Jagged Paths: Morgan Jerkins at Literati

Wed, 02/21/2018 - 10:30am by christopherporter

I accidentally purchased two copies of Morgan Jerkins' This Will Be My Undoing. I bought one copy the day it came out and the second copy, a digital one when I mislaid the first, because I simply couldn’t wait to read more. She writes about things I have thought about but don’t think I’m brave enough to put on paper. It seems important to her that she writes openly. “Hey, I’m messy," she said at her Feb. 16 reading at Literati.

I first found out about Morgan Jerkins from a post on Electric Lit, “46 Books By Women of Color to Read in 2018.” The book's cover drew me in: Jerkins in profile looking skyward, her long braids trailing down her back as if she is outside enjoying a kiss from the sun upon her face.

Life, Stories: U-M's 4th annual W. M. Trotter Lecture focused on trans lives

Mon, 02/19/2018 - 9:00am by christopherporter

I think that the first time I heard Janet Mock was on the Another Round podcast. She charmed me right away. I loved her passion and the way that she told her story. So, when I heard she was going to speak on Feb. 8 at the University of Michigan's Rackham Auditorium, I knew I wanted to be there at the 4th annual W. M. Trotter Lecture, “My Life. My Story! Centering the Voices of Trans Lives.”

Homes and Homelands: Yaa Gyasi at Rackham Auditorium

Tue, 02/13/2018 - 6:00pm by christopherporter

I am a little afraid to read Yaa Gyasi’s novel, Homegoing, much for the same reason I’ve picked up but never finished reading Toni Morrison’s Beloved. I’m gun shy when it comes to fiction that portrays, in any fashion, chattel slavery. I’ve never even seen Roots. For me, there is something extremely uncomfortable about knowing my existence and all the opportunities that have come with it are a direct result of my ancestors’ suffering.

Keeping Promises: Joe Biden at the Michigan Theater

Wed, 02/07/2018 - 8:30am by christopherporter

I have a chaste crush on Joe Biden.

Jillian Walker's "Speculative Histories" asked participants to look outside their points of view

Fri, 01/19/2018 - 11:00am by christopherporter

“What does it mean to see?” --Jillian Walker

Speculative Histories was a Dr. Martin Luther King Day Jr. event sponsored by University Musical Society as part of its No Safety Net festival. Hosted at the Ann Arbor District Library's downtown branch, award-winning playwright and UMS Research Residency artist Jillian Walker led a workshop that invited participants to engage with history in a way that may be new to them.

Sol Etudes: Poet and pianist Rebecca Biber at Bookbound

Thu, 01/18/2018 - 2:00pm by christopherporter

“I’m going to have my own experience of whatever writing is.” --Rebecca Biber

Braids of Truth: Urban Bush Women's "Hair and Other Stories"

Tue, 01/16/2018 - 7:00pm by christopherporter

Life, Stories: "Me, the 'Other'" makes its world premiere at the Michigan Theater

Thu, 01/11/2018 - 2:00pm by christopherporter

Me, the "Other" is a documentary that explores the ways race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, and gender have impacted 12 Washtenaw County college students. The film makes its world premiere on Monday, Jan. 15, at the Michigan Theater.

"'Otherness' is never one thing" is the doc's guiding light as the filmmakers allow the students to tell their disparate tales in full so viewers can understand and appreciate their humanity. “I’ve come to see our differences in beauty like different flowers in one garden," said Shahrzad Mirafzali, co-producer of Me, the "Other" and University of Michigan School of Dentistry faculty member.

Townie Tales: Richard Retyi's "The Book of Ann Arbor" at Literati

Fri, 12/08/2017 - 9:00am by christopherporter

On Dec. 7 at Literati, Richard Retyi read from his new book, The Book of Ann Arbor: An Extremely Serious History, which tells 41 townie tales in a humorous, accessible fashion.

But Retyi didn't originally set out to write a book. His project began as a podcast, Ann Arbor Stories, which Retyi produces with Brian Peters in partnership with the Ann Arbor District Library. (Retyi recently became the marketing and communications manager at AADL.) The podcast was modeled after another audio show, Memory Palace.

Pop-up exhibit "What Were You Wearing?" at UMMA examined sexual assault

Wed, 12/06/2017 - 1:00pm by christopherporter

The last time I asked myself, “Was it what I was wearing?” was last Friday. I had been eating my dinner at the bar of a local restaurant when a man struck up a conversation with me. Eventually, he made a joke to the bartender about bringing me a “roofie colada.” The bartender responded disapprovingly. Then, the man doubled-down on his joke, adding, “Don’t worry; she won’t remember a thing.” As the evening went on, I couldn’t quite shake that joke. What Were You Wearing? is a pop-up installation that sets out to challenge the idea that sexual assault is somehow about clothing choice. On Monday, Dec. 4, this exhibit was at the University of Michigan Museum of Art, brought there in partnership with the HeForShe student organization.

The original art project was created by Jen Brockman, director of the University of Kansas sexual assault prevention center, and Dr. Mary A. Wyandt-Hiebert who works for the University of Arkansas’ rape education center. They had both attended a conference where they heard a poem called “What I Was Wearing" by Dr. Mary Simmerling. This work inspired their project. Since 2013, this exhibit has been shown at many other schools. “I don’t remember what I was wearing the first time. But the second time. Boxers.” --a survivor There is something unsettling about walking to an exhibit about sexual assault while it's dark out. I was particularly aware of the difference between the regular darkness and the deeper darkness created in the shadows between some of the buildings that stood between my destination and my parking space. In a small area of the museum, there were several clothing racks from which the outfits hung. The actual clothing that hung as a part of the exhibit was inspired by survivor accounts of their assaults. Above each outfit was a statement describing something about the assault that took place. The publicity for this one-night exhibit had advertised free desserts. Perhaps that’s what drew the crowd. There were many viewers who slowly examined each outfit and read the text. In the end, over 500 people visited the installation. It was quiet there, even for an exhibit. Talking didn’t feel socially acceptable.

I wanted to openly observe people as they moved through the exhibit, but it felt too personal, too much like peeking into somebody’s window. People moved around the clothing racks the way one might move past a casket in a funeral. We all observed, respectfully, and slowly, but taking care that the next person had her chance to view the clothes and read the signs. “Each time, a t-shirt and jeans.” --a survivor I had taken my teenage son with me to the exhibit with me. I hadn’t expected him to really engage with the exhibit, but I often drag him along to things that I’m interested in. More often than not, he does his own thing. But I noticed that he was taking his time as we strolled through, reading each account. As he walked back to the car, he asked me to help him understand the exhibit. When I was done, he said, “That’s what I thought.” I told him that he looked very disturbed by what he had seen. He agreed, adding, “Who wouldn’t be?” I have the feeling that as the evening went on, he couldn’t quite shake the exhibit. I think he got the point.

Sherlonya Turner is the manager of the Youth & Adult: Services & Collections Department at the Ann Arbor District Library. She can be found diving headfirst into all sorts of projects over at sherlonya.net.