READ-AUDRE-THON

This event takes place in person at Charis and on ZOOM. This event is free, but registration is required for virtual attendance. Click here to register to attend virtually. Please read the in-person event guidelines at the bottom of this page to be sure you can participate in the event.

This year marks the 90th birthday of Audre Lorde, a Black lesbian, writer, warrior poet, and unapologetic feminist who taught us the power of speaking out, and living authentically. Her words were not just poetry; they were declarations, a rallying cry for justice, equality, and the right to be heard.

This is more than a birthday celebration. It's a reclamation of space, an assertion of identity, and a testament to the enduring power of Audre Lorde's work. Her words are our armor and our guide.

In honor of Audre Lorde, we are gathering voices from our community with this read-a-thon. Your voice is crucial, and we welcome you into the space at Charis Books & More. Please fill out this reader's form: https://forms.gle/BhGDeFMAYJs8wtTc8 and unite in a chorus of resistance and celebration.

Sunday, February 18, 2024, from 1-5 pm at Charis Books & More, located at 184 S. Candler Street, Decatur, GA 30030 

Sponsored by ZAMI NOBLA in partnership with Charis Books & More, and the Counter Narrative Project.

If you need a copy of a book by or about Audre Lorde ORDER HERE and 10% of your purchase will benefit ZAMI NOBLA.

Pre-Order  Survival Is a Promise: The Eternal Life of Audre Lorde by Alexis Pauline Gumbs (Publication Date: August 20th, 2024)

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 12:30 PM ET.

• This event will be live-streamed via Zoom. 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 info@charisbooksandmore.com or call the store at 404-524-0304

If you would like to watch the virtual event with computer-generated captions, they will be enabled. 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 info@chariscircle.org. 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 info@chariscircle.org immediately.

In the news:

• Audre Lorde ain’t here for your hopelessness: How her words are fueling a new generation of queer rage

• Lawmaker and journalist discuss HB 501 and SB 367; Local organization to host a read-a-thon to celebrate Audre Lorde

Join Angela Davis for the ZAMI NOBLA Podcast in conversation with writer Sheree L. Greer they talk about writing, building community, and the release of Greer's latest book, the Tenth Anniversary Edition of Once and Future Lovers. In this provocative, anniversary edition collection of short fiction, characters grapple with the courage it takes to love once while discovering the inherent challenge put to all lovers: embracing or denying the possibility of loving again, and again.

A busted bicycle mocks a broken heart, a spurned lover contemplates parenthood as the daughter of a sometimes father, and a teenage girl is unknowingly caught in an intergenerational exploration of desire, obligation, and redemption. These are the stories hearts tell. For the tenth anniversary edition of Once and Future Lovers, Greer revives and refreshes select stories from the original debut collection alongside new and previously published fiction that examines the great risk that is loving.

Sheree L. Greer is a writer living in Tampa, Florida. In 2014, she founded Kitchen Table Literary Arts to support and showcase the work of BIPOC women and femme-identified writers and poets and is the author of two novels, Let the Lover Be and A Return to Arms, and a short story collection, Once and Future Lovers. Her work has been published in LezTalk Anthology, VerySmartBrothas, Autostraddle, The Windy City Times, and the Windy City Queer Anthology: Dispatches from the Third Coast. Sheree is a VONA/VOICES alum, Astraea grantee, as well as a Yaddo and Ragdale Fellow. Her essay, "Bars" published in Fourth Genre Magazine, was nominated for a Pushcart Prize and notably named in Best American Essays 2019. https://www.shereelgreer.com

ZAMI NOBLA Podcast: The ZAMI NOBLA Podcast is a sound source for Black Lesbians 40 and older. Our show topics include current events, LGBT affairs, Black Lesbian Herstory & Health and Wellness. Angela Denise Davis is the show's Creator, Producer, and Host. https://zaminobla.libsyn.com

This event takes place in person at Charis and on crowdcast, Charis' virtual event platform. This event is free, but registration is required for virtual attendance. Click here to register to attend virtually: bull-jean & dem/dey back: Book Signing & Celebration of Author Sharon Bridgforth - crowdcast

Please read the in-person event guidelines at the bottom of this page to be sure you can participate in the event.

Join ZAMI NOBLA and Charis on Saturday, May 27, 2023, at 7:30 pm for a special event featuring esteemed writer Sharon Bridgforth in conversation with ZAMI NOBLA creative director Angela Denise Davis, as we celebrate bull-jean & dem/dey back.

Bull-jean & dem/dey back is a collection that unites two performance/novels centered on the southern-Black-butch-heroine, bull-jean. The Lambda Literary Award-winning bull-jean stories was first published by RedBone Press in 1998 and follows the journey of love rekindling throughout the lifetimes of bull-dog-jean. After a twenty-two-year hiatus, bull-dog-jean triumphantly returns in bull-jean/we wake. As the Narrator grieves the loss of their elders and seeks healing, they summon bull-jean for guidance. Be sure not to miss this inspiring event!

Start planning for your future now, no matter your age or financial situation!

Join ZAMI NOBLA - National Organization of Black Lesbians on Aging for an insightful virtual Q&A session on Estate Planning with expert Attorney Crystal M. Richardson.

Discover the essentials of Living Wills, Advanced Health Care Directives, Life Insurance, Trusts, Charitable Giving, Power of Attorney, Land Deeds, Marriage/Domestic Partnership Protection, and much more!

Mark your calendar for Tuesday, April 11, 2023, at 7 pm EST. Attendance is free and open to LGBTQIA, but registration is required: http://bit.ly/3JX2AD1.

Our distinguished guest, Crystal M. Richardson, is the founder of The Law Office of Crystal M. Richardson PLLC and an estate administration and heirs' property expert. She'll be sharing her valuable knowledge and answering your questions.

Please submit your questions to zaminobla@zaminobla.org by April 9th, and join us for this empowering event.

Together, let's secure our futures.

Crystal M. Richardson (she/her) is a solo practitioner at The Law Office of Crystal M. Richardson PLLC, where she focuses on estate administration and heirs' property matters. She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and the Charlotte School of Law, where she graduated with pro bono honors.

Attorney Richardson serves on the DEI committee of the Estate Planning and Fiduciary and the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) Committees with the North Carolina Bar Association. She also works closely with the North Carolina Coalition for the UPHPA and the Heirs' Property Legal Network with the Federation of Southern Cooperatives.

For more information, please visit her website at www.CrystalRichardsonLaw.com

Atlanta Pride celebrates Black History Month at Out Front Theatre Company, 999 Brady Ave., NW, Atlanta on Friday, February 24th from 6:30-8 pm with LGBTQ Leaders: Justin James, Mary Anne Adams, Nicole Young-Turner, and Ashton Marshall. 

Opening Performers: XAY and Legend Elite Dance Co. 

This event takes place on crowdcast, Charis' virtual event platform. Register here: https://www.crowdcast.io/e/bull-jean--demdey-back-3/register

Charis welcomes Sharon Bridgforth in conversation with Mary Anne Adams for a celebration of bull-jean & dem/dey back.

bull-jean & dem/dey back collects two performance/novels centering Sharon Bridgforth's southern-Black-butch-sheroe, bull-jean.

This event is co-hosted by ZAMI NOBLA: The National Organization of Black Lesbians on Aging.

First published by RedBone Press in 1998, the Lambda Literary Award-winning the bull-jean stories chronicles the course of lovve returning in the Life-times of bull-dog-jean.

Set in the rural 1920s south, the bull-jean stories is an act of griot-anthropology, remembering the ancestor we never knew but always knew we needed--the raucous, sweet-talking, heart-aching wo'mn-lovvn-wo'mn bull-dog-jean and the fierce and beautiful community that surrounds her.

Twenty-two years later, bull-dog-jean returns in bull-jean/we wake.

Grieving the loss of their elders, seeking healing, the Narrator calls forward bull-jean.

Through a series of dreams, porch prayers, and visitations from cussing conjurers, Black Mermaids, children that fly, and shape-shifting ole folk, bull-jean and dem guide the Narrator towards a realization of the sustaining power of love, memory, community, ritual, and spiritual binding

Join ZAMI NOBLA and the Remember and Reimagine Ukulele Ensemble for the world premiere of African American Spirituals arranged by Angela Denise Davis, Ensemble Director.

Saturday, November 13 at 8 pm EST

This is an online event and you must register at the following link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/.../tZMrfumorTsqHNcxbDxCyhylTBjbg...

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information, please

contact Angela Denise Davis at ukegriot@gmail.com

Ensemble Members:

Edith Biggers

Judy Graboyes

Liz Hendrickson

Judith E. Koons

Maggie Mackenzie

Chadra Pittman

Brooke Smith-Perry

Anne VanDerslice

This project is sponsored by ZAMI NOBLA (National Organization of Black Lesbians on Aging) with funding from the CARSS Rapid Response Grants Program, made possible with support from the Henry Luce Foundation.

CARSS: Center on African-American Religion, Sexual Politics, and Social Justice - Columbia University