richardmurray

Good day readers, the Visasiki excerpt is available for free on Kobo. If you enjoy you can follow up with the Visasiki which is an audio book from stories in the Sunset Children Stories or Looking West and West. The poems to the month is coming, be ready and I will make a collage to a story idea, that you may like. Happy reading. Visasiki Excerpt Visasiki Sunset Children Stories Looking West and West

@Troy a company as large as Rakuten did not need to change the url's from kobo, I hope they map the old url's when or if they choose to change their addressing scheme in the future thanks brother... haha, well not that many. I know some writers who are very profligate. As a storyteller i overthink plot, so I dont allow for stories to continue on and on, characters move on, they die or they have nothing left to display, in my worlds. For example, I would never write the purge as it is. I would have written, the black character in the first one die outside the house while the white family discusss the purge and the white kid get killed inside, 1/2 hour story maximum. I think too many writers push plots to be longer that put characters out of logic or common sense.

thank you @Troy they are fixed now:)

TV ONE SCREENPLAY COMPETITION 2017 The TV ONE SCREENPLAY COMPETITION 2017 promotes the production of creative, contemporary, engaging and relatable screenplays that can be turned into original movies for television. Genres include, but are not limited to comedies, romantic comedies, dramas, and family adventures (submissions should be non-period stories). One (1) Grand Prize Winner will be selected from three (3) Finalists and announced at the closing night event of ABFF. ALL INFORMATION IS IN THE FOLLOWING LINK https://tvone.tv/43771/enter-the-tv-one-screenplay-competition-2017-here/

The TV ONE SCREENPLAY COMPETITION 2017 is meant to encourage and promote the production of creative, contemporary, engaging and relatable screenplays that can be turned into original movies for television. The competition is meant to: Encourage filmmakers to offer a fresh perspective and submit contemporary stories with a focus on the American black cultural experience with wide audience appeal. Encourage filmmakers to creatively center around entertaining, heart-felt and relatable topics that resonate and appeal to African American audiences. Expand upon the genres/formats that tell these entertaining stories. Genres include, but are not limited to comedies, romantic comedies, dramas, and family adventures (submissions should be non-period stories). One (1) Grand Prize Winner will be selected from three (3) Finalists and announced at the closing night event of ABFF. Click here for Overview, Eligibility & Instructions Click here for the Official Rules ( http://www.abff.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/TV-ONE-SCREENPLAY-COMPETITION-2017-Official-Rules.pdf ) SUBMIT NOW ( https://tvone.tv/43771/enter-the-tv-one-screenplay-competition-2017-here/ ) Contest Opens: December 16, 2016 Contest Deadline: February 16, 2017 *Contact them* _Email_ ( info@abffventures.com ) _Twitter_ ( https://twitter.com/ABFF ) _Instagram_ ( https://www.instagram.com/americanblackfilmfestival/ ) _Facebook_ ( https://www.facebook.com/americanblackfilmfestival/ ) _Official URL_ http://www.abff.com/tv-one-screenplay-competition/

As the image state in the post above. SWahili fashion week 2016 will be from December 2nd to DEcember 4th The WebSite Emerging Designers Competition Winners (2008 - 2015) 2015 - Kulwa Maneno Mkwandule 2014 - Mendrad Peter Mlowe 2013 - Bhoke Chacha 2012 - Philista Oniang'o (KE) 2011 - Sara Masenga 2010 - Subira Wahure 2009 - 2jenge Africa Matalay 2008 - Edwin Musiba TO ADVERTISE IN THE MAGAZINE: CONTACT: HAMIS K.OMARY Mobile: +255 787 747 918 Email: hamis@361tanzania.com SFW MAGAZINE COPIES WILL BE AVAILABLE: 2000 Copies, Distribution: All over East Africa, Corporate Offices, Government Offices, Hotels, Cinemas, Restaurant, Cultural Organisations, and Supermarkets.

The Nyotenda is a story I wrote ,as a script, free to fans or others who may be interested; it was based on a dare perhaps you can figure out what the dare was after reading my prose; it involve a woman who played a video game as a child to adulthood; after she succeed in the videogame in a way, she gain the attention to people from outer space who want to use her skills; she is successfully trained, and achieve a great feat becoming The Nyotenda. I cognize the universal comprehension from graphic imagery to a global audience that has no common tongue. Sequentially, I added the complete Nyotenda Comic alongside the story in the ebook. Enjoy. https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/the-nyotenda Check out my ebooks- the free one is noted, please read/enjoy/give me your response:Sunset Children Stories: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/sunset-children-stories Looking West and West: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/looking-west-and-west Janidogo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-janidogo The Gospel of Joseph: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/gospel-of-joseph The Nyotenda FREE : https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-nyotenda Includes a comic. The following link is an excerpt LINK

ONYXCON August 19th - 20th Art Exhibition & Film Festival 6-9 pm COnvention 1-7 pm Southwest Arts Center 915 New Hope Road, SW Atlanta, GA 30331 404-613-3220 Illustration is titled Magic from La'Vata E O'Neal http://www.leonealart.com/ And ONYXCON is ready! We have the Magic to stay Cool for INFINITY! Check out the amazing Art of La'Vata E O'Neal on our official ONYXCON: Infinity Flier! THIS image entitled MAGIC is just a taste of the levels of talent you can continue to expect at ONYXCON! Check out @LeoNealArt on Instagram! See our Schedule and Guest list on ONYXCON.com In other news! ONYXCON President sat down with the Principal Stunt Performer for BLACK PANTHER in Captain America: Civil War - Mr. GUI DaSILVA ! This amazing young talent is on the rise and no doubt has the achieved one of the most coveted stunt roles in the film business being Chadwick Boseman's stunt double for the ' Black Panther' in Captain America: CIVIL WAR . The interview will be produced by director LAMONT GANT of CREATIVE GENIUS FILMS and is scheduled for a release at the ONYXCON FILM FESTIVAL this AUGUST 19-20th! You do not want to miss this if you are a BLACK PANTHER/ Marvel film and comics fan! FILM FESTIVAL - Selections in the film fest are very limited, so request applications and send links to your trailers or other samples in emails, ASAP! ONYXCON@gmail.com If you are interested in this year's ART EXHIBIT the theme is CALL FOR ARTIST- ART EXHIBITION THE RESURRECTION - celebrating the lives of transitioned Artist like Prince, Phife Dawg, Maurice White, Natalie Cole, Dwayne McDuffie, Octavia E Butler, LA Banks, and many more. Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Action, heroic themes are the expected depictions. * Artist in music, film, comics, and other related arts that have become ancestors are all eligible subjects for works. There will be a limit on how many honor to PRINCE works are accepted. We want the show to have range. So if you have an incredible work that fits the theme we want to see it at ONYXCON : INFINITY ! POTENTIAL ONYXCON VENDORS - Do not wait until the deadline in July! APPLY NOW and get the best price on your space while they last! You must submit examples of your work when applying. See ONYXCON.com under VENDING for all instructions and then send a request to ONYXCON@GMAIL.COM thank you! Final words- Shoutout to CREATIVE LOAFING for featuring us in their annual SUMMER GUIDE to ATLANTA! We are honored to be featured. The ever popular SANKOFA LADY/LADY SANKOFA has her first ever comic thanks to ONYXCON contributor James 'MASE' Mason and the books are available at http://www.indyplanet.us/brands/urbanshoguncomics/ and digitally at PEEP GAME COMIX http://peepgamecomix.com/product-category/urban-shogun/ ONYXCON TEE SHIRTS are still available- check out our partner www.LazyNerdsDesigns.com and ask them about our ONYXCON gear!!! FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM @ONYXCON / ONYXCON on facebook, @ONYXCONtruth on twitter and our great and talented leader - Artist (Drawer/Painter/ACTOR) Mr. Joseph R Wheeler III - Artist on Facebook and @JRW3Artist on Instagram!

