EVENT LINK: https://tinyurl.com/caro-de-robertis

July 23rd, 9pm-10:30pm EST, Virtual, Free

Caro De Robertis discusses their new book So Many Stars: An Oral History of Trans, Nonbinary, Genderqueer, and Two-Spirit People of Color published by Algonquin Books.

From the acclaimed novelist, a first-of-its-kind, deeply personal, and moving oral history of a generation of trans and gender nonconforming elders of color—from leading activists to artists to ordinary citizens—who tell their own stories of breathtaking courage, cultural innovations, and acts of resistance.

So Many Stars knits together the voices of trans, nonbinary, genderqueer, and two-spirit elders of color as they share authentic, intimate accounts of how they created space for themselves and their communities in the world. This singular project collects the testimonies of twenty elders, each a glimmering thread in a luminous tapestry, preserving their words for future generations—who can more fully exist in the world today because of these very trailblazers.

De Robertis creates a collective coming-of-age story based on hundreds of hours of interviews, offering rare snapshots of ordinary life: kids growing up, navigating family issues and finding community, coming out and changing how they identify over the years, building movements and weathering the AIDS crisis, and sharing wisdom for future generations. Often narrating experiences that took place before they had the array of language that exists today to self-identify beyond the gender binary, this generation lived through remarkable changes in American culture, shaped American culture, and yet rarely takes center stage in the history books. Their stories feel particularly urgent in the current political moment, but also remind readers that their experiences are not new, and that young trans and nonbinary people today belong to a long lineage.

The anecdotes in these pages are riveting, joyful, heartbreaking, full of personality and wisdom, and artfully woven together into one immersive narrative. In De Robertis’s words, So Many Stars shares “behind-the-scenes tales of what it meant—and still means—to create an authentic life, against the odds.”

Caro De Robertis is writer of Uruguayan origins and is the author of six novels, including The Palace of Eros, Cantoras, and more. Their books have been translated into seventeen languages and have received numerous honors, including two Stonewall Book Awards, a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, and the John Dos Passos Prize for Literature, which they were the first openly nonbinary writer to receive. De Robertis is also an award-winning literary translator and a professor at San Francisco State University. They live in Oakland, California with their two children.

EVENT LINK: https://tinyurl.com/sunset-60-minutes

July 16th, 12pm-1:00pm EST, Virtual, Donation

Teatro Vista Productions (TVP) is proud to partner with Global Hive Labs to kick-start Summer Nights with Denise Yvette Serna in her residency Teatro di Grazzano Visconti.

Take a trip to historic Grazzano Visconti, Italy and join Denise Yvette Serna as she develops new work. This digital event will introduce viewers to local performing and visual artists, site specific research in Grazzano Visconti, and allow for Q&A on the development of Sunset 60 Minutes.

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About the Project:

A sunset can take about 20 to 30 minutes, but the exact length depends on the time of year and location.

The lab will explore a character awaiting a beloved visitor's arrival, which should be just after sunset. They are preparing provisions for a care package, as well as preparing food and tea for this evening. As they observe the sunset and continue preparing, packing, and cooking, they reflect on history, folklore, survival, and pray for the things they hope never to forget.

The world they inhabit is on the brink of change. In a post-internet society with limited electricity, resources are precious—seeds, coffee, batteries—and not always easy to come by.

About Teatro Vista:

Since 1991, our intention has been to cultivate Latino/a/e artists and their work into mainstream theatre. Now we've expanded that focus on pushing our ensemble into innovative storytelling that uses the tenets of theatre to create live stage performances, film and media arts. We empower our artists into growing their resume beyond the stage and into executive leadership positions in the entertainment industry to be the representation we seek. Our commitment to professional development opens up access to equity, not only within the company but reflects it out to the community at large.

For more info visit our website: teatrovista.org & follow us on our social media channels! (@teatrovista)

EVENT LINK: https://tinyurl.com/nicole-cuffy-o-sinners

July 9th, 9pm-10:30pm EST, Virtual, Free

Join us as Nicole Cuffy reads from her new novel O Sinners!, published by One World.

Faruq Zaidi, a young journalist processing the recent death of his father, a devout Muslim, takes the opportunity to embed himself in a cult known only as “the nameless,” because its members refused to label themselves. Based in the California redwoods and shepherded by an enigmatic Vietnam War veteran named Odo, “the nameless” adhere to the 18 Utterances, including teachings such as “all suffering is distortion” and “see only beauty.” Faruq, skeptical but committed to unraveling the mystery of “the nameless,” extends his stay over months, as he gets deeper into the cult’s inner workings and alluring teachings. But as he gets closer to Odo, Faruq himself begins to unravel, forced to come to terms with the memories he has been running from while trying to resist Odo’s spell.

Told in three seamlessly interwoven threads―Faruq’s present-day investigation, Odo’s time as an infantryman during the Vietnam War alongside three other Black soldiers before the formation of the movement, and a documentary script that recounts the clash between “the nameless” and a Texas fundamentalist church―O Sinners! examines both longing and belonging. Ultimately the novel asks: What is it that we seek from the people we admire and, inevitably, from one another?

Nicole Cuffy is the author of Dances, longlisted for the Carol Shields Prize for Fiction and the PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel. Cuffy has an MFA from The New School and is a lecturer at the University of Maryland and Georgetown University. Her work can be found in the New England Review; The Masters Review, Volume VI (curated by Roxane Gay); Chautauqua; and Blue Mesa Review. Her chapbook, Atlas of the Body, won the Chautauqua Janus Prize and was a finalist for the Black River Chapbook Competition. She lives in Washington, D.C.

Made possible by support from the City Lights Foundation.

EVENT LINK: https://tinyurl.com/climate-disability-justice

July 3rd, 10am-11:15am EST, Virtual, $15.60

Meet Jen White-Johnson, working at the intersection of disability and climate justice. You’ll explore anti-ableist design, engage with thought-provoking zines, and gain fresh insight into how care, activism, and creativity can reshape visual culture and drive change.

