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< Back Torch Literary Arts Welcomes New Team Member Feb 27, 2026 Torch adds a new position, Administrative Associate, to help with daily operations and support the needs of Torch Center. As we prepare to open the Torch Center, we’re proud to announce a new team member and a position critical to The Center’s operations. We’re excited to announce the hiring of Sierra Lewis, our Administrative Associate, and welcome her to the Torch team. As the Administrative Associate, Sierra will ensure quality customer service, smooth daily operations, maintain efficient office procedures, and act as a key liaison between team members and the general public. She will also help curate an intentional shop at the Torch Center featuring works by our featured authors, Torch merch, and lifestyle products that celebrate the culture. “Sierra’s expertise and energy complement our mission. We can’t wait for our community members to see her smiling face at the Torch Center once we open!” said Amanda Johnson, executive director. Sierra Lewis is an administrator, creative entrepreneur, and cultural curator whose work centers on supporting Black, women, and value-driven communities. Born in Baltimore and based in Austin, she brings experience across nonprofit, arts, education, social service, and entrepreneurship, with a deep commitment to building systems that sustain creative work and community. She is the founder and former brick-and-mortar owner of New Origin Shop , a curated retail platform uplifting independent makers, many of them Black women. Sierra brings a background in marketing, digital storytelling, and e-commerce, with experience building community and operations across both physical and digital spaces. She is a BeyGOOD Foundation grant recipient and a Goldman Sachs Black in Business scholar, and her work has been featured on Texas Today NBC 5. Sierra is honored to support Torch Literary Arts in amplifying the voices of Black women writers and strengthening the infrastructure that sustains their work. You can see the full list of our employees and board members here . ### 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

Donate to amplify Black women writers. Your gift is tax-deductible and helps Torch Literary Arts create advancement opportunities for emerging writers. Support Torch Literary Arts and help amplify Black women writers around the world! Fuel Torch's Flame Donate to Torch Literary Arts and become a Community Impact Member (CIM)! Your unrestricted contribution helps Torch deliver exceptional programs, pay Black women writers for their time and talents, and maintain operations so we can make a lasting impact for Black women writers and readers worldwide. 2025 Impact Snapshot 50+ Events 74 Features 5,000+ Attendees 93 Workshop Participants 8 Retreat Fellows WINNER Inaugural AWP Writing Organization Award 2025 - 2026 Individual Donors A"Lease Glass Aaraf Adam Aisha Marshall Dr. Aiyana Anderson Alba Castillo Alec Williams Fletcher Alejandra Mireles Alexander Piña Alexis Guild Alicia Niwagaba Aliyah Symes Allen Heckard Allen Heckard Alyse G. Amanda Johnston Amy Smith Amy Williams aneesa needel Angela Redmond-Theodore Angelica Heard Angie Aguirre Ann Fields Anna Dolliver annabelle oh Annar Veröld Antoinette Franklin Antonia Harris April Randall April Sojourner Truth Walker Picaro Ariel Wright Ashley Battle Ashley Lawrence Atena Danner Ayanna Harris Barry Johnon Becky Thompson Becky Gomez Bethany Stellar Beverly Chukwu Bianca Jackson Bleu Bobby Wilkinson Brenda Sendejo Briana Nunn C. Denby Swanson Cachavious English Camari Carter Hawkins Cameron Bell Camille Brown Candace Lopez Carrie Kenny Cecily Sailer Charles Landgraf Charley Rejsek Charli Krause Charlotte Jackson-Brown Charlyn Stanberry Chastie Gaines Dr. Chela White Chesma McCoy Chinonso O. Chioma Ayogu Chioma Chukwu Christal Hayes Christie Cruise Christina Brown Christina Bryant Christina Garcia Christine Jean Blain Christopher Michael Ciara McLaughlin Cierra M. 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< Back Parneshia Jones Advisory Board Member Parneshia Jones is an award-winning poet and publisher. Jones serves as Director for Northwestern University Press and acquires poetry for the TriQuarterly Books and Seminary Co-op Offsets imprints. Her acquisitions have garnered some of the highest literary honors, including the National Book Award, Kingsley Tufts, Pulitzer Prize finalists, Hurston Wright Legacy Awards, NAACP Image Awards, L.A. Times Book Award, and others. Jones is the author of Vessel: Poems (Milkweed Editions), winner of the Midwest Book Award and featured as one of “12 Books to Savor” by O, The Oprah Magazine. She has been honored with the Gwendolyn Brooks Poetry Award, the Margaret Walker Short Story Award, and the Aquarius Press Legacy Award. Named one of the “25 Writers to Watch” by the Guild Complex and one of “Lit 50: Who Really Books in Chicago” by Newcity Magazine, her work has appeared in anthologies including, She Walks in Beauty: A Woman’s Journey Through Poems and The Ringing Ear: Black Poets Lean South . Jones has been featured on PBS Newshour, the Academy of American Poets, espnW, and an international poetry exchange in Seoul, South Korea and sponsored by DreamYard. She previously served as Board President for the Cave Canem Foundation and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Poetry Foundation and advisory board for Shorefront Legacy Center. She resides in her native home, Evanston, IL.

