Category Archives: Literature

Laughter and Lyrics tonight featuring Phyllis Yvonne Stickney

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mtcc nps stickneyThe Central High School National Historic Site and Mosaic Templars Cultural Center present a special program tonight.  The program is “Laughter & Lyrics” and stars acclaimed actress, comedienne and author Phyllis Yvonne Stickney.  The event starts at 6:30 pm tonight at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center.

Drawing from the words of some of the leading African American female writers and thinkers in the second half of the 20th Century, Stickney has created an evening of thought provoking spoken word, social commentary, live music, and Conscious Comedy. This 90 minute theatrical presentation will draw on the body works of Nikki Giovanni, Maya Angelou, Ruby Dee and feature excerpts from Beah Richards’ “A Black Woman Speaks.”

Phyllis Yvonne Stickney is a world-class artist, producer, director, author, motivational speaker, clothing designer, community activist, businesswoman and surrogate mother to many. Ms. Stickney is best known and respected for her work in film, stage, television and comedy. Her portrayals range from articulate attorney to feisty comedy club diva, to a Jamaican mother of class. She is regarded as one of the most intelligently hilarious comic talents and was recognized by HBO in THE HISTORY OF BLACKS IN COMEDY. Her film credits include NEW JACK CITY, DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE, HOW STELLA GOT HER GROOVE BACK, THE INKWELL, WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT?, MALCOLM X, and the “ABC Afterschool Special,” DADDY’S GIRL. She made television history by portraying an Afrocentric character on THE COSBY SHOW spinoff, A DIFFERENT WORLD.

She also played Lena in Lorraine Hansberry’s award-winning play A RAISIN IN THE SUN at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre. The play was produced in January 2011 and received great reviews and exceeded box office expectations.

 

Black History Month Spotlight: Dr. Patricia McGraw

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bhm mcgrawDr. Patricia Washington McGraw is an educator and author.  Now retired from the University of Central Arkansas where she was a professor of English and African/African American Studies, McGraw is recognized for her achievements as an educational/civic leader and social advocate.  She has received over 300 teaching excellence and community service awards on the local, state and national levels.

McGraw graduated from San Francisco State College in 1957 and received her master’s degree in special studies in American literature from the college in 1967. In 1982 she earned her Ph.D. in sociolinguistics and Black studies from Washington University in St. Louis. She graduated with honors from each institution.

Despite her status as a retired professor, McGraw remains an active force in her community and abroad. From 1983-1994 she owned and operated The McGraw Learning Institute: Abilities Unlimited, a private school for African-American children. She has served as a literary consultant to two youth groups and has been an African storyteller at various museums throughout Central Arkansas.  She has co-hosted televisions shows and is the creator of a one-woman show, A Profile of Four Black Women: Look Upon Them and Be Renewed, that has received rave reviews and has been performed over 400 times in Africa, the West Indies and Canada.

Dr. McGraw is a noted author having published several books and more than 500 articles and works of poetry. Her work as a humanitarian has taken her to Africa seven times, having visited 18 countries on the continent. In 1999, on Lake Kivu, between the East African countries of Rwanda and the Republic of the Congo, members of the Rwandese Parliament presented an island to her.

She was inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame in 2004.  For more on Dr. McGraw and other inductees into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame, visit the permanent exhibit at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center. That museum is an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage.

Black History Month Spotlight: Deborah Mathis

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bhm deborahDeborah Mathis has deep Arkansas roots.  She grew up in Little Rock the daughter of Rev. Lloyd Myers, a Baptist minister, and Rachel A. Myers Jones, a teacher.

Her journalistic pursuits began as early as junior high school, when she became the first black editor of West Side Junior High’s school newspaper. In 1970 she became the first black and first female editor of Central High School’s Tiger student newspaper. From the early 70′s through the early 90′s, Mathis was busy establishing herself as a journalist and broadcaster. She served in various positions ” reporter, editor, columnist and anchor ” at statewide media outlets including the Arkansas Democrat, Arkansas Gazette, KARK-Channel 4, KTH V-Channel 11, and KATV-Channel 7 From Arkansas, Mathis career took her to briefly to Jackson, Mississippi before she landed in Washington, D.C., where she was a White House Correspondent for Gannett News Service from 1993-2000.

Since 1992, Mathis has been a syndicated columnist, appearing in more than 100 U.S. publications and periodicals. She is also a contributor to such outlets as USA Today and BlackAmericaWeb.com and a frequent commentator on political and public affairs talk shows such as PBS’s Frontline, CNNs Inside Politics NPR’s All Things Considered America’s Black Forum and Oprah, to name a few. She also field-produced, wrote and narrated two nationally aired documentaries: “Edukashun: The Cost of Failure” (1982) and “Return of the Little Rock Nine” (1987).