About the Facilitators:

Jen White-Johnson is a disabled and neurodivergent artist and designer educator who centers Black disabled joy and futures in her work, informed by disability justice and Black feminist disability framework. Jen has presented her disability justice activist work and collaborated with a number of brands and art spaces across print and digital such as Target, Coachella and Adobe Design. Jen’s work is also permanently archived at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the National African American Museum of History and Culture in DC. Jen holds a BA in Visual Art from The University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) and a MFA in Graphic Design from the Maryland Institute College of Art, where she also imparts her knowledge as a current instructor, Jen resides in Baltimore, MD, with her husband and 12-year-old son.

https://jenwhitejohnson.com

Follow Jen on Instagram

Access Information for This Event:

This event is aimed at adults and will be held online. You will need a good internet connection and a laptop/computer/mobile device to join us.

There will be have BSL and Live Closed Captioning.

There will be 100 attendees maximum, and the event will feature comfort breaks. During this event, attendees will participate in: Lecture / Q&A, sharing work that has been created, visual presentation.

If you have any questions or access requirements, please get in touch with us via events@glasgowzinelibrary.com

Find out more about access at GZF events and how to make an access request here.

All events will adhere to our safer spaces policy, which you can learn about here.

How to Access the Event:

After booking a ticket, you will be sent several reminder emails from Eventbrite leading up to the event. We will also send emails that share any resources that attendees will need access to, including any required materials.

Access links will be sent to attendees in advance of the event. For any technical problems, please email events@glasgowzinelibrary.com

Support GZL:

Join the GZL Patreon and support the library on a monthly basis: http://patreon.com/glasgowzinelibrary

EVENT LINK: https://tinyurl.com/rare-rainbow-showcase

June 27th, 6pm-9:30pm EST, Virtual, Free

Join us for the Rare Rainbow Live Creative Showcase, a one-night-only virtual experience spotlighting LGBTQ+ artists in the rare disease community. This powerful celebration uplifts creative expression, identity, and advocacy—from striking visuals to moving performances.

Want to take the virtual stage?

If you’re a queer rare disease advocate with a story to tell through art—visual, digital, written, or performance—you’re invited to submit your your work for a chance to present live and share the message behind your piece—alongside your connection to the rare disease journey.

After the performances, the audience will vote live to crown our Rare Rainbow Creative of the Year—who will receive a custom prize mailed to their door!

Runner-ups will also receive a special digital feature across our platforms.

Not interested in submitting work?

No worries! You can still RSVP, attend, and cast your vote for the Rare Radiance Creative of the Year.

Submissions and RSVPs now open—apply or reserve your spot!

Come for the talent, stay for the truth, and leave feeling seen, heard, and celebrated.

EVENT LINK: https://tinyurl.com/black-music-month

June 19th, 6pm-7:30pm EST, Virtual, Free

Celebrate Black Music Month with us! Join us virtually on Thursday June 19th, 2025 at 6:00 PM for a night filled with amazing performances by Harvey Cummings II!

Harvey Cummings II

A native of Charlotte, has taken the world of music by storm with his unmatched talent and remarkable versatility. As an award-winning saxophonist, pianist, songwriter, and producer, Cummings has created a unique sound that seamlessly blends jazz, hip-hop, and soul, providing listeners with an extraordinary auditory experience.

At the forefront of the modern jazz movement, Cummings leads his captivating ensemble, The Harvey Cummings Project. Their performances have graced the stages of prestigious festivals and have mesmerized audiences on television and podcast series alike. The list of clients they have collaborated with is awe-inspiring, including luminaries such as President Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, and Michael Jordan. Additionally, Cummings has worked alongside esteemed organizations and entities like Blumenthal Performing Arts, CRVA, Lowe's, CLTure, The Carolina Panthers, The ACC, CIA, and MEAC Conferences, The National Urban League, Creative Mornings, The Links, Jack & Jill of America, most D9 organizations, and 20th Century Fox's Our Kind of People. Harvey was even in charge of directing various musical performances at Super Bowl 50 in San Jose, California.

A graduate of North Carolina Central University and and an initiate of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc, Cummings holds both a BA and a BM in Music and Jazz. His remarkable compositions have been featured on Cartoon Network's "The Boondocks," and he has lent his musical prowess to renowned brands such as Dreamville, Courvoisier, Urban Outfitters, Bud Light, CLTure, Allen Edmonds, and the Harvey B Gantt Center for African-American Arts and Culture. Cummings's dedication to his craft is evident through his collaborations with notable artists such as rapper Dababy Mez, TLC, Angie Stone, Anthony Hamilton, Cyanca, Elevator Jay, Fantasia, Lute, Erick Lottary, and many more.

Cummings's musical genius has not gone unnoticed. The Charlotte Post has aptly described him as "a cornerstone of Charlotte's music scene," acknowledging his unwavering contributions to the local and national music landscape. His ability to seamlessly blend genres has captivated the hearts of audiences across the globe, earning him resounding accolades and a dedicated fan base.

EVENT LINK: https://tinyurl.com/speculative-sundays-juneteenth

June 15th, 7pm-8:15pm EST, Virtual, Free

Welcome to the Speculative Sunday Poetry Reading Series celebrating Juneteenth and the Black Fantastic! Join us online for an evening of powerful poetry that explores themes of freedom, resilience, and imagination. Our lineup features talented poets who will transport you to new worlds through their words. Don't miss this special event honoring the Black experience and the power of speculative poetry. Mark your calendars and get ready to be inspired!

The Poets

Linda D. Addison

Sherese Francis

Jacqueline Johnson

Miguel O. Mitchell

upfromsumdirt

EVENT LINK: https://tinyurl.com/la-gateau-chocolat

June 11th, 10am-11am EST, Virtual, Free

Pride Month Talk with Le Gateau Chocolat: Voice, Visibility & Pride

In celebration of Pride month, #IAmRemarkable is delighted to be hosting what promises to be a powerful and inspiring conversation with the incomparable Le Gateau Chocolat—a bold, genre-defying performer whose work spans opera, drag, cabaret, and beyond.

