Author: Fred

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Lyrical City writing workshop series

City as Memory: A Lyrical City Writing Workshop
Whether we were born in Washington, DC or migrated here, the city functions as a living repository, holding memories of people, places and events in our lives. What happens to our memories as the city evolves and changes, as landmarks disappear and new sparkling edifices take their place? How do we write about the places and people that have shaped us? What have you been a witness to? How do we look into the mirror at ourselves?

E. Ethelbert Miller kicks off the Lyrical City writing workshop series with a class on memoir. In addition to the workshop on Sunday, all are invited to attend his presentation “No Women, Two Books, One Man: An examination of memoirs and family” the day before at the Washington Historical Society (details below).

Bio
E. Ethelbert Miller is a literary activist. In addition to several volumes of poetry, he is the author of two memoirs, Fathering Words, and most recently, The 5th Inning. He is the board chairperson of the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS), a board member of The Writer’s Center and editor of Poet Lore magazine. Since 1974, he has been the director of the African American Resource Center at Howard University. Mr. Miller is the former chair of the Humanities Council of Washington, D.C. and a former core faculty member of the Bennington Writing Seminars at Bennington College.

About Lyrical City
Lyrical City is a six-part writing workshop series facilitated by outstanding writers with a strong DC connection. The workshops focus on the African-American poetry tradition in DC and various cultural aspects of the city. The workshops are open to all. There is also at least one slot reserved in each workshop for an emerging youth writer (age 16-25).

Participation is limited to 12 people. The cost of each workshop is $25. Some partial scholarships are available. (To request a scholarship, please include a 2-3 sentences briefly explaining your financial needs.) Residents of the Mt. Vernon neighborhood receive a discounted rate. To apply for the workshop, please send an email with your name, a brief paragraph (50-150 words) explaining what you hope to get out of the workshop and one poem. Accepted applicants will be notified on how to make advance payment (online or via snail mail).

The first workshop will take place on Sunday May 3 from 4-6:30pm at Busboys & Poets, 5th & K, in the Cullen Room.

Upcoming workshops will be facilitated by Reuben Jackson, Thomas Sayers Ellis,Toni Asante Lightfoot and Sharan Strange.
This workshop is funded in part by the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities, an agency supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts

The Historical Society of Washington, DC presents:
“No Women, Two Books, One Man: An examination of memoirs and family”
Saturday, May 2, 2:00 – 3:30 p.m.
801 K Street, NW at Mount Vernon Square, Washington, DC 20001
Ethelbert Miller discusses his two memoirs—Fathering Words and his new book,
The 5th Inning. This discussion is an opportunity to talk about love, divorce, marriage, and family life. Are all the stories true? Come and find out. The author writes in his new book, “This book is a riff on middle-age, marriage, fatherhood, and failure. In baseball the fifth inning can represent a complete game. The structure of this book consists of balls and strikes. As a writer I might now and then throw the reader a curve.”
(Ages 12 to Adults) RSVP@historydc.org or 202-383-1828. FREE

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Gerard Caliste Opening in Saturday, Santa Monica April 4th

gcaliste_front
If you happen to be in Southern Cal this weekend an artist whose work i came across is going to be showing at the Lois Lambert Gallery (http://www.loislambertgallery.com/) in Santa Monica April 4th – May10th. His name is Gerard Caliste and his website is http://www.gerardcalisteart.com. check it out!

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around my way: Anacostia Cherry Blossom Festival

Anacostia Cherry Blossom Festival Press Release
Come be a part of Anacostia’s premiere spring event, the Anacostia Cherry Blossom Festival to be held on Saturday, April 11th, 2009 from 10 am to 4 pm. The festival draws residents and tourists from throughout the city. It will be a day packed with activities, including an Opening Ceremony & Tree Dedication, an Arts Walk, live Music and more. The majority of the days’ activities will take place along Good Hope Road S.E. toward the Anacostia Park Entrance and on up the 1900-2000 Block ofMartin Luther King Jr. Avenue~ The Historic Anacostia Corridor.

The Main Street Anacostia Promotions Committee strives to create a thriving and robust business district for its residents, while encouraging folks from other neighborhoods and towns to come experience what we have to offer. We are thrilled to have the support of some great sponsors including DC Lottery, Environmental Design and Construction, Four Points Properties, ARCH Development Corp, 1918-1922 Partnership LLP, Venable and Anacostia River Realty.