Mathis is the author of Yet A Stranger Why Black Americans Still Don’t Feel at Home, Sole Sisters: The Joy and Pains of Single Black Women and What God Can Do: How Faith Changes Lives for the Better.  She has also been an assistant professor at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism (Washington office).  In 2003, she was inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame.

For more on Deborah Mathis and other inductees into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame, visit the permanent exhibit at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center. That museum is an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage.

“Making Assumptions” tonight at Tales from the South at the Oyster Bar

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talesfromthesouthAs the old saying goes, you know what happens when you make  assume things…..  Tonight, Tales from the South examines the pitfalls and surprises of “Making Assumptions” at the Oyster Bar. The storytellers for this edition are Conrad Shumaker, and B. Wm. Bower, and Colin Edward Woodward.

Music is by Brad Williams & Isaac Alexander as well as blues guitarist Mark Simpson.

“Tales From the South” is a radio show created and produced by Paula Martin Morell, who is also the show’s host. The show is taped live on Tuesday. The night is a cross between a house concert and a reading/show, with incredible food and great company. Tickets must be purchased before the show, as shows are usually standing-room only.

“Tales from the South” is a showcase of writers reading their own true stories. While the show itself is unrehearsed, the literary memoirs have been worked on for weeks leading up to the readings. Stories range from funny to touching, from everyday occurrences to life-altering tragedies.

Dinner is served from 5pm to 6:30pm, the show starts at 7pm.  Admission is $15.  Dinner can be purchased separately.

You MUST purchase your ticket before the show.

Previous episodes of “Tales from the South” air on KUAR Public Radio on Thursdays at 7pm.  This program will air on February 26.

“Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Piece” this evening at Mosaic Templars

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Speak Now Feb 2015 WebTonight a 7 pm the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center will be hosting “Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Piece,” a celebration of creativity and self-expression hosted by local poetry troupe the Foreign Tongues.

This free event features youth poets from central Arkansas and a performance by Foreign Tongues. Featured poet, Jon Goode, has made appearances on HBO’s “Def Poetry Jam,” “Verses and Flow” and was featured on CNN’s “Black in America.”

As a national award winning performance poet, Jon has been privileged to share the stage with Jamie Foxx, Mos Def, Kanye West, Tommy Davidson, Will Downing, Kindred, Ledisi, Roy Ayers, Common, Amiri Baraka, Malcolm Jamal Warner, Kim Fields, The Last Poets and many other talented poets, comedians and performers.

Tickets available starting January 20. Limit 2 per person. Email tameka@arkansasheritage.org or call 501.683.3593.

The MTCC is an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage.

Maya Angelou celebrated at Mosaic Templars this morning

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mosaictemplarsToday at 10am, the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center celebrates the life of poet, author, entertainer and civil rights activist, Dr. Maya Angelou.

The former Arkansan’s inspirational story will be brought to life by Dr. Gwendolyn Twillie, former chairwoman of the Theatre and Dance Department at UALR.

Registration is required. Contact Elvon Reed at 501.683.3592.

The Mosaic Templars Cultural Center is an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage.

Black History Month Spotlight – E. Lynn Harris

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bhm lynnE. Lynn Harris was born in Flint, Michigan and raised, along with three sisters, in Little Rock. A graduate of Hall High School, he attended the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville where he was the school’s first black yearbook editor, the first black male Razorbacks cheerleader, and the president of his fraternity. He graduated with honors with a degree in journalism.

Harris sold computers for IBM, Hewlett-Packard, and AT&T for 13 years while living in Dallas, Washington, D.C. and Atlanta. He finally quit his sales job to write his first novel, Invisible Life, and, failing to find a publisher, he published it himself in 1991 and sold it mostly at black-owned bookstores, beauty salons, and book clubs before he was “discovered” by Anchor Books. Anchor published Invisible Life as a trade paperback in 1994, and thus his career as an author was “officially” launched.

Invisible Life was followed by Just As I Am (1994), And This Too Shall Pass (1996), If This World Were Mine (1997), and Abide With Me (1999), all published by Doubleday. All of Harris’s books were bestsellers. Harris’s sixth novel, Not A Day Goes By (July 2000) debuted at #2 on the New York Times bestseller list and was a #1 Publishers Weekly bestseller for two consecutive weeks. His seventh novel, Any Way the Wind Blows (July 2001), also debuted at #2 on the New York Times bestseller list. His other books included What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted – A Memoir (2003); I Say a Little Prayer (2006); Just Too Good To Be True (2008); Basketball Jones (2009); Mama Dearest (2009) (posthumously released) and In My Father’s House (2010) (posthumously released).

In 1999, the University of Arkansas honored Harris with a Citation of Distinguished Alumni for outstanding professional achievement, and in October 2000, he was inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame.  He died in July 2009 while in California for meetings. An autopsy determined it was due to heart disease.

For more on E. Lynn Harris and other inductees into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame, visit the permanent exhibit at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center. That museum is an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage.