The use of the imagination for self-development and social change is one of the greatest tenets of Afrofuturism. Ytasha Womack will explore the resilience encouraged through the championing of the imagination, the tensions that arise through embracing hope, the separation of humanity from itself through the creation of the technology called race, and the power of storytelling. Ytasha L. Womack is an author, filmmaker, independent scholar and dancer. She is author of the award winning book Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci Fi & Fantasy Culture. She is one of the leading Afrofuturist scholars and travels the world lecturing on the imagination. Her other books include Post Black, the Afrofuturist series Rayla 2212, and Beats, Rhymes and Life: What We Love & Hate About Hip Hop. Ytasha is in preproduction for her film Bar Star City, which follows a group of intergalactic bar patrons. Other films include the upcoming romantic comedy Couples Night (Screenwriter), The Engagement (Director), and Love Shorts (Writer/Producer). Ytasha currently resides in Chicago.