From Carnegie Hall to Glyndebourne, Le Gateau Chocolat has captivated audiences around the world with his rich baritone voice, striking presence, and unapologetic authenticity.

In this special talk, he’ll share his journey through the arts, reflect on what it means to take up space as a queer Black artist, and explore how we can all live more fully, authentically, and unapologetically. Expect an insightful conversation and a celebration of queerness in all its power and beauty.

Don’t miss this chance to hear from one of the most versatile and fearless performers of our time.

https://legateauchocolat.com/

https://www.rmrkblty.org/iamremarkable

EVENT LINK: https://tinyurl.com/latinx-educator-showcase

June 5th, 7pm-8:30pm EST, Virtual, Free

Join us as we celebrate the 2025 cohort of the Expresión Storytelling Fellowship - a powerful gathering of Latinx educators reclaiming their narratives, honoring their journeys, and building community through story.

Co-founded by the Latinx Education Collaborative and Storytellers for Change, Expresión is more than a professional development program - it is a sacred space for storytelling, reflection, healing, and liberation. Now in its fourth cohort, this fellowship centers Latinx educators as essential storytellers in our schools and communities.

Throughout the fellowship, participants have shared their lived experiences through writing, art, poetry, performance, and deep dialogue. Together, they’ve explored joy, grief, identity, community, and the powerful act of speaking truth in systems that too often silence us.

This public celebration honors the voices of our 2025 fellows, amplifying stories that make space for healing, affirm cultural pride, and spark collective imagination.

Whether you're an educator, student, parent, artist, or community member - we invite you to come feel, listen, and celebrate with us.

We are our stories. We are joy. We are becoming.

EVENT LINK: https://tinyurl.com/reading-james-baldwin

May 21st, 2pm-3:30pm EST, Virtual, Sliding Scale ($10-$40)

I want to be an honest man and a good writer.

Published in 1955, Notes of a Native Son is Baldwin’s attempt “to understand the contradictions of his country,” writes Eddie Glaude, Jr. “He does so as an artist desperate to make sense of a place that rejected its own reality and as a Black man from Harlem who had to survive the consequences of those contradictions. This kind of work was extraordinarily personal to him.”

“I recently taught the title essay to a group of incarcerated men at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman,” writes W. Ralph Eubanks. “Every man in that class felt that Baldwin understood their lives, which had been shaped by abuse, discrimination, poverty, and oppression. Even the two white men in the class commented that reading ‘Notes of a Native Son’ made racial discrimination feel real in a way it had not to them before. This is a book that shows how Baldwin provides light and understanding to his readers and meets them where they are.”

Few American writers have marked their era as powerfully as James Baldwin. As distinctive on the page as on the airwaves, his voice is indelibly associated with the demand for racial justice in the United States, a demand that continues to make him one of our most pressing and urgent contemporaries.

To mark Baldwin’s centenary, the Authors Guild Foundation invites you to join a conversation featuring some of our most exciting writers, scholars, and essayists as we gather to celebrate, study, and reflect on the legacy of Baldwin’s life and work.

…

W. Ralph Eubanks is the author of A Place Like Mississippi; Ever Is a Long Time: A Journey Into Mississippi’s Dark Past and The House at the End of the Road: The Story of Three Generations of an Interracial Family in the American South. From 1995 to 2013 he was director of publishing for the Library of Congress and currently he is the faculty fellow at the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi and is at work on his next book, which has the working title When It’s Darkness on the Delta: An American Reckoning. Eubanks serves as President of the Authors Guild.

Eddie Glaude, Jr., is a passionate educator, author, political commentator, and public intellectual who examines the complex dynamics of the American experience. His books include Democracy in Black: How Race Still Enslaves the American Soul, In a Shade of Blue: Pragmatism and the Politics of Black America, and Begin Again: James Baldwin’s America and Its Urgent Lessons for our Own, which was a New York Times bestseller. He is the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor of African American Studies at Princeton University.

EVENT LINK: https://tinyurl.com/eid-celebration-poetry

May 9th, 10pm-11:30pm EST, Virtual, Free

Join us for a captivating evening of multilingual poetry and Mushaira, where the rich literary traditions of the Muslim world come alive through the spoken word. This event brings together renowned Muslim poets from across the UK, USA, India and Denmark, showcasing their artistry in various languages, including Urdu, Arabic, Persian, English, and more.

Experience the beauty of poetic expression as these talented poets share verses that resonate with themes of spirituality, identity, culture, and human connection. The voices from different backgrounds will unite in the universal language of poetry again.

International poets include Zakia Zaheer (India), Ghaith Adnan Khaleel Alshati (Germany), Sadaf Mirza (Denmark), Nasima Begum (Bengali poet) Harmesh Manghra ( Punjabi poet) and Leyla Colman (Turkye) who will do a presentation Al Maulana Rumi.

Hosted by: Rubina Khan, Poet and BBC Radio Presenter and Becky Swain, Director of Poetry Library, Manchester Metropolitan University.

Chief Guest: Salma Zaman, children’s author and a Bollywood dance teacher.

EVENT LINK: https://tinyurl.com/sisters-in-feminism-poetry

April 26th, 7pm-9pm EST, Virtual, $ Sliding Scale (from $10-$20)

Come join us on Zoom for “Sisters in Feminism: Poetry by Immigrant and Refugee Women,” the third annual National Poetry Month (NPM) event organized by the Feminist Caucus of the League of Canadian Poets! We’ve pushed this year’s NPM theme of “family” beyond nuclear and state borders, choosing to recognize the global sisterhood that unites feminists in our struggle for liberation. Twelve such Sisters in Feminism, refugees or immigrants to Canada from around the world, will read for five minutes each. Most readers will perform in English. Performances in Ukrainian and Persian will be followed by complete English translations, read by the translators themselves.

Buy tickets on eventbrite today! A limited number are available at each price point: $10, $15, and $20. Please pay what you can. The money goes to the poets! To request a need-based free ticket, please email feministcaucus@leaguepoets.com

READER BIOS

FARAH AYAAD is a Palestinian-Canadian poet and spiritual activist blending poetry, self-help, and spirituality. She is the author of Coming Home, You Are The Sun, Love On Earth, Mañana, Doves & Olives, and Almost Home. Influenced by Rumi, Khalil Gibran, and Osho, her work empowers readers to become their bravest self.

