2009 F&I Cotillion

Save the Date now for
Fire & Ink III: Cotillion
October 8-11, 2009
Austin, Texas

Writers and readers and lovers
of the word take note:
Shake out your finest words.
Get ready to shimmy
’til your line breaks.
Fire & Ink III: Cotillion
is almost here!

Sponsored by Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice, University of Texas/John L. Warfield Center for African & African American Studies, and allgo

In 2002, Fire & Ink organized the first, historic, national gathering of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) writers of African descent, held at the University of Illinois in Chicago.

“Mixing ‘page’ and ‘stage’ poets with fiction writers, filmmakers, playwrights, journalists and academics at all stages of their careers, the groundbreaking Fire & Ink: A Writers Festival for GLBT People of African Descent, held in Chicago in 2002, helped introduce a wide range of writers to each other and their work in ways previous, mainly non-black writers’ gatherings and small literary salons could not match.” –“Out No Doubt,” Black Issues Book Review

Fire & Ink remains the only organization that exists solely to support writers, readers and lovers of literature, academic and cultural work written throughout the LGBTQ African diaspora.

In 2009, Fire & Ink III: Cotillion will bring together hundreds of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender writers of African descent whose work spans the genres, including fiction, nonfiction, poetry, screenwriting, playwriting, multimedia arts and performance arts. Join writers, readers, thinkers, scholars, editors, publishers, curators, audio and visual artists, students, teachers, media professionals, and art lovers from around the country to:

Create a body of writers dedicated to reversing negative trends in cultural, literary and artistic marketplaces, while creating more positive, powerful arenas for those expressions.
Teach, inspire and encourage each other while creating lasting alliances.
Discuss the position and importance of Black LGBT literature, culture and artistic expression in the context of national and world literature and artwork.
Develop and implement strategies to lobby and encourage universities, libraries, mainstream and independent bookstores and other venues to integrate more LGBT literature and artwork created by writers of African descent within and outside of traditional curricula and offerings.
Plan, share and implement professional and artistic opportunities.

Cotillion will meet this goal with:

Conversation: including panel discussions and public conversations with craft masters in various genres;
Knowledge Sharing: skills-building workshops developed to promote artistic growth and help produce our best work;
Readings & Performances: see and hear the work of some of the best LGBT writers of African descent in the U.S.;
Idea Exchange: meet, work and rub elbows with writers, readers, publishers, editors, artists, critics and scholars;
Celebration! The Fire & Ink Cotillion Ball will take place on Saturday night, deep into Sunday morning, October 11, 2009, in celebration of National Coming Day. We are coming out as artists and cultural creators, embracing our power and our work, celebrating our accomplishments, and stepping out together into the future we are busily creating.

Fire & Ink III: Cotillion will begin on Thursday, October 8th and conclude on National Coming Out Day, October 11, 2009.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS: Due March 6, 2009!
Get it here: http://tinyurl.com/fireandinkRFP

Until then, Save the Date and Spread the Word!

The theme of Cotillion was conceived to acknowledge that some of the best creative and cultural work being produced today is created, supported, and/or inspired by LGBT writers and artists of African descent. Cotillion will create a one-of-a-kind experience where creative artists can meet and work together in an open and supportive environment that fosters the freedom to be who we are and encourages us to live to our best potential. In a world where our contributions are often ignored, silenced or written out of history, Cotillion is our creative, declarative coming out festival where we as artists affirm the power and significance of our lives and our work.