Cedric Tillman's Blog, page 2
October 7, 2024
October 11, 2024: Reading with DeShara Suggs-Joe and Sasha Banks
This Friday at 7 p.m. I'll be reading with these talented artists at VisArt Video, 3104 Eastway Drive, Charlotte, N.C. I've been meaning to get by VisArt for a while-I've missed some other readings and events I'd hoped to check out there, so this'll be my first time at the venue. Please stop by if you're in the area!
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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 on Spotify, Yahoo, and Pinterest.
SASHA BANKS is a Pushcart nominated poet and filmmaker whose work has been published or is forthcoming in THE ATLANTIC, VANITY FAIR, PBS NEWSHOUR, and others. She received her MFA at Pratt Institute. Banks is a 2019 Rhode Island Writers’ Colony Fellow and the creator of Poets for Ferguson. She is the author of america, MINE, writer and director of Oh, Country, and founder of Top Femme Productions.
Cedric Tillman received a BA in English from UNC Charlotte and graduated from American University's Creative Writing MFA program. He is a Cave Canem graduate fellow and a former semifinalist in The Nation magazine's Discovery contest. His poems have appeared in journals and anthologies including RHINO, Pleiades, Barzakh, Rove, The Manhattanville Review, Solstice Literary Magazine, The Florida Review, and Kakalak, among others. In 2017, his poem "the flag" received Special Mention recognition for the Pushcart Foundation's Pushcart Prize.
His debut collection, entitled LILIES IN THE VALLEY, was published by Willow Books in 2013. After receiving semifinalist and finalist recognition in the University of Akron, Cleveland State University, and Press 53 poetry prizes among others, IN MY FEELINS was published by WordTech Poetry in 2020. Cedric lives in Charlotte.
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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 on Spotify, Yahoo, and Pinterest.
SASHA BANKS is a Pushcart nominated poet and filmmaker whose work has been published or is forthcoming in THE ATLANTIC, VANITY FAIR, PBS NEWSHOUR, and others. She received her MFA at Pratt Institute. Banks is a 2019 Rhode Island Writers’ Colony Fellow and the creator of Poets for Ferguson. She is the author of america, MINE, writer and director of Oh, Country, and founder of Top Femme Productions.
Cedric Tillman received a BA in English from UNC Charlotte and graduated from American University's Creative Writing MFA program. He is a Cave Canem graduate fellow and a former semifinalist in The Nation magazine's Discovery contest. His poems have appeared in journals and anthologies including RHINO, Pleiades, Barzakh, Rove, The Manhattanville Review, Solstice Literary Magazine, The Florida Review, and Kakalak, among others. In 2017, his poem "the flag" received Special Mention recognition for the Pushcart Foundation's Pushcart Prize.
His debut collection, entitled LILIES IN THE VALLEY, was published by Willow Books in 2013. After receiving semifinalist and finalist recognition in the University of Akron, Cleveland State University, and Press 53 poetry prizes among others, IN MY FEELINS was published by WordTech Poetry in 2020. Cedric lives in Charlotte.
April 26, 2024
April 23—Virtual Visit with graduating lit majors at American University, Hickory Ridge Middle School visit (Harrisburg, NC)
Quite out of the blue this past week, I got an invite via Instagram to attend Hickory Ridge's Middle School's poetry slam—and woke up the next day to an invite to chat with Kyle Dargan's senior capstone literature class at my alma mater, American University. (Kyle, who I met during my time as a student there, is now a professor at AU and the author of six poetry collections.) My fellow panelists and I passed on some advice about balancing life as writers with the need to work and other topics such as how to decide when and where to send work out to journals.
Later in the day, I had the pleasure of being the featured poet at Hickory Ridge afterschool poetry slam. I'm grateful to librarians Laura Warr and Montressa Hunter for inviting me out and giving me the opportunity to share my work and some pointers on writing. The setup was super cute—they'd turned off most of the lights but put what seemed to be battery-operated candles on several tables and arranged them along with some couches facing a stage set up with a music stand and stool.
Several teachers read their work and I came up toward the middle of the show. At the end, a handful of kids came up to me at the end to talk about why they write, to ask for advice about how they might self-publish, or just say they enjoyed my work. They made me feel, to echo the little flyer they gave me, like a "real-live poet." I'm very lazy about making it known that I'll do things like this (some of the reluctance is laziness, some of it is my enduring nervousness in front of crowds) but when approached, I usually make it happen—and I'm always glad I did.
