For Sizakele: A Performative Excerpt

June 21, 2015
For Sizakele: A Performative Excerpt
Yvonne Fly Onakeme Etaghene
African American Art and Culture Complex
762 Fulton Street
5pm
$12 – $20
Special admission includes book.

For Sizakele is a soul-stirring, lyrically beautiful novel that addresses queer African gender, transcontinental identity, inter-partner violence and how we love as the ultimate illuminator of who we are.   This dynamic event features a powerful, performative excerpt of the novel, followed by an engaging talk back that will invite the exploration of issues of Queer African love, sexuality and activism.  This event marks the beginning of the international book tour and is a celebration of the over 14 years of love, work, sweat, passion and magic it has taken to bring forth this very necessary book. For Sizakele will be available for sale at this event and Etaghene will blissfully sign as many copies as you want.

Yvonne Fly Onakeme Etaghene is an Ijaw and Urhobo Nigerian dyke performance activist, poet, dancer, educator, actress and video artist.  She engages a radical vulnerability and candor in her artwork and uses storytelling to build authentic human connection through passionate artistic expression.  Etaghene is a mixed-media visual artist who has produced four solo art exhibitions and performed internationally.  She is the founder of Sugarcane, an LGBTQ Of Color writing workshop based in the principles of June Jordan’s Poetry for the People. She wrote and performed in two multi-media one-woman shows, Volcano’s Birthright{s} and GUAVA. Etaghene has published 4 chapbooks of poetry: afrocrown: fierce poetry (2000), write or die (2004), tongue twisted transcontinental sista (2006) and skin into verse (2014.)  She released an album of poetry and music entitled liberty avenue, nigeria, usa (2004.) Her second album of poetry, Nigerian Dyke Realness, drops in 2015. For Sizakele is Etaghene’s first novel. www.myloveisaverb.com, twitter: @myloveisaverb, youtube.com/AfrocrownDiva