Author Archive
OffWorld
What: OffWorld, A Science Fiction Club
When: Wednesday, May 8, 7-9 pm
Where: WordSpace, 415 North Tyler Street
Presented by: Phillip Washington
Hosted by: Charles Dee Mitchell
Join us for a discussion of science fiction writers.
The Big Read Panel: Growing Up With Science Fiction
In conjunction with The Big Read’s tribute to the late Ray Bradbury and Fahrenheit 451, Off World, the science fiction readers’ club of WordSpace, presents a panel on the role science fiction can play in the lives of young readers. Panel members range from naysayers to fervent fans of the genre. This free event will be a lively evening with ample opportunities for audience members to weigh in on the topic.
The Big Read is a city-wide celebration of Ray Bradbury and Fahrenheit 451, funded by the National Endowment of the Arts to grantees Friends of the Public Library and programming partner D Academy, a leadership division of D Magazine. See other offerings on The Big Read Dallas website. “ONE BOOK ONE CITY”.
What: A Panel Discussion to celebrate The Big Read, a project of D Academy and the Friends of the Dallas Public Library
Who: Panelists: OffWorld’s Phillip Washington; Ken Ruffin, president of the National Space Society, North Texas Division; and, Jerome Weeks, critic and producer for KERA Public Radio
Moderator: Charles Dee Mitchell
When: Tuesday, April 9, 7-9 pm
Where: Half Price Books, 5803 NW Highway
OffWorld
What: OffWorld, a Science Fiction Club
When: Wednesday, February 13, 7pm
Where: WordSpace, 415 North Tyler Street
Presented by: Phillip Washington
Hosted by: Charles Dee Mitchell
Join us for a discussion of science fiction writers.
OffWorld
What: OffWorld, A Science Fiction Club
Where: WordSpace, 415 North Tyler St
When: Resumes in February
Presented by: Phillip Washington
Hosted by: Charles Dee Mitchell
Join us for look at new short science fiction and discussions.
Ronaldo Wilson
What: Ronaldo Wilson
More: Opening presentation by Greenhill School Student Writer
When: Friday, February 1, 7:30 pm
Where: Private Residence, RSVP for location: 214-838-3554, wordspace@wordspace.us
Special Thanks: Ronaldo Wilson’s Dallas appearance is made possible in partnership with Greenhill School of Dallas and curated for WordSpace and Greenhill School by Farid Matuk.
Ronaldo V. Wilson is the author of Narrative of the Life of the Brown Boy and the White Man (University of Pittsburgh, 2008), winner of the 2007 Cave Canem Poetry Prize and Poems of the Black Object (Futurepoem Books, 2009), winner of the Thom Gunn Award and the Asian American Literary Award in Poetry in 2010. Co-founder of the Black Took Collective, Wilson is also a Visiting Assistant Professor of Poetry, Fiction and Literature in the Literature Department of the University of California, Santa Cruz. His latest book, Farther Traveler: Poetry, Prose, Other, is forthcoming from Counterpath Press in 2013.
Michael Guinn at Dallas Poetry Slam
What: Michael Guinn at Dallas Poetry Slam
When: April 26, 2013 at 8pm
Where: 7402 Greenville Ave., Dallas, TX 75231
Admission: $5 (Free to WS Members)
Hosted By: Rock Baby and Alexandra Marie
Michael Guinn is an energetic and interactive speaker for teens, college students and adult professionals. He has a Master of Science in Social Work and is a Licensed Social Worker. After working with the state of Texas as a Caseworker with the Child Protective Services, he was inspired to empower youth through poetry and writing. Trained as a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor, Michael promotes and speaks about the awareness of addiction, domestic abuse and sexual harassment. He was recently named Community Mentor of the Year and nominated for the Legacy of Men Award. Michael competes in poetry slam competitions all over the world and has been hosting a weekly open mic poetry and spoken word event for 11 years in Downtown Fort Worth. He is the accomplished author of more than 16 poetry books and 4 spoken word CD projects. Michael also hosts, writes and performs for weddings, anniversaries, conventions, conferences, churches, and women and children events.
