FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 30, 2016

Contact:
Maia "CROWN" Williams
Black Speculative Arts Movement
Co-founder, Executive Assistant
(313) 451-0297
BSAMstaff@gmail.com

Black Speculative Arts Movement #BSAMphilly2016
Gladfelter Hall- Temple University​
November 12, 2016

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-
Black Speculative Arts Movement​, aka BsaM, is an annual Afrofuturism, black comics, and arts convention held at multiple colleges and universities thruought the United States.

Our main annual convention, co-founded by associate professor and chair of the Humanities department at Harris-Stowe State University​, Reynaldo Anderson\​, and founder of Midwest Ethnic Convention for Comics and Arts - MECCA​, Maia Crown Williams​, will include vending from a vast amount of comics, art, and artisan creators and vendors, live performances, a full international film festival via Midwest Ethnic Convention for Comics and Arts - MECCA, seminars, classes, hand on workshops, plays, and much more. Students are also welcome to submit proposals to participate as well.

BSAM Philly is sponsored by Dr Molefi Kete Asante​, MA, Ph.D., professor of African American Studies at Temple University, Amalgam Comics​, and Black Tribbles​​.

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Afrofuturism and astro blackness have been practiced in our community for years, especially thru literature, visual arts, and music. Artists like Sun Ra, Octavia Butler, Basquiat, Fela Kuti, George Clinton, John Coltrane, Alice Coltrane, Samuel Delaney, Jimi Hendrix, Paschal B. Randolph, Toni Morrison, Amiri Baraka,Tananarive Due, and the ZULU NATION are excellent examples.

BSAM is a loose umbrella term represented for different positions or basis of inquiry: Afrofuturism, Astro Blackness, Afro-Surrealism, Ethno Gothic, Black Digital Humanities, Black (Afro-future female or African Centered) Science Fiction, The Black Fantastic, Magical Realism, and The Esoteric. Although these positions may be incompatible in some instances they overlap around the term speculative and design; and interact around the nexus of technology and ethics.

BsaM is a continuation of the historical behavior within the Veil to engage the ideas of Dubois, Wright, Everett and others to pierce the Color Line, the Color Curtain, and understand the Digital Divide in the face of the challenges of the 21st century.

Links:
http://BSAMphilly2016.eventbrite.com/
http://blackspeculativeartsmovement.wordpress.com/
https://www.facebook.com/events/1614789775501626/
https://www.facebook.com/blackspeculativeartsmovement
http://MECCAcon.wordpress.com/

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if interested in purchasing a vending table, performing, exhibiting, volunteering, serving as press,
please contact co-founder, Maia Crown Williams at
BSAMstaff@gmail.com, 3134510297.
Tables are limited.