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Ms. Afrika Abney previously posted shared various events regarding services that she provided as a consultant on social media hosted by various non profits, small businesses and individuals. If you are interested in having your event promoted by Ms. Abney, please feel free to contact her at afrikamabney@gmail.com.
THE DISCOVERY SUMMIT & SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS CEREMONY
THE DISCOVERY SUMMIT & SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS CEREMONY
Join Esther Productions, Inc and Black Student Fund for the Discovering Me Summit and Awards Ceremony includes special appearance by The Honorable Anita Josey-Herring, chief judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, plus mini workshops, led by dynamic clinicians, wellness experts and healing artists including jonetta rose barras, Dr. Misty Freeman and Dr. Tracie Robinson, that are designed to educate, inspire and empower fatherless girls and women who are grappling with the adverse consequences of father absence.
The event also celebrates teen girls who entered the Discovering Me Without You Personal Essay Scholarship Contest which was presented by Esther Productions, Inc and the Black Student Fund. The top winners of that competition will be announced on December 9, 2023. The deadline for the contest was October 31st.
Register at https://www.estherproductionsinc.com/events-1/the-discovery-summit-scholarship-awards-ceremony
THE HONORABLE ANITA JOSEY-HERRING, chief judge, Superior Court of the District of Columbia, was appointed to the bench in November 1997 by President William Clinton. She was selected as chief judge on July 21, 2020 and was sworn in on Oct. 16, 2020. She has had a very distinguished career. As an Associate Judge, she served in the Family, Civil and Criminal Divisions of the court. In 2000, Judge Josey-Herring was appointed by the Chief Judge to serve as the Deputy Presiding Judge of the Family Court and later served as the Presiding Judge of the Family Court from 2006 through 2008. During her service in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, Chief Judge Josey-Herring has led numerous initiatives to improve the quality of justice and service to litigants and attorneys alike. She led the highly regarded Family Treatment Court Initiative that provides drug treatment and social services to mothers charged with neglecting their children due to substance abuse. Additionally, Chief Judge Josey-Herring presided over the Family Treatment Court calendar from its inception and collaborated with District agencies to deliver services to parents and children in the neglect system. She also presided over the Juvenile Drug Court prior to the establishment of the Family Treatment Court. Chief Judge Josey-Herring alsoplayed a significant role in the development and implementation of the D.C. Family Court and implemented several programs, in her role as Deputy Presiding and later Presiding Judge of Family Court, to improve the quality of justice provided to District families. Chief Judge Josey-Herring has also served on numerous committees. She has received a host of awards in recognition of her service to citizens of the District of Columbia.
Ms. Jonetta Barras is an award-winning journalist and best-selling author. She has more than 20 years experience reporting and commenting on national social, political, and cultural trends, including as an opinion writer with The Washington Post, Washington Examiner and Washington City Paper.
Ms. Barras founded Esther Productions Inc. in 2004 after the publication of her Black Board bestseller Whatever Happened to Daddy's Little Girl: The Impact of Fatherlessness on Black Women (Ballantine 2000, hardcover—2001, paperback). She has spoken at more than two-dozen national and international conferences and symposia, and many consider her the foremost authority on the affects of father absence among girls and women.
Dr. Tracie Robinson, Ph. D, RP, CHT is a holistic artist healer and certified dance/movement therapist with more than 30 years of experience. She uses structure and/or authentic dance and movement to facilitate synergistic change. Her goal is to expose people to their predispositions by integrating movement, gestures, rhythms, breath, verbal and non-verbal communication with a less defended expression of the body. This also includes facilitating the revelation of repressed feelings, structured movement interventions, exploring alternative methods of resolving internal and interpersonal conflicts and supporting psychological growth in areas of self-empowerment, self-esteem and positive body image.
"Dr. Misty Freeman applies her expertise in mental health, learning, and behavior, to help children and youth succeed academically, socially, behaviorally, and emotionally. "
Esther Productions, Inc. is dedicated to using a variety of vehicles—traditional and nontraditional—to develop communities throughout the United States and Europe. It was created in 2004 by Jonetta Rose Barras, award-winning journalist and author of Whatever Happened to Daddy’s Little Girl? - estherproductionsinc.com
"The Black Student Fund (BSF) provides essential advocacy, academic and retention support to academically motivated African American and other underserved students to facilitate their access, admission and successful matriculation and graduation from member schools. BSF partners with member schools to provide financial assistance, as well as instruction, evaluations, feedback and monitoring necessary to facilitate the creation and maintenance of a supportive and responsive environment." - https://blackstudentfund.org/
Contact: Esther Productions, Inc at estherproductionsinc@gmail.com
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/discovering-me-summit-and-awards-ceremony-tickets-761538300557
https://www.estherproductionsinc.com/events-1/the-discovery-summit-scholarship-awards-ceremony
African Americans and Children's Literature: A Symposium and Exhibition.