Simon Phx at Dallas Poetry Slam
What: Simon Phx at Dallas Poetry Slam
When: March 1, 2013 at 8pm
Where: Heroes, 7402 Greenville Ave., Dallas, TX 75231
Admission: $5
Hosted By: Rock Baby and Alexandra Marie
Simon Phx is three time member of the Dallas Slam team and has been writing and performing poetry in Dallas since 2008. He has been dubbed “the Future” by his peers for his carefully crafted poems and passionate performances. Simon is also a father and freelance visual artist.
Princess McDowell at Dallas Poetry Slam
What: Princess McDowell at Dallas Poetry Slam
When: May 17, 2013 at 8pm
Where: Heroes, 7402 Greenville Ave., Dallas, TX 75231
Admission: $5
Hosted By: Rock Baby and Alexandra Marie
The first poem Princess wrote as an adult came after her financial aid was cut in college. She was upset, but the poem definitely helped cull the desire to take out her frustrations in other, more destructive ways.
That was 2007. Princess hasn’t done too much since then. She’s performed on street corners and living rooms, open mics and parking lots. Normally, she writes about life experiences and fleeting moments she doesn’t want to forget. There’s a good chance that, one day when she’s bored, she’ll write a poem about writing this bio, since it can be incredibly hard to write about yourself.
She’s inspired by the love we give and show to each other, and describes her poetry as her life wrapped in metaphors. Her favorite poets are usually authors and friends, or authors she wishes could be friends, or friends who would be great authors.
Last August, Princess released her first album of poetry, entitled Not A Storybook <3. It’s the most personal thing she’s ever done by far. She’s working to do it again, sometime soon. You can read some of her poetry at soulfulpoeticlicense.blogspot.com.
Dallas Poetry Slam Youth Series
What: Dallas Poetry Slam Youth Series
When: Jan. 5, 4pm
Where: Half Price Books, NW Highway, Program Room
Hosted by: Alexandra Marie, Rock Baby and Joaquin Zihuatanejo
Admission: FREE
WordSpace partners with Dallas Poetry Slam to bring Poetry and Slam outreach to area youth. Dallas Poetry Slam’s Alexandra Marie and award-winning Rock Baby join World Cup Winner, Joaquin Zihuatanejo to host workshops and performance with young area writers.
Zubair Ahmed
What: Zubair Ahmed Reading and Book Signing: “City of Rivers” (McSweeney’s Publishing, 2012)
When: Friday, January 4, 7:30Where: Lucky Dog Books, 10801 Garland Road, Dallas, TX 75218Hosted by: WordSpace and Lucky Dog BooksAdmission: FREEMore Info and Contact: Karen@wordspace.us, 214-838-3554Directions: 214-827-4860 and Google Maps
Zubair Ahmed was born in 1988 and raised in Dhaka, Bangladesh. In 2005, his family won the Diversity Visa Lottery, which granted them the opportunity to immigrate to the US. During the year-and-a-half before moving, Ahmed dropped out of school and became a professional video gamer. In 2005, Ahmed’s family moved to Duncanville, Texas, where he finished high school. Ahmed now studies mechanical engineering and creative writing at Stanford University. He is a member of the Stanford Solar Car Team, president of the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honors Society, and has recently delved into business and startups.
City of Rivers by Zubair Ahmed (December 2012)
The poems in CIty of Rivers— the first full-length collection from 23-year-old wunderkind Zubair Ahmed– are clear and cool as a glass of water. Grounded in his childhood in Bangladesh, Ahmed’s spare, evocative poems cast a knowing eye on the wider world, telling us what it’s like to be displaced and replaced, relocated and dislocated. His poems are suffused with a graceful, mysterious pathos– and also with joy, humor, and longing– with the full range of human emotions. City of Rivers is a remarkable and precocious debut.
“This is a kind of art that can’t be faked or manufactured, a poetry derived only of witness, impulse, and vision. City of Rivers is a triumph by any standard.” — Michael McGriff
“When reading Zubair Ahmed I feel as though I am both witnessing and taking part in an ecstatic, lyric experience. Ahmed’s work is not just a blues forged out of the Bangladesh landscape, these poems are also a celebration of the world as a whole– a sometimes complicated, dark celebration, but a celebration all the same.” — Matthew Dickman
Zubair Ahmed « McSweeney’s – YouTube
