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< Back Kicking Off 20 Years with the Spring 2026 Season Jan 29, 2026 Torch’s Spring 2026 Season builds on the history we've made in our 20 years of strengthening the literary community of Black women writers. To celebrate 20 years of literary excellence and community, we’re building on our programmatic foundation and adding more exciting collaborations. With the opening of the Torch Center, our space will be a literary paradise for new and long-time community members to gather and support each other. Our recurring events include the Writing Circle, which occurs twice a month on Monday evenings and Saturday mornings. You can sign up to write virtually with the global Torch community here . Our annual Torch Retreat will return in 2027 so that we can all gather in celebration at the 20th Anniversary event “ A Gathering of Flames . ” This three-day event celebrates Black women writers, supporters, features, fellows, and distinguished guests. Our special events this season include: Torch x AFS: Daughters of the Dust on February 17, 21, 22 Torch Literary Arts is a proud promotional partner of Austin Film Society (AFS). Join us for this special screening of Daughters of the Dust , written and directed by Julie Dash! Writers Across the Diaspora, San Marcos featuring Dr. Malika Booker on February 18 Join Torch Literary Arts, in partnership with the Texas State University English Department, and The Wittliff Collections, for Writers Across the Diaspora featuring award-winning British poet, Dr. Malika Booker! This is part of an annual partnership with Texas State, and the event is free and open to the public. Writers Across the Diaspora, Austin featuring Dr. Malika Booker on February 19 Returning to the George Washington Carver Museum in Austin, Torch is proud to present British poet Dr. Malika Booker for a reading and conversation with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. and the reading and conversation starting at 7:00 p.m. This event is free and open to the public. Torch x AFS: Compensation on February 24, 28 Torch Literary Arts is a proud promotional partner of Austin Film Society (AFS). Join us for this special screening of Compensation , written by Marc Arthur Chéry, directed by Zeinabu irene Davis! Writing as Oath: Personal Truth-Telling in Memoir and Essay on February 28 This workshop comes directly from Torch Fellow, Star Davis’s own practice as a memoirist. Attendees will focus on personal truth-telling in memoir and personal essays. Participants are invited to bring a short excerpt from a current personal essay or memoir in progress for guided discussion and optional workshopping. The emphasis will be on craft, precision, and sustaining yourself as a writer while telling the truth of your life. AWP Conference Panel & Reading Celebrating 20 Years of Torch Literary Arts on March 5 This year, Torch Literary Arts will celebrate 20 years of publishing, promoting, and supporting Black women writers across the diaspora. Join us for this special anniversary panel and reading at the 2026 AWP Conference in Baltimore with Torch features Saida Agostini, Teri Ellen Cross Davis, Mecca Jamilah Sullivan, Ph.D., and executive director Amanda Johnston. Welcome Table Talk on March 31 Wintergreen Women Writers Collective and Torch Literary Arts are returning March 31 for the intergenerational three-year project for Black women writers called Welcome Table Talks . The virtual discussions will cover various topics related to organization building, literary freedom, legacy, and more. The virtual discussions are free and open to all. More details to come! Wildfire Reading Series featuring Chiagoziem Jideofor on April 12 This is the first collaboration event presented by Host Publications and Torch Literary Arts. Join us for the launch of local remedies ! The event will include a reading and conversation with Jideofor, followed by a book signing. Light refreshments provided. Colored People’s Time (CPT) is Real Time is Real: Afrofuturism, the Speculative, the Surreal & the Fantastic on April 18 Afrofuturist theorist Rasheedah Phillips asserts that Colored People’s Time (CPT) is “a temporal technology, survival mechanism and harkening back to ancestral ways of observing and experiencing space-time.” How can we use time to explore the possibilities of Afrofuturism and surrealism in screenwriting? Writing exercises will foster experimentation across genres as we explore what makes an afro-futuristic, speculative, sci-fi story come to life. The Writer-as-Artisan: Writing as a Living Practice on May 23 It’s not unusual for a writer to feel a deep urge to write, yet lack a clear subject. So we sit around paralyzed, waiting for a ‘big idea’ to strike. But what if writing is not an arrival but a series of ongoings? In this workshop, we adopt the figure of the writer-as-artisan: someone for whom writing is a functional craft, a sustained practice, something not performed in the isolation of a room, but an attentive and communal posture towards the world. Carrying the Torch on June 20 Join Torch Literary Arts for the 4th Annual Carrying the Torch: A Reading and Remembrance for the Future . This special event acknowledges the historical significance of Juneteenth and celebrates the accomplishments of the African American community. Poets, writers, and guest speakers will share original work to acknowledge the federal holiday and celebrate the future of African Americans in Texas. Check out more details for specific events by