Mar 02, 2024, 8:30 AM – 6:30 PM EST
125 Michigan Ave NE, Washington, DC 20017, USA
COME LEARN THE STORY AND LEGACY OF WASHINGTON, DC’S AFRICAN AMERICAN AUTHORS OF CHILDREN’S LITERATURE—Past and Present, including May Miller Sullivan, Sterling Brown, Maxine Clair, Gwendolyn Brooks, Daphne Muse, Lucille Clifton, Eloise Greenfield, Jason Reynolds, Kwame Alexander, Jennifer Lawson, Courtland Cox, Adjoa Burrowes, E. Ethelbert Miller, Carolivia Herron, Aisha Rice, Tricia Elam Walker, jonetta rose barras, Sheila Crider, David Miller, Michelle Meadows, Leah Henderson , Michelle Green, Lakia Wilson and others.
COME MEET THE PEOPLE AND INSTITUTIONS THAT STOOD AGAINST RACISM AND INEQUALITY TO HELP ESTABLISH AN AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERARY CANON THAT BUILT AND FORTIFIED A COMMUNITY.
KICKING OFF THE DAY at 9 am: Sidney Clifton, daughter of Lucille Clifton and founder of Clifton House; Sidney Clifton is also a producer, director and creative executive overseeing animated, mixed-media and live-action content. She has produced hundreds of hours of episodic and longform content, and children’s and primetime content on Apple TV+, BET, NBC, Showtime, Paramount, and Hallmark Channel, and serves on the Board of Directors of The Academy of American Poets.
9:20 am: A SPECIAL EXHIBITION featuring historical information about Black writers who lived and/or worked in DC during the late 1960s through the present.
THEN GO INSIDE THE EFFORT TO BUILD AN AFRICAN AMERICAN CHILDREN'S LITERARY CANON
9:30 am- REMOVING THE MASK, AMPLIFYING OUR VOICES: The Struggle of Black Authors to Get Their Stories For Children Depicting Authentic African American Life, History and Culture Published By Mainstream Companies PRESENTERS: Brian Gilmore, Carolivia Herron, Wynn Yarbrough, Bernard Demczuk and jonetta rose barras
11:30 am — IN CONVERSATION-- An exciting and provocative conversation between award-winning author and influencer Sharon Bell Mathis, a leader of the "Golden Age of Black Children’s Literature, and Grammy nominee, and literary activist and poet E. Ethelbert Miller.
12:45 pm SEEING OURSELVES IN THE RIVER, IN THE MIRROR, IN THE WORLD: Illustrators and Authors Talk About The Challenge of Creating Images That Bring Books Written by Black Authors Alive. PRESENTERS: Jennifer Lawson, Justin Johnson, Keesha Ceran and Sheila Crider
2:00 pm – TRUNKS, SATCHELS AND THE US POSTAL SERVICE: Book Distributors and Store Owners Tell Their Stories About Getting Black Books into the World By Any and All Means Necessary. PRESENTERS Courtland Cox, Paul Coates, Vanessa Williams, and Kojo Nnamdi
3:30 pm- UNFINISHED BUSINESS, UNTOLD STORIES: A Look Beyond the Immediate Horizon at The Future of Children’s Literature Written by African American Authors. PRESENTERS: Kwame Alexander, Tricia Elam Walker, David Miller, Tiffany Mitchell Patterson, Leroy Nesbitt and Joy Jones
OFFICIAL ONSITE BOOKSELLER: Sankofa: Video Books Cafe
Authors will sign books throughout the day
This event is curated by award-winning author and public scholar jonetta rose barras and historian and humanities scholar Bernard Demczuk Ph.D. in partnership with The Black Student Fund, The Institute for African American Writing, Teaching for Change, Social Justice Books, Buck Wild Media, and Lesa Warrick.
Major funding has been provided by HumanitiesDC with additional support from Kerry S. Pearson LLC, The Robert Bobb Group, and BusBoys and Poets.
IT'S FREE. REGISTER IS REQUIRED. for more information write to aachildrenslit2023@gmail.com
Esther Productions Inc., in partnership with The Black Student Fund and The Institute for African American Writing presents two authors Sharon Bell Mathis and Brian Gilmore on Mar 16, 2024 from 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM at 3660 Alabama Ave SE, Washington, DC 20020, USA. Info: aachildrenslit2023@gmail.com.
