We are so excited to install our Little Free Library at the ArtsXchange! Thanks and gratitude to Aileen Loy of Little Free Contentious Library, Little Free Library and Read 4 Unity for this gift. Appreciation to our installation helpers Tia Davis, Lamont Loyd-Sims and Theresa Davis for their expertise. We look forward to the community taking a book or leaving a book at the Little Free Library at the ArtsXchange! ______ Little Free Library at the ArtsXchange Installed August 29th 2023 ______ Little Free Library https://littlefreelibrary.org/ https://read4ynity.com Little Free Contentious Library https://www.instagram.com/littlefreecontentiouslibrary/ @littlefreecontentiouslibrary Read4Unity https://www.instagram.com/read4unity/ @Read4Unity _______ ARTSXCHANGE https://www.artsxchange.org

The Power of Words Author Panel brings together each month authors who utilize words to express powerful narratives, connection, and musing from a diversity of lenses. Hosted by Theresa Davis.

The Power of Words Author Panel is set to feature an insightful interview with the Poet Laureate of Richmond, Virginia, Roscoe Burnems. This event, taking place on Sunday April 30th at 2pm, will provide a unique opportunity for Burnems to discuss his impactful work within the community and share some of his most powerful pieces. Hosted by Theresa Davis, on ArtsXchange's Facebook and YouTube live, the panel promises to be an engaging and thought-provoking exploration of the intersection between art, community, and social change. Don't miss this chance to hear from one of Richmond's most inspiring literary voices.

Join us for a discussion about "Let Me Say This: A Dolly Parton Anthology co-edited by Julie Bloemeke and Dustin Brookshire. This program is in partnership with South Fulton Institute. Julie E. Bloemeke (she/her) is the 2021 Georgia Author of the Year Finalist for Poetry. Her debut full-length collection Slide to Unlock (Sibling Rivalry Press, 2020) was also chosen as a 2021 Book All Georgians Should Read. Co-editor of Let Me Say This: A Dolly Parton Poetry Anthology (Madville Publishing, 2023) she is also an associate editor for South Carolina Review and a Virginia Center for the Creative Arts fellow. Winner of the 2022 Third Coast Poetry Prize and a finalist for the 2020 Fischer Poetry Prize, her work has appeared in numerous anthologies and literary journals. Visit her online at www.jebloemeke.com Dustin Brookshire (he/him) is the author of the chapbooks Never Picked First For Playtime (Harbor Editions, 2023), Love Most Of You Too (Harbor Editions, 2021) and To The One Who Raped Me (Sibling Rivalry Press, 2012). He is the co-editor of Let Me Say This: A Dolly Parton Poetry Anthology (Madville Publishing, 2023), and the co-editor of a forthcoming form anthology from Harbor Anthologies. His work has been nominated for the Pushcart and Best of the Net. Dustin is the curator of the Wild & Precious Life Series, founder/editor of Limp Wrist, founding chapter president of the South Florida Poets (a chapter of the Florida State Poetry Association), program director for Reading Queer, and a founding member of FLAWN (Florida Local Artist & Writers Network). Find him online at dustinbrookshire.com.

Tune in at 2pm February 26th, to hear the Poet Laureate of Charlotte, NC Junious "Jay" Ward on The Power of Words Author Panel with ArtsXchange Literary Program Director Theresa Davis on our Facebook Live and YouTube Live . Our literary programs are presented in partnership with the South Fulton Institute. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Junious 'Jay' Ward is a poet and teaching artist from Charlotte, NC. He is a National Slam champion (2018), an Individual World Poetry Slam champion (2019), author of Sing Me A Lesser Wound (Bull City Press 2020) and Charlotte's inaugural Poet Laureate. Jay currently serves as a Program Director for BreatheInk, serves as vice chair on the board of The Watering Hole, and is part of several curatorial committees for arts events in Charlotte. Ward has attended Breadloaf Writer's Conference, Callaloo, The Watering Hole and Tin House Winter Workshop. His work can be found in Diode Poetry Journal, DIAGRAM, Columbia Journal, Four Way Review, and additionally on Button Poetry, All Def Poetry, and Slamfind.This event is moderated by award winning poet Theresa Davis author of “After This We Go Dark” and “Drowned: A Mermaid’s Manifesto” published with Sibling Rivalry Press.