visiting torchliteraryarts.org/events . We can’t wait to see you! ### About Torch Literary Arts Torch Literary Arts is a 501(c)3 nonprofit established with love and intention in 2006 to publish and promote creative writing by Black women. We publish contemporary writing by experienced and emerging writers alike. Torch has featured work by Toi Derricotte, Tayari Jones, Sharon Bridgforth, Crystal Wilkinson, Patricia Smith, Natasha Trethewey, Elizabeth Alexander, and others. Programs include the Wildfire Reading Series, writing workshops, and retreats. For more information about Torch Literary Arts, please visit https://www.torchliteraryarts.org/ or follow @torchliteraryarts on Instagram. Help Torch continue to publish and promote Black women writers by donating today. About Austin Film Society (AFS) Founded in 1985 by filmmaker Richard Linklater, AFS creates life-changing opportunities for filmmakers, catalyzes Austin and Texas as a creative hub, and brings the community together around great film. AFS supports filmmakers towards career leaps, encouraging exceptional artistic projects with grants and support services. AFS operates Austin Studios, a 20-acre production facility, to attract and grow the creative media ecosystem. Austin Public, a space for our city’s diverse mediamakers to train and collaborate, provides many points of access to filmmaking and film careers. The AFS Cinema is an ambitiously programmed repertory and first run arthouse with broad community engagement. By hosting premieres, local and international industry events, and the Texas Film Awards, AFS shines the national spotlight on Texas filmmakers while connecting Austin and Texas to the wider film community. AFS is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. About Malika Booker Malika Booker is a lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University, a British poet of Guyanese and Grenadian Parentage, and co-founder of Malika’s Poetry Kitchen (A writer’s collective). The Anthology - Two Young, Two Black, Too Different, Poems from Malika’s Poetry Kitchen was recently published to celebrate Malika Poetry Kitchen’s twenty-year anniversary . Her pamphlet Breadfruit , (flippedeye, 2007) received a Poetry Society recommendation, and her poetry collection Pepper Seed (Peepal Tree Press, 2013) was shortlisted for the OCM Bocas prize and the Seamus Heaney Centre 2014 prize for first full collection. She is published with the Poets Sharon Olds and Warsan Shire in The Penguin Modern Poet Series 3: Your Family: Your Body (2017 ). Booker and Shara McCallum recently co-edited the issue of Stand Journal curating an anthology of poems by African American, Black British, & Caribbean Women & Identifying Writers. Booker currently hosts and curates Peepal Tree Press’s Literary podcast, New Caribbean Voices. A Cave Canem Fellow, and inaugural Poet in Residence at The Royal Shakespeare Company, Malika was awarded the Cholmondeley Award (2019) for outstanding contribution to poetry and elected a Royal Society of Literature Fellow (2022). Her poem The Little Miracles, commissioned by and published in Magma 75(autumn 2019) won The Forward Prize for Best Single Poem (2020). Her poem Libation, published in Poetry Review (winter 2022) won The Forward Prize for Best Single Poem (2023). About Starr Davis Starr Davis is the author of the forthcoming poetry collection Affidavit (Hanging Loose Press, 2025), winner of the Founders Prize, and the memoir I Am Mostly Bad Blood (Autumn House, 2026), winner of the 2024 Autumn House Nonfiction Prize. Her writing has appeared in The Kenyon Review , Poem-a-Day from the Academy of American Poets, and Palette Poetry , where she was a third-place winner of the 2023 Sappho Prize for Women Poets. She serves as Creative Nonfiction Editor at TriQuarterly , teaches with Brooklyn Poets, and is a Visions After Violence Fellow with the After Violence Project. Originally from Columbus, Ohio, and currently based in Houston, Texas, she holds an MFA from the City College of New York and a BA from the University of Akron, and her work lives at the intersections of motherhood, justice, and survival. About AWP The Associated Writing Programs was established as a nonprofit organization in 1967 by fifteen writers representing thirteen creative writing programs. The new association sought to support the growing presence of literary writers in higher education. At that time, English departments were mainly conservatories of the great literature of the past, and scholars fiercely resisted the establishment of creative writing programs. AWP was created to overcome this resistance, to advocate for new programs, and to provide publishing opportunities for young writers. Today, AWP, now the Association of Writers & Writing Programs, supports colleges and universities as well as individual writers as members. To this day, AWP continues to expand, offering new programs and services to support members. About Wintergreen Writers Collective The Wintergreen Women Writers Collective is a 501(c)3 organization that gathers Black women writers in a literary community that seeks to publish, document, preserve, and celebrate their creative work. More than 70 women from all over the country have taken part in one or more of the Wintergreen retreats or programs over the last 38 years, coming to a place where they can do the sacred work of literary and cultural production. Wintergreen Women are prefiguring a world where the history and legacy of Black women writers are honored and preserved—a world