KWELI JOURNAL INC

NARRATIVE OF 2023 PROGRAM SERVICESANNUAL COLOR OF CHILDREN'S LITERATURE CONFERENCE CONFERENCE PROVIDING CRAFT LESSONS, PANEL DISCUSSIONS ON BUSINESS OF PUBLISHING, 3 HOUR MASTER CLASSES FOR INTERMEDIATE WRITERS AND ILLUSTRATORS AND WORKSHOPS FOR BEGINNING STUDENTS. APPROXIMATELY 235 STUDENTS BENEFITED. ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL LITERARY FESTIVALFESTIVAL PROVIDING READINGS AND CONVERSATIONS WITH DEBUT AND AWARD-WINNING WRITERS, MASTER CLASSES, CRAFT TALKS, AND MUCH MORE, AS WELL AS THE YEAR'S BEST OPPORTUNITY TO CONNECT WITH AGENTS, EDITORS, AND FELLOW CREATIVES OF COLOR. APPROXIMATELY 135 STUDENTS BENEFITED. ART OF THE SHORT STORY WORKSHOPSTHE ART OF THE SHORT STORY WORKSHOP IS A MULTI SESSION WORKSHOP FOR SHORT STORY WRITERS AND NOVELISTS OF COLOR WITH KWELI FOUNDING EDITOR AND PUBLISHER, LAURA PEGRAM. THE WORKSHOP IS TAILOR-MADE FOR WRITERS OF ADULT FICTION. IT IS A SAFER SPACE FOR ALL PEOPLE OF COLOR, INCLUDING BLACK, INDIGENOUS, AAPI, LATINX, LGBTQIA+ WRITERS AT ALL LEVELS. IT INCLUDES SEMINARS FOCUSED ON CRAFT AND IN-CLASS WRITING EXERCISES. THERE WILL BE READING ASSIGNMENTS AND A STUDY OF WORKS BY WELL-KNOWN ADULT FICTION WRITERS AND POETS. WRITING WILL BEGIN ON THE FIRST DAY OF WORKSHOP. PEER REVIEW SESSIONS WILL TAKE PLACE DURING THE FINAL THREE WEEKS OF WORKSHOP.KWELI FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMFELLOWSHIP PROGRAM PROVIDES THREE OR MORE EARLY-STAGE WRITERS WITH 11-MONTH WRITING FELLOWSHIPS. EACH FELLOWS RECEIVES TEN MONTHS OF EDITORIAL SUPPORT FROM KWELI JOURNAL EDITORS TO PREPARE A PIECE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE MAGAZINE; A $2,000 STIPEND; ADMISSION-FREE ENROLLMENT IN THREE PROFESSIONALLY LED WRITING WORKSHOPS ON LITERARY FICTION, CREATIVE NONFICTION AND POETRY; PARTICIPATION IN FOUR PUBLIC READINGS BY WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS; ADMISSION-FREE PARTICIPATION IN OUR INTERNATIONAL LITERARY FESTIVAL, INCLUSIVE OF PITCH SESSIONS WITH LITERARY AGENTS AND EDITORS; OPTIONALLY, ADMISSION-FREE PARTICIPATION IN OUR COLOR OF CHILDREN LITERATURE CONFERENCE; PUBLICATION IN KWELI JOURNAL; AN ALL EXPENSE PAID WRITING RETREAT HOSTED AT AKWAABA. 9 STUDENTS BENEFITEDKWELI MULTI MEDIA READING AND CONVERSATIONKWELI FORMED A NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH BALLET HISPANICO IN 2023 AND, IN SO DOING, EXPANDED OUR HYBRID PUBLIC PROGRAMMING. WE ADDED DANCE NARRATIVES TO OUR STAGED READINGS AND CONVERSATIONS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. WE OPENED THE YEAR WITH A READING AND DANCE INTERPRETATION FOR PLATANOS GO WITH EVERYTHING BY LISSETTE NORMAN AT BALLET HISPANICO. DURING OUR KWELI COLOR OF CHILDREN'S LITERATURE CONFERENCE, DANCE NARRATIVES WERE CREATED FOR A NUMBER OF AWARD WINNING BOOKS, INCLUDING JOVITA WORE PANTS BY AIDA SALAZAR AND THE COURAGE OF THE LITTLE HUMMINGBIRD BY LEAH HENDERSON. DURING OUR KWELI INTERNATIONAL LITERARY FESTIVAL, WE FEATURED DANCE INTERPRETATIONS FOR THE MAN WHO COULD MOVE CLOUDS: A MEMOIR BY INGRID ROJAS CONTRERAS, AND DRINKING FROM GRAVEYARD WELLS BY YVETTE LISA NDLOVU. WE ENDED THE YEAR WITH READINGS AND DANCE NARRATIVES FOR REMEMBER US BY JACQUELINE WOODSON AND ALL YOU HAVE TO DO BY AUTUMN ALLEN. 275 STUDENTS BENEFITED. KWELI MASTER CLASSES, CRAFT TALKS AND MULTI SESSION WORKSHOPSKWELI OFFERED MULTI SESSION ART OF THE SHORT STORY WORKSHOPS; A MULTI SESSION CREATIVE NONFICTION TOOLKIT WORKSHOP WITH HANNAH BAE, A ONE HOUR CRAFT TALK WITH MEGHA MAJUMDAR ON APPROACHES TO PLOT; A CRAFT TALK WITH FATIMA ASGHAR AND MORE. MORE THAN 125 STUDENTS BENEFITED.