Filmmaker Akosua Akoben found a new love in film production, and plans to produce several webseries and multimedia productions. Part of her webseries, The Pride, will screen at our “What Does the Future Look Like?” program on Feb. 23! We recently talked to her about her interest in science fiction and Afrofuturism and her webseries, The Pride. Read More
🚨🚨Aiesha will close out the year choppin’ it up with Ben of “Mr. Ben’s K-Pop Power Hour” at 10 pm on 12/30 on WAIF (88.3 FM)! They’ll be discussing a number of topics, including cosplay, anime, and steampunk. Tune in! 🚨🚨
We recently talked to Brandon Willis of the Black Cincinnati Cinema Collective, whose short film Big Mike is showing at our “Matinee Noir: Black Speculative Fiction Shorts” event on Oct. 28! Read More
In honor Black Speculative Fiction Month, we recently interviewed horror writer Tonia Thompson, whose NIGHTLIGHT: The Black Horror Podcast is a thing of terrifying beauty. On it, Tonia reads horror stories from Black writers across the diaspora. Read More
We’re revisiting our interview from last summer with filmmaker Jumai Yusuf, whose short film Pearl Rain will show at our “Matinee Noir: Black Speculative Fiction Shorts” event on Oct. 28! Read More
We recently spoke to filmmaker Vagabond Beaumont, whose short film, Aftermath: The Seeds of Armageddon, will show at our “Matinee Noir: Black Speculative Fiction Shorts” on Oct. 28! Beaumont’s short story “Kafka’s Last Laugh” was included in Octavia’s Brood: Science Fiction Stories From Social Justice Movements, an anthology of stories by people influenced by science fiction writer Octavia Butler.
Black Speculative Fiction Month is right around the corner and we can’t wait to share all of our recommendations with you! Be on the lookout for interviews with filmmaker Melody Cooper, author Charlie J. Askew and Tonia Thompson of the Nightlight podcast as well as reviews of Jamila Rowser’s Wobbledy 3000, Tee Franklin’s Jook Joint as well as info on our Black Speculative Fiction Shorts event on Oct. 28! October will be LIT! (As in “literature”…get it?…OK, I’ll show myself out.)
Our co-founder, Aiesha, spoke with the host of WVXU’s Local Exposure podcast about our upcoming Cowboy Bebop jazz tribute concert. Click here to listen to the interview!
After years of touring and discovering music from all parts of the world, Napoleon Maddox came home with a longing for cultivation and fearless celebration of what musicians here have to offer the world. “It’s important that the connection be understood, stated and restated. This music came from the beak of Paul Lawrence Dunbar and Maya Angelou’s “caged bird,” he says. “When artists around the world create or perform jazz, country, funk, rock, hip-hop or trap, they are echoing some Blues that the ‘caged bird sang.’” The musical offerings he’s heard on stages in Finland, England, France and other places, drove him to create the Underworld Jazz Festival, which takes place May 23-27 at venues around Cincinnati, and include two performances of his experimental music mashup, The Deconstruction Period. In honor of this event, we asked Napo to give us his top Afrofuturistic tracks. Read More