"Sharon Bell Mathis (born 1937) is an American librarian and author who has written books mainly for children and young adults.
Mathis was born in Atlantic City, New Jersey. She started writing at an early age, and her love of reading was fostered by her parents. Her mother, a poet, encouraged her to write. In 1958, she earned a degree in Sociology from Morgan State College and, in 1975, went on to earn a master's in Library Science from the Catholic University of America.
Mathis has written many books for children and young adults, and has received many accolades in her career. Her book Ray Charles, a nonfiction biography of Ray Charles, received the Coretta Scott King Award. The Hundred Penny Box received a Newbery Honor Award and is a recipient of the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award and also an American Library Association Notable Children's Book. English Journal placed Mathis alongside writers such as Toni Cade Bambara and Nikki Giovanni, characterizing them as "describing a black consciousness of self- celebration rather like that which flowered during the Harlem Renaissance and was somehow lost, at least in literature, in the intervening years of social upheaval." Teacup Full of Roses was a New York Times Outstanding Book of the Year. It was described, also in English Journal, as "a celebration of black family life, not of the stereotypical enduring parents, but of the children who find their strength in giving to each other.""
Brian Gilmore will also present at this every special program on March 16 at the Francis Gregory Library. Gilmore is a poet and author of the soon-to-be-released book "No More Worlds To Conquer: The Black Poet in Washington DC Since Paul Laurence Dunbar," which is a cultural history of the Black poetry scene in DC since Paul Laurence Dunbar came to the city to live and write in 1898. Gilmore has also written four books of poetry and numerous essay. He has won several awards, including the 2020 Michigan Notable Book Award for his book, come see about me marvin (Wayne State University Press). He is a Senior Lecturer in the Law and Society Program at the University of Maryland - College Park.
www.estherproductionsinc.com/events-1/african-americans-and-childrens-literature-on-tour
SEEING OURSELVES IN THE RIVER, IN THE MIRROR, IN THE WORLD: DC'S AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERARY HISTORY ON TOUR
Apr 20, 2024, 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Washington, 3310 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008, USA
Esther Productions Inc. in partnership with The Black Student Fund and The Institute for African American Writing presents two authors, Joy Jones and E.Ethelbert Miller
“Joy Jones is a trainer, performance poet, playwright and author of several books including Private Lessons: A Book of Meditations for Teachers; Tambourine Moon, which was selected as one of the best books for children by the black caucus of the ALA and featured on the Bernie Mac Show; and Fearless Public Speaking. She has won awards for her writing from the D. C. Commission on the Arts & Humanities, and the Colonial Players Promising Playwrights Competition, plus awards from both the D. C. Department of Recreation & Parks and the D. C. Commission on National & Community Service for outstanding community service.
Joy Jones’ provocative op-ed on marriage trends for The Washington Post, “Marriage is for White People”, went viral. She is the director of the arts organization, The Spoken Word, and the founder of the Double Dutch team, DC Retro Jumpers, which has led exhibitions and classes throughout metropolitan Washington and abroad. Joy often leads workshops on creative writing, communications and black history.”
Ethelbert Miller is a memoirist, award-winning poet and 2022 Grammy nominee for the Best Spoken Word Poetry Album--Black Men Are Precious-- will be the guest speaker for the workshop, providing insights and tips into memoir writing. Mr. Miller is the author of two memoirs and several collections of poetry. He also is the editor of three anthologies of poetry. He is the editor of Poet Lore magazine and the host of the radio show "On the Margin," which airs Thursday mornings on WPFW-FM. He is the former director of Howard University's African American Resource Center, and has taught at several universities and colleges including American University, Emory & Henry College, and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
For more information write to aachildrenslit2023@gmail.com.
"AFRICAN AMERICANS AND CHILDREN'S LITERATURE ON TOUR, presented by Esther Productions Inc. in partnership with The Black Student Fund and The Institute for African American Writing, is a humanities project that captures DC's rich literary history and the role played by Black writers in building canon and fortifying community. Supported, in part, by a grant from HumanitiesDC, the project includes a historical exhibition and conversations with some of the city's most acclaimed African American authors."
"Carolivia Herron is an African American Jewish author, educator and publisher living in Washington, DC. She received her Ph.D. in Comparative Literature and Literary Theory at the University of Pennsylvania and has held professorial appointments at Harvard University, Mount Holyoke College, California State University, Chico, and the College of William and Mary. Most recently she has been the Distinguished Visiting Scholar of Project Humanities at Arizona State University. Carolivia Herron has won writing awards and commendations from Be'chol Lashon, Kulanu, Parenting Magazine Reading Magic, Marian Vanett Ridgway Awards, the Patterson Poetry Center, the Elizabeth Stone Memorial Award, and the Exceptional women in the Arts Award from Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser. Dr. Herron publishes and promotes the writings of Jews of Color internationally including books by the Igbo of Nigeria, the Lemba of Zimbabwe, and the Beta Israel of Ethiopia and Israel. She directs the EpicCentering the National Mall project which connects the work of young local writers with our national epic as expressed in exhibits on the National Mall. Carolivia is a writer with the Pen-Faulkner Writers In Schools program, and is an active member of Tifereth Israel Congregation of Washington, DC."
The 4th Annual Teach Truth Day of Action with Author Carolivia Herron
Jun 08, 2024, 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM EDT
Washington, 3660 Alabama Ave SE, Washington, DC 20020, USA
Join Esther Productions Inc., The Spoken Word and Francis Gregory Neighborhood Library as we co-sponsor the 4th Annual Teach Truth Day of Action, a Zinn Education Project, coordinated by Rethinking Schools and Teaching for Change.
Register at https://www.estherproductionsinc.com/events-1/the-4th-annual-teach-truth-day-of-action-with-author-carolivia-herron
MidnightRose: A Reading Series of Poetry & Prose
Sept. 14, 2024, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM EDT
Tenley-Friendship Library, 4450 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20016, USA
About the event
MidnightRose is a showcase of the multigenerational, multicultural writers in the Washington Metropolitan Region and beyond. Experience the richness of the community through the presentations of award-winning poets and authors. Come allow the words to inspire and empower you.
E. ETHELBERT MILLER is a literary activist and author of two memoirs and several poetry collections including his baseball trilogy: If God Invented Baseball, When Your Wife Has Tommy John Surgery and How I Found Love Behind the Catcher’s Mask published by City Point Press. He hosts the WPFW morning radio show On the Margin with E. Ethelbert Miller and hosts and produces The Scholars on UDC-TV which received a 2020 Telly Award. He is Associate Editor and a columnist for The American Book Review. He was given a 2020 congressional award from Congressman Jamie Raskin in recognition of his literary activism, awarded the 2022 Howard Zinn Lifetime Achievement Award by the Peace and Justice Studies Association, and named a 2023 Grammy Nominee Finalist for Best Spoken Word Poetry Album. On March 2, 2024, Miller received a Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to African American Literature and DC’s literary community from Esther Productions Inc. On September 18, 2024, he will receive the Furious Flower Lifetime Achievement Award.
NAOMI AYALA is a Puerto Rican poet, educator, and translator who’s published three poetry collections—Wild Animals on the Moon (Curbstone Press, 1997); This Side of Early (Curbstone Imprint, Northwestern University Press, 2008); and Calling Home: Praise Songs & Incantations (Bilingual Press, 2013). She’s the translator of La sombra de la Muerte/Death’s Shadow, a novel by His Excellency José Tomás Pérez, the Dominican Republic’s Ambassador to the U.S., and of Luis Alberto Ambroggio’s poetry collection La arqueología del viento/The Wind’s Archeology. She’s the proud recipient of artist fellowships from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities as well as Special Recognition for Community Service from the U.S. Congress.
BRIAN GILMORE is a native of Washington DC. Bard and Barrister, he is the author of four collections of poetry, including come see about me marvin (Wayne State University Press), a 2020 Michigan Notable Book Award recipient. Gilmore is also the author of the forthcoming cultural history, No More Worlds To Conquer: The Black Poet in Washington DC Since Dunbar, to be published in 2025 by Georgetown University Press. He practiced public interest law for 28 years in Washington DC and Michigan and served as a Clinical Law Professor at Howard University School of Law and Michigan State University College of Law. Presently, he is Senior Lecturer at the University of Maryland - College Park in the Law and Society Program (MLAW).
IT'S ALL FREE. REGISTER NOW at estherproductionsinc.com/events
For more information: midnightrosereadingseries@gmail.com
Esther Productions Inc. is supported by generous contributions—past and present--from Kerry S. Pearson LLC, Emmanuel Bailey, Veterans Services Corp, Pepco, an Exelon Company, A.Scott Bolden, David Jannarone, HumanitiesDC, Lesa Warrick, Rosalind Blunt, Betty Nyangoni and Esther’s Friends.
Esther Productions Inc. is supported by generous contributions—past and present--from Kerry S. Pearson LLC, Emmanuel Bailey, Veterans Services Corp, Pepco, an Exelon Company, A.Scott Bolden, David Jannarone, HumanitiesDC, Lesa Warrick, Rosalind Blunt, Betty Nyangoni and Esther’s Friends.
