Ytasha L. Womack's Blog, page 2

BAR STAR CITY Trailer!

The trailer for BAR STAR CITY is here!

“A charmed longtime bar owner discovers that his understated Southside Chicago watering hole is the home for galactic phenomena.” This film is writtern and directed by Ytasha L. Womack, author of Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci Fi & Fantasy Culture. Slated for release in 2015. Check it out!

Creative Visioning with Ytasha Womack

From Afrofuturism849’s website:

“The Future Now

What vision do you have for the future? If we want a new today we have to change our collective vision.

A vision is the playing ground where you unfold your dreams into reality. Your vision embodies the force within you, driving you into action. It is essential to bring prosperity and success into our lives for personal, business and leadership.

This workshop and discussion will center around our ability to vision a new future.

What do we want the future to look like? What does this ideal future feel like?

What can we do today to make this future a reality? This fun filled and frank discussion will

examine our greatest dreams for transformation as a society, as a city, as a world as we change

our thoughts, deeds and words to align with our highest visions. Come share your thoughts and ideas.”

Ytasha Womack will be leading the Visioning workshop January 4th, at BLUE1647, 1647 S. Blue Island, at 4pm, in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood.

WBEZ: Depictions of Women In STEM in Pop Culture

WBEZ’s “Afternoon Shift: Who created the Internet?” featured Ytasha Womack in it’s discussion of how women who work in the STEM fields are depicted in pop culture. From WBEZ’s website:

“Last month we brought you a conversation with Sara Paretsky, the Chicago author behind the V.I. Warshawski detective novels. Her book Indemnity Only was one of the first commercially successful novels with a female detective, and her later novel Critical Mass, tells the story of a female physicist. That got us thinking about the way women are depicted in pop culture, especially when those women work is science, technology, engineering, and math, the so-called STEM fields. Of course, not all depictions of women in STEM fields are so inspiring. Take the recent controversy over Computer Engineering Barbie, who, unfortunately, needed the help of Steven and Brian to make a video game. We’re joined in studio by Emily Graslie, the Chicago Field Museum’s “Chief Curiosity Correspondent,” and Ytasha Womack, author of the book Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci-Fi and Fantasy to talk about pop culture depictions of women in science and math.”

http://www.wbez.org/programs/afternoon-shift/2014-12-02/afternoon-shift-who-created-internet-111178

How ‘Star Wars’ And Fantasy Movies Handle Race

In the wake of the trailer for the next Star Wars saga “The Force Awakens” being released, critics have questioned whether a black stormtrooper could ever exist. How do sci-fi/fantasy films such as “Star Wars” handle race and how have they evolved?

Ytasha Womack, along with Isaiah Lavender, Nnedi Okorafor, and Sigal Samuel give their opinions on HuffPost Live with Marc Lamont Hill.

http://live.huffingtonpost.com/r/segment/star-wars-black-storm-trooper/547c75f402a760b89f00063b

Afrofuturism849 Screening of Last Angel of History, Dec 7th

Afrofuturism849 hosts a screening of groundbreaking documentary The Last Angel Of History. This event will be held December 7th, at BLUE1647, 1647 S Blue Island at 4 pm in Chicago’s Pilson neighborhood. Afrofuturism849, created by Ytasha Womack and Floyd Webb, is a Chicago-based organization dedicated to creating artistic and educational events and programs that support the Afrofuturist global community.

The 1996 film by John Akomfrah, director of Seven Songs of Malcolm X, is an engaging and searing examination of the hitherto unexplored relationships between Pan-African culture, science fiction, intergalactic travel, and rapidly progressing computer technology. Check out the great events at Afrofuturism849 here.

George Clinton at Afrofuturism and Black Theology Conference, Oct. 18th

Funk master George Clinton gave an interview at Vanderbilt University’s Afrofuturism and Black Theology Conference, October 18th. He spoke on his life, funk music, and being an Afrofuturist icon.

Check out his interview with PhD Divinity student, Terrence Dean, below!

Afrofuturism and Black Theology Panel, Oct. 18

Did you attend the Afrofuturism and Black Theology Conference at Vanderbilt University?

This groundbreaking affair occurred on October 18th and was hosted by the Vanderilt Divinity School.

Panelists: Prof. Tracy Sharpley-Whiting – Vanderbilt University, Prof. Victor Anderson Vanderbilt University, Ytasha Womack Author, writer, artist, Prof. Tamura Lomax Virginia Commonwealth University, Prof. Herbert Marbury Vanderbilt University, and Prof. Nettrice Gaskins Boston Arts Academy & Bishop.

Afrofuturism & Black Theology Conference, Oct. 18

Do you want to learn more about Afrofuturism? On Oct. 18 Vanderbilt Divintiy School in Tennessee hosts the Afrofuturism  & Black Theology Conference. This event will discuss Afrofuturism in Black Theology and how it relates to Race, Gender, and Sexuality. George Clinton, singer, songwriter and mastermind of the Parliament-Funkadelic collective, will be featured speaker.

Panelists for this event include Tracy Sharpley-Whiting, author of Pimps Up, Ho’s Down: Hip Hop’s on Young Black Women; Victor Anderson, John Frederick Oberlin Theological School Professor of Ethics and Society; Tamura Lomax, visiting assistant professor of gender, sexuality and women’s studies at Virginia Commonwealth University who earned her doctorate from the Vanderbilt Graduate Department of Religion; Herbert Marbury, associate professor of Hebrew Bible; Nettrice Gaskins, program director at Boston Arts Academy; Bishop Joseph W. Walker III of Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Nashville; Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor  of African and Diaspora Studies and French; and Ytasha Womack, author of Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci Fi Culture and Fantasy will moderate the event.

The event is co-sponsored by the Kelly Miller Smith Institute on Black Church Studies; Carpenter Program in Religion, Gender, and Sexuality; Cal Turner Program for Moral Leadership in the Professions; GOOD MEN; Black Seminarians; African American and Diaspora Studies and Research Center; Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center; and Nashville chapter of the Children’s Defense Fund. Hope to see you there!

http://news.vanderbilt.edu/2014/10/george-clinton-black-theology/

Afrofuturism One Year Anniversary Party, Oct. 24th in Chicago

Afrofuturism celebrates its One Year Anniversary with DJ Sean Alvarez, Fri., Oct. 24th. The party will be held at Underground Wonderbar, 710 N. Clark in Chicago, 10 pm – until. The event includes, dancing, a tribute to Fela Kuti and will be hosted by Khari B. and Ytasha L. Womack. Cosplay is welcome.

Afrofuturism 14 at Northwestern University

Northwestern University’s Fall 2014 Afrofuturism course has included Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci Fi & Fantasy Culture into their syllabus. The course also includes works by Tananarive Due, Nalo Hopskinson and more. The course is taught by Professor Alex Weheliye. Check #Afrofuturism14 for class tweets.

https://sites.google.com/site/alexweheliye/Syllabi/afrofuturism-2014