PADMAJA BATTANI, originally from India, lives in Connecticut/Ottawa. She received an MA in English Literature. Her prose and poetry appeared in Sierra Poetry Festival, Trouvaille Review, New Pages, The Temz Review, Coffee People Magazine, Poetry Pause (League of Canadian Poets), CanLit Magazine and others. Her latest passion is hiking. She is currently working on a Poetry Collection.

ULIANA HLYNCHAK is a Toronto-based journalist, producer, and author. Uliana writes and translates poetry and short stories in Ukrainian and English. She works at the Ukrainian TV Network KONTAKT. She is on the Board of Directors at the Ukrainian Canadian Art Foundation and volunteers for the Toronto Ukrainian Festival. Uliana came to Canada from Ukraine in 1991.

PAMELA MORDECAI is a Jamaican-Canadian poet who lives in Toronto and writes for adults and children. Her nine books for grown-ups include called A Fierce Green Place: new and selected poems (New Directions, 2022) and de book of Joseph (Mawenzi House,

2022), third in her New Testament series in Patwa. See https://mordecai.citl.mun.ca/

MARYANA MUKHA: From the start of the full-scale invasion until March 2024, Maryana lived in Kyiv, Ukraine, before relocating to Vancouver. Her first poem, written on June 27, 2022, responded to a deadly Russian attack. She has since performed at events supporting Ukraine and is starting a new life in Canada, balancing poetry with new beginnings.

ANINDITA MUKHERJEE is a poet and translator. Her literary oeuvre includes How Silkworms Break Their Eggs: Selected Poems of Mridul Dasgupta, and a chapbook titled Nothing and Variations, besides publications in other literary magazines. She is a PhD student in English and Film Studies at the University of Alberta.

GIANNA PATRIARCA: multiple award-winning author of 13 books: poetry, children’s literature, short fiction, essays. Her work is extensively anthologized, adapted for Canada Stage, CBC Radio, numerous documentaries, and on the course lists of universities in Italy, Canada and the USA.

FAUZIA RAFIQUE Fauzia Rafique is a novelist and arts activist who has published three novels: ‘Keerru‘, ‘Skeena‘, and ‘The Adventures of SahebaN: Biography of a Relentless Warrior’. ‘Insects’, the English translation of Keerru is forthcoming from Hachette India. She is a co-founder and the coordinator of Surrey Muse Arts Society.

BARAN SAJADI is a poet and activist from Afghanistan born in Mashhad, Iran. She experienced child labour and was expelled from Ferdowsi University due to the explicit content of her poetry. Baran has been living in Canada ever since. She has published three poetry collections: Stoning, Period, and Blood Bath.

BÄNOO ZAN (reading as translator for Baran) is a poet, translator, and poetry curator, with over 300 published pieces and three books. She is the founder of Shab-e She’r, Canada’s most diverse and brave poetry series. Bänoo is the co-editor of the international poetry anthology: Woman, Life, Freedom: Poems for the Iranian Revolution, Guernica Editions.

DR. NILOFAR SHIDMEHR is a poet, fiction writer, and poetic-inquiry scholar. She is the author of seven books of poetry in English and Persian, and the chief editor and curator of two Iranian Editions of Bombay Review, and the book Rainbows on Rugged Terrains: Poetics of Queer Iranians in Exile.

JUMOKE VERISSIMO is an acclaimed poet and novelist. Her work includes two award-winning poetry collections, i am memory and The Birth of Illusion, and the critically acclaimed novel, A Small Silence, winner of the Aidoo Synder Book Prize. Her latest poetry collection is forthcoming from Coach House in Fall 2025.

ANNA YIN was Mississauga’s Inaugural Poet Laureate (2015-17) and has authored six poetry collections and four books of translations. Anna won poetry awards in both Chinese and English. She teaches Poetry Alive and her 11th book will be published by Frontenac Press in 2025. Her website is annapoetry.com

EVENT LINK: https://tinyurl.com/concerts-4-cuba

April 5th, 9pm-11pm EST, Virtual, $Donation

In the last few months, successive cyclones, flooding, earthquakes, and massive power outages have had devastating consequences for the people on the island of Cuba. The increased depravations have compounded the effects of widespread shortages of fuel, medicine and essential supplies.

In response, a consortium of seasoned concert producers have come together across the nation in an unprecedented effort to raise humanitarian aid for Cuba.

On Sunday February 16, live SRO concerts were produced and presented in NYC at the People’s Forum, in Chicago at Constellation, and in the Bay Area at the Chapel. These live concerts were professionally filmed and edited for our SATURDAY APRIL 5 stream via Facebook Live and You Tube. While the streaming concert will be presented without paywalls, the fundraising effort will additionally contribute proceeds directed to support humanitarian aid for Cuba.

Global Partners for Health and The People’s Forum are the designated intermediary recipients and experienced in managing the logistics of large- scale relief efforts and are our designated partners to deliver the supplies.

The national coordinating committee is led by: Bill Martinez, Marguerite Horberg and Hannah Craig with support of local host committees from across the country. The two-hour concert will feature dozens of artists who have donated their time for the project and they include:

ORQUESTA LA MODERNA TRADICIÓN-

JAVIER NAVARRETTE’S, KAI LYONS’ CHARANGÜI WITH SPECIAL GUESTS-

PELLEJO SECO

CUBACARIBE & ARENAS DANCE COMPANY

DJ: LUIS MEDINA

NORBERTO GUERRA & CHARLIE MEJIAS

GRUPO CHA CHA

THE SPECIAL EDITION PROYECTO LIBRE SUPER BAND

BILLY MARTIN AND CALAPITTER

WARNER MEADOWS

An exclusive film created by Belly of the Beast will lead the program with a brief educational message contextualizing the need for material aid in Cuba.

