AKILA WORKSONGS 2024 Press Room
(featuring updates from select clients)
October 23, 2024 | Sly Stone’s “There’s A Riot Goin’ On” with the Black Rock Coalition: LIVE at Webster Hall!
PoetWarrior Productions LLC, in partnership with the Black Rock Coalition (BRC), is presenting an all-star reimagining of Sly and The Family Stone’s masterpiece, There’s A Riot Goin’ On. The live concert will feature performances by the BRC Orchestra (the Black Rock Coalition’s all-star repertory company of premiere musicians), as well as luminaries such as Vernon Reid and Corey Glover of Living Colour, Lisa Fischer, Bernard Fowler (The Rolling Stones), Shelley Nicole, Sophia Ramos, KOKAYI, and many others. HeadCount and the NAACP will be onsite to facilitate voter education and voter registration activities. EVENT LOCATION: Webster Hall, 125 East 11th Street (between Third and Fourth Avenues) in New York City. Get ticket info and more here: www.websterhall.com.
‼️Black Music Buffs, click HERE for Darrell's take on Sly's genius (on WBAI Radio's Backstage Stories with Marcia Pendelton). Mo Beasley joins in!
September 2024 | Ifetayo Cultural Arts Academy Launches Araminta Space Grant with Dance/NYC
Ifetayo Cultural Arts Academy announces the launch of the Araminta Space Grant Initiative during its 35th anniversary year. The grant's inaugural cycle is presented in partnership with Dance/NYC. www.ifetayo.org
March 4, 2024 | Biggest Black Literary Event of the Year!
50+ Black Award-Winning Writers, Including Michael Eric Dyson, Kevin Powell, Edwidge Danticat, Karen Hunter, and Marc Lamont Hill To Address Book Bans, Social Justice, DEI Blowback, and More: MARCH 20 – 23, 2024 (In-Person).
BROOKLYN, NY, March 4, 2024 [PRNewswire] -- The Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College, CUNY, announces that the 17th National Black Writers Conference (NBWC2024) will occur March 20 - 23, 2024, in Brooklyn, NY.
Roundtable discussions and other events of this four-day public gathering will explore several issues in the world of Black writing and publishing ... Confirmed speakers include one of four honorees, Percival Everett (of American Fiction fame), plus Edwidge Danticat, Michael Eric Dyson, Karen Hunter, Kevin Powell, Jacqueline Woodson, Marc Lamont Hill, Bettina Love, and other best-selling and award-winning writers. Media inquiries are directed to (718) 756-8501 (office) or CBLpr@akilaworksongs.com.
February 01, 2024 | The 2024 National Black Writers Conference Promises To The Best Ever
CONFIRMED: Percival Everett (of American Fiction fame), Edwidge Danticat, Michael Eric Dyson, Karen Hunter, Kevin Powell, Jacqueline Woodson, Marc Lamont Hill, and Others!
BROOKLYN: MARCH 20 – 23, 2024
Brooklyn, NY --- The Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College of the City University of New York (CBL) announces that the 17th National Black Writers Conference (NBWC2024) will be held in person from Wednesday, March 20 to Saturday, March 23, 2024. This year’s theme, All That We Carry: Where Do We Go From Here?, is based on the National Book Award-winning work by Tiya Miles, All That She Carried, The Journey of Ashley’s Sack, A Black Family Keepsake (Penguin Randon House, 2021). Confirmed speakers include Tiya Miles, Percival Everett (of American Fiction Fame), Edwidge Danticat, Michael Eric Dyson, Karen Hunter, Kevin Powell, Jacqueline Woodson, Marc Lamont Hill, and other national best-selling authors and award-winning black writers.
Established at Medgar Evers College in 1986 by revered novelist John Oliver Killens, the Conference is a public gathering of literature lovers from all walks of life in the United States, as well as from the Caribbean, Africa, Europe, and Australia. The Conference attracts some of today’s most celebrated best-selling writers and scholars across several genres and generations, including recipients of the NAACP Image Award and the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, Nobel Prize winners, Pulitzer Prize winners, MacArthur “Genius” Fellows, New York Times best-sellers; poet laureates; and other distinguished guests.
January 02, 2024 | Chief Ayanda Clarke Tapped As SYNCING INK’s Spiritual Advisor + Cultural Director (Apollo's Victoria Theater: May 2024)
Chief Ayanda Ifadara Clarke, Ajibilu Awo of Osogboland, has been tapped to serve as both Spiritual Advisor and Cultural Director of the upcoming Off-Broadway debut of Syncing Ink. Written and conceived by Nsangou Njikam, the play is a hip-hop centered, coming-of-age tale rooted in the art and value of ceremony and traditional African spirituality. The groundbreaking work examines the evolution of a wannabe emcee, Gordon Morris. Gordon’s epic journey to accept the power of his words is as relatable as it is humorous. Common, the GRAMMY Award-winning artist, describes the play as “a beautiful piece blending hip-hop and theater creating a revolutionary experience…” About his unique roles, Chief Ayanda shares: “Syncing Ink is true to form in its authentic storytelling, its theater roots, and its hip hop expressions. In the same way that it masterfully upholds these customs, I seek to ensure that Yoruba and Orisa culture —from Yorubaland and its Diaspora, are baked into the essence of the play’s language, music, fashion, and iconography.”
Previews for this limited engagement begin Tuesday, May 7, 2024 (at The Apollo’s Victoria Theater in Harlem). More details to be announced.
OFFICIAL WEBSITES: www.SyncingInk.com + www.THEFADARAGROUP.com
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