Later in the day, I had the pleasure of being the featured poet at Hickory Ridge afterschool poetry slam. I'm grateful to librarians Laura Warr and Montressa Hunter for inviting me out and giving me the opportunity to share my work and some pointers on writing. The setup was super cute—they'd turned off most of the lights but put what seemed to be battery-operated candles on several tables and arranged them along with some couches facing a stage set up with a music stand and stool.
Several teachers read their work and I came up toward the middle of the show. At the end, a handful of kids came up to me at the end to talk about why they write, to ask for advice about how they might self-publish, or just say they enjoyed my work. They made me feel, to echo the little flyer they gave me, like a "real-live poet." I'm very lazy about making it known that I'll do things like this (some of the reluctance is laziness, some of it is my enduring nervousness in front of crowds) but when approached, I usually make it happen—and I'm always glad I did.
Joshua Bennett reading, NC A&T, April 11
I made a road trip to see the brilliant Joshua Bennett up in Greensboro. Dude is super smart, personable, an amazing reader-I'm sure his students love him at MIT. His latest book, The Study of Human Life, is a collection of poetry that contains what I think would be best termed a novella that is being developed into a TV show by Lena Waithe. It's just amazing to see this kid who blew up on the slam scene and performed at the White House grow into an accomplished writer, professor, husband, and father of two. I was flattered when he signed my copy of Human Life-I gave him my name and he said "hey, I know you from the internet!" I replied, "I know you from everything! We started chatting and we could've gone on awhile-I said "Man let me let you and these folks go..." definitely worth the trip to see him and to get to chat with some young poets who came out as well.
AWP '24, Kansas City (Feb. 7-10)
Late as usual...great getting out to KC for some fellowship with old friends, the inevitability of making new ones, and some Gates BBQ. The conference was punctuated by a powerful keynote speech by Jericho Brown. As much as I can't afford these things, I never regret going. And just when I'm hoping they don't go somewhere I really want to show up...it swings back to LA for '25.
November 22, 2023
Reading with Sandra Beasley, Friday, December 1, 2023
I'm honored and excited to be reading ahead of my American University MFA classmate and dear friend Sandra Beasley on Friday, December 1 at Starlight on 22nd, 422 E. 22nd St., Charlotte.
Among her many accolades, she is the author of the poetry collections Count the Waves (2015); I Was the Jukebox (2010), which won the Barnard Women Poets Prize; and Theories of Falling (2008), winner of the New Issues Poetry Prize. She also published a memoir, Don’t Kill the Birthday Girl: Tales from an Allergic Life (2011). Her latest offering is made to explode (2022). In 2015, she received a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. Sandra has also taught and served as writer-in-residence at several universities, including our alma mater, Davidson, the University of Nebraska at Omaha, the University of Tampa, and Ole Miss.
Come check us out-$25 tiks at the link include a drink.
https://charlottelit.configio.com/pd/...
Among her many accolades, she is the author of the poetry collections Count the Waves (2015); I Was the Jukebox (2010), which won the Barnard Women Poets Prize; and Theories of Falling (2008), winner of the New Issues Poetry Prize. She also published a memoir, Don’t Kill the Birthday Girl: Tales from an Allergic Life (2011). Her latest offering is made to explode (2022). In 2015, she received a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. Sandra has also taught and served as writer-in-residence at several universities, including our alma mater, Davidson, the University of Nebraska at Omaha, the University of Tampa, and Ole Miss.
Come check us out-$25 tiks at the link include a drink.
https://charlottelit.configio.com/pd/...
October 31, 2023
Lilies in the Valley, 10th Anniversary Edition
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.
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.
October 26, 2023
October 29, 2023: Reading with Aruna Gurumurthy, McIntyre's Books, Pittsboro, NC
I'll be reading at McIntyre's Books this Sunday, October 29 at 2 p.m. in Pittsboro, NC with with Aruna Gurumurthy. The reading is sponsored by the North Carolina Poetry Society.
McIntyre’s Books is located at 200 Market Street (Fearrington Village) in Pittsboro. From the Poetry Society's announcement:
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CEDRIC TILLMAN graduated from UNC Charlotte and American University's Creative Writing MFA program. His debut poetry collection, entitled Lilies in the Valley, was published by Willow Books in 2013. His latest offering, In My Feelins, was published by WordTech Poetry in 2019. Cedric lives in Charlotte.