where Black women writers have access to intergenerational spaces where, in community and mutuality, they can nurture one another and locate resources to support their creative practice. Members of the Collective share their knowledge and creativity as a way of encouraging and engaging one another and their extended literary and scholarly communities. About Saida Agostini Saida Agostini is a queer Afro-Guyanese poet, and author of the full-length collection, let the dead in (Alan Squire Publishing, 2022). A Cave Canem Graduate Fellow, she has been awarded residencies at Saltonstall, VCCA and Blue Mountain Center, amongst others. About Teri Ellen Cross Davis Teri Ellen Cross Davis is the author of a more perfect Union and Haint . Her fellowships and awards include The Journal/Charles B. Wheeler Poetry Prize, the Ohioana Book Award for Poetry, and a Maryland Individual Artist Award. She curated the O.B. Poetry Series at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington D.C. About Mecca Jamilah Sullivan, Ph.D. Mecca Jamilah Sullivan, Ph.D., is the author of three books: Big Girl , a New York Times Editors’ Choice and winner of the Balcones Fiction Prize and the Next Generation Indie Book Award for First Novel; T he Poetics of Difference: Queer Feminist Forms in the African Diaspora , winner of the William Sanders Scarborough Prize from the MLA; and the short story collection, Blue Talk and Love , winner of the Judith Markowitz Award from Lambda Literary. She has earned honors from Bread Loaf, the Institute for Citizens and Scholars, the Mellon Foundation, the Center for Fiction, the NEA, and others. Originally from Harlem, NY, she is Professor of English at Georgetown University in Washington DC. About Amanda Johnston Amanda Johnston is a writer, visual artist, and the 61st Poet Laureate of Texas. She earned an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Southern Maine. She is the author of two chapbooks, GUAP and Lock & Key , as well as the full-length collection Another Way to Say Enter. She is also the editor of the anthology Praisesong for the People: Poems from the Heart and Soul of Texas . Her work has appeared in numerous online and print publications, among them Callaloo , Poetry Magazine , The Moth Radio Hour, Bill Moyers, The Rumpus , and elsewhere. She has received fellowships, grants, and awards from Cave Canem, Hedgebrook, Tasajillo, the Kentucky Foundation for Women, The Watermill Center, American Short Fiction, and the Academy of American Poets. She is a former Board President of the Cave Canem Foundation and the founder of Torch Literary Arts. About Chiagoziem Jideofor Chiagoziem Jideofor is Queer and Igbo. Her work has appeared in Poetry , Michigan Quarterly Review , South Carolina Review , berlin lit , The Lincoln Review , Passages North , Commonwealth’s ADDA , the Minnesota Review , Sho Poetry Journal , MAYDAY , and elsewhere. She earned an MFA from the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, and is currently a PhD student at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. About Ashunda Ashunda is Black feminist filmmaker, poet, and photographer whose art centers the complexities of Black {Southern} womxnhood, magical spiritual traditions of Southern Black folk, futuristic maroon expressions, and Black fugitivity. Her art places a critical lens on society’s treatment of the Black female frame and explores the vulnerability of Black womxn and femmes. She has written, directed, and produced several short films, including her most recent multi-award-winning cinematic gesture, MINO: A Diasporic Myth ; now streaming on kweliTV and housed in Indiana University’s Black Film Center Archive. As an inaugural Torch Literary Arts Screenwriting fellow, Ashunda led a table read of her debut feature script Crossed Kalunga By The Stars . A 2021 ARRAY Liberated Territory fellow, Ashunda’s films have screened at festivals across the globe including Kampala, Uganda; Nairobi, Kenya; London, England; Berlin, Germany, and Amsterdam. Her honors include fellowships from Cave Canem, the California Arts Council, Torch Literary Arts, Hurston/Wright Foundation, Brooklyn Poets and Storyknife. Ashunda is the founder of Sibyls Palace; a Black womxn centered art house that produces oppositional cinema & photography. Her art has exhibited in the TRYST Art Fair, OUTMusem and Red Spring’s Afrofuturism Curating the End of the World. Ashunda curates and hosts Sibyls Salon, a monthly writing vanguard & script reading series for Black womxn artists to commune, fellowship & support each other’s work. A proud alumna of Howard University and Paine College, the artist holds MFAs in both Poetry and Screenwriting. Born and raised in the backwoods of Georgia, Ashunda is now a bonafide, citified bitch living and dreaming in Los Angeles. About Idza Luhumyo Idza Luhumyo was born in Mombasa, Kenya. She studied law at the University of Nairobi, earned an MA in Comparative Literature at SOAS—University of London, and an MFA in Creative Writing from Texas State University. Her writing has appeared in various publications, including Transition Magazine , African Arguments , the Masters Review , and the Porter House Review . Her short story, "Five Years Next Sunday," was awarded the 2021 Short Story Day Africa Prize and the 2022 Caine Prize for African Writing. Other awards include the Margaret Busby New Daughters of Africa Award and the Civitella Ranieri Writing Fellowship. She currently lives and works in Austin, TX. Media Contact Information: Brittany Heckard Communications Associate bheckard@torchliteraryarts.org (512) 641-9251 Previous Next