< Back Torch Announces the Nominations for the Best of the Net Sep 16, 2025 Eleven Torch Features were nominated for their works in creative nonfiction, fiction, poetry, and visual art in Torch Magazine. With its online literary publication, Torch champions Black women writers from around the world for their work published in Torch Magazine , intentionally curated and selected by Torch Associate Editor, Jae Nichelle, and Executive Director, Amanda Johnston. Every year, the two select Torch Features to nominate for the Best of the Net prize. Best of the Net is an awards-based anthology for diverse writers and the online literary magazines that publish them. They accept work in poetry, nonfiction, fiction, and art. The winners’ stories are collected and published in Sundress Publications. You can learn more about the prize here . Our amazing 2025 Torch Nominees include: Creative Nonfiction “ Notes on Conception ” by Tatiana Johnson-Boria “ He & I ” Jā R. Macki Fiction “ Ghost Waters ” by Sandra Jackson-Opoku “ At the End of Every Apocalypse is a New Apocalypse ” by Savannah Balmir Poetry “ When Your Bully Makes Your Bed ” by Natiesha Evans “ Dancing ” by Esther Kondo Heller “ Cataracts ” by Talicha J “ with three fingers, I point ” by Elisha Mykleti “ Girl Says a Prayer ” by Schyler Butler “ Job 1:1-2:10 ” by Courtney Conrad Visual Art Adriene Cruz ### 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 History Month by Acknowledging Black Women Writers and Their Contributions to Literature Jan 31, 2025 Torch is using this year’s Black History Month theme “African Americans and Labor” to highlight the literary work we do to share our voices. At Torch, we don’t use one (short) month to acknowledge the centuries of work Black women have contributed to culture and history as storytellers. However, we’re especially elated to celebrate Black women writers and their work this month. This year, the theme for Black History Month is African Americans and Labor . To celebrate, we’re highlighting the importance of Black women writers and our labor across the literary landscape. Despite Black readers having a higher engagement in books , Black women writers aren’t paid nearly as much as their counterparts in the writing industry. #PublishingPaidMe , solidarity statements in 2020 , and other short-lived social media campaigns highlight these inequalities, yet there’s been little action to ensure Black women are paid for their work and contributions in publishing. “ Working in publishing has exposed me to both sides of the publishing sun. I see how grim and competitive it can be,” said Camari Carter- Hawkins, founder of Mama’s Kitchen Press. “ Knowing that not enough Black writers are being published and afforded opportunities makes me want to find ways to open doors for us.” Camari Carter-Hawkins decided to tell her experience as a Black woman by publishing independently. She founded Mama’s Kitchen Press in 2021 to encourage writers to tell their stories their way, creating doors for others. She realizes that, outside of monetary value, writing also pays her by increasing her well-being. To learn more about Mama's Kitchen Press, visit mamaskitchenpress.com . To learn more and keep up with Black women and their contributions to literature, be sure to follow our Instagram page ! If you’re looking for some February fun or want to see how you can support Torch’s work this month, here are a few ways: Donate to our Amplify Austin campaign : We’re raising $10,000 this year for one of the biggest giving days in Austin. Your contribution automatically enters you to win some really cool prizes. Join us for Solar Saturday at the Carver Museum : Torch community members, Marzetta and Shasparay will be sharing their work during the Torch Poetry Showcase. The event is free and open to all. Celebrate World Read Aloud Day with Torch x Kendra Scott : Kendra Scott is donating 20% of purchases when you use code GIVEBACK-IMGQX online or in-store at the Domain location on February 5th and 6th. Celebrate 30 Years of Waiting to Exhale at the Paramount: A movie night at the Paramount? Count us in! Join Torch and the Paramount Theatre for a special screening of an iconic masterpiece based on the book by Terry McMillan. Previous Next