East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention From Tuesday, May 17, 2016 there are 4 days left until ECBACC. http://ecbacc.com/wordpress3/ecbacc-2016/flyers/ KIDS’ LIBRARY ZONE {11AM – 3PM} Bring your young creators to this fun-zone, brimming with activity! Young participants will be challenged to think creatively as they are guided through fun projects and games that allow them to draw, color, write and imagine! THE BIG DRAW {11:15AM – 12Noon} This one-of-a-kind workshop shows young artists how make big, fun and impactful artwork that can be used for book covers or even splash pages in your very own comic book! Facilitated By: N. Steven Harris DIGITAL ARTISTRY 1 {12Noon – 1PM} ECBACC will hold an amazing and timely workshop that teaches participants how to create art using the latest technology and computer techniques. Facilitated By: Mshindo Kuumba I. WRITING CHALLENGES & HOW TO BREAK THEM {12Noon – 1:15PM} Professional creators invite you to join in or listen to a discussion that examines the most common writing challenges and how to conquer them in creating your very own work! Facilitated By: Alex Simmons CARTOONING 101 {12:15PM – 1:15PM} Interested in breathing life into your story characters? Come and join our youth workshop that will instruct you on how to create exciting, energetic and related character designs for comic books, strips, and animation. Facilitated By: Jerry Craft AFRICOZ 5 CONTEST {1:15PM – 1:45PM} Every winner represents the heroes we want to see. So who will it be at AfriCoz5!? Help the judges review the best in AfriCozplay today! Cheer for your favorites and support those who gave their all to make AfriCoz5 amazing! Remember “Many May Coz but only a few will AfriCoz!!” THE GRIOT ZONE! {1:45PM– 2:30PM} Educator and storyteller extraordinaire, Mrs. Carla Wiley delivers fun activities where participants, sing, dance, and tell stories! CREATIVELY ILLUSTRATED {1:45PM -2:45PM} Often illustrations are judged not only on the skill of the artist but also the creativity and imaginative concepts the artist brings to life. Professional illustrator Eric Battle will show participants how to make those important illustrations creative and imaginative! Facilitated By: Eric Battle CREATING INSPIRATION {2:45PM – 3:45PM} We all know that creating images and stories is no simple task. Participants in this panel will discuss their solutions for low creative days and what gives them the inspiration to create their masterpieces! Facilitated By: Jerry Craft AFRICOZ CONTEST RESULTS {3:45PM – 4:15PM} The votes are in! Having tabulated the judges’ votes, ECBACC will be announcing the winners of the 5th Annual AfriCoz contest! Come celebrate all 2016 participants! DIGITAL ARTISTRY 2 {4:30PM – 5:30PM} ECBACC will hold an amazing and timely workshop that teaches participants how to create art using the latest technology and computer techniques. Talented artist Sheeba Maya shares her experiences, new work and projects with fans. Facilitated By: Sheeba Maya IMAGINATIVE FORCE {5PM – 6PM} Join the talk as many of our headlining guests discuss how the creativity of our professionals are changing the landscape of comics, films, and storytelling! Facilitated By: Prof. William Foster III http://ecbacc.com/wordpress3/2016/ecbacc-2016-programming-schedule/

If you or any writer you know is in Sao Pauloo brasil on the 29th of April This week's club of written for women in our living room! Admission is free, just pick your class and attend with your writing material: 29/04 a.m. to 19 p.m. For Women of all ages. Paulista Avenue, 2073, National Assembly - room 319. Introduce yourself with rg at the reception desk of the horsa I that stays between the stores viacores and geek. The Club of the written for women is a project thought especially for women who write or want to write any literary genre, but they feel insecurity in the process of writing; is because they consider that their production is not good enough, or because they need more return Other people. The proposal of the club is to keep regular meetings between all concerned for the practice of writing exercises, conversations and discussions on topics related to literature and the publishing market, promoting mutual aid between writers. Together, we practiced our writing and we exchanged perspectives, tips, constructive criticism and important ideas, in a climate of understanding and acceptance. The Club of the written for women is mediated by Jared Arraes, writer, cordelista and creator of writing therapy https://twitter.com/jaridarraes/status/724633074806329344 club site www.terapiaescrita.com

https://www.threadless.com/heavy-metal/ Design a Heavy Metal magazine cover. Here's your chance to add your name to the impressive list of artists who've graced the cover of Heavy Metal magazine. Since 1977, Heavy Metal magazine has been home to the weirdest, wildest, wonderfulest, WTFest illustrations you’ve ever seen. And Threadless is home to some of the most weirdly wonderful artists in the world. Travel to the darkest, most fantastical corners of your imagination. Create a design that will fit perfectly into the legendary history of Heavy Metal while making us exclaim, “How did they think of that?” Test your creative limits, but stay within the confines of the magazine’s cover using this submission kit ( http://media.threadless.com.s3.amazonaws.com/Threadless_HeavyMetal_SubmissionKit.zip ). The final cover will include the official Heavy Metal logo, so feel free to incorporate it into your design submission. Just think. Moebius, Frank Miller, H.R. Giger, Bernie Wrightson, Richard Corben, Julie Bell, Aaron Horkey, Mike Mitchell, Jack Kirby, Ron English, and YOU. It can happen. Share: ( https://www.threadless.com/heavy-metal/ ) You could win Legal stuff( https://www.threadless.com/heavy-metal/legal/ ) GRAND PRIZE: One design will be selected to be featured on the cover of Heavy Metal. The artist will receive $2,000 cash, a $250 Threadless gift certificate, a 10-year subscription to Heavy Metal, and a full set of Lord of Light collection prints. RUNNERS UP: Two designs will receive $750 cash, a $250 Threadless gift certificate, and a three-year subscription to Heavy Metal. Submit a design ( https://www.threadless.com/make/heavy-metal/add/ ) Submission kit ( https://www.threadless.com/heavy-metal/submission-kit/ ) Submit from: April 13 – May 4, 2016 at 23:59:59 US/Central