< Back Celebrating Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day Mar 11, 2025 This year’s themes of moving forward together and accelerating change reinforce Torch’s mission to ALWAYS support Black women writers and the stories they share. March is Women’s History Month, and this past Saturday, March 8, was International Women’s Day. Each year, people around the world celebrate the impact that women have in their lives. Whether it's a mother, sister, teacher, aunt, or writer, the impact women have in shaping our world is immeasurable. This year’s theme for Women's History Month is “ Moving Forward Together! Women Educating & Inspiring Generations,” celebrating the impact and importance of information sharing and inspiring growth. This year’s theme for International Women’s Day was “Accelerate Action,” marking the importance of moving forward boldly and swiftly to address the systemic barriers that women face. Torch’s mission is beautifully represented in both themes this year. As a nonprofit organization dedicated to amplifying both emerging and established Black women writers around the world, we work hard to share knowledge, pay and publish Black women, and provide community. In 2025, our work only reaffirms this year’s themes around education, inspiration, and actionable change to impact the lives of Black women writers. As we continue our work, your support for writers is also just as impactful! Below are some ways you can join us in supporting Black women writers internationally and intergenerationally. March Events March 11th - Join the Welcome Table Talk in Collaboration with Wintergreen Women Writers Collective March 15th - Playwriting Workshop: Who all over there? Learning the Character of Your Characters with Florinda Bryant March 15th - Torch Writing Circle Torch Magazine Read our March 2025 Feature: Nijla Mu'min Support Torch Become a monthly donor to help us reach our $40,000 fundraising goal Shop our BookShop page featuring our Torch Features ### About Torch Literary Arts Torch Literary Arts is a 501(c)3 nonprofit established with love and intention in 2006 to publish and promote creative writing by Black women. We publish contemporary writing by experienced and emerging writers alike. Torch has featured work by Toi Derricotte, Tayari Jones, Sharon Bridgforth, Crystal Wilkinson, Patricia Smith, Natasha Trethewey, Elizabeth Alexander, and others. Programs include the Wildfire Reading Series, workshops, an annual retreat, and special events. Help Torch continue to publish and promote Black women writers by donating today. Media Contact Information: Brittany Heckard Communications Associate bheckard@torchliteraryarts.org (512) 641-9251 Previous Next

< Back Torch Literary Arts Announces Retirement of Board Member Dr. Omi Osun Joni L. Jones Jan 3, 2025 Dr. Omi Osun Joni L. Jones joined the board in 2023 bringing her expertise as an artist, performer, author, and scholar to help support Black women writers. AUSTIN, Tex., January 3, 2025 – Torch Literary Arts (Torch), a nonprofit organization dedicated to amplifying Black women writers, is announcing the retirement of Dr. Omi Osun Joni L. Jones. Dr. Jones joined the Torch board in January 2023, serving two years and contributing a timeless amount of support, dedication, and insight. “ Omi has been a wonderful colleague and collaborator,” said board chair, Dr. Sequoia Maner. “We give special thanks for Omi's contribution to the Torch retreat—her expertise in screenwriting and performance not only helped to identify and secure amazing writers but also to refine processes for application and evaluation regarding the retreat. Moreover, we give thanks for Omi's grounding presence and thoughtful approach to all endeavors. She has been such a joy to work with and I, for one, will miss her smile!” Dr. Jones is the founder of the Austin Project—a collective of Global Majority women and allies who use art for personal and social transformation, and Professor Emerita from the African and African Diaspora Studies Department at the University of Texas at Austin where she brings Black Feminist praxis and theatrical jazz principles to her artmaking, scholarship, and facilitation. Her original performances include sista docta , a critique of academic life, and Searching for Ọ̀ṣun, an ethnographic performance installation around the Divinity of the River. Her dramaturgical work includes August Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean and Shay Youngblood’s Shakin’ the Mess Outta Misery —both under the direction of Daniel Alexander Jones, as well as Sharon Bridgforth’s con flama under the direction of Laurie Carlos. Her most recent book is Theatrical Jazz: Performance, Àṣẹ, and the Power for the Present Moment . ### About Torch Literary Arts Torch Literary Arts (TORCH) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit established with love and intention in 2006 to publish and promote creative writing by Black women. We publish contemporary writing by experienced and emerging writers alike. TORCH has featured work by Toi Derricotte, Tayari Jones, Sharon Bridgforth, Crystal Wilkinson, Patricia Smith, Natasha Trethewey, Elizabeth Alexander, and others. Programs include the Wildfire Reading Series, writing workshops, and retreats. Help TORCH continue to publish and promote Black women writers by donating today. Media Contact Information: Brittany Heckard Communications Associate bheckard@torchliteraryarts.org (512) 641-9251 Previous Next

< Back Torch Literary Arts Announces New Board Member Mar 31, 2026 Dalia Azim joins the Torch board, bringing her expertise in literary programming and partnerships in the Austin literary community. Torch is excited to add another member to the Board of Directors. This month, we’re welcoming Dalia Azim to the board. As an organization dedicated to literary excellence, we’re excited to welcome a local board member who is an active leader in the literary community. Dalia Azim was born in Canada and raised in the United States. Her writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The New York Times, American Short Fiction, and Poets & Writers, among other places. Her first novel, Country of Origin , was published in 2022 and received the Discovery Award from the Writers' League of Texas. Dalia lives in Austin, Texas, with her family and is the Chief Operating Officer of the Texas Book Festival. “Dalia has been a longtime Torch supporter personally and professionally through the Texas Book Festival. The partnerships and collaborations created in Austin’s literary arts community strengthen the ecosystem of writers in our city,” said executive director Amanda Johnston. “ Dalia’s experience in the literary community provides the operational and programmatic guidance we want on our board,” said board chair, Dr. Sequoia Maner. “We look forward to working together to support Torch’s mission to amplify and uplift Black women writers.” For more information about Torch Literary Arts and our team, please visit https://www.torchliteraryarts.org/team or follow @torchliteraryarts on Instagram. ### About Torch Literary Arts Torch Literary Arts (Torch) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit established with love and intention in 2006 to publish and promote creative writing by Black women. We publish contemporary writing by experienced and emerging writers alike. Torch has featured work by Toi Derricotte, Tayari Jones, Sharon Bridgforth, Crystal Wilkinson, Patricia Smith, Natasha Trethewey, Elizabeth Alexander, and others. Programs include the Wildfire Reading Series, writing workshops, and retreats. Help Torch continue to publish and promote Black women writers by donating today. Media Contact Information: Brittany Heckard Communications Associate bheckard@torchliteraryarts.org (512) 641-9251 Previous Next

< Back Erin Waelder Board Member Erin Waelder is a nonprofit arts professional in Austin, TX. As a member of the Development and Marketing teams at the Paramount & State Theatres, she helps manage annual fund campaigns, donor communications, and special content across the organization’s platforms. Erin has over a decade of experience in fundraising and patron services through her previous positions at Ballet Austin, the Paramount & State Theatres, and the Bullock Texas State History Museum. She is the immediate past Chair of the Community Advisor Board at Austin PBS and volunteers with Preservation Austin. Erin graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication from St. Edward’s University. She is dedicated to creating meaningful connections to the community through storytelling and the arts.

< Back Torch Raises over $6,000 during Amplify Austin Campaign Mar 7, 2025 Joining over 700 nonprofits for one of the largest giving days in Central Texas, Torch raised over $6,000 to amplify Black women writers worldwide. Thanks to generous support from the Torch community, Torch raised $6,175 for this Amplify Austin campaign. With support from community organizations, board matches, individual donations, and an open mic celebration, Torch once again proved the power of community and necessary support for Black women storytellers. To help incentivize givers and Instagram followers who shared about our campaign, we garnered support from local small businesses in Austin and around the state. Thanks to their contributions, supporters were eligible for raffle prizes from: ACL Live , Colton House , Jupiter Supper Club , Austin FC , Dallas Wings , Red River Rising / The Moody Center , Austin Symphony Orchestra , Round Rock Express , Kendra Scott , and Soup Peddler . We also want to thank our generous board! Every board member donated to our Amplify Austin campaign, showing true support and belief in our mission to amplify Black women writers, which makes us eligible for more prizes from I Live Here I Give Here’s 100% board support initiative. We also celebrated the end of Amplify Austin’s 24-hour giving period with an open mic celebration, The Turn Up at DAWA HQ . Over 30 people attended to listen to and share original work and communed with each other to celebrate being back together for an unforgettable open mic experience. If you didn’t get a chance to donate, y ou can still support our Amplify Austin campaign! While you won't be entered for any prizes, you will still have the same priceless impact on Black women storytellers worldwide. To donate, please visit amplifyatx.org/organizations/torch-literary-arts . For more details about Amplify Austin, visit amplifyatx.org . About Torch Literary Arts Torch Literary Arts (Torch) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit established with love and intention in 2006 to publish and promote creative writing by Black women. We publish contemporary writing by experienced and emerging writers alike. Torch has featured work by Toi Derricotte, Tayari Jones, Sharon Bridgforth, Crystal Wilkinson, Patricia Smith, Natasha Trethewey, Elizabeth Alexander, and others. Programs