All Events
Spoken Word
A Night of Spoken Word and Slam Poetry Javon Johnson
MCC Lounge
Merging race and gender theory with comedy, lyricism, and rhyme schemes, Javon Johnson is a renowned and highly awarded slam and spoken word poet. Javon is a three-time national poetry slam champion, has appeared on HBO’s Def Poetry Jam and BET’s Lyric Café, and co-wrote a documentary in collaboration with the NBA and Nike. Having earned his Ph.D. from Northwestern University, Javon Johnson is an Assistant Professor of African American Studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and the Director of African American and African Diaspora Studies. He is the author of Killing Poetry: Blackness and the Making of Slam and Spoken Word Communities.
Race and Literature:
Funny Boy Shyam Selvadurai
MCC Meeting Room
Last year the MultiCultural Center kicked off a new series to explore the issues of race and belonging through literature. This series is an interactive space for lively discussions on various theories about race, a safe space for articulating perspectives on identity and belonging which are contextualized by different authors, and an intentional time for centering the narratives of marginalized communities. Discussions will be facilitated by various faculty members, graduate students, and staff members. Readings may be suggested but are not required for attendance. This series hopes to cultivate open dialogue, and a spirit of appreciation and intellectual kinship. Dessert will be provided! All are welcome.
Race and Literature Series
Writing Myself into the Diaspora Shyam Selvadurai
MCC Lounge
Shyam Selvadurai will read from his novels Funny Boy and The Hungry Ghosts and talk about what it means to be a writer working from the hyphen between Sri Lankan and Canadian. Shyam Selvadurai was born in Colombo, Sri Lanka and migrated to Canada with his family at the age of nineteen. He has studied creative writing and theatre and has a BFA from York University, as well as an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia. Funny Boy, his first novel, won the WH Smith/Books in Canada First Novel Award and the Lambda Literary Award in the US.
Cup of Culture
Nailed It!
MCC Theater
In virtually every city, state, and strip mall across the U.S., women get their nails done in salons likely owned by Vietnamese entrepreneurs. How did this community come to dominate an $8 billion dollar nail economy? Nailed It takes viewers from Los Angeles to the Bronx to meet the diverse people and relationships behind this booming and enigmatic trade. Post-film discussion to follow. 60m