The day kicks off at 10 am in the Anacostia Park with a cherry blossom tree planting and dedication as part of the National Cherry Blossom Festival’s Neighborhood Tree Planting Program, presented by The Home Depot and supported by the DC Lottery and the DC Chamber of Commerce. Tree dedications will be awarded to Phil Pannell, Marion Barry and Butch Hopkins by the Anacostia Garden Club. The festival continues with live jazz music by The Young Lions at Honfleur Gallery at 1241 Good Hope Road at 1 pm. More music can be heard throughout the day from 11am – 11pm at Eric Whitehead’s JazzNSoul Café, located at 2020 Shannon Place S.E. Musicians include SamO & JFC, Earl Carter, Glenn Arnett, Jamie Jones, Paul Chew, Nonya Whitley, DJ JAMMER and many more!

The Art Walk begins just a short distance from the Anacostia Metro with the grand opening of Vivid Solutions, a new photographic gallery located at 1227 Good Hope Road S.E. Sakura: Awakened by Spring is a group show of photography all submitted with the Spring theme in mind. It is full of color, nature and some unexpected visions. Outside in the open lot next to the gallery is the Art + Craft Market, open all day with local artists ready to sell their work. Please stop by and see the assortment of jewelry, paintings, books and other crafts. At the market, Curbside Café offers their homemade burritos, and pick up an Anacostia Cherry Blossom Festival t-shirt as well. Other food is available along the Art Walk; check out the Jamaican cafe or renowned Soul Food restaurant on MLK Jr. Ave.

Continue on the Art Walk to the storefront at 2204 MLK Jr. Ave SE where you will find a Pink Line Project exhibit in collaboration with Critical Exposure, with curatorial assistance from Chanel Compton. Don’t forget to also check out the Cherry Blast event the night before the festival on Friday April 10th from 9pm-2am, also hosted by The Pink Line Project. Cherry Blast highlights fine art, live music, dance, a DJ, fashion, anime, and origami, presented in association with the National Cherry Blossom Festival and through funding from the DC Commission for the Arts and Humanities.

Alison Spain will paint “live” in a raw studio space on the next stop on the Art Walk at 2200 MLK Jr. Ave S.E. She is offering a charcoal drawing workshop for area youth from 2pm – 4pm; all are welcomed to join. Spain’s colorful abstract paintings are larger than life in both size and dynamism. Upstairs is a showcase of eight selected artists invited to use the space to display their work in any way possible. Don’t miss all this creative energy!

Stop into the American Poetry Museum at 1922 MLK Jr Ave, to hear some live readings by local poets. The current exhibit, Beats to the Rhyme: Visual Representations of Hip-Hop Poetry features works by Franc Rosario, Sami Miranda, Fred Joiner, Howard Fleming, Kenneth Robinson, and Nia Smith. The next space on the Art Walk is at 1231 Good Hope Road S.E. at Arch Training Center, showing local student photography in Spring Visions and Inspirations. Just a few doors down at Honfleur Gallery, take in Darren Smith’s solo exhibition Cross & Ladder. This DC-Based artist pushes the boundaries of photography with handmade photo mosaics and a few large installation pieces.

Stay tuned for updates, directions and more info. Save the date: Anacostia Cherry Blossom Festival, April 11, 2009 from 10am to 4pm! For more information on the Anacostia Cherry Blossom Festival and Art Walk, go to www.archdevelopment.org/events.html. For more information on the Cherry Blast event, see www.pinklineproject.com.

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CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS:Sex and Hip-Hop Beyond Misogyny

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
Sex and Hip-Hop Beyond Misogyny

Many have stated that sex sells with regards to commodities, hip-hop culture in particular. However, in recent years the industries surrounding sex and hip-hop have developed a symbiotic relationship. For example, rappers often use strip clubs to premiere records and circumvent mainstream radio payola. In turn, the porn industry employs rappers to promote its DVDs and websites. This connection not only allows the two industries to benefit financially, but also results in their mutual exploitation.
Traditionally, hip-hop scholarship and commentary has focused on the misogynist and sexist nature of cultural products. That is, until now, academic debates about how sex is addressed by the hip-hop community have centered primarily on topics such as the treatment of the video girl, Nelly’s “Tip Drill,” depictions of rappers as violent, sexual predators, etc.

For the forthcoming issue, “Sex and Hip-Hop Beyond Misogyny”, Words. Beats. Life: The Global Journal of Hip-Hop Culture invites scholars, students, and practitioners to submit nuanced takes on gender and sexuality within hip-hop culture. Topics may include sex trafficking, sexual education, hip-hop and sex in film and literature, queer hip-hop, boyhood and girlhood, and representations of the body. We hope to push ideas about sex and hip-hop beyond simple investigations of misogyny in this issue.