Call for Submissions Killens Review of Arts & Letters Fall/ Winter 2016 Embracing Difference Please send your submissions no later than June 17, 2016, to “Fall 2016 Killens Review” (in the subject line) to writers@mec.cuny.edu. The theme of the Thirteenth National Black Writers Conference, “Writing Race, Embracing Difference,” is indeed an engaging and inviting one. Writers of the African diaspora have worked in earnest for decades to compose text that represents African-American experiences in its complex and various conditions. As stated with regard to the National Black Writers Conference: “If one is to write what one knows, then that writing will represent their perspectives and points of views of racial, cultural, and geographical space in the world.” More recently within genres such as sci-fi, mystery, historical fiction, and biography, writers of the African diaspora have connected the experiences of Black America with a broader appeal. Pulitzer Prize-winning writer James Alan McPherson, author of Elbow Room and Hue and Cry, once commented in an interview: “I’m going to be called a Black writer until I die. But the point is that when I write at my best I try to look for the human situation….” The programming for the 2016 Conference came about as the result of wanting to examine how and whether Black writers “write texts” knowing they are creating works out of spaces that are constructed by race i.e. is race at the core of the works of Black writers, no matter how candid or subtle. For the Spring 2016 issue of the Killens Review of Arts & Letters, we want to continue that exploration of “writing race, embracing difference” in the works of Black writers. Under the theme “Embracing Difference,” we seek submissions of fiction, essays, poetry, memoir, and artwork in which writers and artists create works that embrace race and differences with regard to the aesthetics, belief systems, politics, sexual identity, and cultural heritage that are reflected in the narratives and texts they compose. The Killens Review of Arts & Letters is a peer-reviewed journal that welcomes Black poets, novelists, short story writers, playwrights, journalists, essayists, scholars, yet-to-be discovered writers, and artists whose literature and artwork speak to the general public and to an intergenerational range of readers represented throughout the African Diaspora. http://centerforblackliterature.org/2016-killens-review/ The Killens Review of Arts & Letters Is Currently Accepting Submissions for the Fall/ Winter 2016 Issue THEME: "Embracing Difference" The theme of the Thirteenth National Black Writers Conference (NBWC) is "Writing Race, Embracing Difference." Writers of the African diaspora have worked in earnest for decades to compose text that represents African-American experiences in its complex and various conditions. As stated with regard to the National Black Writers Conference: "If one is to write what one knows, then that writing will represent their perspectives and points of views of racial, cultural, and geographical space in the world. Pulitzer Prize-winning writer James Alan McPherson, author of Elbow Room and Hue and Cry, once commented in an interview: "I'm going to be called a Black writer until I die. But the point is that when I write at my best I try to look for the human situation...." For the Fall/ Winter 2016 issue of the Killens Review of Arts & Letters, we want to continue that exploration of "writing race, embracing difference" in the works of Black writers. Under the theme "Embracing Difference," we seek submissions of fiction, essays, poetry, memoir, and artwork in which writers and artists create works that embrace race and differences with regard to the aesthetics, belief systems, politics, sexual identity, and cultural heritage that are reflected in the narratives and texts they compose. #JOKReview2016 The Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College, CUNY Phone: 718-804-8883 E-mail: writers@mec.cuny.edu Like us: Like us on Facebook Center for Black Literature Follow us: Follow us on Twitter @Center4BlackLit www.CENTERFORBLACKLITERATURE.org Submission of Materials: The Killens Review of Arts & Letters is published once or twice a year by the Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College, CUNY. The Killens Review seeks book reviews, essays, short stories, creative nonfiction, art, poetry, and interviews related to the various cultural, sociopolitical, and historical experiences of writers and artists from the African diaspora. The aim is to provide well-known and lesser-known authors as well as educators and students opportunities to create and expand the canon of literature produced by people of color. Please submit to only one category at a time: essay, fiction, interview, poetry, prose, and art. We aim to respond to your submission within two months. Electronic and Postal Submissions Kindly e-mail material to writers@mec.cuny.edu and CReynolds@mec.cuny.edu with "Killens Review" in the subject heading. Please include a brief introduction of yourself and of the work being submitted. On the first page of your submission be sure to include: 1. Your name 2. Telephone number 3. E-mail address Please make sure the pages are numbered. Please visit our website detailed submission guidelines at: centerforblackliterature.org/2016-killens-review/

DEEP SOUL IN THE TEMPLE Monday, April 25th at 7:30 p.m. DEEP SOUL IN THE TEMPLE will feature 4 plays by Nina Angela Mercer in excerpt directed by Ebony Noelle Golden and Candis Jones. The four plays featured in this showcase are Mother Wit & Water-Born, Itagua Meji: A Road & A Prayer, Gutta Beautiful, and Gypsy & The Bully Door. This is more than a stage reading. It's an environmental workshop performance with some music, dance and song. We will also facilitate a community conversation following the performance. RSVP at Facebook Event Link here: https://www.facebook.com/events/241740509511203/ https://www.facebook.com/NationalBlackTheatre/events?__xt__=33.{%22logging_data%22%3A{%22profile_id%22%3A38771499619%2C%22event_type%22%3A%22clicked_view_events%22%2C%22impression_info%22%3A%22eyJmIjp7Iml0ZW1fY291bnQiOiIwIn19%22%2C%22surface%22%3A%22www_events_permalink%22%2C%22interacted_story_type%22%3A%221628857644061911%22%2C%22session_id%22%3A%22MCAwLjY5NzM1MjAwIDE0NTQ0MjYzOTYgMjc4MjAyNzA3%22}} When Monday April 25, 2016 from 7:30 PM to 10:00 PM EDT Add to Calendar Where National Black Theatre Inc. 2031 5th Avenue New York, NY 10035 Nina Angela Mercer https://www.facebook.com/nina.a.mercer The Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College, CUNY Phone: 718-804-8883 E-mail: writers@mec.cuny.edu Like us: Like us on Facebook Center for Black Literature Follow us: Follow us on Twitter @Center4BlackLit

My second story collection, Looking West and West, is a collection of 18 stories followed by 18 poems; in the work, 18 story is to the most lifefull in their heart fore 18 poem to those mature in body or will; it is the second in my story collection series, the first being Sunset Children Stories. In Sunset Children Stories two part exist: fables and tales. A preview is available for the ebook on the official kobo page. Check it out and at some time, leave your review on the official kobo page. Any question or thought, you can respond in this blog. If you want to hear an excerpt from Sunset Children Stories, use the following audio stream Below is an excerpt from another book, The Janidogo If you want to check out my writing style, or just enjoy a free book, please utilize the followingSunset Children Stories: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/sunset-children-stories Looking West and West: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/looking-west-and-west Janidogo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-janidogo The Gospel of Joseph: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/gospel-of-joseph The Nyotenda FREE : https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-nyotenda Includes a comic. The following link is an excerpt LINK

