Stories Off the Page: Mobile Installations
In art news, no doubt because I didn’t take a photo of it at the gallery, this piece, Altared Consciousness I, sold during the Journey to Emancipation show last month. As my sister wisely counseled, it’s always the ones you have a place picked out at home for that never come back. So I’m off to make another. These are my greatest departure from fiction though there’s still an intent to tell a story. The image is real. It’s Isaac and Rosa, two emancipated slave children in New Orleans. This will probably be a new series of mobile installations.
At the Rain and Thunder show opening tomorrow, I take a more literal approach to mobility. Picture to come.
New in 2022 – Winter Events
Full disclosure: I’m much better about doing things than talking about them. This year I’ll try to improve. In that vein, some new blood:
Just a few weeks ago on January 27th, I shared a new speculative story, “The Exhibit” inspired by the work of Emma Amos and the unfortunate current state of American affairs as part of the Museum of Fine Art St. Petersburg celebration of the Spiral Collective, a short lived but impactful group of Black visual artists in the Civil Rights era. I had the good fortune to appear alongside the talented, Butch Thomas, a saxophonist who performed new work (accompanied by Aron Ferrer and Gumbi Ortiz) and Crantston Cumberbatch who shared a short film he wrote, directed and starred in. Here’s a picture of us looking appropriately capable of entertaining folks.
I had a wonderful time and enjoyed the community engagement. If you’d like to hear a bit of Butch’s work scroll through to the video here.
February also sees a couple of interviews come out. One is out today as part of the Horror Writers Associations Black Heritage in Horror interview series. So apparently I’m heritage. Thanks. I’ll take that.
Later this month, you can check out my contribution to the group interview of short fictioneers in Fantasy Magazine (available online February 22nd) or right now if you have a subscription and/or purchase the e-issue.
And (check me out getting out ahead of an event) on February 19th, I’ll be joining Silk Jazmyne to read and discuss life and work as a POC author at ReadOut’s event, Root to Fruit: Producing Speculative Fiction By and About People of Color @1:50pm EST. For those who enjoy multimedia work, there’ll also be video of a short performance from 2021’s, Frequencies, a Fiction Album playing as part of a few sci fi, fantasy readings from 1:15-1:45. For Root to Fruit I’ll be reading from 2021’s Broken Fevers. It’s all on Zoom so everyone’s invited. Just register on the ReadOut (“Out” as in a festival of lesbian literature page.
Frequencies, a Fiction Album Is Here
They’re all special to me but something a little different this time. Just between you and me, there will be a damn fine deal on this one next week, but for those who hate waiting, you can hear the opening now. And if you absolutely loathe it, you can get your own copy from a secure site, complete with a bonus track.
Cover Art by Kelly U. Johnson
Future Artifacts & New Histories (A Selection)
I like to take stories off the page and find new ways blur the line between the real and possible. Installations are a rather ideal form for that. Here are a few images from my pop-up exhibit last month at Studio@620.
