers will find novel and original. In this class, you will learn how to build imaginary worlds set with rules and boundaries that make them seem real. Also, there will be recommended readings and writing exercises. The class is open to writers at all stages. To register, go here.
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August 3, 10, 17, 24, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. GMT, Lolwe is offering a masterclass on “Plot, Subplot, and Characterization” taught by Zukiswa Wanner. This class is designed to elevate your storytelling by guiding you through plot, subplot, and characterization, the most important elements integral to any good story. For the duration of the course, you will learn how to create both an interesting plot and memorable, three-dimensional characters. Each writer will get a chance to receive feedback from other participants within the workshop and to have one-to-one consultation sessions with the tutor. The feedback will help shape the stories with the goal of giving the writer a better understanding of these basic elements of storytelling. Wanner is a South African journalist, novelist, and editor born in Zambia and now based in Kenya. Since 2006, when she published her first book, her novels have been shortlisted for awards including the South African Literary Awards (SALA) and the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize. In 2015, she won the K Sello Duiker Memorial Literary Award for London Cape Town Joburg (2014). In 2014 Wanner was named on the Africa3 9 list of 39 Sub-Saharan African writers aged under 40 with potential and talent to define trends in African literature. She curated the Pan-African virtual literary festival Afrolit Sans Frontières which had over 60 writers. In 2020, she was awarded the Goethe Medal, making Wanner the first African woman to win the award. She has facilitated various workshops including Caine Prize, Afro Young Adult, Writivism Workshop, among others. Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced writer, this three-week class is your chance to learn from the award-winning author of the novels The Madams, Behind Every Successful Man, and Men of the South and London Cape Town Joburg. The class will be held online via Zoom. To register for the class, go here.
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September 3, 10, 17, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. GMT, Lolwe is offering a masterclass on “Magic Realism and Surrealism,” taught by writer T. J. Benson, author of the collection of short stories, We Won’t Fade into Darkness and the novels, The Madhouse and People Live Here. Magical realism as a genre has been heavily debated especially when it comes to the classification of work from former colonies. The class will discuss it in the context of the work from the African continent and the genres it often obscures like Animism Realism, African Traditional Realism. They will also explore surrealism with contemporary examples. The aim of the class is to remove the western gaze/framing of these genres from literature emerging from the continent and see how we can play them into our own writing. We will also use contemporary visual art and music from Africa. Inclusion of indigenous story telling styles, transliteration from African languages, spiritualities and traditions and a keen interest in the genres and familiarity with stories within the genres is encouraged. The class is open to writers at all stages. To register, go here.
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September 18 – 24, 2024, Furious Flower, one of the most important organizations for archiving, nurturing, and promoting black poetry, will hold its annual conference. For more information, go here and here.
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October 17 – 19, 2024, Cushcity.com will host the annual National Black Book Festival (NBBF). As one of the largest online sources for African-American authors and literature, NBBF attracts a wide array of authors, publishers, book clubs, libraries and individual readers from the Southwest U.S. and nationwide. For more information, including a detailed list of authors and events, go here.
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