< 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 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 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 Celebrating National Poetry Month with an Ode to Poets Brittany Heckard Apr 5, 2024 Every April, Torch is elated to celebrate the Black women who put words to feelings by celebrating National Poetry Month April is a month of renewal and rebirth — with showers watering what springs in May. It’s also National Poetry Month — a time to celebrate those who can turn feelings into words that cause us to reflect. This month, Torch is celebrating National Poetry Month by pouring into our community. Just like the April showers, we know that watering others with resources and support brings the growth and representation that marginalized voices need to thrive. We’re starting off celebrating National Poetry Month by highlighting our April Feature, Yona Harvey. Yona Harvey is an acclaimed poet and professor. Winner of the 2014 Kate Tufts Discovery Award, her poetry collections include Hemming the Water and You Don’t Have to Go to Mars for Love. She is also an author of Marvel Comics' World of Wakanda , becoming one of the first two black women to write for Marvel. You can check out her poems and interview with our editor, Jae Nichelle, here . April is also very special for Torch because we are celebrating the fact that our own executive director, Amanda Johnston, is the 2024 Texas Poet Laureate. She is making Texas and poetry history as the first Black woman to be the state’s laureate. Torch celebrates her accomplishments all year, but especially this month. You can celebrate National Poetry Month with Torch and join us in watering our community by attending our events , sharing our work on social media, and donating to our organization . Check out a few of our events this Poetry Month: Events April 15th - Writing Circle April 24th - The Salon Torch Magazine Read our April 2024 Feature, Yona Harvey Read the poetry Friday Features by Isha Camara and Lor Clincy ### 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 Executive Director and Features Named as Brooks Living Legacy Honorees Brittany Heckard Nov 15, 2024 20 Torch community members were named Living Legacy Honorees The Brooks Living Legacy recently announced their list of Living Legacy Honorees, a global celebration of Black Female Poets in the tradition of Gwendolyn Brooks. Torch is elated to announce that out of the 50 poets named, 19 have been featured in Torch Magazine and/or readings and special events. The Living Legacy Project is part of the 75th Anniversary celebration of Annie Allen , Gwendolyn Brooks’s Pulitzer Prize winning work. The list is composed of Black female poets who are making an impact in the literary community. Honorees include: Amanda Johnston - Torch Founder / Executive Director Sequoia Maner - Torch Board Chair Elizabeth Alexander Tara Betts Mahogany L. Browne Isha Camara Ajanaé Dawkins Toi Derricotte Latasha N. Nevada Diggs Kelly Norman Ellis Vievee Francis Krista Franklin Faylita Hicks Toni Asante Lightfoot Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton Evie Shockley Patricia Smith Ebony Stewart Natasha Trethewey Crystal Wilkinson To learn more about Brooks Permissions and to see the full list of Living Legacies Honorees, click 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. About Brooks Permissions Brooks Permissions, founded in 2001, manages the literary works of acclaimed poet Gwendolyn Brooks. Media Contact Information: Brittany Heckard Communications Associate bheckard@torchliteraryarts.org (512) 641-9251 Previous Next

< Back Austin Film Society Joins Torch Literary Arts as New Community Partners Feb 5, 2026 The two organizations will amplify a series of film screenings showcasing Black women screenwriters, directors, and films that reflect Black culture. Austin Film Society (AFS) and Torch Literary Arts (Torch) are partnering to amplify diversity in film at AFS Cinema. These film screenings will be mission-aligned with both organizations and start this month with screenings of Daughters of the Dust and Compensation . Daughters of the Dust (1991), written and directed by Julie Dash, is an intergenerational film about three Gullah women and their lives in the South Carolina islands in 1902. The film won Best Cinematography at Sundance in 1991, Grand Jury Prize Nominee at Sundance in 1991, and was featured at many film festivals, including Mill Valley, BFI London, New Orleans, and Chicago. The first screening is on February 17th. You can purchase tickets for a screening here . Compensation (1999), directed by Zeinabu irene Davis, is a film highlighting the lives of two deaf women living almost a century apart from each other, one living in 1900 and the other in 1990. The film will have ASL interpretation. The film won the Gordon Parks Directing Award from the Independent Feature Project. The first screening is on February 24th. You can purchase tickets for a screening