The Power of Words Author Panel (Facebook & YouTube Live) 2-3 p.m. EDT | Sunday, Sept. 25 Shay Alexi (they/them) will discuss their book of poetry, "Unbridled," with ArtsXchange literary arts director and poet Theresa Davis. Shay is a multi-disciplinary artist and writer living on unceded Muskogee-Creek land in Atlanta and has been featured in The Rumpus, Homology Lit, WUSSY, and Apogee, among others. Shay is a freelance illustrator and communications professional with a BFA in acting. Connect with them on Twitter and Instagram at @_shayalexi_

// ABOUT The Power of Words Author Panel brings together authors who utilize words to express powerful narratives, connection, and musing from a diversity of lenses. Hosted by Theresa Davis. // GUEST A. HASAN DAVIS, J.D. Author, Trainer, Performer, Youth Advocate Hasan Davis combines his talents as an author, trainer, and performer to provide multi-day or virtual events around his books to schools, conferences, and universities. He is in high demand as a conference speaker and trainer for positive youth engagement, staff development and leadership. A VISION TO SEE ALL CHILDREN REACH THEIR GREATEST POTENTIAL For more than 25 years, Hasan has held to the belief that each child can and will succeed as long as adults in their world create hope. Starting as a counselor and a teaching artist, and through his years as a youth development specialist, Hasan has transformed the attitudes and strategies of school and facility staff, parents, and members of the community to help hundreds of children graduate from high school and go on to earn degrees from colleges and universities. BRINGING HISTORY ALIVE Hasan brings history alive and gives voice to overlooked heroes of color through his theatrical performances of: --York: Explorer on the Lewis and Clark expedition --A.A. Burleigh: Civil War Soldier who escaped enslavement to Join the Union Forces of the American Civil War --Joe Louis: America’s Champion Hasan’s one-man shows are a superb example of experiential, interactive learning that is engaging for adults as well as youth. Hasan has presented to groups ranging from corporations, colleges, historical organizations, public libraries, schools, prisons, to churches in over 37 states. Hasan has been honored as an Annie E. Casey Foundation, Children and Families Fellow, a Council of State Governments, Henry Toll fellow and a Rockefeller Foundation, Next Generation Leadership fellow. Hasan, a G.E.D. recipient, earned a Bachelor’s degree from Berea College and a Law Degree from the University of Kentucky College of Law. He lives in Berea, Kentucky with his family. ➤ WEBSITE: https://hasandavis.com ➤ LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hasandavis/ ➤ YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDq1hANZWpA2BdwmZNl506g ➤ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/hdsolutions ➤ Purchase these author's books: https://www.amazon.com/Human-Writes-Hasan-Davis-ebook/dp/B09QPK1NRZ/ref=sr_1_4?qid=1650768584&refinements=p_27%3AHasan+Davis&s=digital-text&sr=1-4&text=Hasan+Davis https://www.amazon.com/Hasan-Davis-JD/e/B0150GTNOC?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1650768518&sr=8-1 // HOST Theresa Davis ArtsXchange Literary Program Director ➤ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/rockstarpoet ➤ INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/shepiratepoet/ // LET’S CONNECT ARTSXCHANGE ➤ WEBSITE: https://www.artsxchange.org/ ➤ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/artsxchangeeastpoint ➤ INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/artsxchangeatl/ ➤ TWITTER: https://twitter.com/ArtsXchangeATL ➤ DONATE: https://www.artsxchange.org/donate

"YOU SOOOO BLACK! When you smile, the stars come out." So opens the powerful poem about self-love, Black pride, and embracing culture by Theresa Tha Songbird, who just released the poem as a children's book! Tune in to hear more from her during The Power of Words Author Panel with ArtsXchange Literary Program Director Theresa Davis on our Facebook Live and YouTube Live — 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 29! Our literary programs are presented in partnership with the South Fulton Institute. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Musical, lyrical, theatrical alchemist, sprinkling magic on every microphone she touches, Theresa tha SONGBIRD is a supernatural wellspring of entertainment. Chicago native, and calling Atlanta home Theresa carries the honor of her poem You So Black going viral after her appearance on the 2019 Trumpet Awards on Bounce TV, appearing on a Grammy Nominated album in 2020, as well as being requested to posthumously honor Earl "DMX" Simmons for Bounce TV's Black Music Honors 2021, and appearing as FACEBOOK's 2021 Black History Month Installation. She has recently graced the LA Clippers Stadium and performed alongside the luminary talents of Jill Scott, MC Lyte, Jasmine Sullivan, Robert Glasper, and Bobby Brown. Amidst touring the globe Songbird self published her first book of poetry, MASS MATTER MAGIC, which is available on Amazon. And Songbird is proud to announce the January 2023 release of her first children's book YOU SO BLACK, available via SIMON and SCHUSTER.