Master Class: Multimedia Poetries & Poetics with Samiya Bashir
Apr
19
6:30 PM18:30

Master Class: Multimedia Poetries & Poetics with Samiya Bashir

This Master Class is one of inquiry and discovery through the practice of multimedia poetries, including audio, visual, digital, textural, hand-made, machine-made, and more. We examine the recent landscape of multimedia poetry to understand how it works, how and where it succeeds (and fails), and how the work being made might move us to push through traditional boundaries of form and genre and foster experimentation in our own poetry.

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I HOPE THIS HELPS :: New Book Hits Stores!!
May
13
to Jan 27

I HOPE THIS HELPS :: New Book Hits Stores!!

  • Google Calendar ICS

Coming to a store near you (order in advance from your favorite indie bookseller!) is Samiya Bashir’s hotly anticipated fourth poetry collection, I Hope This Helps!

Bending genre as a planetary body might bend spacetime, Bashir’s poems live as music and film, as memoir, observation, and critique, as movement across both cosmic and poetic fields.

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FREE! CLOSE READINGS IN A VIRTUAL SPACE
Feb
20
3:00 PM15:00

FREE! CLOSE READINGS IN A VIRTUAL SPACE

  • PO Box 11568 Portland United States (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

This free, participatory event (taking place via Zoom) features Samiya Bashir, one of our favorite poets, leading an intimate, virtual group thinking-and-reading-through of "Rubicon" by Carl Phillips. Neither explicitly teaching nor explaining, our special guest poet will serve as your expert tour-guide to explore this featured poem as a group.

Whether already well-versed in the “close reading” of poems or having never been quite sure you've been "getting it," CLOSE READINGS IN A VIRTUAL SPACE provides a digital gathering for taking a refreshing deep dive into poetry.

Actively participate or simply listen and learn!

The event will last about an hour and conclude with a brief reading of poetry by our special guest poet.

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Anaphora Arts Writing Residency
Feb
14
to Feb 18

Anaphora Arts Writing Residency

  • PO Box 11568 Portland United States (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Anaphora Writing Residency is a ten-day program designed exclusively for writers of color. The residency offers workshops, readings, craft talks, and discussions with professionals from the literary and publishing industry. The goal of the program is to nurture emerging and established writers of color, to create opportunities for publication, and establish a wide network of support for writers of different backgrounds.

Dates & Fees

The upcoming residency will run on February 13 - 22, 2025 and will be held virtually. The program costs $2,800, and several partial fellowships are available every year, depending on funding availability. Applications must be submitted by the priority deadline to be eligible for fellowships. Anaphora Fellows and returning alumnx, will have the opportunity to attend the program at a discounted rate.

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Authors on Exile
Jan
21
6:30 PM18:30

Authors on Exile

January 21, 2025

6:30 doors, 7PM reading.

Join us for an evening of readings on the theme of "Exile". Featuring Shastri Akella, Samiya Bashir, and Aisha Sabatini Sloan. Co-produced by MSU Residential College in Arts and Humanities Center for Poetry and Writing, Rhetoric and Cultures Program, with special thanks to Michael Copperman.

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I Hope This Helps
Jan
20
to Feb 21

I Hope This Helps

  • PO Box 11568 Portland United States (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

RCAH LookOut Gallery, 2nd Floor Snyder Hall, MSU

January 20 – February 21

  • Opening Reception: 6 – 7:30 p.m. Monday, January 20, 2025
    RCAH LookOut Gallery, 2nd Floor Snyder Hall

  • Poetry for the People: Building Poetry and Community with Samiya Bashir
    12 – 1:30 p.m. Sunday, January 19, 2025
    Capital Area District Library (CADL) Downtown Branch, 401 S. Capitol Ave., Lansing, Michigan

RCAH LookOut Gallery’s 14th Annual Perspectives in African-American Experience: Emerging Visions Residency and Exhibition: These Are For You, I Hope This Helps: Ring Shouts and Standards. Featuring the work of artists Darryl D’Angelo Terrell and Samiya Bashir.

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blk: Blues Funeral for James Baldwin
Dec
5
7:00 PM19:00

blk: Blues Funeral for James Baldwin

In December 1971, a two-part episode of Soul! featured a conversation between James Baldwin and Nikki Giovanni. In the spirit of remix and reverence, avery r. young and Jamila Woods will riff on Baldwin and Giovanni’s conversation on Black Arts and People.