include the Wildfire Reading Series, writing workshops, and retreats. Help TORCH continue to publish and promote Black women writers by donating today. About Amplify Austin Day I Live Here I Give Here’s signature program, Amplify Austin Day, is the biggest day of giving in Central Texas, raising $112.7 million for the local community since 2013. During a single 24-hour period, from 6 p.m. March 5 to 6 p.m. March 6, residents across a seven-county region will come together to support more than 700 nonprofits by making a donation through the platform AmplifyATX.org . About I Live Here I Give Here I Live Here I Give Here connects individual donors and volunteers with local causes they care about. As a nonprofit, they offer community-wide events and year-round specialty programming for businesses, individuals and the broader nonprofit community to make giving possible for everyone. For more information, visit ILiveHereIGiveHere.org . Previous Next

< Back Torch Literary Arts to Open Applications for the 2025 Torch Retreat on February 3rd Jan 10, 2025 The Torch Retreat will host its third annual writing retreat for Black women writers at the Colton House in Austin, Texas from July 20-27, 2025. AUSTIN, Tex., January 10, 2025 – Torch Literary Arts (Torch) is excited to announce the return of the annual Torch Retreat, a week-long paid creative writing retreat for Black women writers to gather in community, complete works-in-progress, and rest. The retreat application opens on February 3rd and will close on February 17th at 11:59 pm (CST). Interested writers with works-in-progress across poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and script (plays and screenplays) can learn more about the retreat application guidelines at torchliteraryarts.org/retreat . “I love that Torch can provide a nurturing environment for Fellows to rest, learn from special guests, and commune with each other,” said Amanda Johnston, executive director. “I’m proud of the space the retreat offers and excited by what happens when you empower Black women to write their stories.” For a third year, retreat fellows will return to the Colton House from July 20-27 for a week-long stay where they will have the opportunity to work on their unfinished projects. The Retreat Fellowship will conclude with a reading at the George Washington Carver Museum & Cultural Center. Every retreat fellow receives a $1,000 stipend to help with costs associated with travel, supplies, or simply peace of mind while they focus on their work. Fellows are paired according to their genre in a two-bedroom suite with their own private bedroom and bathroom. The Torch Retreat’s inaugural fellowship started in 2023 with six fellows writing across poetry, fiction, and script. Our 2023 retreat fellows include Ashley M. Coleman, Ajanaė Dawkins, Victoria Newton Ford, Ashunda Norris, Obinwanne Nwizu, and Keya Vance. Our 2024 retreat fellows include Sandra Jackson-Opoku, m. mick powell, Esther Ifesinachi Okonkwo, Deborah D.E.E.P Mouton, DW McKinney, Elizabeth Brown, Meredith L. King, and Destiny Hemphill. ### About Torch Literary Arts Torch Literary Arts is a 501(c)3 nonprofit established with love and intention in 2006 to publish and promote creative writing by Black women. We publish contemporary writing by experienced and emerging writers alike. Torch has featured work by Toi Derricotte, Tayari Jones, Sharon Bridgforth, Crystal Wilkinson, Patricia Smith, Natasha Trethewey, Elizabeth Alexander, and others. Programs include the Wildfire Reading Series, workshops, an annual retreat, and special events. Help Torch continue to publish and promote Black women writers by donating today. Media Contact Information: Brittany Heckard Communications Associate bheckard@torchliteraryarts.org (512) 641-9251 Previous Next

< Back Celebrating Black Women's Contributions to Poetry All Month Long Brittany Heckard Apr 1, 2025 Continuing on months of celebrating Black History Month and Women’s History Month, we’re keeping the acknowledgments alive with National Poetry Month Building on the accomplishments highlighted in February and March, we’re excited to amplify the creatives who effortlessly connect thought and feelings to produce the words many of us understand on an ethereal level – poets. From our first-ever Torch Feature in Torch Magazine to our most recent Torch Feature and poet, Elisha Mykelti , we want to thank each and every Black woman poet who is part of our thriving literary community. Your poetry is ignited with historical takes, generational proverbs, and collective snaps and praises. April is also very special for Torch because it is also International Black Women’s History Month . Created by Sha Battle in 2016, International Black Women’s History month exists to build awareness of the contributions of Black women around the world. At Torch, we’re making history as the first-ever literary organization to win AWP’s Literary Organization award , by collaborating to host a historical intergenerational series with the Wintergreen Women Writers Collective called Welcome Table Talks , and existing as an organization led by Texas’s first Black woman Poet Laureate, Amanda Johnston. We have so many reasons to celebrate this month! Torch will host lots of fun activities to help encourage writing and be in community with other poets. Check out how you can celebrate with Torch during National Poetry Month below! Events April 7th - Writing Circle April 17th - Give Praise: A Celebration of Texas Poet Laureate Amanda Johnston April 18th - National Poetry Month Open Mic at Fanm Djanm April 19th - Songwriting Workshop: Vision in Song with Megan “Megz Kelli” Tillman Torch Magazine Read our April 2025 Feature, Tanya Shirley Read poetry by our Friday Features Watch on YouTube Torch’s Solar Saturday Showcase featuring Marzetta and Shasparay Irvin Torch Feature Anastacia-Renee at the Texas Book Festival Lit Crawl A Poem for Sandra Brown by Lynn Thompson during the Texas Book Festival You can also support Torch’s mission to amplify Black women writers and the poets we feature by donating to our organization . Previous Next