here . “This partnership highlights screenwriters and filmmakers we love to support,” said Amanda Johnston, founder and executive director of Torch Literary Arts. “Producing events that amplify voices of Black women while also enjoying their work on screen is the type of intentional community building we strive for.” AFS and Torch are just steps away from each other at The LINC in the historic St. Johns area, allowing a collaborative partnership that is accessible and convenient for attendees. The partnership highlights the need for representation of Black women writers in cinema and an in-depth look at powerful stories that resonate with any audience. If you are a Torch Feature, Fellow, or CIM Member, please email us for a discount code for these two screenings before you purchase your ticket. You can learn more about Austin Film Society by visiting their website at austinfilmsociety.org . ### 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 Magazine has featured work by Toi Derricotte, Tayari Jones, Sharon Bridgforth, Crystal Wilkinson, Patricia Smith, Natasha Trethewey, and others. Programs include the Wildfire Reading Series, writing workshops, and retreats. About Austin Film Society 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. Media Contact Information: Brittany Heckard Communications Associate bheckard@torchliteraryarts.org (512) 641-9251 Previous Next

< Back Hallie S. Hobson Advisory Board Member Hallie S. Hobson contributes to the vitality and health of philanthropic and nonprofit institutions by developing and implementing innovative planning, fundraising, and patron engagement strategies including: philanthropic strategy development and implementation; capital campaign and strategic planning; individual giving program design; major gift pipeline development; department buildout and optimization-staffing and systems; chief development officer coaching; board development. Clients include Art Basel, Cave Canem Foundation, Destination Crenshaw, The Ford Foundation, The Friends of the High Line, Junebug Productions, The Laundromat Project, the New York Community Trust, and NPower. Prior to launching her consultancy, Hallie served as the Director of Institutional Advancement for the Studio Museum in Harlem and led that organization’s Capital Campaign. Prior to that she was at The Metropolitan Museum of Art where she served as Deputy Chief Development Officer for Individual Giving and the Senior Development Officer at The Museum of Modern Art. She has also held roles at several other cultural institutions including the New York Foundation for the Arts and The House Foundation for the Arts/Meredith Monk and has lectured about her profession at New York University, the Yale World Fellows Program, and Sotheby's Institute of Art. In addition, Hallie is an accomplished poet and playwright. She holds an M.F.A. in Playwriting from UCLA and a B.A. in African-American and Theater Studies from Yale University.

Torch's annual retreat for Black women writers with works-in-progress across poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and script. Fellows enjoy a week-long stay at the Colton House Hotel in Austin, TX where they can write, rest, and dream. 2027 Torch Retreat July 18 - 25, Austin, TX Torch Literary Arts is proud to provide our annual creative writing retreat. We welcome applications from Black women writers with major works-in-progress across poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction (memoir or lyric essays), and script (plays or screenplays). The Torch Retreat will return in 2027. We invite everyone to A Gathering of Flames: Celebrating 20 Years of Torch Literary Arts on September 25-27, 2026. Applications Are Closed Amplifying Black Women Writers Since 2006 Dedicated Writing Time Fellows receive plenty of time for dedicated writing devoted to their works-in-progress. We gently support you in your writing goals for the week by providing group check-ins and the opportunity to share your progress in a nurturing environment. Comfortable Accommodations Your comfort matters. The Colton House Hotel was carefully selected as the property for the Torch retreat to provide fellows with a plush environment where they may dream and write freely. Financial Support There is no fee to apply or attend the retreat. Each fellow will receive a $1,000 stipend to assist with travel, supplies, childcare, or anything else that helps make it possible for fellows to attend regardless of financial ability. Your Stay in Austin, TX Retreat fellows will stay at the beautiful Colton House Hotel . Accommodations include a private bedroom and bathroom in a two-bedroom suite with a shared living room and full kitchen. During your week-long retreat, you will receive dedicated writing time, breakfast and lunch provided, and ample time during the afternoons and evenings to rest, recharge, enjoy the hotel amenities, or explore the city. The retreat will also include guest speakers and a public reading by fellows at the end of the week. View photos from past retreats here . 2025 Torch Retreat Fellows 2024 Torch Retreat Fellows 2023 Torch Retreat Fellows

