The Black Fire—This Time (BFTT) Summer Fellowship fosters the careers of poets and writers at all stages of development through independent study, readings, Q&A sessions with prominent authors and sponsored prizes. Fellows are provided exclusive access to the Black Fire—This Time Digital Collection, which contains cultural gems from the Black Arts Movement along with an extended set of hard-to-find and out-of-print works not found in the print edition.
From June to August, BFTT Summer Fellows will work on the project of their choice. Projects are self-paced at any stage of development, from literature reviews to works-in-progress to full manuscripts. The fellowship is open to poets, writers, playwrights, teaching artists and healing arts practitioners addressing the myriad aspects of the Black Arts Movement (past, present and future).
About the Book and Digital Collection:
Black Fire---This Time is a new anthology on the history and legacy of the Black Arts Movement. In a Foreword by Ishmael Reed, movement founder and MacArthur Fellow, Black Fire—This Time is a 21st century “update” on the state of Black writing arts, building upon the traditions of Alain Locke’s The New Negro (1925) and Amiri Baraka and Larry Neal’s Black Fire: an anthology of Afro-American Writing (1968).
Edited by Dr. Kim McMillon and with an Introduction by Dr. Margo Natalie Crawford, the theme of this anthology is “Black is Beautiful, Black is Powerful, Black is Home.” Exploring the past, present and future of Black writing, this collection bridges many of the founders of the Black Arts Movement—including Nikki Giovanni, Sonia Sanchez, Haki Madhubuti, Amiri Baraka, Wanda Coleman, Dudley Randall, Eugene B. Redmond and Askia Touré—with contemporary established writers in the tradition such as brian g. gilmore—to Ishmael Reed’s “younger generation”—Karla Brundage, Allison E. Francis, Tongo Eisen-Martin and C. Liegh McInnis.
Designed as an open conversation between generations bridging hearts and minds across decades, Black Fire—This Time’s works are rooted in preservation, reverence and discovery. It also stands out for its inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented in the 1968 Black Fire in particular, writers such as Nikki Giovanni and James Baldwin, in an effort to provide a more complete view of the myriad perspectives on Black identity and writing.
Requirements: Fellows work independently but are invited to attend weekly check-ins (approx. 60 minutes), where Fellows receive announcements, network, enjoy readings and Q&A sessions with guest speakers and schedule critique sessions. Fellows will submit a portfolio sample of work completed during the fellowship. Select projects will be eligible for sponsored prizes (TBA).
Registration and materials fee: $99; critique appointments additional fee TBA.
Materials: Fellows receive a complimentary download of Black Fire—This Time Digital Edition (a $199 value).
Deadline: The BFTT Summer Fellowship is currently virtual (Zoom) only. The session dates are below:
June 8-July 27, 2022 (Wednesday check-ins)
To apply: $25 application fee (nonrefundable) on the Aquarius Press/Willow Books SUBMITTABLE page with a brief statement (no more than one paragraph) on how this fellowship will advance/enhance your professional development and a brief writing sample (no more than 10 pages).
Aquarius Press LLC reserves the right to reject or cancel a fellowship at any time. Application and registration and materials fees are nonrefundable. Failure of a fellow to complete a fellowship session is considered a withdrawal. Failure to attend more than two check-ins constitute a withdrawal. Failure to attend a booked critique is nonrefundable. Aquarius Press LLC does not guarantee fellows any advancement nor employment. Participation in this fellowship means that fellows hold Aquarius Press LLC, Willow Books, guest authors, editorial team and affiliates harmless against any losses, perceived or otherwise. Fellows grant Aquarius Press LLC/Willow Books the right to use Fellows' bios and photos for publicity purposes.