Cedric Tillman's Blog
August 12, 2025
Reading at Anson County Library, August 18, 2025
I'll be reading at the Anson County (NC) Library on August 18 at 10:30 a.m. It's humbling to be reading "down home" after all these years. I'm grateful to Dianne Welch of the library and Alton Chewning, whose family is well known to many of us from the area, for helping to make this happen.
August 18, 2025, 10:30 a.m.
Hampton B. Allen Library
120 S Greene St, Wadesboro, NC 28170
August 18, 2025, 10:30 a.m.
Hampton B. Allen Library
120 S Greene St, Wadesboro, NC 28170
July 13, 2025
July 20 reading with Malaika King Albrecht
I'll be reading with Malaika King Albrecht on Sunday, July 20 from 4-5:30 p.m. I'm grateful to (poet) Cal Nordt for inviting me and for the chance to read with Ms. Albrecht, who I feel like I must've met before now...
Zoom in:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89382608967...
Malaika King Albrecht served as the inaugural Heart of Pamlico Poet Laureate from 2018-2021. She's the author of four poetry books, including most recently The Stumble Fields (Main Street Rag 2020), which was a finalist in the 2021 Eric Hoffer Award. Her book What the Trapeze Artist Trusts (Press 53) won honorable mention in the Oscar Arnold Young Award and was a finalist in 2012 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. Her chapbook Lessons in Forgetting (Main Street Rag) was a finalist in the 2011 Next Generation Indie Book Awards and received honorable mention in the Brockman Campbell Award.
An award-winning metal artist, she’s also the founding editor of Redheaded Stepchild, an online magazine that only accepts poems that have been rejected elsewhere. With https://www.redheadedmag.com, Malaika has hosted weekly book launches online since March 2020, and over 150 videos are available on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@malaika888).
Zoom in:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89382608967...
Malaika King Albrecht served as the inaugural Heart of Pamlico Poet Laureate from 2018-2021. She's the author of four poetry books, including most recently The Stumble Fields (Main Street Rag 2020), which was a finalist in the 2021 Eric Hoffer Award. Her book What the Trapeze Artist Trusts (Press 53) won honorable mention in the Oscar Arnold Young Award and was a finalist in 2012 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. Her chapbook Lessons in Forgetting (Main Street Rag) was a finalist in the 2011 Next Generation Indie Book Awards and received honorable mention in the Brockman Campbell Award.
An award-winning metal artist, she’s also the founding editor of Redheaded Stepchild, an online magazine that only accepts poems that have been rejected elsewhere. With https://www.redheadedmag.com, Malaika has hosted weekly book launches online since March 2020, and over 150 videos are available on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@malaika888).
May 23, 2025
May 28 reading at the Anson County Historical Society, Wadesboro, NC
Hey Anson/Richmond Co. folk (don't think I have more than a few over here)...
1) I'll be doing a book signing at the Anson Historical Society in Wadesboro next week, Wed. May 28, from 5-7 pm. I won't be reading apparently, just selling and signing.
2) I will be reading at the Anson Library on August 18th, 10:30 a.m.-I'll post a reminder closer to the event.
I have to thank Mr. Alton Chewning for his vital role in getting the ball rolling and reaching out to people. Some of you from down home know his family owned a grocery store there and he just happened to be in the audience when I read at Bynum Front Porch up near Carrboro a couple months ago.
Even if you don't want a book (but know my people, perhaps?), come say hello.
1) I'll be doing a book signing at the Anson Historical Society in Wadesboro next week, Wed. May 28, from 5-7 pm. I won't be reading apparently, just selling and signing.
2) I will be reading at the Anson Library on August 18th, 10:30 a.m.-I'll post a reminder closer to the event.
I have to thank Mr. Alton Chewning for his vital role in getting the ball rolling and reaching out to people. Some of you from down home know his family owned a grocery store there and he just happened to be in the audience when I read at Bynum Front Porch up near Carrboro a couple months ago.