Submissions Process
All submissions are accepted on a continuous basis and need not be limited to the themes outlined.

All submissions designated as scholarly require an abstract of 150 words or less and up to five key words to accompany each submission.

All scholarly submissions should follow the APA style guide.

Submission Formats
Research Papers: 3,000 words
Essays:1,500 words
Editorials:1,500 words
Short Stories: 3,500 words
Lyrics:150-300 words
Featured Poet:150-300 words (4 poems, bio, and photo)
Featured Artist:PDF or JPEG (5-7 pieces, bio, and photo)
Scholarly Reviews: 2,000 words (albums, books, and films)
Interviews:1,500 words

Submissions and Inquiries:
E-mail: journalstaff@wblinc.org

Mailing address:

Words Beats & Life
Attn: Journal Staff
1525 Newton Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20010
The Journal is the world’s only peer-reviewed academic journal dedicated to hip-hop culture used by organizations and in university classrooms, including Harvard, Morgan State and the University of Maryland, around the country. Please contact us if you are interested in becoming a peer reviewer.

We look forward to receiving and reviewing your submissions.

Sincerely,

Simone Jacobson
Cipher Director

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Millenium Arts Salon presents Breaking Through: Women Leading Museums

Breaking Through: Women Leading Museums
A Panel Discussion Celebrating Women’s History Month 2009

In celebration of Women’s History month, four women who direct museums in Washington, D.C. will candidly explore the role of women in our nation’s cultural life in a panel discussion at the National Museum of Women in the Arts at 6:30 p.m. on March 26, 2009. The program is co-sponsored by ArtTable, the leadership organization for professional women in the visual arts, and the National Museum of Women in the Arts, dedicated to recognizing the contributions of women artists.

At the panel, Breaking Through: Women Leading Museums, nationally renowned interviewer and N.P.R. Morning Edition special correspondent Susan Stamberg will moderate a lively conversation with directors whose institutions reflect Washington’s broad range of museums:
• Camille Giraud Akeju, Director, Anacostia Community Museum, Smithsonian Institution
• Leslie Buhler, Executive Director, Tudor Place Historic House and Garden
• Dorothy Kosinski, Director, The Phillips Collection
• Susan Fisher Sterling, Director, National Museum of Women in the Arts

“Women are making extraordinary contributions to our nation’s cultural life, but still face marked challenges, from the gender pay gap to work-life balance,” said Elizabeth Ash, Chair of the D.C. Chapter of ArtTable. “These museum directors will offer their unique perspectives on how to succeed at the highest levels and what they wish they had known sooner.”

During the evening, the panelists will share their professional journeys, offer advice to emerging professionals, and communicate their vision for leading museums today and beyond.

Admission is $20 for ArtTable members, $25 for non-members, and $10 for students (with ID). Tickets are available at www.arttable.org or 212-343-1735 x 25. For general information about the program, call 703-231-5242. The National Museum of Women in the Arts is located at 1250 New York Avenue NW, two blocks north of Metro Center. Additional directions can be found at www.nmwa.org.

Founded in 1980, ArtTable, Inc. is the leadership organization for professional women in the visual arts.ArtTable’s purpose is to increase the effectiveness, visibility and diversity of women in the field. Through activities and initiatives, ArtTable is dedicated to: supporting women in the visual arts at all stages of their careers; documenting outstanding achievements by women past and present; increasing opportunities for women; and in so doing, enriching the nation’s cultural life. For more information, visit www.arttable.org.

National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) is the only museum solely dedicated to celebrating the achievements of women in the visual, performing and literary arts. Founded as a private, not-for-profit organization by Wilhelmina Cole Holladay in 1981 and opened in 1987, the museum’s collection features 3,000 works from the 16th-century to the present by more than 800 artists. Highlights include works by Lavinia Fontana, Alma Thomas, Louise Nevelson, Lilla Cabot Perry, Frida Kahlo and Nan Goldin along with special collections of 18th-century silver tableware and botanical prints. NMWA offers multidisciplinary programs for adults, young people, and families, including role model workshops, film, music and literary events. Located at 1250 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, DC in a landmark building blocks from the White House, the museum is open Monday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. and Sunday, noon–5 p.m. For more information, visit www.nmwa.org.