Friends, students, colleagues, In honor of Juneteenth and Pride month, we wanted to highlight a few undercelebrated local literary figures: (clockwise from top-left) Anita Cornwell, Joseph F. Beam, Cei Bell, and Fran Ross. |
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This would be a very long newsletter if we shared their full biographies, but hopefully this will inspire you to continue exploring these important writers' legacies on your own. - Anita Cornwell (1923 – 2023) was a lesbian feminist author who spent most of her life in Philadelphia. She was a lifelong activist, joining the Daughters of Bilitis and helping found the Philadelphia chapter of Radicalesbians. In 1983, she published Black Lesbian in White America, which appears to be the first published collection of essays by a Black lesbian. [Wikipedia]
- Joseph F. Beam (1954 – 1988) was a Philadelphia born and raised gay rights activist, journalist, and poet. His work centered connections between gay men of color, a response to exclusionary white gay activism. Beam was a close friend of Audre Lorde, Barbara Smith, Essex Hemphill, Bayard Rustin, and many other luminaries of the era, and was a dedicated penpal to incarcerated people. In 1986, he published In the Life, considered the first anthology of poetry and prose by Black gay men. [Wikipedia]
- Cei Bell (1955 – 2024) was an intersex transgender woman, writer, and activist born and raised in Philadelphia. She helped organize the city's first gay pride parade, co-founded the Radical Queens, and was involved in Dyketactics! and an early iteration of the William Way Center, among others. Her work was published in several local papers, and she contributed to the 2009 anthology Smash the Church, Smash the State. A survivor and lifelong activist, Cei drew attention to hate crimes and spoke out against racism in the trans community. [Dyke Domesticity]
- Fran Ross (1935 – 1985) was a lesbian feminist novelist and comedy writer born and raised in Philadelphia. Despite working as a proofreader for New York publishing houses throughout the 60s, Fran struggled to find a home for her novel, Oreo, a “satirical tale of a biracial teenager's Theseus-style quest to find her father” (WNYC). In 1974, the book was finally published by a small press run by Fran's then partner, Ann Grifalconi. The novel remained obscure until the early 2000s, when it was republished to critical acclaim. [Los Angeles Review of Books]
These four are just a small sampling of Philadelphia's influential Black and queer/trans literary history, a story that continues to be written today by countless novelists, poets, memoirists, and essayists. As we learned in this week's class with Zach Ozma, “ Visiting Lou,” studying the past can help us better understand the present and strategize for a more just future. |
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Speaking of the future, the first batch of Summer School classes are open for enrollment! You'll find an array of low-cost options across multiple topics and genres led by some of your favorite authors, educators, and literary professionals. This summer's courses fall into two categories: - Masterclasses: 90-120 minutes long, these $50 sessions taught by writers like Carmen Maria Machado, Asali Solomon, and Kristen Arnett will take the form of a craft lecture or a moderated Q&A. Many include a free raffle ticket for a fabulous prize (signed books, mostly).
- Workshops: Choose from an hourlong generative writing session ($25) or one of our 3-hour workshops ($75) on poetry, publishing, and more. Many include a free raffle ticket for individual consultations on poems or short essays.
To keep things affordable, our $75 workshops have financial aid options for low-income individuals in the greater Philadelphia area. And all of our summer classes are 10% off with the promo code SUMSCHOOL24. The next class in our lineup is Office Hours, a Q&A with professor and award-winning novelist Asali Solomon. Asali's latest novel, The Days of Afrekete, has been called “a feat of engineering” by The New York Times. She is also the author of the novel Disgruntled and Get Down: Stories. She has been the recipient of a Pew Fellowship, a Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers’ Award, and the National Book Foundation’s “5 Under 35” honor long, long ago. Her work has appeared in O, The Oprah Magazine, Essence, The Paris Review Daily, McSweeney’s, on NPR, and in several anthologies including The Best Short Stories of 2021: The O. Henry Prize Collection. She is the Bertrand K. Wilbur Chair in the Humanities at Haverford College, where she teaches literature of the African Diaspora and directs Creative Writing. The class will take place on Monday, June 24, 5:30-7:30 pm ET, on Zoom. The moderator, poet and board member Warren C. Longmire, will have plenty of questions on deck, but students are also encouraged to bring their own questions about Asali’s books, writing practice, career, and experiences navigating the publishing world. All registrants will be automatically entered into a raffle to win a free, signed copy of The Days of Afrekete and will receive a complimentary recording of the session. Click the image below to learn more and enroll. |
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Lastly, a quick update on our fundraising efforts. We are slowly chipping away at the budget deficit; as of today, we've reached (almost) 30% of our $20,000 fundraising goal. Every donation, no matter how small, makes a dramatic impact. If you have just $5 to spare, or heck, even $2 to buy a raffle ticket, we humbly welcome your support. In return, we'll provide as much free, low-cost, and subsidized programming as we can, working with our instructors and community partners to continue amplifying the invaluable stories of local writers. Thank you for considering! |
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In solidarity, Julian Shendelman Co-director P.S. Looking for literary fun this weekend? Be sure to check out our new community calendar and resource pages. Submissions are very welcome! |
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- Thursday, 6/20, 4-6pm ET: Join Blue Stoop for up to 2 hours of quiet time for writing, editing, daydreaming, or whatever's on your plate. These drop-in sessions are free and open to all. Click the image below to register.
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- We're also excited to announce our new fellowship program for woman-identified emerging writers. Established with the generous support of acclaimed author Jennifer Weiner, this fellowship aims to elevate voices that often go unheard in the literary world. Six fellows will receive $5000 to support their creative endeavors, as well as professional mentoring, a supportive cohort, and promotional opportunities. We'll share details on eligibility and deadlines later this summer, so subscribe to this special mailing list to be the first to find out.
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WANT MORE LOCAL EVENTS? Explore and contribute to our community calendar! |
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1315 Walnut Street, Suite 320
Philadelphia, PA 19107, United States |
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