EVENT LINK: https://tinyurl.com/remembering-francis-coley

March 28th, 7pm-9pm EST, Virtual, $5

Join the National Black Doulas Association (NBDA) for a special movie screening in celebration of Black History Month. On March 28, 2025, we will be screening the documentary Remembering Francis Coley, honoring the life and contributions of Margaret Charles Smith, a trailblazer in the field of midwifery and Black maternal health.

This documentary tells the powerful story of Francis Coley, whose legacy in reproductive justice and midwifery continues to inspire. We’ll come together to reflect on her impact and discuss her groundbreaking work that transformed maternal care for Black women.

What to Expect:

• Screening of Remembering Francis Coley

• A discussion on Margaret Charles Smith’s profound influence on midwifery and Black maternal health

• A chance to connect with others committed to honoring Black women’s contributions to healthcare

Details:

• When: March 28, 2025, from 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM EST

• Where: Zoom (link provided upon registration)

Who Should Attend:
Those interested in Black history, reproductive justice, and the legacy of Black women in midwifery and maternal health.

🎬 Join us for a powerful evening of remembrance and reflection on Margaret Charles Smith's incredible legacy.

Reserve your spot today!

EVENT LINK: https://tinyurl.com/refugee-poetry-hour

March 10th, 9am-10:00am EST, Virtual, Free

TogetherintheUK, the PaleWell Press and Freedom from Torture invite you to the Refugee Poetry Hour.

Join us to be moved, entertained and surprised by the voices of brilliant refugee poets based in the UK. This event is a celebration of resilience, hope, and the power of literature to connect us all; the rocket fuel of extraordinary, sometimes terrible experience, sheathed in the beauty of language.

EVENT LINK: https://tinyurl.com/march-2-black-history-concert

March 2nd, 4pm-5:30pm EST, Virtual, $20

Celebrate Black history with performances by an outstanding group of professional artists and amazing young performers.

Fabiene Hunter Brown is a soloist known in the New Jersey / Pennsylvania area. She received a Bachelors degree in Music Education and a Masters in Vocal Performance from The College of New Jersey (TCNJ). She obtained additional credits from Temple University where she studied voice with Dr. Philip Cho.

SoundEVR is the brainchild of Daniel Spearman. Dreamed up during the hungry days of post undergrad in 2017, SoundEVR has one goal - to get people dancing. Drawing from the history of music made to get folks out of their seats and onto the dance floor, SoundEVR uses the sounds of Funk, Gospel, RnB, House and Pop music to make you move your body.

Julie-Ann Green, soprano, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree as a double major in Vocal Performance and Music Education from Rowan University (formerly Glassboro State College). She has earned Artists Diplomas from the Mozarteum Academy in Salzburg, Austria, and has studied Italian Opera, Language, Art and Culture at the Florence Voice Seminar in Florence, Italy.

Lore Constantine has performed throughout the Delaware Valley and Southern New Jersey at a variety of venues. She specializes in presenting an artistic mixture of music of different styles and time periods, from J.S. Bach to Duke Ellington, from The Beatles to Andrew Lloyd Webber.

EVENT LINK: https://tinyurl.com/crip-love-care

February 20th, 8:00am-10:00pm EST, Virtual, $5-10 Sliding Scale

Partners in art and life, Charlie Fitz and Oscar Vinter will discuss how their relationship of interdependent care has influenced their collaborative and independent art practice, specifically their filmmaking. This discussion will be followed by a screening of several of their short art films. The films explore dancing, masking, ableism, medical bureaucracy, care, the body, identity, hysteria and the occult. The session will end with an informal Q&A discussion.

Content warning: some of the films contain flashing images and may trigger those with photosensitive epilepsy. There are also mentions in the films of medical trauma and gaslighting.

Films to be screened

• COL5A/FBN2 (2019) (8 minutes 36 seconds) by Oscar Vinter

• Dance the Body Electric (2024) (5 minutes 40 seconds) by Oscar Vinter

• I do nothing (2019) by Fitz & Vinter (1 minute 55 seconds)

• Honey, it's my Hindbrain by Fitz & Vinter (2018) (1 minute 26 seconds)

• Hysteric Witch short, by Fitz, work-in-progress (timings tbc)

Access

This event will include comfort breaks throughout its duration as well as live BSL interpretation. This programme will be running on Crip Time. As a result, we endeavour to reschedule events should any of our contributors not feel well / experience a change in capacity in the lead up to and / or on the day of the event itself.

Tickets

In order to ensure this programme is accessible to all, we have implemented a three tiered ticketing system: Pay As You Feel, Standard tickets priced at £5.00 (plus eventbrite fee) as well as Solidarity Tickets priced at £10 (plus eventbrite fee).

If you would like to attend this event but cannot afford to purchase a paid ticket please get in touch with us directly at info@ortgallery.co.uk

About the Artists

Oscar Vinter (he/they) is an afropean neurodivergent artist, composer and filmmaker. www.oscarvinter.com

Charlie Fitz (she/they) is a sick and disabled artist, arts practitioner, writer and member of Resting Up Collective. www.CharlieFitzArtist.co.uk

About the Programme

Crip Resistance: Holding Space, Building Community, is a programme of events exploring disabled, sick, mad, and crip modes of resistance and remote community care. From February to April 2025, this interdisciplinary collaboration between Resting Up Collective and Ort Gallery will feature a series of online events including creative workshops, artist talks, live performances, and film screenings. The programme will include a print and online publication documenting and expanding on the programme's themes as well as a curated collection of books for the Birmingham Resistance Library.

EVENT LINK: https://tinyurl.com/omar-el-akkad

February 18th, 7:30pm-8:30pm EST, Virtual, Free

Join us for a visit with award-winning novelist and journalist Omar El Akkad to talk about his new book, One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This, a powerful reckoning with what it means to live in a West that betrays its fundamental values. Our host for the afternoon will be Sarah Marie, who organizes a live Instagram book series.