ARUNA GURUMURTHY is a creative thinker and poet who has published seven books since 2015. Her poems appear in Bellevue Literary Review (forthcoming), storySouth, South 85 Journal, Penwood Review, and others. Aruna lives with her loving family in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and brings change in the world, one poem at a time.
McIntyre’s Books is located at 200 Market Street (Fearrington Village) in Pittsboro. From the Poetry Society's announcement:
___________________________________________
CEDRIC TILLMAN graduated from UNC Charlotte and American University's Creative Writing MFA program. His debut poetry collection, entitled Lilies in the Valley, was published by Willow Books in 2013. His latest offering, In My Feelins, was published by WordTech Poetry in 2019. Cedric lives in Charlotte.
ARUNA GURUMURTHY is a creative thinker and poet who has published seven books since 2015. Her poems appear in Bellevue Literary Review (forthcoming), storySouth, South 85 Journal, Penwood Review, and others. Aruna lives with her loving family in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and brings change in the world, one poem at a time.
July 19, 2023
August 23 Reading with Isaac Akanmu & Ahvid Harris, Waterbean Coffee, Huntersville, NC
Waterbean Coffee-Huntersville
9705 Sam Furr Road Ste A
Huntersville, NC 28078
7-9 p.m.
Thanks to Leslie Rupracht and Jonathan K. Rice for their invite to the Waterbean Poetry Night reading series up in Huntersville. Leslie & Jonathan are staples on the poetry scene in the Charlotte metro area and have been supportive of my work since we met-it's always great to be in their company. And it was great meeting these guys in person (we linked up on social media beforehand):
ISAAC AKANMU is a Nigerian American from Staten Island, NY. Now living in Charlotte, NC, Isaac is the winner of the 2023 Charlotte GoodLit Fellowship. His poetry chapbook, not belonging anywhere, is available with Bottlecap Press (2022). His words also appear in Jellyfish Review, Posit Journal, Olney Magazine, and elsewhere. Connect with Isaac at https://isaacakanmu.com/ and on social media @insteadofisaac. Learn more about his fellowship and chapbook here: GoodLit Fellowship and https://bottlecap.press/products/anyw....
AHVID HARRIS is an Expressionist residing in Charlotte, NC. Locally, he has performed at The Evening Muse, Starlight on 22nd, Flux Galleries, Common Market Oakhurst, Waterbean Poetry Night, and elsewhere. In 2023, he realized a solo show at the Asheville Fringe Festival, “Musica Poetica,” in which he interweaved classical piano with poetic verse. Known for a range of other mediums including photography, video, and acting, Ahvid plans to continue exploring his crafts, both as an independent and interconnected artist. His self-published debut poetry collection, Peregrinations, was released in 2022 and is acclaimed by Charlotte poet laureate, Jay Ward. Ahvid’s work can also be found at Kalmato.com or more organically on Instagram: @Kalmato.MB
9705 Sam Furr Road Ste A
Huntersville, NC 28078
7-9 p.m.
Thanks to Leslie Rupracht and Jonathan K. Rice for their invite to the Waterbean Poetry Night reading series up in Huntersville. Leslie & Jonathan are staples on the poetry scene in the Charlotte metro area and have been supportive of my work since we met-it's always great to be in their company. And it was great meeting these guys in person (we linked up on social media beforehand):
ISAAC AKANMU is a Nigerian American from Staten Island, NY. Now living in Charlotte, NC, Isaac is the winner of the 2023 Charlotte GoodLit Fellowship. His poetry chapbook, not belonging anywhere, is available with Bottlecap Press (2022). His words also appear in Jellyfish Review, Posit Journal, Olney Magazine, and elsewhere. Connect with Isaac at https://isaacakanmu.com/ and on social media @insteadofisaac. Learn more about his fellowship and chapbook here: GoodLit Fellowship and https://bottlecap.press/products/anyw....
