Festival Event
with NANA EKUA BREW-HAMMOND and KIM COLEMAN FOOTE
Wednesday, August 14, 2024, 7:00 - 8:30PM EST
at Akwaaba, NYC
We’re honored to present MY PARENTS’ MARRIAGE (Amistad) by award winning author NANA EKUA BREW-HAMMOND at Akwaaba on Wednesday, August 14th, 7PM - 8:30PM EST.
Join us as we watch her words come to life with a dance performance created by Ballet Hispánico (BH) choreographer Rodney Hamilton and BH dancer, Bria Vainqueur. NAACP Image Award Finalist, Kim Coleman Foote will moderate the conversation. Kim's debut novel COLEMAN HILL (Zando) was a finalist for the 2024 Carol Shields Prize for Fiction.
THIS EVENT IS FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
We will be livestreaming the event for those who are not able to join us in person!
RSVP at events@kwelijournal.org
Please note: For security purposes, please register with your full name and the full names of your guests and specify if you are attending virtually or in person. Thank you.
Kweli Journal is excited to partner with Akwaaba to present this special #KweliLitFest24 festival event.
ARTISTS
NANA EKUA BREW-HAMMOND
Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond is the author of the children’s picture book BLUE: A History of the Color as Deep as the Sea and as Wide as the Sky (Knopf), illustrated by Caldecott Honor Artist Daniel Minter. BLUE was honored with the 2023 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award® and nominated for an NAACP Image Award. Brew-Hammond also wrote the young adult novel Powder Necklace (Atria), and edited RELATIONS: An Anthology of African and Diaspora Voices (HarperVia). Her newest novel for adult readers is My Parents' Marriage (Amistad). Every month, she co-leads a writing fellowship whose mission is to write light into darkness. Learn more at nanabrewhammond.com.
KIM COLEMAN FOOTE
Kim Coleman Foote is the author of the debut novel, Coleman Hill, named a finalist for the Carol Shields Prize for Fiction, NAACP Image Award, and Audie Award, and long-listed for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize. Coleman Hill, inspired by her family’s Great Migration journey from Alabama and Florida to Vauxhall, New Jersey, circa 1916–80s, examines the rarely told stories of black migrants in the Northern suburbs.
An award-winning writer of fiction and memoir, Kim’s work has appeared most recently in The Best American Short Stories 2022, Iron Horse Literary Review, Ecotone, and The Rumpus.
RODNEY HAMILTON
Rodney Hamilton began his training in his native St. Louis at several schools including Carr Lane V.P.A., the Center of Contemporary Arts, and Alexandra School of Ballet. He also studied with Ms. Katherine Dunham and joined the chorus at the MUNY where he performed for seven years. After arriving in New York City, he graduated with a BFA in Dance from the Juilliard School and joined Ballet Hispánico where he was a principal dancer and assistant rehearsal director for 10 years. Mr. Hamilton holds an MFA in Dance from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. He has taught ballet, modern, and Dunham technique all over the world. Mr. Hamilton is happy to be returning home to Ballet Hispánico as a faculty member at the School of Dance and to take on the role of BHdos Rehearsal Director.
BRIA VAINQUEUR
Bria Vainqueur was born and raised in New Jersey. She began her studies in dance at three years old and is currently a part of the Pa’lante Scholarship Program at Ballet Hispánico. “The Pa’lante Scholars initiative is an innovative, full-tuition scholarship for professional studies training designed to bridge the gap between the pre-professional and professional stages of a dancer’s career. Ballet Hispánico is answering the need for more career centered programs that build artistry and leadership for our communities, without the financial burden often tied to professional development.” Bria is in her second season with Pa’lante.
KEY EVENT INFO:
Performance, Reading & Conversation feat. Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond with Kim Coleman Foote
A #KweliLitFest24 Festival Event
Date: Wednesday, August 14th, 7PM - 8:30PM EST
Location: Akwaaba (347 MacDonough St., Brooklyn, NY 11233)
A Look Back | #KweliLitFest23 at Ballet Hispánico
with
Pulitzer Prize Finalist Ingrid Rojas Contreras
