Cedric Tillman's Blog, page 6

Poems at Public Pool

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...

April 24 Reading at McIntyre's Fine Books with NC Poet Laureate Shelby Stephenson & Anora McGaha, Pittsboro, NC

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...

2016 AWP: VONA/Willow Books reading, The Falls Lounge, 7 PM - 9 PM

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/

March 16th Reading with Venus Thrash, 2016 UNCC Black Poetry Series at National Council of Black Studies Conference (NCBS)

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

American University Alumni Reading with Abdul Ali & Jenny Molberg

Forgot to plug it here, but on March 2 I had the great pleasure of coming back to my alma mater and participating in a reading with two fellow AU MFA/Creative Writing alums, Abdul Ali & Jenny Molberg.

Abdul is the author of Trouble Sleeping, winner the 2014 New Issues Poetry Prize, judged by Fanny Howe. He’s a two-time recipient of the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities’ Literature fellowship. He's taught English at The Bryn Mawr School and Towson University (http://abdulali.net/).

Jenny won the 2014 Berkshire Prize for her debut collection of poems, Marvels of the Invisible (forthcoming, Tupelo Press). She received her PhD from the University of North Texas and teaches at the University of Central Missouri (http://www.jennymolberg.com/).

It was wonderful seeing the members of my thesis committee (chair Myra Sklarew & Dr. Keith Leonard) as well as old classmates Venus Thrash, Sandra Beasley, fellow Charlottean Derrick Weston Brown & Natalie Ilium- really cool to see them come out for me/us after all these years. The evening was hosted by Prof. Kyle Dargan, who I saw at AU as a student when he came as a visiting writer. I feel I've come full circle w/these recent readings at UNCCharlotte and at AU, places so vital to who I am as a person and a writer.

Google all these people I just named dropped and buy a book.

Poets on Faith: Reading with Len Lawson, Joe's Place, Greenville, SC

Me and the homie Len Lawson will be reading together down in SC. Really looking forward to it-we've talked about reading together a long time and I'm thankful to Joe's Place for having us. Len's a good dude to do this reading with-I've enjoyed talking with him about the difficulties of being Christian poets in what I consider to be our generally religion-averse circles, and we'll get to some pieces we might not get to in other settings.

Len Lawson teaches writing at Central Carolina Technical College. He has received a creative writing fellowship from Callaloo Creative Writing Workshop. He is a Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominee with poems appearing or forthcoming in Winter Tangerine Review, pluck!, Diverse Voices Quarterly, The Petigru Review, and many other anthologies and journals. Len is Poet-in-Residence for Sumter County (SC) Cultural Commission and co-founder of the Poets Respond to Race initiative. The Very Least of Me explores themes of purpose and identity set in the landscape of a wilderness. He includes three short stories in the collection which are sure to entertain with humor, nostalgia, and reflection.

http://www.joesplacellc.com/event/poe...

Work.

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.

LILIES now available at The Book Shelf, Tryon, NC

Thank you to Penny Padgett and the folks at The Book Shelf up in Tryon, NC, for stocking LILIES this week. Tryon's right at the edge of the NC mountains, cute town w/ several bookstores in the downtown- and also the birthplace of Nina Simone. Went by her (way too neglected) birthplace, took some pics while I was up w/ the fam.

Nice selection of children's books too-was hard prying my girls away. Check 'em out.

http://www.tryonbookshelf.com/

Reading with Coen Crisp at UNCCharlotte, Fretwell Hall, Oct. 28, 4 pm

I'll be reading at the ol' alma mater with Coen Crisp at 4 pm in Fretwell Hall, Room 290B. It's my first reading on campus since LILIES came out in '13. Come out (assuming you are sans a day job or think I'm worth quitting one for)! Copies of the book will be in tow.

Reading at twenty-two Gallery, Plaza-Midwood, Charlotte, NC (Sunday Oct. 25, 8 pm)

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