“MidnightRose serves as a vibrant platform that highlights the diverse voices of multigenerational and multicultural writers from the Washington Metropolitan Region and beyond. This initiative is brought to life by Esther Productions Inc., in collaboration with The Institute for African American Writing and The Black Student Fund. The series aims to celebrate the literary talents within the community, showcasing a variety of poetic and prose works that reflect the rich tapestry of experiences and perspectives that define the region.
Attendees of MidnightRose can expect to engage with a dynamic array of award-winning poets and authors, each bringing their unique narratives and artistic expressions to the forefront. The event not only serves as a performance space but also as a gathering that fosters dialogue and connection among writers and audiences alike. By immersing oneself in the powerful words and stories shared during the series, participants are invited to explore themes of identity, culture, and resilience, all of which resonate deeply within the community.
The essence of MidnightRose lies in its ability to inspire and empower individuals through the art of storytelling. As the series unfolds, it creates an atmosphere where creativity flourishes, and the voices of underrepresented writers are amplified. This initiative not only enriches the cultural landscape of the Washington Metropolitan Region but also encourages a deeper appreciation for the literary arts, inviting everyone to partake in the transformative power of poetry and prose.”
For those interested in learning more about this literary event, please feel free to reach out via email at midnightrosereadingseries@gmail.com.
Mr. Kenneth Carroll is a native Washingtonian whose poetry and prose has appeared in Icarus, In Search of Color Everywhere, Bum Rush The Page, Potomac Review, Worcester Review, Obsidian, the Washington Post, Words & Images Journal, Indiana Review, American Poetry: The Next Generation, Beyond the Frontier, Gargoyle, Spirit & Flame, and Penguin Academics Anthology of African American Poetry. His short stories appear in Stress City, (Paycock Press), Children of the Dream, (Simon & Schuster Pocketbooks), Gargoyle Magazine #44, Words and Images Journal of Southern Maine, Full Moon Over K Street, Shooting Star Magazine, The Black Body (7 Stories Press), and the anthology “It’s All Love” Double Day, edited by Marita Golden. He is the 2021 winner of the Blood Orange Review for short fiction.
His book of poetry is entitled So What: for the White Dude Who Said This Ain’t Poetry, Bunny & The Crocodile Press. He has had three of his plays produced, The Mask, Walking to Be Free, and Make My Funk The P-Funk, which Ishmael Reed published in Konch. He is former director of DC WritersCorps and the African American Writers Guild and taught at Duke Ellington School for the Arts, Washington Writers Center and Montgomery County Community College. He is a former Pushcart Prize nominee for poetry and was a writer for BET’s Story Porch program featuring Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis. He was featured in the Smithsonian Museum of African American Culture exhibit “All the Stories Are True.” He is the proud father of a daughter and two sons.
Ms. Elizabeth Bruce’s Universally Adored & Other One Dollar Stories was recently released by Vine Leaves Press. Her debut novel, And Silent Left the Place, won Washington Writers’ Publishing House’s Fiction Prize, with ForeWord Magazine and Texas Institute of Letters’ distinctions. She’has published stories in journals and anthologies in the USA and 13 countries.
A veteran teaching artist and arts producer with CentroNía and other schools, her educational book, Theatrical Journey Playbook: Introducing Science to Early Learners through Guided Pretend Play, won or placed in four indie contests. A DC-based native Texan, Elizabeth has received numerous fellowships from the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities, HumanitiesDC, and the McCarthey Dressman Education Foundation, and studied with Richard Bausch, the late Lee K. Abbott, Janet Peery, John McNally, and Liam Callanan. A Co-Founder of DC’s Sanctuary Theatre, Elizabeth co-hosts Creativists in Dialogue: A Podcast Embracing the Creative Life and its “Theatre in Community” and “Innovators, Artists & Solutions” series.
Ms. Sasa Aakil is a Multimedia Artist, Writer living and working in Rockville, Maryland. She is a potter, painter, poet, print maker, and bassist and served as the 2021 Montgomery County Youth Poet Laureate. Sasa has been featured in the Bethesda Magazine for her work as Youth Poet Laureate. She has also been featured in the Washington Post, as well as on WTOP for her work on the A Man Was Lynched Yesterday Project in 2020. She has shown sculptural and two-dimensional work at the American Poetry Museum and Black Rock Art Center. Sasa is the founder of If All the Trees Were Pens Open Mic and recently published her first chapbook, the culmination of all my despair and the music that saves me. She received a Bachelors of Fine Arts from Howard University in 2024.
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