Submissions Open! 2nd Annual TV Hosting Workshop Sharpen your hosting skills and techniques! Workshop will also focus on the Social Digital Interaction of Media/TV! For details on how to apply, go to: http://www.abff.com/nbcu-tv-hosting-workshop/ video preview of workshop https://youtu.be/TfZMx6hHEdA HOW TO APPLY Select TWO host scripts to perform and videotape: click to download < http://www.abff.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Host-Script-Options-and-Instructions-ABFF-NBCU-TV-Hosting-Workshop-2016.pdf > Click on and complete the TV Hosting Workshop Application Form < https://abffnbcuhostworkshop.wufoo.com/forms/2nd-annual-nbcuniversalabff-tv-hosting-workshop/ > to upload your host reel and self-taped video entry according to the provided instructions. Applicants MUST also submit a reel of their previous host work (previous host experience may include, but not limited to: digital, TV and live events). WORKSHOP DATES: DAY 1 - Friday, April 8th (9:00 am - 4:00 pm) DAY 2 - Saturday, April 9th (9:00 am - 4:00 pm) DAY 3 - Sunday, April 10th (9:00 am - 1:00 pm) APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS Applicants must be a minimum of 21 years of age, and permanent, legal United States residents. Applicants must be available to participate in the workshop for all three scheduled days in New York City. Applicants must be able to provide their own housing and transportation to New York for the duration of the workshop. (NOTE: You do not need to be based in New York City to be considered) SUBMISSION DATES Submissions Open: December 1, 2015 Submissions Deadline: February 26, 2016 Notify Participants By: March 4, 2016 * Please note: This workshop is not for beginners, but for participants with some host experience already under their belt. We are looking for candidates drawing upon diverse backgrounds.

http://artscenterlive.org/artscenter-stage/10-by-10/ Call for Submissions – 10 By 10 in the Triangle Plays Accepted between January 4 – January 31 2016 Ten 10-Minute plays showcased on The ArtsCenter’s Main-Stage Theater In performances July 8-24 2016 Submission Request: 10 By 10, ArtsCenter Stage is interested in presenting thought-provoking plays. Submitted plays may be humorous or serious or any where in between. The Submissions: Email new, original 10-minute plays with minimal set requirements to 10by10submissions{at}artscenterlive{dot}org. Plays that have had no prior productions or limited prior productions are preferred Musical submissions with little or no accompaniment are accepted Plays that have been published are not accepted Monologues are not accepted Playwrights may submit up to 2 plays in standard format in Word or PDF Send a separate email for each play submitted. Do not zip the files Read more Submission Guidelines under Email Submissions below These guidelines must be adhered to for qualification Be advised: We cast an acting troupe of 10 actors – 5 Women and 5 men Not all ten actors are in every play; they are cast in multiple plays Plays can have a cast of 2, 3, 4 or 5-6 at most Age range of actors is from early 20s – 50s+ (2 20 somethings, 2 50s+ somethings, and everyone else in between) Very dark or profanity heavy plays tend not to be produced for our audience Email Submissions 1) The subject line MUST be 10 By 10 Submission followed by the title of your play (Example subject line: 10 By 10 Submission Fighting Mr. Right) 2) The body of the email MUST contain the following contact information: Title of the play Playwright’s contact information including Full name Full mailing address Phone number(s) Email address 3) Attach the play to the email in word or pdf. The title of play on the attached document must match the title of the play in the subject line Example subject line: 10 By 10 Submission Fighting Mr. Right Example attached play: Fighting Mr. Right 4) IMPORTANT: Contact information These are blind submissions No contact information can be on the scripts submitted Do not attach contact information Contact information must ONLY be included in the body of the email Contact information on the script will lead to the automatic disqualification of that play All plays go through several round of readings and these are blind readings so, again, no identifying contact information can be found on any script submitted. You will be sent an automated response thanking you for your submission. If you do not receive that automated response check the submissions email 10by10submissions{at}artscenterlive{dot}org or contact Jeri Lynn Schulke at jlschulke@artscenterlive.org. Do not send submissions to this email. Submission Dates: January 4, 2016-January 31, 2016 (deadline at 10:00PM EST) Plays will not be accepted before January 4, 2016. Submission Deadline: Submissions must be received by 10:00PM EST on January 31, 2016. Plays will not be accepted after this date and time. We will notify the semi-final playwrights by email and post those titles on our website We will notify the 10 final playwrights by email and post those titles on our website We cannot contact individual playwrights outside of the semi-finalist and the finalist lists We will announce the final 10 productions by May 30, 2016 The Award: Playwrights receive an award of $100 The final ten playwrights will be invited to attend our Playwright Gala on July 16, 2016 Playwrights wishing to attend the Gala will receive an additional $100 travel stipend The Space: Our main-stage theatre is a 325-seat house with basic lighting and sound capabilities. The Producer: ArtsCenter Stage provides 10 directors, 10 actors, designers, and technical crew for the festival. The directors will contact the playwrights at the beginning of the rehearsal process. For more information about The ArtsCenter, please visit our website:www.artscenterlive.org. The Dates: Performances July 8-24, 2016 Playwright Gala Saturday, July 16, 2016 The Production: All final ten plays will be presented together as an evening of theatre. All ten shows run each night and are performed by an ensemble of five men and five women. Not all ten actors are in every play; actors are cast in multiple plays. Cast sizes range from 2, 3, 4 to 5-6 characters. There are a total of eleven performances. Playwrights Gala: Participating playwrights are invited to attend the Playwrights Gala on July 16, 2016 which includes an overnight stay at a local hotel and a $100 travel stipend. If you have questions, please contact jlschulke{at}artscenterlive{dot}org Do not send submissions to this email address.

