NUBIAN KNIGHTS NETWORK: Fire & Ink III: Cotillion Writers Festival, Writers ConferenceFor SGL People of African DescentOctober 8-11th, 2009 in Austin, Texas

QUOTATIONS OF "BLACK"

"Whenever I use BLACK it relates to some history of Africans in that particular place. It’s the idea of the color BLACK as a metaphor, or as a representation of African-Americans. It’s the notion of BLACK- BLACKNESS - and all its other meanings in relation to the history of race..."

- Fred Wilson

"Most of my fortitude to continue doing the work comes from the moral outrage I feel about the injustices that Black people endure disproportionately daily."

- N. Abdul-Wakil

"In the end, what matters is not skin shade but pan-African consciousness. Loving your complexion, your nose, lips, hair length and texture, no matter what the politics or trends decide, and simply be. That's the problem with us (African folks). We're still learning how to love ourselves. So used to glorifying others and putting others first..."

- Dredlocks Tree

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Fire & Ink III: Cotillion
Writers Festival, Writers Conference
For SGL People of African Descent
October 8-11th, 2009 in Austin, Texas

“Mixing ‘page’ and ‘stage’ poets with fiction writers, filmmakers, playwrights, journalists and academics at all stages of their careers, the groundbreaking Fire & Ink: A Writers Festival for GLBT People of African Descent, held in Chicago in 2002, helped introduce a wide range of writers to each other and their work in ways previous, mainly non-black writers’ gatherings and small literary salons could not match.”

–“Out No Doubt,” Black Issues Book Review

In 2009, Fire & Ink III: Cotillion will bring together hundreds of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender writers of African descent whose work spans the genres, including fiction, nonfiction, poetry, screenwriting, playwriting, multimedia arts and performance arts. Join writers, readers, thinkers, scholars, editors, publishers, curators, audio and visual artists, students, teachers, media professionals and art lovers from around the country to:

CREATE a body of writers dedicated to reversing negative trends in cultural, literary and artistic marketplaces, while creating more positive, powerful arenas for those expressions.

TEACH, inspire and encourage each other while creating lasting alliances.

DISCUSS the position and importance of Black LGBT literature, culture and artistic expression in the context of national and world literature and artwork.

DEVELOP and implement strategies to encourage universities, libraries, mainstream and independent bookstores and other venues to integrate more LGBT literature and artwork created by writers of African descent within and outside of traditional curricula and offerings.

PLAN, share and implement professional and artistic opportunities.