Writers of Color Reading Series

The Englert Theatre: WOCRS
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  • Arts

Seeking to create a dedicated space for Iowa-based Black, Indigenous, and other writers of color who were undergraduates, MFAs, or long-term residents, The Englert Theatre is excited to transition the Writers of Color Reading Series to a podcast format. Join us to hear from writers of color who will share a reading of their work and an interview about their personal history and creative process.

  1. 08/02/2021

    Lucy Yuwei Dou

    Lucy Dou is a writer, actor, singer, and professional level zither performer. She loves writing and feel thankful to the joy that this storytelling format brings to her. She mainly writes fictions and plays, and also composes music. Her works has been awarded and published nationally. Currently she is a student at University of Iowa double majoring in creative writing and musical theater, but she's going to move to New York City in this fall to study musical theater at American Musical and Dramatic Academy. The music for this podcast is "Ira" by Blake Shaw. Ongoing support comes from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Iowa Arts Council, and from the United States Regional Arts Resilience Fund. Phase 1 is an initiative of Arts Midwest and its peer United States Regional Arts Organizations made possible by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The Writers of Color Reading Series is produced by the Englert in Iowa City, Iowa, and is supported by Friends of the Englert. Visit www.englert.org/friends to support our programming. -------------------- Host: Jesus “Chuy” Renteria Line Producer & Audio Engineer: Savannah Lane Executive Producers: John Schickedanz & Andre Perry

  2. 07/27/2021

    Shalini Jasti

    Shalini Jasti is a recent University of Iowa graduate having studied English and Creative Writing and Secondary Education. She recently spent time student teaching 8th grade English at Southeast Junior High in Iowa City.  Shalini is passionate about English Education, the globalization of the English language, and the correlation between telling individual and unique stories in native tongues and rising understanding between different communities. The music for this podcast is "Ira" by Blake Shaw. Ongoing support comes from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Iowa Arts Council, and from the United States Regional Arts Resilience Fund. Phase 1 is an initiative of Arts Midwest and its peer United States Regional Arts Organizations made possible by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The Writers of Color Reading Series is produced by the Englert in Iowa City, Iowa, and is supported by Friends of the Englert. Visit www.englert.org/friends to support our programming. -------------------- Host: Jesus “Chuy” Renteria Line Producer & Audio Engineer: Savannah Lane Executive Producers: John Schickedanz & Andre Perry

  3. 07/26/2021

    Shreya Khullar

    Shreya is a rising high school senior at West High School in Iowa City. She currently serves as the Inaugural Iowa Student Poet Ambassador for the 2021-2022 academic year. Her work has been recognized by the Scholastic Writing Awards and can be found, or is forthcoming, in Polyphony Lit and the Rising Phoenix Press. She hopes to write a bestselling novel one day. The music for this podcast is "Ira" by Blake Shaw. Ongoing support comes from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Iowa Arts Council, and from the United States Regional Arts Resilience Fund. Phase 1 is an initiative of Arts Midwest and its peer United States Regional Arts Organizations made possible by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The Writers of Color Reading Series is produced by the Englert in Iowa City, Iowa, and is supported by Friends of the Englert. Visit www.englert.org/friends to support our programming. -------------------- Host: Jesus “Chuy” Renteria Line Producer & Audio Engineer: Savannah Lane Executive Producers: John Schickedanz & Andre Perry

  4. 07/12/2021

    Arinze Ifeakandu

    Arinze Ifeakandu was born in Kano, Nigeria and studied English at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He is a recent MFA graduate from the Iowa Writers' Workshop, where he was the winner of the 2018 Richard Yates Short Story Contest. Arinze was also shortlisted for The Caine Prize in 2017, and was the winner of a 2015 A Public Space Emerging Writer Fellowship, for his story “God’s Children Are Little Broken Things.” He is currently on a teaching fellowship at the Iowa Writers' Workshop, and his stories have recently appeared in A Public Space and One Story. The music for this podcast is "Ira" by Blake Shaw. Ongoing support comes from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Iowa Arts Council, and from the United States Regional Arts Resilience Fund. Phase 1 is an initiative of Arts Midwest and its peer United States Regional Arts Organizations made possible by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The Writers of Color Reading Series is produced by the Englert in Iowa City, Iowa, and is supported by Friends of the Englert. Visit www.englert.org/friends to support our programming. -------------------- Host: Jesus “Chuy” Renteria Line Producer & Audio Engineer: Savannah Lane Executive Producers: John Schickedanz & Andre Perry