Omar El Akkad: In Conversation
Hosted by Sarah Marie
18 February 2025
Zoom Webinar

On October 25, 2023, after just three weeks of the bombardment of Gaza, Omar El Akkad put out a tweet: “One day, when it’s safe, when there’s no personal downside to calling a thing what it is, when it’s too late to hold anyone accountable, everyone will have always been against this.” This tweet has been viewed more than 10 million times.

As an immigrant who came to the West, El Akkad believed that it promised freedom. A place of justice for all. But in the past twenty years, reporting on the War on Terror, Ferguson, climate change, Black Lives Matter protests, and more, and watching the unmitigated slaughter in Gaza, El Akkad has come to the conclusion that much of what the West promises is a lie. That there will always be entire groups of human beings it has never intended to treat as fully human—not just Arabs or Muslims or immigrants, but whoever falls outside the boundaries of privilege. One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This is a chronicle of that painful realization, a moral grappling with what it means, as a citizen of the U.S., as a father, to carve out some sense of possibility in a time of carnage.

This is El Akkad’s nonfiction debut, his most raw and vulnerable work to date, a heartsick breakup letter with the West. It is a brilliant articulation of the same breakup we are watching all over the United States, in family rooms, on college campuses, on city streets; the consequences of this rupture are just beginning. This book is for all the people who want something better than what the West has served up. This is the book for our time.

EVENT LINK: https://tinyurl.com/celebrating-chinese-new-year

February 6th, 8:30pm-9:30pm EST, Virtual, Free

Celebrating Chinese New Year: A Musical Journey and Mindful New Beginnings

Welcome to our online event where we will celebrate the Lunar New Year in style! Join us for a unique experience filled with mesmerizing traditional Chinese music, meditation, and fun activities to kick off the new year with positivity. Let's embark on a musical journey together and set intentions for a fresh start. This event is all about embracing new beginnings and spreading joy. Don't miss out on this special celebration!

EVENT LINK: https://tinyurl.com/black-history-month-hackathon

February 4th, 2pm-4pm EST, Virtual, Free

Join us for our Black History Month Wikipedia edit-a-thon and help to close the Wikipedia racial gap by creating and editing biographies about Black artists and performers with connections to the arts and humanities in DC.

All are welcome and training will be provided for new Wikipedia editors. This event is presented with support from Wikimedia DC.

Please note that editors may not edit or create Wikipedia articles about themselves, their families, their organizations, or their employers.

Be advised that this workshop will include live real-time captioning via Zoom. For reasonable accommodation requests regarding access and inclusion, please contact David Markey (david.markey@dc.gov), no later than 5 business days before the start of this event.

EVENT LINK: https://tinyurl.com/kai-naima-williams

January 9th, 9pm-10:30pm EST, Virtual, Free

City Lights celebrates the publication of

The Bridges Yuri Built: How Yuri Kochiyama Marched Across Movements

By Kai Naima Williams
Illustrated by Anastasia Magloire Williams
Published by Kaepernick Press

THE BRIDGES YURI BUILT: HOW YURI KOCHIYAMA MARCHED ACROSS MOVEMENTS introduces one of the 20th-century’s most notable freedom fighters, Yuri Kochiyama (1921 – 2014) to the next generation of young readers.

Debut children's picture book author Kai Naima Williams – great-granddaughter of Yuri Kochiyama – intimately chronicles the experiences and lessons, hardships and victories, and people and places that shaped Yuri’s life and influenced her activism. From Yuri’s incarceration in a Japanese-American concentration camp during World War II to her participation in movements organizing for better schools in Harlem to her close friendship with Malcolm X, Yuri never wavered in her belief in the power of people – especially young people – to bring about social change. Through imaginative writing and vibrant illustrations (Anastasia Magloire Williams), THE BRIDGES YURI BUILT is sure to inspire young readers to embrace Yuri’s unswerving belief that together we can build a bridge to a better world.

Kai Naima Williams is a multidisciplinary writer and performing artist based in Harlem, New York. She is the author of two poetry chapbooks He Tried To Drown The Ocean, I Waved (Hyacinth Girl Press, 2018) and Tomorrow Maps (The Hunger Press, 2023) and the children’s picture book The Bridges Yuri Built: How Yuri Kochiyama Marched Across Movements (Kaepernick Publishing, 2024). Her work has been featured in MASK Magazine, Louisiana Literature, Stirring Lit, Abolition Is, CRWN Magazine, Literary Manhattan and the upcoming anthology Black and Asian Feminist Solidarities (Haymarket Press, 2025) amongst other publications, and she has been honored by the Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival and The New York Times. She is also a co-founder of Eat At The Table Theatre Company.

Katie Yamasaki works primarily as a muralist and picture book creator. She has painted more than eighty murals around the world, and her most recent book is Place Hand Here. She has a forthcoming book coming out in April 2025 from W.W. Norton titled MURAL ISLAND. She lives in Brooklyn with her family.

Made possible by support from the City Lights Foundation

EVENT LINK: https://tinyurl.com/chavez-documentary

January 5th, 7pm- 9pm EST, Virtual, Free

Virtual Documentary Night is a monthly online event designed to give people the chance to discuss interesting ideas and topics explored in the documentaries that are free for anyone to access online. For this event we voted to talk about the documentary, Chávez Ravine: A Los Angeles Story. Jordan Mechner's award-winning 2003 half-hour documentary tells the bittersweet story of an American community betrayed by greed, political hypocrisy, and good intentions gone astray. Don Normark's haunting black-and-white photographs reclaim and celebrate Chávez Ravine, a closely-knit Mexican-American village that once overlooked downtown Los Angeles from the hill where Dodger Stadium now stands. You must watch the film on your own BEFORE the event. You can watch the film for free at this link.

>>Click here to watch Chávez Ravine for free<<

For the event we will meet on Zoom, where you participate in multiple rounds of small group discussions with a different discussion prompt and different randomized groups for each round. This gives you the opportunity to meet new people and hear a variety of perspectives throughout the night. You will receive the Zoom link and password for this event once you register for the event.

If you have any questions or would like to be added to the email list, please contact Adam Hicks at CommunityDocumentaryNight@gmail.com.

To learn more about Community Documentary Night and our past events, check out our website HERE.