The ceremony will feature music and poetry performances from Samiya Bashir, Toronzo Cannon, and t'ai freedom ford. Audience members will have the opportunity to share their greatest lesson from Baldwin.

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I HOPE THIS HELPS: In Pursuit of a Restorative Poetics
Nov
22
4:00 PM16:00

I HOPE THIS HELPS: In Pursuit of a Restorative Poetics

  • The New School || Sheila Johnson Design Center (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Exploring work from her solo multimedia exhibitions featuring multi-sensory poetic installations and her forthcoming new book, I HOPE THIS HELPS (Nightboat Books, Spring 2025), Samiya Bashir will read, perform, and screen selections of the work and engage in dialogue about the pursuit of a restorative poetics which, through both process and product, might open up new paths from isolation toward revivification and healing.

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Reading and Conversation Samiya Bashir & Nicole Georges
Aug
12
5:00 PM17:00

Reading and Conversation Samiya Bashir & Nicole Georges

  • Hudson Walker Gallery :: Fine Arts Work Center (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS


About

Faculty Presentation: Nicole Georges and Samiya Bashir

Monday, August 12, 2024
5-7 PM

Join us for a summer faculty reading with writer/artist Nicole J. Georges, and writer Samiya Bashir.

If you can’t join us in person, you can view the livestream here.

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Write on Time: Restorative Poetics from Isolation to Revivification
Aug
11
to Aug 16

Write on Time: Restorative Poetics from Isolation to Revivification

  • Fine Arts Work Center (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

In this generative poetry-making workshop, we will sharpen our sound through focused specificity and sensory detail to write in, through, about, and around the many dimensions of time—physical and psychological, real and imagined. We will be wildly imaginative about space and place. “What is called its form,” wrote poet W.S. Merwin, “may be simply that part of the poem that had directly to do with time: the time of the poem, the time in which it was written, and the sense of recurrence in which the unique moment of vision is set.” Working together through a series of prompts considering restoration and revivification—form and flesh both—participants will leave this workshop with a handful of generously shared and considered poetry starts as well as tools and examples of process: seeds both for their own practice and to spread to all who need it.

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Jul
31
4:00 PM16:00

RECONFIGURATIONS: a poetry stones project

Join us on July 31st at 7 pm for a celebratory poetry reading at the South Tabor Access Trail, a new multi-modal path leading up to Mt. Tabor Park! This pathway is now adorned with several poetry-engraved stones through a project led by @adam.kuby in collaboration with Dao Strom (@herandthesea), co-director of @decanonproject.

Six poets, including Dao Strom, @scryptkeeper, @trevinobringsplenty, @samroxaschua, @thepianofarm, and @tarot_obscuro, wrote poems responding to the word “reconfigurations.” Once each artist had created their poems, they mutually decided to blend what they had done individually into a new poem that was then laid out & engraved on the six split stone faces set in three locations along the path.

Join us for a lovely evening at the park where the artists will reconvene to read their collaborative poem. We will meet where the artwork is installed, along the multi-modal trail at SE 64th Avenue and Division Street to SE Sherman Street. We hope to see you there!

Image Description: Text reads "You're Invited! Poetry reading at Mt. Tabor Park July 31" on an abstract background.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C9ibJyXzvo1/?igsh=MWZiZmJ3Y2EzdDVsMA==

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FIRST BREATHE:FINDING YOUR VOICE: A POETIC LAB
Jul
22
to Jul 26

FIRST BREATHE:FINDING YOUR VOICE: A POETIC LAB

  • Truro Center for the Arts @ Castle Hill (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

"First, Breathe: Finding Your Voice" is an immersive journey into discovering and embracing your unique poetic voice. Departing from the traditional idea of 'finding' one's voice, this workshop focuses on tuning into and trusting the inherent voice within. Led by internationally-celebrated poet and artist, Samiya Bashir, this discovery lab intertwines thought experiments and litera-somatic prompts, to guide participants through writing, listening, and introspection.

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INsideOUT & open studios
Jul
11
6:30 PM18:30

INsideOUT & open studios

  • PO Box 11568 Portland United States (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

INsideOUT is an extraordinary opportunity for the public to witness Innovative and diverse new works. Presentations of new work, works in-progress and informal studio visits will be presented by Artists-in-Residence. The program will be held in the Joan James Harris Theater and the Leeper Studio Complex. Light refreshments will be served. The program is free and open to the public. For mature audiences.