AHVID HARRIS is an Expressionist residing in Charlotte, NC. Locally, he has performed at The Evening Muse, Starlight on 22nd, Flux Galleries, Common Market Oakhurst, Waterbean Poetry Night, and elsewhere. In 2023, he realized a solo show at the Asheville Fringe Festival, “Musica Poetica,” in which he interweaved classical piano with poetic verse. Known for a range of other mediums including photography, video, and acting, Ahvid plans to continue exploring his crafts, both as an independent and interconnected artist. His self-published debut poetry collection, Peregrinations, was released in 2022 and is acclaimed by Charlotte poet laureate, Jay Ward. Ahvid’s work can also be found at Kalmato.com or more organically on Instagram: @Kalmato.MB
July 8 Sonnet Workshop, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Arts & Science Counsel/Public Library
Thanks to Charlotte Poet Laureate Jay Ward, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Arts & Science Council, and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library at University City for the invite to participate in the Laureate Workshop Series, a series of poetry workshops conducted by local poets.
My workshop was originally called "The New Sonnets: Innovation or Adulteration?", but ended up being a deep dive into the history of sonnets and how they changed and developed over time. I used a few faves to illustrate how sonnets evolved and pointed out some of the ways poets have bent the "rules" over the years to meet syllable count restrictions or just ignored the rules altogether other than sticking to the typical 14-line limit. I referenced work from Petrarch, Sir Thomas Wyatt, Henry Hyatt, Shakespeare, James Weldon Johnson, Gwendolyn Brooks, Rita Dove, Wendy Walters, Terrance Hayes, and Natasha Trethewey. We concluded with an exercise in which we made up end rhymes for our choice of Petrarchan, Spenserian, or Shakespearean sonnets and shared them with each other to hear the differences.
I'm grateful for the positive feedback I received for something I was so apprehensive about doing (well). Hopefully the workshop makes for a few more sonneteers in the world (including me-I've never tried my hand at them, beyond some terrible attempts in graduate school).
My workshop was originally called "The New Sonnets: Innovation or Adulteration?", but ended up being a deep dive into the history of sonnets and how they changed and developed over time. I used a few faves to illustrate how sonnets evolved and pointed out some of the ways poets have bent the "rules" over the years to meet syllable count restrictions or just ignored the rules altogether other than sticking to the typical 14-line limit. I referenced work from Petrarch, Sir Thomas Wyatt, Henry Hyatt, Shakespeare, James Weldon Johnson, Gwendolyn Brooks, Rita Dove, Wendy Walters, Terrance Hayes, and Natasha Trethewey. We concluded with an exercise in which we made up end rhymes for our choice of Petrarchan, Spenserian, or Shakespearean sonnets and shared them with each other to hear the differences.
I'm grateful for the positive feedback I received for something I was so apprehensive about doing (well). Hopefully the workshop makes for a few more sonneteers in the world (including me-I've never tried my hand at them, beyond some terrible attempts in graduate school).
May 25th, Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) Open Mic featuring Kevin Dublin
Thanks to Kevin Dublin for reaching out to me to participate in the open mic ahead of his feature at MoAD San Francisco. Kevin and I met back in 2010 at a Cave Canem South retreat, and have kept in touch via social media and a couple of random meetings at conferences like AWP since then. It was quite a surprise and extremely considerate of him.
I was pleased to read with my fellow open micers, including James Cagney, who I had the opportunity to meet and read with through the Cave Canem Foundation at the New School in NYC back in 2020 (literally three weeks or so before the pandemic kicked into high gear...) The evening's lineup follows.
James Cagney
Adrienne Danyelle Oliver
Stephany Welch
MK Chavez
Agua Bracho
Cedric Tillman
Yeva Johnson
Feature: Kevin Dublin
Norm Mattox
A.A. Vincent
Dior Stephens
Raymond Nat Turner
Jermaine Hughes
Zakiyyah G.E. Capehart
Tureeda Mikell
I was pleased to read with my fellow open micers, including James Cagney, who I had the opportunity to meet and read with through the Cave Canem Foundation at the New School in NYC back in 2020 (literally three weeks or so before the pandemic kicked into high gear...) The evening's lineup follows.
James Cagney
Adrienne Danyelle Oliver
Stephany Welch
MK Chavez
Agua Bracho
Cedric Tillman
Yeva Johnson
Feature: Kevin Dublin
Norm Mattox
A.A. Vincent
Dior Stephens
Raymond Nat Turner
Jermaine Hughes
Zakiyyah G.E. Capehart
Tureeda Mikell