Even if you don't want a book (but know my people, perhaps?), come say hello.
May 14, 2025
May 15 reading: "Soil and Stars: A Poetic Reflection" (Allison Janae Hamilton exhibit)
I'll be reading at SOCO Gallery's ‘Soil and Stars: A Poetic Reflection’ on visual artist Allison Janae Hamilton's work, currently on exhibit at the gallery. I'll be reading alongside De’Angelo Dia, Cedric Tillman, Jordan Bailey, and Rodrick Minor.
Doors will open at 6:30PM and the performance will begin at 7PM.
Address: 421 Providence Rd, Charlotte, NC 28207
More on Allison: https://www.allisonjanaehamilton.com/
Doors will open at 6:30PM and the performance will begin at 7PM.
Address: 421 Providence Rd, Charlotte, NC 28207
More on Allison: https://www.allisonjanaehamilton.com/
May 5, 2025
Just a Bit Late: 2022 Interview with UNC Charlotte's Midas Magazine on Black Literature/Poetry
After I visited my former professor's class (Jeffrey Leak) back in 2022, I was interviewed by Leenah Newby. She was on the staff of Midas Magazine, UNCC's arts and culture magazine, and got the idea to interview me as she was one the students in his class—I just happened to have recalled this today! An excerpt from the interview follows (full issue: https://www.midasmagazine.com/issues/...).
Q: Why did you choose poetry as a way to describe part of your upbringing in a Black community? What’s significant about poetry and prose to you?
A: Like many poets, I have a love interest to thank for my initial forays into poetry. I kept a diary throughout junior high school-once I got into high school, I started to write poetry. I wasn’t conscious of writing about my community at all really. I was mostly expressing feelings of longing and infatuation. Now that I’m older and much wiser-far more knowledgeable about American history, and the enduring effects of the racist laws that created differences in Black and white quality of life-I feel more of a responsibility to talk about those effects in my work. But I also talk about family and the people who raised me. I do it to chronicle my upbringing for my own family and friends, but also for people who aren’t Black who want to learn about and be exposed to a different culture. I feel it’s important to do my small part to record for future generations what life was like in my time, the thoughts and nature of the people I lived with-even if that leads to talking about uncomfortable topics. For millennia, poetry and prose writers have passed down information about the nature of people and shown us that while technological advances have changed human life, human nature hasn’t changed much at all.
Q: Why did you choose poetry as a way to describe part of your upbringing in a Black community? What’s significant about poetry and prose to you?
A: Like many poets, I have a love interest to thank for my initial forays into poetry. I kept a diary throughout junior high school-once I got into high school, I started to write poetry. I wasn’t conscious of writing about my community at all really. I was mostly expressing feelings of longing and infatuation. Now that I’m older and much wiser-far more knowledgeable about American history, and the enduring effects of the racist laws that created differences in Black and white quality of life-I feel more of a responsibility to talk about those effects in my work. But I also talk about family and the people who raised me. I do it to chronicle my upbringing for my own family and friends, but also for people who aren’t Black who want to learn about and be exposed to a different culture. I feel it’s important to do my small part to record for future generations what life was like in my time, the thoughts and nature of the people I lived with-even if that leads to talking about uncomfortable topics. For millennia, poetry and prose writers have passed down information about the nature of people and shown us that while technological advances have changed human life, human nature hasn’t changed much at all.
April 21, 2025
Willow Books National Poetry Month Reading (virtual) with Dasan Ahanu and Regina YC Garcia (April 19, 2025)
Thanks to Heather Buchanan of Willow for adding me to this all-NC lineup of my fellow pressmates. Dasan Ahanu & Regina YC Garcia have much more recent releases on Willow and Healther obviously wanted to help promote their work in coordination with National Poetry Month. She thought to add me in the course of discussing a book order (and the DOGEing of my former employer, which resulted in me and several hundred others being laid off or furloughed). And then it occured to us that we were all from NC-instant marketing angle!