http://centerforblackliterature.org/call-for-submissions-springsummer-2016-killens-review-of-arts-letters-deadline-feb-1-2016/ Call for Submissions: Spring/Summer 2016 Killens Review of Arts & Letters. Deadline: Feb. 1, 2016 Call for Submissions Killens Review of Arts & Letters Spring 2016 Embracing Difference Please send your submissions no later than February 1, 2016, to “Spring 2016 Killens Review” (in the subject line) to writers@mec.cuny.edu. The theme of the Thirteenth National Black Writers Conference, “Writing Race, Embracing Difference,” is indeed an engaging and inviting one. Writers of the African diaspora have worked in earnest for decades to compose text that represents African-American experiences in its complex and various conditions. As stated with regard to the National Black Writers Conference: “If one is to write what one knows, then that writing will represent their perspectives and points of views of racial, cultural, and geographical space in the world.” More recently within genres such as sci-fi, mystery, historical fiction, and biography, writers of the African diaspora have connected the experiences of Black America with a broader appeal. Pulitzer Prize-winning writer James Alan McPherson, author of Elbow Room and Hue and Cry, once commented in an interview: “I’m going to be called a Black writer until I die. But the point is that when I write at my best I try to look for the human situation….” The programming for the 2016 Conference came about as the result of wanting to examine how and whether Black writers “write texts” knowing they are creating works out of spaces that are constructed by race i.e. is race at the core of the works of Black writers, no matter how candid or subtle. For the Spring 2016 issue of the Killens Review of Arts & Letters, we want to continue that exploration of “writing race, embracing difference” in the works of Black writers. Under the theme “Embracing Difference,” we seek submissions of fiction, essays, poetry, memoir, and artwork in which writers and artists create works that embrace race and differences with regard to the aesthetics, belief systems, politics, sexual identity, and cultural heritage that are reflected in the narratives and texts they compose. The Killens Review of Arts & Letters is a peer-reviewed journal that welcomes Black poets, novelists, short story writers, playwrights, journalists, essayists, scholars, yet-to-be discovered writers, and artists whose literature and artwork speak to the general public and to an intergenerational range of readers represented throughout the African Diaspora. Submission of Material The Killens Review of Arts & Letters is published once or twice a year by the Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College, CUNY. The Killens Review seeks book reviews, essays, short stories, creative nonfiction, art, poetry, and interviews related to the various cultural, sociopolitical, and historical experiences of writers and artists from the African diaspora. The aim is to provide well-known and lesser-known authors as well as educators and students opportunities to create and expand the canon of literature produced by people of color. While the Killens Review of Arts & Letters welcomes unsolicited material, we prefer to publish original material, i.e. first-ever publication. Unless otherwise selected by the editors, we cannot run a piece that has previously appeared elsewhere in print or on the Web. Please submit to only one category at a time: essay, fiction, interview, poetry, prose, and art. We aim to respond to your submission within two months. Essay, Fiction, and Prose Please send one piece at a time. We have no set maximum length or minimum length for prose submissions. (The average word count is about 1,500–2,000 words.) Most submissions, however, are between 2,000 – 4,000 words. Please set up your submission in letter-sized format, with ample margins, double-spaced, using a standard typeface (e.g., Times New Roman, Helvetica, Arial) and font size (12 point is best). Include your name, title of the work, and page numbers on your submission. Also include a one- to two-sentence bio about the author. If the submission is an academic essay with references, please include your bibliography at the end. Please do not submit book manuscripts. Poetry: Please send up to three poems. Art and Photography: We welcome all types of image submissions. Please include a short note about the context of the images and title and/or caption information. Please include no more than six hi-res jpegs (at 300 dpi). Electronic and Postal Submissions Kindly e-mail material to writers@mec.cuny.edu with “Fall 2015 Killens Review” in the subject heading. Please include a brief introduction of yourself and of the work being submitted. On the first page of your submission be sure to include: 1. Your name 2. Telephone number 3. E-mail address Please make sure the pages are numbered. Or mail material to: Center for Black Literature Medgar Evers College, CUNY 1650 Bedford Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11225 RE: Killens Review Material will only be returned if the sender includes a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE). ----------------------------------- Submission of Materials: The Killens Review of Arts & Letters is published once or twice a year by the Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College, CUNY. The Killens Review seeks book reviews, essays, short stories, creative nonfiction, art, poetry, and interviews related to the various cultural, sociopolitical, and historical experiences of writers and artists from the African diaspora. The aim is to provide well-known and lesser-known authors as well as educators and students opportunities to create and expand the canon of literature produced by people of color. Please submit to only one category at a time: essay, fiction, interview, poetry, prose, and art. We aim to respond to your submission within two months. Electronic and Postal Submissions Kindly e-mail material to writers@mec.cuny.edu and CReynolds@mec.cuny.edu with "Killens Review" in the subject heading. Please include a brief introduction of yourself and of the work being submitted. On the first page of your submission be sure to include: 1. Your name 2. Telephone number 3. E-mail address Please make sure the pages are numbered. Please visit our website detailed submission guidelines at: www.centerforblackliterature.org/KillensReview

NBWC Poetry Café Auditions Calling all Emerging Poets & Spoken-Word Artists! http://centerforblackliterature.org/auditions-for-the-7th-nbwc-poetry-cafe/ This is your opportunity to shine! A live audition will be held for this event in February 2016. Online submissions will be accepted through January 31, 2016. This is a New Talent event. No artists with books printed by mainstream publishing houses. Groups and Individuals accepted. Criteria: Originality, Performance, and Content. When: Tuesday, February 9, 2016 (subject to change) Time: 6:30 pm – 9 pm Where: Edison O. Jackson Auditorium Medgar Evers College, CUNY 1638 Bedford Avenue (Academic Building 1) RSVP’s for the live audition must be made by: FEB. 5, 2016 Guidelines: At the live audition: • Auditions are open to unpublished writers (via mainstream). • Each performer will be asked to sign-in upon arrival to confirm your space. • Walk-in’s must sign up by 7 PM. • There is a 3 min. limit for each person/ group auditioning. Subway directions to Medgar Evers College, CUNY: No. 2, 3, 4, 5 trains to Franklin Avenue station. The audition winners will perform at the 7th NBWC Poetry Café on March 31, 2016. 13th National Black Writers Conference dates March 31 – April 3, 2016. Online auditions: copy and paste this link into your browser: https://filmfreeway.com/festival/NBWCPoetryCafeAuditions2016 Online submissions should be no longer than 3 minutes. Very Important: • All winners will be notified by February 26, 2016. • You will NOT BE NOTIFIED if you have not been selected. • If you live in the NYC area, we encourage the live audition. If you are certain you cannot attend the live audition, your electronic submission will be admissible. NBWC Poetry Café Date: Thursday, March 31, 2016 Time: 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM Co-Sponsored by Brooklyn Public Library Central Branch 10 Grand Army Plaza Brooklyn, NY 11238 718-230-2100 FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC Join our mailing list, “follow” us on Twitter, or “like” us on Facebook to receive up to the minute news! Produced by: Wendy Robinson & Fun Tillery (of “Sunday Funday”) www.centerforblackliterature.org http://www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/locations/central RSVP below: http://centerforblackliterature.org/auditions-for-the-7th-nbwc-poetry-cafe/ Call for Papers NBWC 2016- The Deadline is January 15, 2016! http://centerforblackliterature.org/call-for-papers-nbwc-2016/ CALL FOR PAPERS 13th National Black Writers Conference “Writing Race, Embracing Difference” March 31, 2016 – April 3, 2016 Conference Location: Medgar Evers College of the City University of New York Sponsored by the Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College In her classic essay Playing in the Dark: Whiteness and the Literary Imagination, Toni Morrison writes that although the habit of ignoring race may be desirable and generous, “A criticism that needs to insist that literature is not only ‘universal’ but also ‘race-free’ risks lobotomizing that literature and diminishes both the art and the artist.” This desire to ignore race is turned upside down in the critique of Rita Dove’s editing of The Penguin Anthology of 20th-Century American Poetry. Helen Vendler, a Harvard professor and literary critic, lambasted former U.S. Poet Laureate Rita Dove for her inclusion of “some 175” poets and for her choice of poems: “mostly short” and “of rather restricted vocabulary” in the anthology and states that “Multicultural inclusiveness prevails….” The 13th National Black Writers Conference (NBWC) “Writing Race, Embracing Difference” places the issues of race and difference at the forefront of the literature produced by Black writers and provides for writers, scholars, literary agents, editors, publishers, students, academics, and the general public to examine these themes through panel discussions and roundtables. We invite interested faculty, independent researchers, and students to submit proposals for papers focused on the conference theme and panels or in the literature and work of our conference honorees: Rita Dove, Edwidge Danticat, Michael Eric Dyson, Charles Johnson, and Woodie King Jr. The year 2016 marks the centennial of the birth of author and educator John Oliver Killens, founder of the National Black Writers Conference. Since 1986, the National Black Writers Conference has been held at Medgar Evers College to bring together writers, critics, booksellers, book reviewers, and the general public to establish a dialogue on the social responsibility of the Black writer and the emerging themes, trends, and issues in Black literature. As we celebrate his birth in 2016, we welcome proposals on the literature and works of John Oliver Killens. The Presentation of Papers will be held during the Conference on Thursday, March 31, 2016. Conference Theme: “Writing Race, Embracing Difference” in the Literature of Black Writers Conference Panels: Afrofuturism: Reimagining the Past, Present, and Future Decoded: Hip-Hop and Youth Culture The Politics of Race and Psychology in the Literature of Black Writers The Impact of War, Disaster, and Global Crises in the Literature of Black Writers Creating Dangerously: Courage and Resistance in the Literature of Black Writers A one- or two-page proposal with references should be submitted by January 15, 2016. Please include name and contact information on the title page. Please submit to: writers@mec.cuny.edu, cc: bgreene@mec.cuny.edu with “2016 NBWC Call for Papers” in the subject line. Volunteer Sign-up Form: 2016 National Black Writers Conference http://centerforblackliterature.org/volunteer2016nbwc/ CONTACTS: Volunteer Coordinator – Joylyn Philip 718-270-4893 / email: jphillips@mec.cuny.edu Conference Logistics Coordinator – Maēshay k. Lewis, Center for Black Literature- 718-804-8882/ e-mail: mlewis@mec.cuny.edu Volunteer GUIDELINES The Center for Black Literature invites volunteers to assist the NBWC at the Medgar Evers College Campus on the following dates: Day 1- Thursday, March 31 from 10:00 am – 9:00 pm (day times are tentative); Day 2- Friday, April 1, from 8:00 am to 10:30 pm; on Day 3- Saturday, April 2, from 9:00 am to 10:30 pm, and Day 4- Sunday, April 3, 2016 from 10:00 am to 6:30 pm. Breakfast and lunch will be provided by NBWC. REQUESTED: Volunteers are asked to commit a minimum of 8 hours over the 4 day conference in addition to orientation. (Most volunteer hours are scheduled in 4 hour blocks unless otherwise indicated.) Attire: Black and White – business or business casual acceptable. No denim or mini –skirts. Please wear comfortable footwear. You must attend at least one of the scheduled orientations before the conference and provide contact information for both day and evening hours. Dates are forthcoming and will announced no later than January 2016. Volunteers will begin setting up between 8:00 am – 9:00 am in order to be ready by 10:00 am for the National Black Writers Conference. Morning Registration Team and Facilitators are required to be on-site one hour before scheduled events. Volunteers must break down their table space (where assigned) and clear their area thirty minutes after closing on Thursday and Friday at 10:00 pm; Saturday, 9:00 pm and Sunday at 6:30 pm. Please begin dismantling and cleaning your area in time to comply with this directive. [Times are subject to adjustment.] Email this form Volunteer sign-up form_NBWC 2016 (http://centerforblackliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Volunteer-sign-up-form_NBWC-2016.pdf) to the Volunteer Coordinator or complete electronically on the page whose link is following: http://centerforblackliterature.org/volunteer2016nbwc/