< Back Torch Literary Arts Celebrates GivingTuesday with Community and Board Matches, Ignite the Night, and More. Brittany Heckard Nov 22, 2024 Torch is joining millions around the world participating in the global generosity movement on December 3, 2024. This GivingTuesday, Torch Literary Arts will inspire generosity by raising $5,000 to support their efforts to amplify Black women writers across the world. This is our third year participating in GivingTuesday. This year’s efforts come with big news for donation matches! All donations will be matched up to $2,000 thanks to our Giving Tuesday Community Partner, Mantis Massage . Also, Torch’s Executive and Advisory Board members are matching up to $1,000 worth of donations. This means by donating, you are actually tripling your giving amount thanks to their matches! Torch is also activating peer support for GivingTuesday. All around the world, Torch Features, Retreat Fellows, and the wider community are spreading the word about Torch’s impact in their communities. Support during our peer-to-peer campaign not only amplifies the work that Torch does but also provides first-hand accounts of our community impact. Want to join in on supporting? You can access our Peer-to-Peer “P2P Toolkit” here . To wrap up celebrating impact and support, Torch will be celebrating “Ignite the Night” at DAWA HQ on December 3, 2024. At the celebration, we’ll have door prizes, video recaps, food, and community to continue fundraising throughout the day. You can RSVP to “Ignite the Night” here . GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement, unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and their world. GivingTuesday will kick off the generosity season this year by inspiring people to give back on December 3, 2024 , and throughout the year. "GivingTuesday inspires people all around the world to embrace their power to drive progress around the causes they care about, not just on one day but throughout the year," said Asha Curran, GivingTuesday’s Chief Executive Officer. "With country and community leaders, millions of organizations, and countless givers of all kinds, GivingTuesday is creating a shared space where we can see the radical implications of a more generous world." Those who are interested in joining Torch’s GivingTuesday initiative can visit torchliteraryarts.org/support . For more details about the GivingTuesday movement, visit givingtuesday.org . About Torch Literary Arts Torch Literary Arts (TORCH) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit established with love and intention in 2006 to publish and promote creative writing by Black women. We publish contemporary writing by experienced and emerging writers alike. TORCH has featured work by Toi Derricotte, Tayari Jones, Sharon Bridgforth, Crystal Wilkinson, Patricia Smith, Natasha Trethewey, Elizabeth Alexander, and others. Programs include the Wildfire Reading Series, writing workshops, and retreats. Help TORCH continue to publish and promote Black women writers by donating today. About GivingTuesday GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement unleashing the power of radical generosity to transform communities and the world. GivingTuesday was created in 2012 as a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good. Over the past eleven years, it has grown into a global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity. Whether it’s making someone smile, helping a neighbor or stranger out, showing up for an issue or people we care about, or giving some of what we have to those who need our help, every act of generosity counts and everyone has something to give. GivingTuesday strives to build a world in which the catalytic power of generosity is at the heart of the society we build together, unlocking dignity, opportunity and equity around the globe. About Mantis Massage Mantis Massage is a 2022 Best of Austin-winning corrective deep tissue massage studio in Austin, TX. Open to all, they have two locations on South Congress and Airport Boulevard and are accepting clients. They support many local Austin nonprofit organizations and are open 7 days a week. Previous Next