< Back Torch Raises $5,593 for 2025 GivingTuesday Campaign Dec 5, 2025 Joining one of the largest international giving days, Torch raised $5,593. Thanks to generous support from the Torch Community, Torch raised $5,593 this GivingTuesday. Although we didn’t reach our goal of $7,000, we surpassed last year’s goal of $5,000, meaning we’re continuously growing as a community. With support from board matches and individual donations, Torch is on par to reach our end of year fundraising goal of $40,000. Whether you shared your story about Torch online, donated your first donation, or are a continuous supporter, we want to thank all individual donors for making this happen! Once again, we are truly grateful for the community we’ve been building since 2006. Individual donors like you are consistently helping us reach our increased annual giving goals and showing up for Black women writers. Thank you! Torch’s Executive and Advisory Boards also collectively matched $500 of raised donations this #GivingTuesday . Having board support as a small literary nonprofit is not only a signal of the impact of our mission, but a reflection of the internal dedication of our organization. The continued support from our Board both monetary and in-kind is always appreciated and never goes unnoticed. The giving season isn’t over! We are still raising funds to meet our end-of-year individual fundraising goal of $40,000! If you’re interested in donating, or know someone who is, please visit torchliteraryarts.org/donate . 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. Previous Next

Torch Literary Arts delivers quality programs including the Wildfire Reading Series, creative writing and professional events, an annual retreat for Black women writers with works-in-progress, and special events. Programs To fulfill our mission to create advancement opportunities for Black women writers, Torch Literary Arts offers a variety of impactful programs for emerging and experienced writers. Programs are provided at no or low cost to increase access to literary arts. Torch is a resource and destination for those who value inclusive creative communities and diverse voices in literature. We look forward to seeing you at future events! Torch Retreat An annual retreat for Black women writers with major works-in-progress. Torch's annual, fully funded, week-long retreat welcomes eight creative writing fellows selected by application. Each year in July, writers with projects across poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and script (plays and screenplays) gather in Austin, TX for dedicated writing time and space to imagine, dream, rest, and fellowship with others. A public reading is held at the end of the week to share their developing works with the local Central Texas community. Learn More Wildfire Reading Series Live readings featuring notable authors. Celebrating emerging and established authors, the Wildfire Reading Series promotes books by Black women writers in partnership with independent bookstores. Previous features include Kendra Allen, Crystal Wilkinson, Renée Watson, Kelis Rowe, LaToya Watkins, and others. Workshops Creative & Professional Development Generative workshops to inspire all experience levels. Our creative writing workshops are open to BIPOC women writers and are designed and facilitated by experienced writers and educators. Previous workshop facilitators include Anastacia-Reneé, Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton, Bev Chukwu, Faylita Hicks, KB Brookins, Victoria Newton Ford, Remica Bingham-Risher, and others. Writers Across the Diaspora Amplifying Black women writers across the diaspora. Torch Literary Arts is a global resource and destination. Writers Across the Diaspora showcases international writers through a week of programs in Central Texas in partnership with Texas State University and local and international partners. Launched in 2024 with support from Culture Ireland and the Consulate General of Ireland - Austin, Torch welcomed Irish poets Nithy Kasa and FELISPEAKS and curated public readings, craft talks, workshops, and networking opportunities. In Conversation Series Industry and craft talks with the experts. Thought-provoking conversations from leaders across the literary landscape on topics that inform and move the culture from page to public media. Torch is proud to partner with the Wintergreen Women Writers Collective for a three-year collaboration as part of the series called the 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. Writing Circle Bimonthly writing circle for BIPOC womxn. Join writers from around the world twice a month for dedicated time to write in community with others. Try the prompt provided or work on a writing project. We'll hold the space and time for you! Click here to sign up for the Writing Circle. Torch Magazine The award-winning digital publication of Torch. Torch Magazine publishes emerging and established Black women writers from across the diaspora. Selected features receive $150 and have their work promoted and archived online. We accept submissions of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and script (plays and screenplays) for consideration. Click here to read Torch Magazine and review submission guidelines. Special Events Increasing access to literature for all. Torch works with community partners to deliver exceptional literary events that increase access to literature while amplifying Black women writers. Torch is a proud community partner of the Texas Book Festival and moderates panels and curates readings that highlight notable authors during the festival, which attracts over 50,000 attendees annually. Torch also delivers special events with other community partners, including the Carver Museum, the African American Culture and Heritage Facility, and others.

