My Mind Words Paper:
diaspora literature

Date: 15 - 17 June 2012

The Mixed Roots Film & Literary Festival will take place at the Japanese American National Museum in downtown Los Angeles (369 East First Street), June 15-17, 2012.

The Festival celebrates stories of the Mixed experience and stories of multiracial Americans, the fastest growing demographic in the U.S. A free two-day public event, the Festival brings together film and book lovers, innovative and emerging artists, and multiracial and multicultural families and individuals for workshops, readings, performances, and film screenings.

The Festival, a fiscally sponsored project of the New York Foundation for the Arts, a non-profit organization, is produced by the co-hosts of the award-winning weekly podcast, Mixed Chicks Chat (www.mixedchickschat.com).

The event is free and open to the public; however, pre-registration is strongly encouraged. The complete Festival schedule can be found online at www.mxroots.org.

FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

The Festival hosts the largest West Coast Loving Day celebration, Saturday, June 16, 2012, at 6:30pm with the annual Loving Prize presentation. Mixed Unplugged—a live event with comedy, music, and spoken word—will be hosted by acclaimed TV and film actress Erica Gimpel (Fame, Profiler) and will feature comedians Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele of Key & Peele. The presentation is held in conjunction with the 1000-person New York City Loving Day celebration, which is hosted by Loving Day (www.lovingday.org). Free.

Included in the program is a series of Special Family and Youth Events, which will take place on Saturday, June 16, 11am-4:00pm. Sarah Jamila Stevenson, author of the Latte Rebellion, will read and also lead and Create Your Own Movement workshop. Families can also enjoy interactive craft activities all day.

Scholar G. Reginald Daniel and children’s authors Kim Wayans & Kevin Knotts and will each receive a Loving Prize, the Festival's annual award for inspirational storytelling of the Mixed experience during the Saturday night Loving Prize Presentation, June 16, 2012, at 6:30pm.

The Festival will present several feature films including Oscar-shortlist selection The Loving Story (dir. Nancy Buirski), the definitive account of Loving v. Virginia, the landmark 1967 Supreme Court decision that legalized interracial marriage. This evocative documentary, which incorporates luminous, newly discovered 16mm footage of the Lovings and their young Jewish lawyers as well as first-person testimony and rare documentary photographs by LIFE magazine photographer Grey Villet, recounts the little-known story of the Loving family. The Festival is also pleased to present several award-winning short films.

The Festival includes author readings by award-winning writers Mat Johnson (Pym, Incognegro), Faith Adiele (Meeting Faith), and many others.

Filmmaking and Writing workshops will be held by published authors and professional filmmakers. For example, Moviola (post production rental house and digital arts institute) will host Making the Microbudget Film: Pre-, Production, and Post- for Under $200,000. Award-winning poet Neil Aitken will present a workshop and Sheldon Epps, Artistic Director of the Pasadena Playhouse will guide emerging artists in how best to direct actors.

Festival sponsors include: Japanese American National Museum (www.janm.org), Zerflin.com, Moviola, Greenhouse Productions, the Flourish Foundation and MyJennyBook.com. Skylight Books is the Festival’s official bookseller.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For inquiries: mxrootsfest@gmail.com

Website: http://www.mxroots.org

Deadline: 15 June 2012

We are pleased to announce a general call for submissions of new plays by writers of Middle-Eastern descent. Submissions will be considered for upcoming programming including the fall reading series, Highlight, as well as possible special events, workshops and commissions.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:

· We are accepting plays previously unproduced in New York City;

· Only one submission per writer;

· We are interested the various perspectives of writers of Middle-Eastern descent, whether the plays are Middle-Eastern themed or otherwise.

· Please include the following with each submission: a bio and/or resume, production or development history if applicable; for non-agent submissions, a letter of recommendation from a theatre professional.

The deadline for submissions is June 15, 2012. In an effort to be ecologically responsible, Noor Theatre accepts scripts with all materials in one email to submissions@noortheatre.org. Scripts with all attachments may also be mailed to the address below; please note, they will not be returned:

Noor Theatre – Submissions,
PO Box 1063
New York, NY 10276

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For enquiries/ submissions: submissions@noortheatre.org

Website: http://noortheatre.org/

Deadline: 15 June 2012

The AMYA (Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association) Young Muslim Writers Awards was established in 2012 and seeks to support and encourage the creative and imaginative pens of young budding Muslim writers. It is further hoped that entrants, the thinkers of tomorrow, will be spurred on by the awards to use their pens to promote peace, respect and dignity – all essential qualities of a practising Muslim.

SHORT ESSAY BRIEF

In these testing and fast moving times, when the various news mediums are becoming more and more condensed, it is important to be economical with what one writes. Efficient writing and the skilled use of simple language to convey powerful messages is, therefore, of paramount importance.

This year’s competition, therefore, invites members of AMYA UK to submit a powerful short piece of writing on a contemporary topic and in a language which is accessible to the general reader of average understanding.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

1. All entries must be in English.

2. Entries must be the original and unpublished work of the writer and not infringe any copyright.

3. The piece must be written on a topic that is of contemporary importance to the Western reader.

4. It should propose solutions to the issues highlighted which are practical and realistic.

5. Where possible and relevant, the entry should seek to forward the Islamic perspective regarding both the problem and solution, all the while keeping the terminology simple and understandable (e.g., Arabic terms should be kept to an absolute minimum and the respective accurate English translations of such terms should be used as much as possible).

6. The piece should be constructed as though it is written for a popular broadsheet or current affairs periodical.

7. It should be between 1,000 – 1,200 words (roughly 2 A4 pages) and contain no footnotes or endnotes.

8. Entries must be submitted by midnight, Friday 15th June 2012, in Microsoft Word format (e.g., .doc, .docx.).

9. Entries must be submitted electronically to sultanulqalam@khuddam.org.uk.

10. Entries which fail to adhere to any of the above requirements will have marks deducted or, in extreme cases (i.e., excessively long entries), be withdrawn from the competition.

WHAT TO WRITE ABOUT

Writers have absolute freedom in choosing the topic of their submission provided that it meets the above criteria. Though by no means exhaustive, below are some suggested topics:

1. Impact of increasing unemployment on British youth and future generations.

2. Employment and the Social Security system.

3. Is secularism compatible with Islam?

4. The rise of right-wing movements in Europe.

5. Money, greed and the financial crisis.

6. Is freedom of speech without boundaries?

7. Can Sharia law add benefit to the West?

8. The future of the Euro and the European single Market economy.

9. Sustainable energy development.

10. Information technology, social networking and new societal norms.

11. The female right to self determination in Muslim countries; ideals and realities.

12. CERN, particles and God.

13. Islamic finance versus Capitalism.

14. Can a third world war be avoided?

15. British and Muslim: clarity or confusion?

16. What is the Muslim led contribution to European culture and civilisation.

MARKING

Submitted finalist entries will be assessed anonymously by a panel of four assessors heralding from a number of varied and relevant backgrounds, namely:

• Catrin Nye, BBC Journalist
• Dr. Zia Shah, Editor; Muslim Sunrise
• Ahmad Salam, Economist
• Adam Walker, National Spokesperson, AMYA UK; Chairman MASQ UK

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For inquiries/ submissions: sultanulqalam@khuddam.org.uk

Website: http://m4h.amya.org.uk/