
Aug
5
11:30pm
Jesusdevil: The Parables--Alexis De Veaux in conversation with Ra Malika Imhotep
By Charis Books and More/Charis Circle
Charis welcomes Alexis De Veaux in conversation with Ra Malika Imhotep for a celebration of Jesusdevil: The Parables, a brilliantly crafted voyage of queer, black possibility. A daring new work and crowning achievement from a veteran storyteller.
Evocative and experimental, JesusDevil is a nonlinear tale of black life and spiritual expression. Writing in a style she calls "afiction," Alexis De Veaux expands and moves beyond traditional narrative, following the adventures of Fhill, a black, queer spirit who has taken human form. Neither male nor female, Fhill moves fluidly and disruptively across concepts of identity, passing through the nine "parables" that comprise this text. Examining aspects of what it means to be black and human--from a nonhuman perspective--Fhill's liminal nature redefines social and literary categories, exploring social constructions of blackness as well as themes of desire, memory, sex, revenge, and more.
Cover art by Sokari Ekine, photographer and visual artist.
Alexis De Veaux is a black queer feminist independent scholar whose internationally known work is published in six languages. She has been publishing fiction, poetry, plays, memoirs, and children’s literature since 1973, and her work is anthologized in numerous collections. De Veaux is the author of Yabo and Warrior Poet: A Biography of Audre Lorde; and was tenured faculty at the University at Buffalo, Department of Women’s Studies, for more than twenty years, mentoring a new generation of interdisciplinary scholars of black, feminist, and queer studies.
Ra Malika Imhotep, ph.d (Ra/They) is a Black feminist writer and performance artist and cultural worker from Atlanta, GA. They are co-convenor of a spiritual-political education project called The Church of Black Feminist Thought, a member of The Black Aesthetic curatorial collective, and an Assitant Professor of International/African Diaspora Studies at Spelman College. Their creative work has been published in Scalawag Mag, Burnaway, Arrow Journal, The Guggenheim Museum, Poets.org, Southern Cultures, and elsewhere. Their debut poetry collection, gossypiin, was published by Red Hen Press in 2022.
This event is free and open to all people, especially to those who have no income or low income right now, but we encourage and appreciate a solidarity donation in support of the work of Charis Circle, our programming non-profit. Charis Circle's mission is to foster sustainable feminist communities, work for social justice, and encourage the expression of diverse and marginalized voices. https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/CharisCircle?code=chariscirclepage
In-person event guidelines:
- All attendees must wear a face mask at all times inside the building
- We will begin seating people at 7:00 PM ET.
- This event will be live-streamed via crowdcast. Click here to register to attend virtually.
- As a reminder: If you are not feeling well, please do not come to the event.
- If you have any questions regarding these guidelines or to request specific accessibility accommodations, please contact [email protected] or call the store at 404-524-0304
If you would like to watch the virtual event with computer-generated captions, please watch in Google Chrome and enable captions. If you have other accessibility needs or if you are someone who has skills in making digital events more accessible please don't hesitate to reach out to [email protected]. We are actively learning the best practices for this technology and we welcome your feedback as we continue to connect across distances.
By attending our event you agree to our Code of Conduct: Our event seeks to provide a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, religion (or lack thereof), class, or technology choices. We do not tolerate harassment in any form. Sexual language and imagery are not appropriate. Anyone violating these rules will be expelled from this event and all future events at the discretion of the organizers. Please report all harassment to [email protected] immediately.
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Charis Books and More/Charis Circle
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