I read five poems from Lilies, three from Feelins, and "Feed My People (The Toxicology Prayer)," published by RHINO a few years ago (https://rhinopoetry.org/poems/feed-my...). There was a lot of Southern spiritual energy in the (virtual) room ahead of Easter so our work vibed together well. Heather recorded most of the proceedings and I'd imagine she'll post it on the Willow site (https://willowlit.net/) or perhaps YouTube sometime soon.
Here are Regina & Dasan's books on books on Willow. Both Regina & Dasan have published books elsewhere-please visit their personal sites for more information.
Regina YC Garcia: Whispers from the Multiverse: Poems from the AfroDeep
Regina YC Garcia is a poet, language artist, and English professor. She is a graduate of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she earned a BA in Speech Communication with a Concentration in the Oral Interpretation of Literature. She additionally earned an MA in Adult Education from East Carolina University, as well as a Graduate Certificate in Multicultural and Transnational Literature. She currently teaches English and is the Coordinator of Global Programs at Pitt Community College.
(https://profesoragina.com/about/)
Dasan Ahanu: Shackled Freedom: Black Living in the Modern American South/A Month of Sundays: A Journey Through Black Southern Christianity
Dasan is a visiting professor at UNC-Chapel Hill, teaching courses on hip-hop and Black culture. He has authored four poetry collections, The Innovator (HWJW Publishing, 2010), Freedom Papers (HWJW Publishing, 2012), Everything Worth Fighting For: An exploration of being Black in America (Flowered Concrete, 2016), and Shackled Freedom: Black Living in the Modern American South (Willow Books, 2021).
https://www.dasanahanu.com/
I read five poems from Lilies, three from Feelins, and "Feed My People (The Toxicology Prayer)," published by RHINO a few years ago (https://rhinopoetry.org/poems/feed-my...). There was a lot of Southern spiritual energy in the (virtual) room ahead of Easter so our work vibed together well. Heather recorded most of the proceedings and I'd imagine she'll post it on the Willow site (https://willowlit.net/) or perhaps YouTube sometime soon.
Here are Regina & Dasan's books on books on Willow. Both Regina & Dasan have published books elsewhere-please visit their personal sites for more information.
Regina YC Garcia: Whispers from the Multiverse: Poems from the AfroDeep
Regina YC Garcia is a poet, language artist, and English professor. She is a graduate of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she earned a BA in Speech Communication with a Concentration in the Oral Interpretation of Literature. She additionally earned an MA in Adult Education from East Carolina University, as well as a Graduate Certificate in Multicultural and Transnational Literature. She currently teaches English and is the Coordinator of Global Programs at Pitt Community College.
(https://profesoragina.com/about/)
Dasan Ahanu: Shackled Freedom: Black Living in the Modern American South/A Month of Sundays: A Journey Through Black Southern Christianity
Dasan is a visiting professor at UNC-Chapel Hill, teaching courses on hip-hop and Black culture. He has authored four poetry collections, The Innovator (HWJW Publishing, 2010), Freedom Papers (HWJW Publishing, 2012), Everything Worth Fighting For: An exploration of being Black in America (Flowered Concrete, 2016), and Shackled Freedom: Black Living in the Modern American South (Willow Books, 2021).
https://www.dasanahanu.com/
March 10, 2025
Griot & Grey Owl (Nov. 1–3, 2024)-how could I forget!
Congrats to poet Khalisa Rae for successfully pulling off this relatively new Black poetry conference in Durham, NC. Writers such as Phillip B. Williams, Tyree Day, Tiana Clark, and Airea Matthews came together for workshops, readings, community, and signings. I missed it the first year but was able to get up there to support this year. I expect the conference's profile to grow with each passing year, especially given the talent Khalisa's already been able to attract.
