Let the gifted's words ignite your joint's fire and exhale what no longer services us. Join us Every third Thursday at 7pm at MadeSpace Seattle 2002 E Union Street. Hosted by Chelsey Richardson and Ebo Barton tickets available at Madespaceseattle.com

SONGS OF BLACK FOLK returns even bigger, bolder, and grander for its 2024 production on Sunday evening June 16th, at 7:00 pm at the iconic Paramount Theatre in Seattle.

​SONGS OF BLACK FOLK will once again present a music tradition that began on the African continent and was transported to the Americas, via slave ships, and took root in the daily sufferings of an enslaved Black people who chose to survive and who fought to be free. SBF will feature the rise of the Negro Spirituals and their evolution into other Black musical genres including, blues, jazz, Gospel, R&B, Hip-Hop, and even spoken word.

The Genius Conference, June 7th & 8th, 2024, Celebrating the Joy of Literacy

The African-American Writers' Alliance (AAWA) in partnership with LANGSTON Seattle are thrilled to announce their inaugural event, The Genius Conference. Happening Friday, June 7th, 11am - 6pm PDT and Saturday, June 8th, 11am - 6pm PDT, with an After Party from 6 - 8pm PDT on Saturday, this convening of writers, artists, and educators, alongside a greater gathering of community members, emphasizes that Literacy is Life.

FREE all-ages edutainment; Spoken Word, Afro-futurism talks & game shows, Author Spotlights, Artist Workshops, Soul Food of the diaspora, and Books: the original T.V.!

In the age of AI, let it be known that actual intelligence reigns over any tool we create.

Our stories build our world, making literacy & reading the architeXt’s blueprint and training the Mind-resource to own it’s Authorship. Storytelling is the highest yield, internationally traded product on the market, from movies & video games to technical manuals & podcasts. The written word is the code to activate our Imagination.

Featured guests include: Keynote speaker, award-winning, best-selling author, Debrena Jackson Gandy; Civic poet & playwright, Jourdan Imani-Keith; Sistah Sci-Fi founder Isis Asare; Hip hop & storytelling, The Griot Party; Life coach, playwright, and pastor Debra Kendrick; Award-winning journalist Liz Brazile; and members of the The African-American Writers' Alliance.

Get your Juneteenth started with the African-American Writers’ Alliance by joining us for the first-ever Genius Conference!

This project is generously supported by 4Culture, BECU, LANGSTON Seattle, and the Seattle Public Library - Seattle Reads, and Wa Na Wari. Fiscal Sponsorship provided by Shunpike.

About the African-American Writers’ Alliance (AAWA)

The Seattle-based African-American Writers' Alliance (AAWA), a diverse and dynamic collective of writers of African descent, provides an informal and supportive forum for new and published writers. Californian Randee Eddins called to order what became the first meeting of the AAWA over 30 years ago in 1991. Since then, our membership has grown and includes writers from around the globe. With the support and encouragement of charter member Dr. Georgia McDade, and the collective of AAWA writers, we help one another polish our skills, provide peer review, and create opportunities for public readings and other media venues. Ultimately, the group encourages members to publish individually and collectively. We must tell our stories in our words and encourage others to do the same.

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