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UP WE STEP: The Poets of Fire & Ink
Jul
1
to Aug 31

UP WE STEP: The Poets of Fire & Ink

Showing up in mailboxes and shelves from coast to coast this summer is the JulyAugust double issue of POETRY Magazine — one of the nation’s oldest poetry publications. Editor (and poet) Adrian Matejka, and the team at POETRY, worked so beautifully with me to make this huge dream come true.

As the new year turned I sent a call out to the poets: those who I talk to regularly and those who I hadn’t seen for years or decades. In the midst of nonstop war and genocide, of climate devastation, and general fuckery, I needed to know: how were we getting by? Were we getting by? Could we please step up and show our faces? And the answer was loud and clear. And the answer was, like us, grounded in love.

This new, special folio — UP WE STEP: The Poets of Fire & Ink — is that answer.

Fire & Ink will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2027 and while its legacy continues to shape contemporary Black queer and trans art and literature, the need for the movement we built and the opportunities it creates is stronger than ever.

Beginning with this folio of poets and poems — 30 in all, 22 of whom make their first appearance in POETRY — plus a bit of history from archivist Steven G Fullwood, Fire & Ink glows itself up as Fire & Inkwell to step up and step out with and for and to Black queer and trans artists and writers across genre, across media, and across borders. 

This year we step up, boots strapped tight, to claim and raise each other up as the cultural keys that we are.

Get this issue. Dig in.

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Release What Binds You: A Freewriting Workshop
Jun
22
12:00 PM12:00

Release What Binds You: A Freewriting Workshop

So excited to join this iconic group tomorrow in Weeksville! Join me and let’s do some liberatory writing this Pride!!

Come join us for “Picturing an Abundant Queer Future” happening TOMORROW from 12 - 6 PM ET with @SaraElise333 and @weeksvilleheritagecenter. We will all be collectively creating a photo archive of what Queer rest and play look like in NYC today. 🎉🌈⁠

We are thrilled to introduce a special writing component to the day, hosted by Samiya Bashir @scryptkeeper Fire & Inkwell. Join us for the Juneteenth / Pride Freewriting Workshop: Release What Binds You. This workshop will feature new prompts every 1/2 hour from 12:00 - 2:00 PM, plus time to talk through and share our discoveries. ⁠

After the photography and writing sessions, Sara Elise will introduce a thought-provoking panel discussion that explores the importance of archiving queer history that captures rest, joy, resilience, and the vibrant essence of our community. The panel will feature some incredible Queer voices:⁠

🌱 Lola Flash @flashnine9: A trailblazer in genderqueer visual politics, Lola challenges stereotypes and captures the essence of LGBTQIA+ and communities of color. An active member of ACT UP, their work is in prestigious collections like the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Brooklyn Museum.⁠

🌱 Kiyanna Handy @blkmktvintage: Co-founder of BLK MKT Vintage, Kiyanna preserves Black history through curated cultural artifacts, celebrating Black joy and resilience.⁠

🌱 Suhaly Bautista-Carolina: Moderating the panel and Director of Public Programs & Partnerships at the American LGBTQ+ Museum.⁠

This panel aims to inspire and empower us to take charge of our collective narrative. After the panel, join us for Summer Camp-style field games led by Sara Elise, delicious eats by @EatDearHenry, and dancing to a set on the lawn by iconic queer DJ’s @BostonChery and @itsadair_. ⁠

We hope to see you tomorrow! Find more details with the link in bio or on our IG story! ⁠

#QueerHistory #lgbtqevents #Pride #LGBTQ #LGBTQIA #Pride2024 #Photography #QueerStories #FreeEvent #FreeEventsNYC #lgbtq🌈⁠

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I HOPE THIS HELPS
May
18
to Jul 31

I HOPE THIS HELPS

I Hope This Helps is a solo multimedia exhibition featuring multi-sensory poetic installations by Harlem-based artist, Samiya Bashir. Featuring 20 works developed in 20 Standards, I Hope This Helps explores the complexities of human interaction and engages with critical issues impacting our society. As the world grapples with profound change, I Hope This Helps evokes shared experiences of upheaval, displacement, and the relentless pursuit of hope amidst uncertainty.

On view at The Africa Center, 17 May - 31 July, 2024.

I Hope This Helps is curated by Favour Ritaro, Curatorial Projects Consultant. The exhibition is made possible at The Africa Center with support of NYSCA & Sculpture Space.