< Back Torch Literary Arts to Celebrate and Amplify Black Women Writers During the 2024 Texas Book Festival Nov 1, 2024 Over two days, Torch will host poet, essayist, and novelist Morgan Parker and Los Angeles Poet Laureate Lynne Thompson, and embark on a literary book crawl showcasing the works of the organization’s previous features. November is LIT-erary gold for Torch Literary Arts (Torch) and the Texas Book Festival (TBF). For the 3rd year in a row, Torch will join TBF as a partnering organization. As part of this partnership, Torch will welcome Morgan Parker and Lynne Thompson to Austin, along with a lineup of incredible Torch Features. In Morgan Parker's You Get What You Pay For and Lynne Thompson's Blue on a Blue Palette , the historical experiences of Black women drive the two writers' explorations. Morgan's essays, deeply intimate, witty, and personal, trace her experience in therapy as a way to examine racial consciousness and how America's cultural history has affected Black women in particular. Thompson's collection of poems, rooted in the jazz tradition and encompassing various shades of blue, traverses the multiplicities within the condition of women throughout history. These writers deconstruct what it means to survive and find joy within landscapes that threaten. You can catch Torch’s three amazing events at the Carver Museum, the Texas Capitol, or Speakeasy in community with other renowned Black women writers sharing their work. Check out our three events below: Friday, November 15 at the Carver Museum: Join us for a free kickoff reception and reading featuring our two Texas Book Festival visitors, Morgan Parker and Lynne Thompson, as they discuss their works and read from them in community with other Black women writers and Torch community members. Learn more and RSVP here . Saturday, November 16 at the Texas Capitol: In partnership with Texas Book Festival, join Morgan Parker and Lynne Thompson at the Texas Capitol as they discuss their literary works. We’ll delve into their backgrounds, the inspiration behind their writing, and much more. Learn more about the conversation online here . Saturday, November 16 at the Speakeasy: In partnership with Texas Book Festival, join us at 8pm for an inspiring evening of poetry and memoir by award-winning authors Amina Gautier, Lynne Thompson, Morgan Parker, Anastacia-Renee, and Amanda Johnston (host). Learn more about the Lit Crawl online here . Texas Book Festival is a nonprofit organization dedicated to celebrating the culture of literacy and ideas. This is the Texas Book Festival’s 29th year hosting the festival and is one of the largest book festivals in the nation. The festival plans to have 275 acclaimed authors at events in and around the Texas Capitol and neighboring streets and venues. For more information about Torch Literary Arts, please visit https://www.torchliteraryarts.org/ or follow @torchliteraryarts on Instagram. For more information about the Texas Book Festival, including the free event schedule, please visit www.texasbookfestival.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 Morgan Parker Morgan Parker is a poet, essayist, and novelist. She is the author of the young adult novel Who Put This Song On?; and the poetry collections Other People’s Comfort Keeps Me Up At Night , There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyoncé , and Magical Negro , which won the 2019 National Book Critics Circle Award. She is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship, winner of a Pushcart Prize, and has been hailed by The New York Times as “a dynamic craftsperson” of “considerable consequence to American poetry.” Parker’s debut book of nonfiction, You Get What You Pay For , was published in March 2024. About Lynne Thompson Lynne Thompson served as Los Angeles’ 4th Poet Laureate and received a Poet Laureate Fellowship from the Academy of American Poets. She is the author of four collections of poetry, Beg No Pardon, winner of the Perugia Press Prize and the Great Lakes Colleges New Writers Award; Start With A Small Guitar (What Books Press) ; Fretwork , winner of the 2019 Marsh Hawk Poetry Prize selected by Jane Hirshfield; and,, Blue on a Blue Palette , published by BOA Editions in April 2024. A Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominee, Thompson is the recipient of multiple awards including the George Drury Smith Award for Outstanding Achievement in Poetry, an Individual Artist Fellowship from the City of Los Angeles, the Tucson Literary Festival Poetry Prize, and the Steven Dunn Poetry Prize, as well as fellowships from the Summer Literary Series (Kenya) and the Vermont Studio Center. Thompson’s recent work can be found or is forthcoming in the literary journals Best American Poetry 2020, Kenyon Review, Georgia Review,, Copper Nickel , and Gulf Coast, as well as the anthology Dear Yusef: Essays, Letters, and Poems For and About One Mr. Komunyakaa , among others. About Amina Guatier Amina Gautier is the author of four award-winning short story collections, At-Risk, Now We Will Be Happy, The Loss of All Lost Things , and The Best That You Can Do . More than one hundred fifty of her short stories have been published in literary journals and anthologies. She is a recipient of the Blackwell Prize, Chicago Public Library Foundation’s 21st Century Award, the Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction, and International Latino Book Award, along with many other honors. For her body of work, she has been awarded the Pen/Malamud Award for Excellence in the Short Story. Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, she now lives in Chicago and Miami. About Anastacia-Reneé Anastacia-Reneé is an award-winning cross-genre queer writer, educator, interdisciplinary artist, TEDX speaker and former Seattle Civic Poet. She is the author of Side Notes from the Archivist , (v.) , and Forget It . Her mixed media art has been exhibited at the Fry Art Museum and her installation, “Don’t Be Absurd (Alice in Parts),” was chosen by NBC as one of the “Queer Artist of Color Must See LGBTQ Arts Shows.” She has received fellowships and residencies from Cave Canem, Hedgebrook, VONA, Artist Trust, Ragdale, Mineral School and others. Renee’’s poetry, fiction and nonfiction has been anthologized and published widely. She lives in Brooklyn, New York. About Texas Book Festival The Texas Book Festival, the largest book event in Texas and one of the premier literary Festivals in the nation, returns for its 29th year on November 16–17 in downtown Austin! Free and open to all, attendees can look forward to a star-studded lineup of more than 250 authors, engaging programming for all ages, book signings, food trucks, cooking demonstrations, and a Saturday night Lit Crawl in East Austin. Learn more at www.texasbookfestival.org . Media Contact Information: Brittany Heckard Communications Associate bheckard@torchliteraryarts.org (512) 641-9251 Previous Next

< Back Website Updates: New Transparency Documents, Including Three-Year Strategic Plan Brittany Heckard Mar 22, 2024 Torch Literary Arts updates website to include transparency documents including IRS Form 990s, Annual Reports, and the 2024-2026 Strategic Plan. Being a nonprofit requires securing funding to continue operating into the future. This means that building trust and transparency is necessary for foundational support, individual donors, partners, and friends. We feel that clear, accessible information about Torch’s plans, review of yearly programmatic impact, and financial reporting to the IRS are important ways to show our community that we are committed to amplifying Black women writers. As a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization, Torch wants to ensure all of our donors and friends know how much their contributions make an impact in the lives of the Black women writers we support. The easiest way is to remain transparent by making our financials and planning documents available to the public. You can now view Torch’s transparency documents by visiting torchliteraryarts.org/reports . How is Torch ensuring sustainable progress and setting measurable goals for the future? Starting last fall, Torch began a strategic planning process to envision detailed and measurable progress toward the mission to amplify Black women writers. The plan details priorities for the board, leadership and team, and community members. The three-year plan ends with the 20-year celebration of Torch in 2026 – a milestone for a community that will only continue to grow. View our strategic plan here . How is Torch keeping track of its impact? 2022 was Torch’s first year as a nonprofit organization. It’s also the first year of recording our programmatic impact – the many free workshops we’ve held, the amount of Friday Features we’ve published, and our financial statement. While annual reports aren’t required by law, we want to give you an inside look at Torch’s first year as a nonprofit. Celebrate the growth of Torch Literary Arts, our award-winning and globally recognized programs, and our partners and donors by viewing our 2022 annual report here . How is Torch keeping it really, real? We have the necessary Internal Revenue Service documentation to back it up. Our 2022 Form 990 is the necessary document all nonprofits must file to maintain their nonprofit status. If you want to take a deeper look into Torch’s financials including revenues, expenses, programmatic costs, etc. You can view our 2022 IRS Form 990 here . We hope that you review each of our documents and continue supporting Torch Literary Arts in the future. Be on the lookout for more transparency documents like our 2023 IRS Form 990 and 2023 annual report coming later this year! ### 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

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.