  5. 06/28/2021

    X.H. Collins

    X.H. Collins was born in Hechuan, China, and grew up in Kangding, on the East Tibet Plateau. Flowing Water, Falling Flowers is her first novel. She lives in Iowa with her husband, son, and dog. To learn more about her and her work, visit her website at xhcollins.com. The music for this podcast is "Ira" by Blake Shaw. Ongoing support comes from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Iowa Arts Council, and from the United States Regional Arts Resilience Fund. Phase 1 is an initiative of Arts Midwest and its peer United States Regional Arts Organizations made possible by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The Writers of Color Reading Series is produced by the Englert in Iowa City, Iowa, and is supported by Friends of the Englert. Visit www.englert.org/friends to support our programming. -------------------- Host: Jesus “Chuy” Renteria Line Producer & Audio Engineer: Savannah Lane Executive Producers: John Schickedanz & Andre Perry

  6. 06/21/2021

    Angela Pico

    Angela Pico was born in the Andes in 1994, spent her early childhood in Bogotá, Colombia and then moved with her parents and twin sister to the Blue Ridge Mountains in rural North Carolina.   She called western North Carolina home, until she moved forty minutes east of Los Angeles to study in Pomona College, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Romance Languages and Literatures, specializing in Spanish and French Literatures. She won a prize for best thesis.  While completing her undergrad degree, she studied French Literature abroad at the Sorbonne University in Paris.  After her journey in California, she came back to North Carolina to work in an elementary school as a Program Coordinator for an academic enrichment program for underprivileged children ages 5-12.  While spending time with children, she realized she wanted to write the stories she told them. And she wanted to further her skills in poetry.  She was accepted into the MFA Spanish Creative Program at the University of Iowa with an Arts Fellowship, which is designed to recruit the most talented artists to the university.  During her MFA she won the Stanley Award, worked as an editor at Iowa Literaria, and shared her poetry in various literary festivals. After completing her MFA, she obtained a Masters in  French and Francophone Studies at the University of Iowa in Spring 2021. While at the University of Iowa, she has researched Latina/o/x Literature and has presented her work at conferences, she has also taught French and Spanish Language classes, as well as a course in Latina/o/x Literature.  The music for this podcast is "Ira" by Blake Shaw.  Ongoing support comes from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Iowa Arts Council, and from the United States Regional Arts Resilience Fund. Phase 1 is an initiative of Arts Midwest and its peer United States Regional Arts Organizations made possible by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The Writers of Color Reading Series is produced by the Englert in Iowa City, Iowa, and is supported by Friends of the Englert. Visit www.englert.org/friends to support our programming. -------------------- Host: Jesus “Chuy” Renteria Line Producer & Audio Engineer: Savannah Lane Executive Producers: John Schickedanz & Andre Perry

  7. 06/14/2021

    Dawson Davenport

    Dawson Davenport is a Meskwaki from the Meskwaki Settlement. A 2019 UI grad with a degree in Art, Dawson uses various mediums to showcase his Art. Dawson draws inspiration from his life experience and his Meskwaki way of life. The music for this podcast is "Ira" by Blake Shaw. Ongoing support comes from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Iowa Arts Council, and from the United States Regional Arts Resilience Fund. Phase 1 is an initiative of Arts Midwest and its peer United States Regional Arts Organizations made possible by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The Writers of Color Reading Series is produced by the Englert in Iowa City, Iowa, and is supported by Friends of the Englert. Visit www.englert.org/friends to support our programming. -------------------- Host: Jesus “Chuy” Renteria Line Producer & Audio Engineer: Savannah Lane Executive Producers: John Schickedanz & Andre Perry

  8. 06/07/2021

    Jarod Valencia-Cheng

    Jarod Valencia-Cheng is a 2nd-year student at the University of Iowa, being originally from Maryland, with a major in Creative Writing and minors in both Dance and Cinema. They are multifaceted in their interests as an RA, a member of the Change UIowa English (CUE) Committee, and a member of multiple dance groups like the Hawkeye Ballroom Dance Company and the UI Salsa Club. The music for this podcast is "Ira" by Blake Shaw. Ongoing support comes from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Iowa Arts Council, and from the United States Regional Arts Resilience Fund. Phase 1 is an initiative of Arts Midwest and its peer United States Regional Arts Organizations made possible by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The Writers of Color Reading Series is produced by the Englert in Iowa City, Iowa, and is supported by Friends of the Englert. Visit www.englert.org/friends to support our programming. -------------------- Host: Jesus “Chuy” Renteria Line Producer & Audio Engineer: Savannah Lane Executive Producers: John Schickedanz & Andre Perry

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Seeking to create a dedicated space for Iowa-based Black, Indigenous, and other writers of color who were undergraduates, MFAs, or long-term residents, The Englert Theatre is excited to transition the Writers of Color Reading Series to a podcast format. Join us to hear from writers of color who will share a reading of their work and an interview about their personal history and creative process.

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