13th National Black Writers Conference "Writing Race, Embracing Difference" March 31, 2016 - April 3, 2016 We invite interested faculty, independent researchers, and students to submit proposals for papers focused on the conference theme and panels or in the literature and work of our conference honorees: Rita Dove, Edwidge Danticat, Michael Eric Dyson, Charles Johnson, and Woodie King, Jr. The year 2016 marks the centennial of the birth of author and educator John Oliver Killens, founder of the National Black Writers Conference. As we celebrate his birth in 2016, we welcome proposals on the literature and works of John Oliver Killens. A one- or two-page proposal with references should be submitted by January 15, 2016. Please include name and contact information on the title page. Read full description now ( http://centerforblackliterature.org/call-for-papers-nbwc-2016/ ). Please submit to: writers@mec.cuny.edu cc: bgreene@mec.cuny.edu with "2016 NBWC Call for Papers" in the subject line. Register Now! Have additional questions about the conference? Find the answer on our FAQ's page. 13th National Black Writers Conference "Writing Race, Embracing Difference" March 31, 2016 - April 3, 2016 We invite interested faculty, independent researchers, and students to submit proposals for papers focused on the conference theme and panels or in the literature and work of our conference honorees: Rita Dove, Edwidge Danticat, Michael Eric Dyson, Charles Johnson, and Woodie King, Jr. The year 2016 marks the centennial of the birth of author and educator John Oliver Killens, founder of the National Black Writers Conference. As we celebrate his birth in 2016, we welcome proposals on the literature and works of John Oliver Killens. A one- or two-page proposal with references should be submitted by January 15, 2016. Please include name and contact information on the title page. Read full description now ( http://centerforblackliterature.org/call-for-papers-nbwc-2016/ ). Please submit to: writers@mec.cuny.edu cc: bgreene@mec.cuny.edu with "2016 NBWC Call for Papers" in the subject line. Register Now! Have additional questions about the conference? Find the answer on our FAQ's page.

No , you fit with your people salaa:) never forget that. And, I will hold your hand if need be:)

Title:Harlem - June to November 2015 I am a child to Earth living side my peer, in a concentration in a night, I see... not from the Sun, many moon, shining ... many voice yell in the sky no horn or four horseman ride remind, a faint glimpse to a god kicking a free moon by know why, not I Out from the quiet Harlem Where the trees recall yesterday South from the modern Where the lights shine away... from the old song in the street Is a raccoon family Waiting for sapiens to segregate Tis a wait insane Waiting for: fish fry, jass, or roof... parties Them can not survive: mixing, security, or real estate But a darkling notice the scene He provide a path in the shade Just to a few from Harlem past... to find the Black Bath Walking outside, I ponder, where is wisdom, when the Sun can not wake me to see it, and... what can be seen from apartment 2B? concrete sequoia, surround every pane, even the baby thrush, needing parental sustenance, can't be known, and... we all ask, where with all is hope?... can I know in 9C? can enlightenment be, where no butterfly roam, even if I live or write every poem?... may I live near 2B... only down the hall, where you live in 4U, and maybe you can see or know, if you own, a pane or more from hope... will it sing, to my craft, as I walk... apartmentless, in the public dark The Trees or the Churches, are all that will stand Where is the tree that remember the land Does a church know where, the skulls from the first, was planted The collages from modern mancraft is disorganized, most ignorant I heard from one collagent ... The Pigeon who climbed a whole hill do not forget a sky never needing, to walk to one again ... do not forget an earth while sleeping to fly truly fly... to a rose beyond any sky do not forget a time when two sunflower , grow at first glance for one grow a short... distance yet, the shades them can not see prove:sky, earth, or time in chiaroscurhyme and!...this dummy still stand! pondering a turncoat dove ponderance I am comforted in knowing their finiteness though, I know a clear sadness for the collages everborn pretelling I will never know where stand the skulls, or the land What if a green speak to you one day do you think, it will speak to Giants colored grey or multicolor dirt from an annual day I say they are not signs... from the urban green not like those southern trees who know the bloodiest luxiery A salvadoran Rose, through my mind, once spoke to me We look at each other through a lens that is the moon after in the afternoon, a bluejay hope to find hopping up the fire escape to the top floor, why?! a rainforest on the third, or higher than Everest on the roof or maybe a query from the terrace fleur How do you find a place beyond time, is it galaxy wide, or smaller than an eye? Does a green, the Moon, or an avian know where it hide In a deep autumn night I think, what deep thought from those once cargo or more than likely, threw off did they saw life as hope, or a wrought did they trusted in nature, used her time as I have born in summer, a plethora from light... this fall beginning I was unwised, lived on the obvious prismal abuse suddenly pondering, why I suddenly dream to you you are not in a thought yesterday think yesterday has nothing from you? now nearest to the future what will winter be, these questions do you feel the sunlight when i do do you feel the rain are you surround between the night stars do you block their speak ... or the mirror to chaotic reality... silent fantasy from Richard Murray 2015 Check out my ebooks- the free one is noted, please read/enjoy/give me your response:Sunset Children Stories: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/sunset-children-stories Looking West and West: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/looking-west-and-west Janidogo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-janidogo The Gospel of Joseph: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/gospel-of-joseph The Nyotenda FREE : https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-nyotenda Includes a comic. The following link is an excerpt LINK

