Hilarity at the Heidelberg: Tony Klee's Something to Do Comedy Night at Club Above
by christopherporter
I found out about Something to Do Comedy Night at the Heidelberg's Club Above when its organizer, Tony Klee, bought me a shot of tequila last summer and I joked about doing the show one day.
Recently, Klee put out a call for comics, especially women comics, and when I asked him if I could go up, he said yes.
"Silencer" Spring: Ann Arbor native and poet Marcus Wicker at AADL
by christopherporter
On April 20, Ann Arbor native, Marcus Wicker came to AADL to talk about his latest poetry collection, Silencer.
And if it weren’t for Kehinde Wiley, the prolific black painter most recently in the news for his portrait of President Barack Obama, there’s a chance that this event wouldn’t have happened.
Discomfort Food: Chef Tunde Wey turns up the heat on racial inequities
by christopherporter
“I was eager to be successful. I still am.”
"Did You Wonder Who Fired the Gun?" is a film about threats -- racial and otherwise
by christopherporter
“Trust me when I tell you this isn’t a white savior story. This is a white nightmare story.”
--Travis Wilkerson
Diaspora Dimensions: The films in URe:AD TV grapple with black representation
by christopherporter
“The diaspora is a cultural continuum. An ever-evolving consideration of Blackness is its vehicle.”
--Ashley Stull Meyers
Ephraim Asili’s "Diaspora Suite" explores the influence of African culture throughout the world
by christopherporter
The first time that I really thought about the African diaspora was in college. During a Caribbean literature class, the concept of diaspora was ever present. Despite having taken several American history classes, considering the Caribbean diaspora is what led me to attempt to understand myself as a part of the African diaspora.
Ephraim Asili’s Diaspora Suite -- shown March 22 at the Michigan Theater as part of the Ann Arbor Film Festival -- presented an excellent opportunity to examine someone else’s take on the topic. This collection of five films explores the interaction of past, present, and place it relates to the African diaspora. The films were shot in a variety of locations, among them Ethiopia, Harlem, Ghana, Philadelphia, Brazil, and Detroit.
Exist & Resist: U-M's Yoni Ki Baat group encouraged women of color with "Resistance"
by christopherporter
On March 9 and March 10, Yoni Ki Baat, an organization that seeks to educate the campus about the issues pertaining to South Asian women and all women of color, produced Resistance, a show inspired by Eve Ensler’s Vagina Monologues.
Gaining Experience: A2SO's "Music From Harry Potter"
by christopherporter
“I’m going to have to make you a wand. You can’t be out with me without a wand.” --My son
On more than one occasion, my son has pointed out to me that I’m lucky that he, a teenager, still wants to hang out with me, you know, a mom. With that in mind, as soon as he mentioned that the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra would be at Michigan Theater playing songs from Harry Potter, I pulled out my debit card and secured tickets for the Sunday, March 4, afternoon matinee performance.
Fulfilling Promises: Sherri Winston discussed her writing process at AADL
by christopherporter
“You’re like family now because the weather has conspired against us.” --Sherri Winston
If you want to attend an intimate author event, attend one during a snow (slush?) storm that follows an unseasonably warm day. On Thursday, March 1, middle-grade author Sherri Winston talked about her latest projects and her process at the Ann Arbor District Library.
Asking to Be Written: Robin Coste Lewis at UMMA
by christopherporter
When the first poem in a book is titled “Plantation,” you should probably just go ahead, pour yourself a drink, sit somewhere quiet, and prepare to be transported.
I suppose you should expect to be transported, too, by a book called Voyage of the Sable Venus, especially since it won the National Book Award for Poetry.