EVENT LINK: https://tinyurl.com/poets-across-lines

December 12th, 8pm- 9:30pm EST, Virtual, Free

Join us on December 12, 2024 at 8:00pm EST for an evening of poetry and community. The four poets of the inaugural cohort of Poets Across Lines, Arlo Pate and Kevin L. Tarver in Birmingham and Kevin Sanchez and RuthAnn in Tucson, will read poems created during the program. These poems center around the themes of housing, immigration, and LGBTQIA+ identity, amplifying poetry and poets from communities underserved by the traditional literary establishment. Featuring introductions and readings by program Mentors Erika Wade and Gabriel Dozal, and poems by Advisors Salaam Green and Ofelia Montelongo! This incredible evening of poetry and readings featuring emerging and established poets will center and celebrate community poets, their role and their work.

Poems from this evening will be available in Watching for the Moon Above: Poets Across Lines (Community Poetry from Birmingham & Tucson) a collaborative zine produced by Pansy Press. You can download the zine for free at the end of the reading.

Learn more about the four selected poets of Poets Across Lines 2024:

Arlo Pate (he/they) is a writer and educator currently nestled in Birmingham, Alabama. After studying Anthropology, they got their start in farming and since then has followed opportunities that lead him closer to agriculture and labor organizing. Their relationship with the land has a profound influence on their songwriting and poetry.

Kevin L. Tarver (he/him) is a writer, educator, and mental health advocate living in Birmingham, AL. He is a Black gay man trying to live a joyful life through fierce self-care and emotional honesty. His subject matter includes mental and emotional health awareness, sexual health education, and his experiences within the southern LGBT+ community.

Kevin Sanchez (he/him) was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona. As a first generation college graduate, he earned a BA in English and a BA in Creative Writing from the University of Arizona. Kevin is currently a high school teacher, sharing his love for literature and writing with the future generations of poets.

RuthAnn (they/them) is an aroace abolitionist and accessibility advocate. Born and raised in Arizona, they love the Sonoran Desert, where they continue to reside today. They are a translator and aspiring librarian. In addition to poetry, they enjoy singing, dancing, photography, cross stitch, and hand lettering.

Free and open to the public with registration! The Zoom link will be provided the day of the event.

About the Program

Poets Across Lines is a cross-regional poetry writing program in Birmingham, AL and Tucson, AZ where four poets, two in each city, write poetry that tells the story of their communities—joys, challenges, and resiliency. Through instructor-led writing workshops, cohort convenings, and guest speaker sessions, Poets Across Lines fosters a space that believes poetry is a site of community and coalition building. Learn more on our website or by emailing pal@pen.org.

EVENT LINK: https://tinyurl.com/a-flame-for-palestine

December 8th, 12pm- 2pm EDT, Virtual, Free

Join us for our 2024 concert which will feature contributions from:

• Lamar Elias, Conductor

• Lourdina Baboun, violin, Edward Said National Conservatory of Music almuna and PalMusic scholar

• Guest speaker, Reverend Munther Ishaaq from Bethlehem and students of the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music.

The concert is free, but we ask everyone to consider making a gift this Christmas, to support the tuition of a child who is not be able to study at ESNCM without financial assistance. For young innocent Palestinians who are witnessing and experiencing distress and trauma daily, the acknowledged benefits of music are immense. Learning music gives Palestinian children and young people a beacon of hope, a sense of belonging and a much-need creative outlet through which to express their emotions.

EVENT LINK: https://tinyurl.com/Leonard-Peltier-film
November 17th, 7pm- 9pm EDT, Virtual, Free

Virtual Documentary Night is a monthly online event hosted by Community Documentary Night. It is designed to give people the opportunity to engage in meaningful discussions on a wide range of topics with people from various backgrounds. This event is in collaboration with SURJ Boston, specifically their Indigenous Solidarity Action Partnership committee. SURJ Boston is a local chapter of Showing Up for Racial Justice, a national network of groups and individuals organizing white people for racial justice. Through community organizing, mobilizing, and education, SURJ moves white people to act as part of a multi-racial majority for justice with passion and accountability. They work to connect people across the country while supporting and collaborating with local and national racial justice organizing efforts.

For this Special Virtual Documentary Night, in honor of Native American Heritage Month, we are meeting to talk about the documentary WARRIOR: The Life of Leonard Peltier. This is the definitive feature documentary about American Indian activist, Leonard Peltier. His story is told within the context of the American Indian Movement, the US federal government, and the multi national companies interested in mining the land in South Dakota. Suzie Baer and Jeanne Roach will be joining us for a special guest Q&A! You can watch the film for free at the link below.

>>Click here to watch WARRIOR: The Life of Leonard Peltier for free<<

**PLEASE REMEMBER TO WATCH THE FILM ON YOUR OWN BEFORE JOINING THE EVENT**

How this all works is you will first watch the film on your own prior to our event. Then we will meet on Zoom on the day of the event, where you participate in multiple rounds of small group discussions with a different discussion prompt and different randomized groups for each round. This gives you the opportunity to hear a variety of perspectives throughout the night. Then we will follow with the special guest Q&A! Again, you must watch the film on your own BEFORE the event. You will receive the Zoom link and password once you register for the event. Please remember your Eventbrite login and password. You may need that to access the Zoom info on the day of the event.

If you have any trouble accessing the zoom link, have any questions or would like to be added to the email list, please contact CommunityDocumentaryNight@gmail.com.

To learn more about Community Documentary Night and our past events, check out our website. https://documentarynight.wordpress.com/

We have generated a set of norms and expectations for our event. They were created to help us maintain a welcoming and civil environment for everyone in attendance. Please read through before attending. They will also be recited at the start of the event.

1. This event is open to all who are open to all. This is an inclusive event. We are open to anyone including all gender expressions, racial identities, political affiliations, etc. as long as you are open to hearing the perspective of others.

2. Step Up and Step Back. Step up meaning we ask that you step up and share your perspective so that we can learn and grow from your knowledge and experience. Step back meaning we ask that you step back on occasion, allowing yourself the opportunity to hear and grow from the experience and perspectives of others in attendance.

