2024 Kweli Color of Children’s Literature Pre-Conference Event
with AIDA SALAZAR and JOHN PAUL INFANTE
Thursday, April 18, 2024, 7:00 - 8:30PM
at The Schomburg Center, NYC
Aida Salazar and John Paul Infante
We’re thrilled to celebrate the new novel by multi-award winner AIDA SALAZAR, author of ULTRAVIOLET (Scholastic Press, April 2, 2024). JOHN PAUL INFANTE, winner of the PEN Robert J. Dau Story Prize and author of ON THE TIP OF YOUR MOTHER’S TONGUE (Thirty West), will moderate the conversation at The Schomburg Center on Thursday, April 18th, 7PM - 8:30PM EST.
Then watch as Salazar’s powerful words come to life with a dance performance created by Ballet Hispánico choreographer Rodney Hamilton and dancer Mia Bermudez.
THIS IN-PERSON EVENT IS FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
RSVP through our Ultraviolet Event RSVP Form
Please note: For security purposes, please register with your full name and the full names of your guests. Thank you.
Kweli Journal is excited to partner with The Schomburg Center to present this special #Kweli24 pre-conference event.
ARTISTS
AIDA SALAZAR
Aida Salazar is an award-winning author, arts activist, and translator whose writings explore issues of identity and social justice. Her critically acclaimed verse novels and picture books have received numerous awards including: a Caldecott Honor, the Américas Award, Tomás Rivera Children's Book Award, International Latino Book Awards, California Library Association Beatty Award, Northern CA Book Award, Jane Addams Peace Honor, an NCTE Charlotte Huck Honor among other distinctions. Her most recent middle grade verse novel is ULTRAVIOLET (4/2/24). She lives with her family of artists in Oakland, CA.
JOHN PAUL INFANTE
JP Infante is the author of On the Tip of Your Mother’s Tongue and Aquí y Allá: un retrato de la comunidad Dominicana en Washington Heights. He is the winner of PEN’s Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize and Thirty West’s Chapbook contest. His writing has appeared in Kweli, The Poetry Project, Rigorous, A Gathering of the Tribes, and elsewhere. He has been awarded scholarships and fellowships from the NY State Writers Institute, PEN America and The Center for Fiction. He holds an MFA from The New School.
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.
MIA BERMUDEZ
Mia Bermudez is a aspiring artist born and raised in Montclair, New Jersey. Her training began at nine years old at Ballet Hispánico’s School of Dance studying under the La Academia Pre-Professional Program with merit scholarship. Studying at the highest level of the school, Mia has trained in Spanish dance, Ballet, and various styles of modern under teachers such as Nicole Duffy, Yvonne Gutierrez, and Rodney Hamilton. At Ballet Hispánico, she has performed at the 2021 Macys Thanksgiving Parade, the Apollo Theatre for Performances for Young People, and at the Ballet Hispánico Gala. Mia has also studied at numerous intensives such as the Debbie Allen Dance Academy and La Escuela Nacional de Ballet de Cuba. She is a recent graduate from Montclair High School and is passionate and eager to grow in her artistry as a dancer and striving professional.
KEY EVENT INFO:
Performance, Reading & Conversation feat. Aida Salazar with John Paul Infante
A #Kweli24 Pre-Conference Event
Date: Thursday, April 18th, 7PM - 8:30PM EST
Location: The Schomburg Center (515 Malcolm X Blvd, New York, NY)
A Look Back | #Kweli24 Pre-Conference Event at Ballet Hispánico
with
Jacqueline Woodson and Autumn Allen; moderated by Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz