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“Not One Without the Other:” A Reading and Conversation on Creativity and Community
Mar
1
7:00 PM19:00

“Not One Without the Other:” A Reading and Conversation on Creativity and Community

How can the work of writers contribute to building sustainable and inclusive futures for our communities? How can the work of community organizations contribute to creative work? And how can the arts serve as a tool of empowerment, liberation, and solidarity? Literary organizations like Cave Canem, CantoMundo, Kundiman, Indigenous Nations Poets, Fire & Ink, Mizna, and Radius of Arab American Writers (RAWI) were convened with the goal of creating spaces for marginalized writers to develop their craft and find community and connection with one another.

This reading and conversation features George Abraham (executive editor of Mizna and Kundiman Fellow), Samiya Bashir (founding organizer of Fire & Ink and Cave Canem Fellow), Kimberly Blaeser (founding executive director of Indigenous Nations Poets), Cathy Linh Che (executive director of Kundiman), Deborah Paredez (co-founder of CantoMundo), and Glenn Shaheen (president and executive director of RAWI). They will explore what it means to lead, create, and write, centering the idea “not one without the other.”

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The Gathering: A Cultural Symposium with Samiya Bashir and Marvin K. White
Feb
23
7:00 PM19:00

The Gathering: A Cultural Symposium with Samiya Bashir and Marvin K. White

  • George Washington Carver Museum (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

The Gathering is a celebration of queer BIPOC community with programming focused on nurturing the mind, body, and soul. We will kick off this cultural symposium with an intimate conversation with Marvin K. White and Samiya Bashir.

Doors Open at 6:30 p.m.

Pay what you can. Suggested $25 donation.

Books by the authors will be available for purchase from Bookwoman.

Afterparty to follow at Esquina Tango.

Refreshments will be provided by Mashae's Catering.

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Cook Shack :: An Opera!
Mar
16
to Mar 18

Cook Shack :: An Opera!

  • Catherine B. Berges Theatre at COCA (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Cook Shack: An Opera by Samiya Bashir & Del’Shawn Taylor

Dayo struggles to fit in at school. Like so many other young girls, she hides her true potential in order to fly under the radar. That is, until her classroom takes a field trip to see a “Superheroes of Invention” exhibit at St. Louis’ Griot Museum. As Dayo comes face to face with prolific Black female inventors of the 20th century, she hears each woman’s unique story through the music and words of their era — from ragtime to blues to funk. These icons of science inspire Dayo to finally celebrate herself and her own superpower.

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SLACKERS: 3 GenX Poets on Place & Power
Dec
21
1:00 PM13:00

SLACKERS: 3 GenX Poets on Place & Power

  • PO Box 11568 Portland United States (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

SLACKERS :: 3 GenX Poets on Place & Power
:: A Winter Solstice Special Event ::

Samiya Bashir (Executive Director, Lambda Literary) invites Carmen Gimenez (Publisher, Graywolf Press), and Adrian Matejka (Editor, Poetry Magazine) to share current work, sip cocktails, and talk intersectional power, presence, and taking their place at the helm of institutions which once stood as gatekeepers to their exclusion.

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The Society of Fellows of the American Academy in Rome presents SALONE
Nov
4
7:00 PM19:00

The Society of Fellows of the American Academy in Rome presents SALONE

Please join us for this year's SALONE - A multi-media performance event showcasing the work of renowned actors, artists, choreographers, composers, directors, performance artists , poets, puppeteers, who have each been awarded the prestigious Rome Prize from the American Academy in Rome.

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"Here's the Thing:" :: Reading w/ FREEMAN'S ANIMALS
Oct
12
7:00 PM19:00

"Here's the Thing:" :: Reading w/ FREEMAN'S ANIMALS

  • McNally Jackson Books Seaport (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

"Something eerie ties us to animals," Barry Lopez wrote in "Arctic Dreams," "sometimes the animal pulls you backward into it. You share hunger and fear with them like salt in blood." What does it feel like to live in this shared space with animals, to worry about it, to love it, to mourn its destruction. The latest issue of Freeman's literary annual is dedicated to asking these and other questions, to evoking the rich and often mysterious shared topography of space we occupy with animals. From the rats who will likely outlast us, brilliantly evoked in Samiya Bashir's poem, to rabbits bred for sport or worse, as described in Tess Gunty's dark short story. Join Bashir and Gunty for a reading from their pieces and discussion around the ethics, psychology and power of animals in our lives.

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