3. Allow others to express their full thought. This is just a nice way of saying try not to interrupt.

4. Be mindful of others wanting to speak. Try to keep your thoughts concise, allowing time for others to respond.

5. If you don't agree, this is not a debate but a discussion. So instead of trying to sway the other person, try to understand where they are coming from. That can be done by asking "What makes you think that?" This requires coming from a place of curiosity rather than competition.

6. But even though it's not a debate, feel free to challenge what is said. Not in saying "You're wrong." But by sharing the idea that you have and asking how that fits with what they just shared. This allows for both ideas to be in the same space and gives the other person an opportunity to explain their thinking.

7. Assume good intentions. We are all here to learn and grow together. If something does not sound right, ask first for clarification before jumping to conclusions.

8. If there is an issue, speak up in the moment, if at all possible. Some may not realize that what they said had a negative impact on those in the room. Speaking up can give them the opportunity to correct what they said.

9. If it is not possible to resolve amongst yourselves, request that the host join your room. Once he enters your breakout room you can explain the situation or send him a private message if you are not comfortable stating the problem openly. If you would rather wait till after the event, feel free to email the host at CommunityDocumentaryNight@gmail.com, then we can figure out a way of resolving the issue for future events.

10. It's ok to eat on video. This event occurs around dinner time for many of us. So feel free to eat while participating in the discussion. We just ask that you mute yourself while you are chewing.

EVENT LINK: https://tinyurl.com/solito-talk
November 14th, 4pm-5:30pm EST, Virtual, Free

NOTE: This is an online-only event hosted by the Library Speakers Consortium. Please go here to finalize your registration: https://libraryc.org/detroitpubliclibrary/60073/register

Tune in for a special conversation with New York Times bestselling author Javier Zamora as he chats with us about his riveting tale of survival and perseverance as told in his award-winning memoir Solito.

Zamora’s adventure is a three-thousand-mile journey from his small town in El Salvador, through Guatemala and Mexico, and across the U.S. border. He will leave behind his beloved aunt and grandparents to reunite with a mother who left four years ago and a father he barely remembers. Traveling alone amid a group of strangers and a “coyote” hired to lead them to safety, Javier expects his trip to last two short weeks.At nine years old, all Javier can imagine is rushing into his parents’ arms, snuggling in bed between them, and living under the same roof again. He cannot foresee the perilous boat trips, relentless desert treks, pointed guns, arrests and deceptions that await him; nor can he know that those two weeks will expand into two life-altering months alongside fellow migrants who will come to encircle him like an unexpected family.Solito provides an immediate and intimate account not only of a treacherous and near-impossible journey, but also of the miraculous kindness and love delivered at the most unexpected moments. Solito is Javier Zamora’s story, but it’s also the story of millions of others who had no choice but to leave home. Register today to learn more about this gripping and moving story!

About the Author: Javier Zamora was born in El Salvador in 1990. His father fled the country when he was one, and his mother when he was about to turn five. Both parents’ migrations were caused by the U.S.-funded Salvadoran Civil War. When he was nine Javier migrated through Guatemala, Mexico, and the Sonoran Desert. His debut poetry collection, Unaccompanied, explores the impact of the war and immigration on his family. Zamora has been a Stegner Fellow at Stanford and a Radcliffe Fellow at Harvard and holds fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation.

NOTE: This is an online-only event hosted by the Library Speakers Consortium. Please go here to finalize your registration: https://libraryc.org/detroitpubliclibrary/60073/register

Questions? Email msummers@detroitpubliclibrary.org for help!

EVENT LINK: https://tinyurl.com/maima-water-spirit
November 8th, 8pm EDT, Virtual, $20

Maima: The Water Spirit is a dance performance exploring the language of movement as a way of communication and time travel through music. This work forms part of DANCING FUTURES, a residency celebrating its 10th anniversary.

Presented by Pepatián in partnership with BAAD! (Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance) Dancing Futures provides emerging Bronx-based and/or dance artists of color with valuable resources, performance opportunities, mentorship, and professional documentation to help foster and showcase new dance and performance work. Major support is provided by the Jerome Foundation.

EVENT LINK: https://tinyurl.com/mosab-abu-toha-reading
November 4th, 10pm- 11:30pm EST, Virtual, Free

City Lights and Alfred A Knopf present Mosab Abu Toha reading poetry to celebrate the publication of
Forest of Noise: poems, published by Alfred A Knopf.

“A powerful, capacious, and profound” (Ocean Vuong) new collection of poems about life in Gaza by an award-winning Palestinian poet.

Barely thirty years old, Mosab Abu Toha was already a well-known poet when the current siege of Gaza began. After the Israeli army bombed and destroyed his house, pulverizing a library he had painstakingly built for community use, he and his family fled for their safety. Not for the first time in their lives.

Somehow, amid the chaos, Abu Toha kept writing poems. These are those poems. Uncannily clear, direct, and beautifully tuned, they form one of the most astonishing works of art wrested from wartime. Here are directives for what to do in an air raid; here are lyrics about the poet’s wife, singing to his children to distract them. Huddled in the dark, Abu Toha remembers his grandfather’s oranges, his daughter’s joy in eating them.

Moving between glimpses of life in relative peacetime and absurdist poems about surviving in a barely livable occupation, Forest of Noise invites a wide audience into an experience that defies the imagination—even as it is watched live. Abu Toha’s poems introduce readers to his extended family, some of them no longer with us. This is an urgent, extraordinary, and arrestingly whimsical book. Searing and beautiful, it brings us indelible art in a time of terrible suffering.

Mosab Abu Toha is a Palestinian poet, short-story writer, and essayist from Gaza. His first collection of poetry, Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear, published by City Lights, was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry and won the Palestine Book Award, the American Book Award, and the Walcott Poetry Prize. Abu Toha is also the founder of the Edward Said Library in Gaza, which he hopes to rebuild. He recently won an Overseas Press Club Award for his “Letter from Gaza” columns for The New Yorker.

Made possible by support from the City Lights Foundation.