Cedric Tillman's Blog - Posts Tagged "willow-books"

I'll be reading with co-features Christopher Gaumer, Jessica Prescott, C.T. McGaha & Rusty Colton at twenty-two Sunday Oct. 25, 8 pm. Come through QC!

Open mic to follow.

https://www.facebook.com/twenty-two-9...

https://www.facebook.com/juggsmurf

Some newish work out in High Point University's Apogee ("who needs 'im", "Sundays on Rosehaven", "Luxury")

and Rove ("the flag")

http://www.highpoint.edu/library/file...

http://www.rovepoetry.org/

Thanks to Charmaine Cadeau Ward of High Point University (http://www.brickbooks.ca/bookauthors/...) & Elizabeth Barnett of Rove (http://jdbrecords.blogspot.com/2015/0...) for the opportunity.

Again- failed to post about it but I was thrilled to be reading w/ my sister, Cave Canem comrade & fellow American University MFA alum Venus Thrash, author of The Fateful Apple (Hawkins Publishing, 2014) at UNCCharlotte Center City on March 16. Venus is such a star- it's always a pleasure to hear her resonant voice and feel the passion she brings to a reading. I highly recommend The Fateful Apple and can't wait for her next one.

Thanks to the UNCC English & African Studies Depts, The Honors College (particularly Dr. Malin Pereira), Chancellor's Diversity Challenge Fund, Center City Campus, and grad student Kristen Stewart for all her work on our gorgeous promo flyer. And thanks to everyone that came out-it was good to see faculty like Dr. Janaka Lewis (English) & Dr. Chris Cameron (History) down at Center City.

Google these names and buy a book.

More on Venus here:
http://venusthrash.wix.com/venusthrash

April 2, 2016

The Falls Lounge
626 S Spring St, Los Angeles, California 90014

"To live & die in LA/It's the place to be/you got to be there to know it/everybody wanna see..." - Tupac

AWP gives me an excuse to go to LA for the first time in life. I'll be reading w/ my Willow Books/ VONA brethren/sisteren (sp.) Here's the lineup- come check us out.

Faculty Authors from VONA-Voices:

Elmaz Abinader
Faith Adiele
Tananarive Due
M. Evelina Galang
David Mura
Daniel José Older
Willie Perdomo
Diem Jones, Hosts

Willow Books Authors:

Yesenia Montilla
Cedric Tillman
Cole Lavalais
Mahogany Browne
Rachelle Escamilla
Reginald Flood
Randall Horton

About Willow Books:

Welcome to Willow Books, the literary imprint of Aquarius Press. The mission of Willow Books is to develop, publish and promote writers typically underrepresented in the literary field. An independent press with a woman of color at its helm, Aquarius Press/Willow Books is recognized as an industry leader for its commitment to artistic development. In addition to publishing, Willow provides a national platform for its authors to engage with the public through readings, workshops, conferences, competitions, and streaming broadcasts across the country. Several of Willow’s authors have earned fellowships, post-graduate degrees and faculty tenure due in large part to being published by the press. Key partnerships have been formed with many institutions of higher learning and organizations such as PEN/Faulkner, Busboys & Poets/Teaching for Change, and Cave Canem. Your continued support of our authors enables us to honor our mission. http://willowlit.net/

About VONA:

We are Voices of Our Nation Arts Foundation (VONA), a nonprofit literary organization providing writing workshops for writers of color. VONA was founded by Elmaz Abinader, Junot Díaz, Victor Díaz, and Diem Jones in 1999 and remains the only multi-genre workshop for writers of color in the nation. VONA has provided over 2,000 developing writers of color from all over the world a place where they can explore their craft, exchange ideas and build a writing community.

VONA continues to receive a record number of workshop applications and is dedicated to sustaining and enlivening generations of color by building a resilient and thriving organization. Your contributions to VONA will help us continue to nurture the unheard, often marginalized voices of writers of color and promote accessible arts education and enhance literacy for communities of color.
http://www.voicesatvona.org/

I'm honored to be reading with poets Anora McGaha & NC Poet Laureate Shelby Stephenson on April 24 in Pittsboro, NC- looking forward to checking out the town for the first time and Yelping for something to eat after...

McIntyre's Books is a independent bookstore located in Fearrington Village, halfway between Chapel Hill and Pittsboro off of 15-501.

McIntyre's
http://www.fearrington.com/village-sh...

NC Poetry Society
http://www.ncpoetrysociety.org/sponso...

Thanks to the folks at Public Pool for publishing these poems: "The Blood" (for Charleston), "Shawty" (Harmony In Red) & Cankerworms (for South Sudan).

http://www.publicpool.org/dope/cedric...

So honored to be invited by my Willow Books pressmate Rachelle Escamilla (IMAGINARY ANIMAL, 2014) to chat about race and poetry recently on KKUP's venerable poetry show, Out of Our Minds.

Listen here:
https://soundcloud.com/rachelle-escam...

Rachelle's book:
https://willowlit.net/2015/03/31/imag...

I'm back from hiatus. I'll be doing my first non-open mic reading in a bit over a year next week back home in NC over in Asheville at The Block off biltmore (their capitalization, not mine :) Show starts at 7:30-I'll do about 30 mins, try to slip in some stuff from my latest ms., which will be followed by an open mic. Come through!

https://www.facebook.com/events/17861...

Willow Books is publishing a 10th anniversary edition of Lilies (at a special prize of $10)!

https://aquariuspress.myshopify.com/p...

I'm thankful as always to Dr. Randall Horton & Heather Buchanan for giving me the chance to go the places this book has taken me. From the announcement:

"The title of my first book comes from a song we used to sing in church when I was little, down in my hometown of Lilesville, NC (pop. 600 or so). It's an old spiritual and I will always think of home when I hear it. (Please check out John P. Kee's version on YouTube to get a feeling for it!) The first section of LILIES IN THE VALLEY is mostly about those first 7 years of my life down "in the country," and I think anyone who wants to understand "where I'm coming from" in all my work has an advantage if they know small town life and religion. The title was also, to an extent, an ode to a certain type of black person-the title poem uses hyperbole to acknowledge those of us who are a little "'hood" and a little "academic" but mostly an amalgamation of both extremes-and thus are "lilies in the valley" between those constructs."

"Cedric Tillman's LILIES IN THE VALLEY is poetic scripture. Rooted in culture, family, love, and the word, Tillman proves that sacredness can drive verse and keep it fresh like newly baked biscuits. This is modern poetry but grounded in the past. It is hip-hop and Sunday morning, church dinner chatter, love and happiness, Carolina shouts and sermons, a new voice ready to testify and do so in a way that no one has yet done before." --Brian Gilmore, author of come see about me, marvin

"Cedric Tillman’s LILIES IN THE VALLEY still resonates with emotional appeal, remembering and storytelling ten years later from first publication... LILIES IN THE VALLEY is one book to read right now. Maybe these poems could save us. --Lenard D. Moore, author of The Geography of Jazz; Long Rain; and A Million Shadows At Noon; Founder, Carolina African American Writers’ Collective

Cedric Tillman hails from Anson County, NC & Charlotte. He is a graduate of UNCC and The American University's Creative Writing MFA program. He is also a Cave Canem fellow.