< Back Torch Literary Arts Announces the Torch Center Coming Fall 2025 Sep 2, 2025 The local Austin nonprofit organization dedicated to building community for Black women writers will now have a physical location at the LINC of Austin. AUSTIN, Tex., Sep. 2, 2024 – Torch Literary Arts is proud to announce that a physical location for the nonprofit will open in Fall 2025. The nonprofit that has been running for nineteen years will now have a physical location at the LINC of Austin in North-Central Austin, TX. “Watching Torch grow to having a physical location is a dream come true,” executive director of Torch, Amanda Johnston. “Establishing the Torch Center grounds us in our mission and offers more community-building activities for Black women writers and all lovers of literature here in the city where Torch was founded.” The physical location will allow the nonprofit to host more in-person events in the greater Austin area. Torch hosts recurring events, including the Wildfire Reading Series that features notable authors from across the country, open mic events, free creative writing and professional development workshops, an annual retreat, and more. “ This is more than a building; this is a victory for our voices, our stories, and our legacy. I am overjoyed to be a small part of the team that continues to cultivate victories for Black women. Torch is lighting the way,” said board chair Sequoia Maner, PhD. According to Magnitude & Bond , a study on Black Literary organizations, Black-led and other culturally specific literary organizations are some of the most underresourced arts organizations. This physical location allows Torch to expand beyond its already growing diasporic presence and anchors itself in Austin’s arts community. Torch was established in 2006 as a grassroots community project by Amanda Johnston, 2024 Texas Poet Laureate. In nineteen years, the organization has published the award-winning Torch Magazine , hosted an annual paid retreat with a national reach, and developed partnerships with the Texas Book Festival, Texas State University, and the Consulate General of Ireland in Austin, among others. Many thanks to Art Power for fueling Torch's flame as the first corporate sponsor of the Torch Center. Interested in supporting Torch Literary Arts as a sponsor or partner? Email us at contact@torchliteraryarts.org to learn how. You can keep up with Torch’s progress and upcoming events by visiting their website at torchliteraryarts.org , signing up for the weekly newsletter, or following on Instagram. ### 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 Shannon Johnson Board Member Shannon Johnson has over 20 years of technology experience in Fortune 100 companies, start-ups, and management consulting. She has led technology teams at Merck, Ernst & Young, Dell, and BigCommerce. In addition, Shannon was recognized as Central Texas Black Business Journal’s Most Influential Technologist for 2021 and 2022. Shannon is passionate about empowering women and mentoring the next generation of young leaders. She currently serves on the Advisory Board for VentureLab and previously served on Girlstart’s Central Texas Council and UT Austin’s WIELD board. Shannon holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management Information Systems and a Master of Arts in the Human Dimension of Organizations – both from The University of Texas at Austin. She also holds certifications in several areas of expertise including Change Management, Agile, and Project Management. Outside of work, Shannon enjoys supporting local business creatives, writing down thoughts for her next book or screenplay, and traveling with her two daughters.

< Back Rachel E. Winston Board Secretary Rachel E. Winston is an archivist and curator based out of Austin, TX. She is the founding Black Diaspora Archivist at The University of Texas at Austin, where she leads the effort to build a library special collection documenting the Black experience across the Americas and Caribbean.

< Back Torch Announces 2026 Dates for 20th Anniversary Celebration Aug 20, 2025 “A Gathering of Flames” will take place in Austin, Texas, from September 25 to 27, 2026, celebrating Black women writers and 20 years of Torch’s growing community. AUSTIN, Tex., Aug. 20, 2024 – Torch Literary Arts is announcing their 20th Anniversary celebration, “A Gathering of Flames,” occurring September 25-27, 2026, at the Austin Central Branch Library Special Event Center to celebrate Torch’s 20-year legacy of supporting and creating community for Black women writers across the diaspora. For three days, Black women writers and supporters from around the world will convene in Austin to attend the inaugural Torch Awards Gala, an all-day conference, and Collective Brunch. This momentous weekend will include readings by notable authors, guest speakers, writing workshops, networking opportunities, and more. “Bringing a literary celebration for Black women writers from around the world to Austin has always been a part of Torch's vision,” said executive director Amanda Johnston. “It is a testament to the community Torch is building around the world, and I cannot wait to see our community come together in celebration of literary arts in our hometown next year.” Torch started in 2006 when Amanda Johnston realized she was constantly traveling out of state to propel her career as a poet due to the minimal opportunities in Central Texas for writers of color. What started as a literary magazine and grassroots community transformed into a Black-led and serving nonprofit. Torch’s mission is to promote the work of Black women by publishing contemporary creative writing by emerging and experienced writers, to archive contributors' literary work for posterity and educational purposes, and to provide resources and opportunities for the advancement of Black women through literary arts. Torch has grown to support thousands of Black women on their literary journeys, pays professional rates for featured authors, has received the Pushcart Prize and the inaugural Association of Writers and Writing Programs’ Writing Organization Award, has hosted 22 Torch Retreat Fellows in Austin, and has produced free workshops and events that amplify diverse voices across the literary landscape. To find out more information and save the date for the 20th Anniversary, please visit torchliteraryarts.org/agatheringofflames2026 . To donate to Torch and help fuel our mission, please visit https://www.torchliteraryarts.org/donate . ### 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 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