January 28, 2025
March 16, 2025: Reading with Musician & Poet Rebecca Newton & Musician Connie Steadman, Bynum Front Porch Mill Town Yarns Series
This is a new one for me-I think I'll be mostly responsible for the "Yarns" part of this hybrid experience just a little outside of the Pittsboro/Chapel Hill area. I'm participating thanks to the kindness of Rebecca Newton, who suggested me to organizers. We met perhaps 10 years ago or so at a reading and I don't know that I've seen her more than once or twice since, but we've been FB friends a long time and I'm honored to know she thought of me. If you're up in the RTP area on March 16 and have some time to kill, come on by.
Reading with Deshara Suggs-Joe & Kathryn Schwille, February 1, 2025
I'll be reading with DeShara Suggs-Joe & Kathryn Schwille this Saturday, Feburary 1 at Book Buyers, 3040 Eastway Drive, Suite B, in Charlotte. The reading starts at 7:30 p.m. There will be an open mic reading after the features. I'm pleased to have an opportunity to read with DeShara again so soon after having heard her work in our reading a few months ago. Stop by!
DeShara is a queer, Black poet and visual artist. She co-founded Daughter’s Tongue (an all-women writing collective), worked as the Creative Director of Workshops at Winter Tangerine, and is a former member of the Youth Speaks Collective. She received her MFA in Writing from California College of the Arts and fellowships from Callaloo, the Poetry Incubator, and Pink Door. In 2021, she was nominated for “Best of the Net.” She has published poems in Apogee Lit, Voicemail Poems, Tinderbox Journal, The Texas Review, and elsewhere. She has also been featured on Button Poetry’s YouTube platform and has performed at the likes of Spotify, Yahoo, and Pinterest. If My Flowers Bloom is her first chapbook (Button Poetry, 2024).
Kathryn Schwille is the author of the novel, What Luck, This Life (Hub City Press), selected by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution as one of the best Southern books of 2018. Her fiction has appeared in New Letters, Memorious, Crazyhorse, West Branch, Sycamore Review and other literary journals. Her stories have twice received special mention in the Pushcart Prize anthology. She was an award-winning newspaper reporter before moving to North Carolina to become an editor at the Charlotte Observer. A graduate of the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College, she lives with her husband in Charlotte, NC and is on the regular faculty at Charlotte Center for Literary Arts.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DFS_26jpI...
#NorthCarolina #writing #fiction #poetry #charlotte
DeShara is a queer, Black poet and visual artist. She co-founded Daughter’s Tongue (an all-women writing collective), worked as the Creative Director of Workshops at Winter Tangerine, and is a former member of the Youth Speaks Collective. She received her MFA in Writing from California College of the Arts and fellowships from Callaloo, the Poetry Incubator, and Pink Door. In 2021, she was nominated for “Best of the Net.” She has published poems in Apogee Lit, Voicemail Poems, Tinderbox Journal, The Texas Review, and elsewhere. She has also been featured on Button Poetry’s YouTube platform and has performed at the likes of Spotify, Yahoo, and Pinterest. If My Flowers Bloom is her first chapbook (Button Poetry, 2024).
Kathryn Schwille is the author of the novel, What Luck, This Life (Hub City Press), selected by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution as one of the best Southern books of 2018. Her fiction has appeared in New Letters, Memorious, Crazyhorse, West Branch, Sycamore Review and other literary journals. Her stories have twice received special mention in the Pushcart Prize anthology. She was an award-winning newspaper reporter before moving to North Carolina to become an editor at the Charlotte Observer. A graduate of the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College, she lives with her husband in Charlotte, NC and is on the regular faculty at Charlotte Center for Literary Arts.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DFS_26jpI...
#NorthCarolina #writing #fiction #poetry #charlotte
October 7, 2024
Furious Flower IV, September 18–21, 2024
What a gift to have been able to make my second Furious Flower Black Poetry Conference, though I could only get up to JMU/Harrisonburg (VA) for part of Friday and the Saturday session. I got to hug a lot of necks, hear readings from poets I've never heard of from across the African diaspora, and meet a bunch of brilliant professors and young poets. This event gets bigger and bigger and I'm excited for what it's gonna look like in another 10 years.