< Back Torch Literary Arts Receives Burdine Johnson Foundation Grant Brittany Heckard Jun 28, 2024 This is Torch's third year receiving the grant that serves Central Texas arts, education, historical preservation, and environmental sustainability causes. AUSTIN, Tex., June 28, 2024 – Torch Literary Arts (Torch), a nonprofit organization dedicated to amplifying Black women writers, will receive funding from the Burdine Johnson Foundation. This is the nonprofit’s third year receiving funding from the foundation, contributing to Torch’s operations since becoming a nonprofit organization. “Continuous funding from The Burdine Johnson Foundation for our literary mission is affirming and speaks to Torch’s impact, especially here in Central Texas, where we started,” said Torch founder and executive director, Amanda Johnston. We are grateful for our long-standing relationship with the foundation and want to thank the foundation for their mission to support charitable causes.” Funding from the organization assists Torch’s programs in the Central Texas region and beyond. Thanks to this unrestricted grant from the Burdine Johnson Foundation, Torch is able to host free and low-cost in-person events for the community including the Wildfire Reading Series, our annual Juneteenth event “Carrying the Torch”, the annual Torch Retreat, engaging panels with Torch Features, and many more inclusive events. The Burdine Johnson Foundation has donated over $54 million to charitable causes in Central Texas since its inception in the 1960s. Outside of the geographic range, the foundation supports arts, education, health and human services, historic preservation, and the environment. You can read more about The Burdine Johnson Foundation here . About Torch Literary Arts Torch Literary Arts is a 501(c)3 nonprofit established with love and intention in 2006 to publish and promote creative writing by Black women. We publish contemporary writing by experienced and emerging writers alike. Torch has featured work by Toi Derricotte, Tayari Jones, Sharon Bridgforth, Crystal Wilkinson, Patricia Smith, Natasha Trethewey, Elizabeth Alexander, and others. Programs include the Wildfire Reading Series, writing workshops, and retreats. Help Torch continue to publish and promote Black women writers by donating today. About The Burdine Johnson Foundation In 1960, Burdine Clayton Johnson, a pianist, poet and lover of nature, along with her husband, J.M. Johnson, and several trustees, established The Burdine Johnson Foundation in Houston, Texas. The founding mission stated that the funds were to be used for the “purposes of public usefulness” and to administer and distribute the funds “exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific, literary or education purposes.” Media Contact Information: Brittany Heckard Communications Associate bheckard@torchliteraryarts.org (512) 641-9251 Previous Next

< Back Dr. Sequoia Maner Board Chair Dr. Sequoia Maner is an Assistant Professor of English at Spelman College where she teaches classes about 20-21st century African American literature and culture. She is the author of the prize-winning poetry chapbook Little Girl Blue (2021, Host Publications) and co-editor of the book Revisiting the Elegy in the Black Lives Matter Era (2020, Routledge). Sequoia’s 33 1/3 book about Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly debuted summer 2022 (Bloomsbury). Her poem “upon reading the autopsy of Sandra Bland” was a finalist for the 2017 Gwendolyn Brooks Poetry Prize and her essays, poems, and reviews can be found in venues such as Meridians , Obsidian , The Langston Hughes Review , The Feminist Wire , Auburn Avenue , and elsewhere. She is at work on a poetic memoir about the foster care system in Los Angeles.

< Back Torch Feature Yael Valencia Aldana Receives Pushcart Prize May 31, 2024 For the second year in a row, a Torch Feature has received a Pushcart Prize for their amazing work published in Torch Magazine. AUSTIN, Tex., May 31, 2024 – Torch Literary Arts is thrilled to announce that Yael Valencia Aldana has been awarded the Pushcart Prize for “ Black Person Head Bob ” published June 9, 2023, as a Torch Friday Feature! Her poem will be published in Pushcart Prize XLIX , the 49th edition. Yael Valencia Aldana is a Caribbean Afro-Latinx writer and poet. She is a descendant of the indigenous people of modern-day Colombia. Her work has appeared or is upcoming in Typehouse, South Florida Poetry Journal, Cutbank Journal, and Slag Glass City, among others . She teaches creative writing in South Florida, where she lives with her son and too many pets. You can visit her website and follow her on Instagram and Twitter . This is the second year that a Torch Feature has received a Pushcart Prize. Torch considers all accepted features for external award nominations. We accept submissions of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and script (plays and screenplays) by Black women writers on a rolling basis. You can learn more about our submission guidelines here . ### About Torch Literary Arts Torch Literary Arts is a 501(c)3 nonprofit established with love and intention in 2006 to publish and promote creative writing by Black women. We publish contemporary writing by experienced and emerging writers alike. Torch has featured work by Toi Derricotte, Tayari Jones, Sharon Bridgforth, Crystal Wilkinson, Patricia Smith, Natasha Trethewey, Elizabeth Alexander, and others. Programs include the Wildfire Reading Series, workshops, an annual retreat, and special events. Help Torch continue to publish and promote Black women writers by donating today. About The Pushcart Prize The Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Presses series, published every year since 1976, is the most honored literary project in America - including Highest Honors from the American Academy of Arts and Letters . Since 1976, hundreds of presses and thousands of writers of short stories, poetry and essays have been represented in our annual collections. Each year most of the writers and many of the presses are new to the series. Every volume contains an index of past selections, plus lists of outstanding presses with addresses. Media Contact Information: Brittany Heckard Communications Associate bheckard@torchliteraryarts.org (512) 641-9251 Previous Next