A launch event for the literary journal "Obsidian — Literature and Arts in the African Diaspora" featuring work from the 2014 Antioch College symposium "Call & Response" will be held this weekend. (Photos courtesy of "Obsidian")
Literary launch celebrates symposium on black women and performance
- Published: May 2, 2016
The Yellow Springs Human Relations Commission, The 365 Project, the Performance Program of Antioch College and the literary journal “Obsidian: Literature and Arts in the African Diaspora” are partnering to launch a special issue of “Obsidian” dedicated to “Call & Response,” a symposium on black women and performance that was held at Antioch College in summer of 2014. The launch event will be held this Saturday, May 7, 4:30–6:30 p.m., at the John Bryan Community Center.
Guest editor Dr. Gabrielle Civil and contributors Dr. Kevin McGruder and Dr. Deanne Bell will read from their work, which has been published in the issue. Antioch College student Amelia Gonzalez will also read from former WYSO reporter Lewis Wallace’s account of famed Yellow Springs residents Virginia Hamilton and Arnold Adoff and Hamilton’s grandfather, Levi Perry. The event will also feature call and response singing, an instant book club mini-discussion, light refreshments and more.
Founded in 1975, “Obsidian: Literature and Arts in the African Diaspora” is one of the most celebrated journals of African-American literature in the United States. The “Call & Response” special issue features essays, photos and performance documentation related to the 2014 symposium, as well as poetry, short stories and drama inspired by symposium’s call for “Experiments in Joy.” Also bound in the same volume is the special issue of the celebrated African-American poetry festival, “Furious Flower.”
The launch event is free and open to the public, and all are welcome to attend. Copies of the journal will be available for sale at the event.
For more information, contact Gabrielle Civil at gcivil@antiochcollege.org or 612-386-0411.
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