If you know a poet share this to them, the poet can be from anywhere, even though, the goal is defining statian poetry BETTERING AMERICAN POETRY 2015 http://www.blazevox.org/index.php/blog/bettering-american-poetry-2015-|-call-for-nominations-357/ CALL FOR NOMINATIONS EDITORIAL STATEMENT Our goal is to model a collaborative editorial venture that breaks with the anemic capitalizing tradition and goes ahead of institutional efforts that rank poems as the “best”. The “best” hides the subjective goals and values of the few determining what work should receive visibility and reward. The “best” implies that some voices should be prioritized over others. We wish to challenge the idea that a few gatekeepers should oversee the publishing order each year by actively defining and maintaining a hierarchy of voices, an order that replicates the status quo that tokenizes and marginalizes difference. Our efforts will intentionally shift favor so that the literary landscape within this anthology reflects a ranging plurality of voices in American poetry and illuminates the possibilities of sharing space. To this end, we have decided to call our endeavor Bettering American Poetry. For us, this means that rather than seek out the kind of work that best exemplifies “American poetry” as such, our task is to spotlight the poems that are working to radicalize and reinvigorate our American imagination. We feel that to “better” American poetry is to jam dominant systems of taste to the best of our abilities, and to resignify the very phrase “American poetry” with the languages that it so desperately lacks. We intend to center voices of resistance, subjectivities that emerge from the radical margins, artists whose Americanness transcends nationalism and other borders, perspectives historically denied institutional backing--in short, poets and poetries that are urgent and necessary but do not get along nicely with Power. And in this process, we recognize that “bettering” is, always, an ongoing act: it is a struggle against the obliterating forces of American history, politics, imagination and poetics. We don’t pretend it is possible to have finished bettering American poetry, which is why we dedicate ourselves to the task anew, daily. This anthology represents just one, concerted effort to better American poetry, but it is one that we hope will resonate. As editors, we share a collective spirit but represent an array of tastes, visions and desires. Please check out our bios below for a glimpse into our poetry predilections. Several of us have also made statements included in “What Is Literary Activism?” ( http://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet/2015/08/what-is-literary-activism/ ) at Poetry Foundation. For an outline of poems we hope you’ll nominate, consider: We want work that is unafraid to look, to shake shit up, to speak. We are interested in poems that challenge patriarchal and white supremacist power structures. We love poems that burn misogynist, homophobic, ableist, transphobic, racist, xenophobic attitudes and behaviors at the core. Poems that critique the dominant culture and flummox the status quo, that speak with voices historically misrepresented, underrepresented, censored, and silenced make us sit up and listen hard. We want poetry that revolts, disobeys, mucks up the accepted order and betrays nepotistic allegiances. We long for poems that sting, love without fear and exist without fear. We want to swoon over your clashing engagements with the world. GUIDELINES ? Nominate poems published in 2015 in any format, small press ventures included. Send poems to BetterAmericanPoetry@gmail.com ? Include poet’s name, title of poem, date & title of publication the poem appeared in, and online link to the published poem or to the publication the poem appeared in. ? You may nominate your own work or someone else’s but please limit nominations to three poems. ? U.S. citizenship NOT required. ? Due to time & space constraints, please avoid nominating exceptionally long poems. ? Deadline to nominate is November 30, 2015. ? The anthology, BETTERING AMERICAN POETRY 2015, will be published in print by BlazeVOX Books in February 2016. EDITORS Kenzie Allen is a descendant of the Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin. She is a graduate of the Helen Zell Writers’ Program at the University of Michigan where she was the recipient of Hopwood Awards in poetry and non-fiction, and she has been awarded an Emerging Writer fellowship to Aspen Summer Words and the Littoral Press Poetry Prize. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in The Iowa Review, Drunken Boat, SOFTBLOW, Apogee, Boston Review, and elsewhere, and she is the managing editor of the Anthropoid collective. She lives in Norway, and on her tribe’s reservation in Green Bay. Eunsong Kim is a doctoral candidate at the University of California, San Diego. Her essays on literature, digital cultures, and art criticism have appeared or are forthcoming in: The New Inquiry, Model View Culture, AAWW’s The Margins, Art in America, and others. Some of her poetry has been published or will be in: Denver Quarterly, Seattle Review, Feral Feminisms, Minnesota Review, Iowa Review, and Action Yes. Her first book will be published by Noemi press in 2017. Amy King’s forthcoming book, The Missing Museum, is a winner of the 2015 Tarpaulin Sky Book Prize. King joins the ranks of Ann Patchett, Eleanor Roosevelt & Rachel Carson as the recipient of the 2015 Winner of the WNBA Award (Women’s National Book Association). She serves on the executive board of VIDA: Women in Literary Arts and is currently co-editing with Heidi Lynn Staples the anthology, Big Energy Poets of the Anthropocene: When Ecopoets Think Climate Change. She is an Associate Professor of Creative Writing at SUNY Nassau Community College. Jason Koo is the founder and executive director of Brooklyn Poets and creator of The Bridge. He is the author of America’s Favorite Poem (C&R Press, 2014) and Man on Extremely Small Island(C&R Press, 2009), winner of the De Novo Poetry Prize and the Asian American Writers’ Workshop Members’ Choice Award for the best Asian American book of 2009. He earned his BA in English from Yale, his MFA in creative writing from the University of Houston and his PhD in English and creative writing from the University of Missouri-Columbia. The winner of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, Vermont Studio Center and New York State Writers Institute, Koo is an assistant professor of English at Quinnipiac University and lives in Williamsburg. David Tomas Martinez's debut collection of poetry, Hustle, was released in 2014 by Sarabande Books, winning the New England Book Festival's prize in poetry, the Devil's Kitchen Reading Award, and honorable mention in the Antonio Cisneros Del Moral prize. Features or reviews have appeared in Poets & Writers, Publishers Weekly, NPR's All Things Considered, NBC Latino, Buzzfeed, and many others. He is the reviews and interviews editor for Gulf Coast: A Journal of Literature and Fine Arts. He has been a Breadloaf and CantoMundo Fellow, and is finishing his Ph.D. in the University of Houston's Creative Writing program. Martinez is currently Visiting Assistant Professor of creative writing at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX. Airea D. Matthews is a 2015 Kresge Literary Arts Fellow. She is the Assistant Director of the Helen Zell Writers’ Program at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where she earned her MFA. Her poems have appeared or are forthcoming inBest American Poetry 2015, The Missouri Review, The Baffler, Callaloo, Indiana Review, WSQ, Kinfolks and Muzzle. Matthews' prose appears in SLAB, Vinyl, Michigan Quarterly Review and VIDA: Her Kind. She is the co-executive editor of The Offing, a channel of the Los Angeles Review of Books. Héctor Ramírez is a writer and teacher living in Boulder, CO. He received his B.A. in Literary Arts from Brown University and is currently an MFA candidate at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He reads fiction submissions for Timber journal and is an editor and staff writer at Vannevar(www.vannevar.net). His work has been published in The Café Irreal, Buffalo Almanack, American Book Review, The Poetry Foundation’s “Harriet” blog, and elsewhere. Metta Sáma is author of le animal & other creatures (Miel Books), After "Sleeping to Dream"/After After (Nous-Zot), Nocturne Trio (YesYes Books) & South of Here, published under her legal name, Lydia Melvin, by New Issues Press. Her poems, fiction, and creative nonfiction essays have been published in Heir Apparent, Valley Voices, Puerto del Sol’s Black Voices Series, Literary Hub, Kweli, bluestem, Apogee, All About Skin (edited by Jina Ortiz & Rochelle Spencer), Please Excuse This Poem: 100 Poets for the Next Generation (edited by Lynn Melnick & Brett Fletcher Lauer), among others. She has served as special guest editor for Reverie, Black Camera, RedLeaf Poetry Journal and North American Review. She serves on the advisory board of Black Radish Book and the Board of Directors at Cave Canem and VIDA and is a Fellow at Black Earth Institute. Sáma is the director of Center for Women Writers and an Assistant Professor and Director of Creative Writing at Salem College. Vanessa Angelica Villarreal's work has appeared or is forthcoming in The Poetry Foundation Harriet blog, The Feminist Wire, Caketrain, DIAGRAM, The Western Humanities Review, NANO Fiction, The Colorado Review Online, and elsewhere. She is a CantoMundo Fellow and her book, BEAST MERIDIAN, was a finalist at Nightboat, Futurepoem, Saturnalia, and Willow Books, and is forthcoming from Noemi Press in 2017. Her hometown is Houston, Texas. Nikki Wallschlaeger’s work recently has been featured in Storyscape Journal, Dusie, Fanzine, The Enemy, The Brooklyn Rail & others. She is the author of the chapbook I Would Be the Happiest Bird (Horseless Press) and her first full-length book of poems, Houses, also from Horseless Press in 2015. Her graphic chapbook I Hate Telling You How I Really Feel is forthcoming from Bloof books. You can reach her at http://nikkiwallschlaeger.com/

