Malika Aisha, Jehoiada Calvin, Louie Ortiz-Fonseca, Tirzah Sheppard, and Ivanova Veras join LIT Friday to for group reading and discussion about When Language Broke Open.
Lit Fridays is a literary-focused, virtual salon presented by the August Wilson African American Cultural Center, featuring conversations and guest performances on the last Friday* of each month at 6:00p EST via Facebook, YouTube Live, and StreamYard. All conversations are moderated by AWAACC Literary Curator, Jessica Lanay.
Malika Aisha (b. 1993, United States) a queer AfroLatinx poet, born and raised in Bushwick, Brooklyn with a B.A. in English Language and Literature from Ithaca College.
Jehoiada Calvin (he/him) is a memory worker, writer, and zine-maker from Chicago. Jehoiada is the Archives Assistant for the Johnson Publishing Company Archive and a fellow in the University of Alabama’s Social Justice for Archivists Master of Library and Information Studies program, focusing on memory work by and for queer or trans Black people and people of color.
Tirzah Sheppard is a Black lesbian of Caribbean, Black Southern, and Panamanian heritage. Through her artwork, spanning many mediums, she aims to share diverse and intersectional stories. In her free time she enjoys spending time with loved ones, studying Brazilian Portuguese, dancing, cooking, and daydreaming of a world where Black people are free.
Ivanova Veras de Jesús (b.1997, República Dominicana) (elle/they) is a Black queer artist, activist, and researcher. They are co-creator of the podcast “Hablamo’elMarte’RD”. They co-facilitate QTPOC+FamilyCircle, a space for Queer Trans People of Color and families. Ivanova researches the psychoneuroimmunological effects of stress within historically marginalized communities. They deeply believe in the transformative power of love, art, and community.