SOMETHING THIS WAY COMES ART CONTEST- from Black Art Society http://thenaughtypirate.deviantart.com/journal/Something-Wicked-This-Way-Comes-Oct-Contest-562677206 Dates: Contest Begins Bat : Bullets by AngelicHellraiser October 3rd, 2015 at 12PM Contest Ends Bat : Bullets by AngelicHellraiser October 31st, 2015 at 12PM Judging Bat : Bullets by AngelicHellraiser October 31st, 2015 at 1PM through November 4th, 2015 at 12PM All times are (CDST/5-GMT) Theme: Your submission will portray your own interpretation of the theme. Please read the infamous poem below and the definition of Wicked below as inspiration for your work. Full Definition of WICKED 1: morally very bad: evil 2: a: fierce, vicious <a wicked dog> b: disposed to or marked by mischief: roguish <does wicked impersonations> 3: a: disgustingly unpleasant: vile <a wicked odor> b: causing or likely to cause harm, distress, or trouble <a wicked storm> 4: going beyond reasonable or predictable limits: of exceptional quality or degree <throws a wicked fastball> Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury Crystal water turns to dark Where ere it's presence leaves it's mark And boiling currents pound like drums When something wicked this way comes... A presence dark invades the fair And gives the horses ample scare Chaos rains and panic fills the air When something wicked this way comes... Ill winds mark it's fearsome flight, And autumn branches creak with fright. The landscape turns to ashen crumbs, When something wicked this way comes... Flowers bloom as black as night Removing color from your sight Nightmarish vines block your way Thorns reach out to catch their prey And by the pricking of your thumbs Realize that their poison numbs From frightful blooms, rank odors seep Bats & beasties fly & creep 'Cross this evil land, ill winds blow Despite the darkness, mushrooms glow All will rot & decompose For something wicked this way grows... Contest Rules: Any BAS member may participate, with the exception of judges Acceptable entry formats: photomanipulation, digital art, mixed media, traditional, photography, artisan, original pixel art created without templates/bases Submit your entry (1) to our Contest Submissions Folder ( http://blackartsociety.deviantart.com/gallery/55806166/Contest-Submissions ) Submission should be your own best work that is representative of the chosen theme, ethnic diversity, and black art Submission must be new as of the beginning of the contest date and created for this contest Your artist description must include: proper stock credit where stock is used, a link to contest journal entry, and a link to BlackArtSociety ( http://blackartsociety.deviantart.com/ ) Any submission not following the contest, group and DeviantArt rules will be disqualified (helpful links below) Judging and Prizes: detail in contest page linked below Judges Choice Prizes: detail in contest page linked below Members Choice Prizes: detail in contest page linked below Contest Page - http://thenaughtypirate.deviantart.com/journal/Something-Wicked-This-Way-Comes-Oct-Contest-562677206 Donate to Black Art Society ( http://basdonations.deviantart.com/ )

*Women's Voices & Caribbean Literature* When Saturday September 19, 2015 from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM EDT Add to Calendar Where MoCADA 80 Hanson Place Brooklyn, NY 11217 _The Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College, CUNY, in Collaboration with Penguin Press and The Network Journal_ , Presents A Literary Salon "Women's Voices & Caribbean Literature" An Official Brooklyn Book Festival Bookend Event Saturday, September 19, 2015 MoCADA (Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts) 80 Hanson Place, Brooklyn, NY 11217 Time 2 p.m. - 4 p.m. RSVP NOW! ( http://centerforblackliterature.org/cblbookendevent2015/ ) This event is a fundraiser for the Center for Black Literature. General Donation: $10. Students: $5 Find this event on Facebook. ( https://www.facebook.com/events/506099399552813/ ) The Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College, CUNY, presents a literary salon with Naomi Jackson, "The Star Side of Bird Hill," in conversation with Rosalind Kilkenny McLymont, "The Guyana Contract," on the voices of women and Caribbean literature. #CaribWomenSalon2015 #BKBookFest2015 The Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College, CUNY Phone: 718-804-8883 E-mail: writers@mec.cuny.edu Like us: Like us on Facebook Center for Black Literature ( https://www.facebook.com/CenterforBlackLiterature ) Follow us: Follow us on Twitter@Center4BlackLit ( https://twitter.com/Center4blacklit )