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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Black Speculative Arts Movement #BSAMphilly2016
**** OFFICIAL SCHEDULE ****
Friday, November 11, 2016
BSAM Book/Art Signings at Amalgam Comics
BSAM and CHILL w/ Black Tribbles
Saturday, November 12, 2016
BSAM Convention & MECCAcon International Film Festival
GLADFELTER HALL, Temple University
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Saturday, Nov12, 2016
10:00a-5:00p
10:00a-5:00p MECCAcon International Film Festival moderated by Ka’ramuu Kush
10:00a-11:00a BOOK READING/SIGNING w/ Sheree Renee Thomas
10:00a-11:00a THE ART OF STORYTELLING workshop w/ N Steven Harris
11:15p-12:15p BLACK SPECULATIVE ART MOVEMENT panel w/ Dr Amber Johnson, Dr Reynaldo Johnson, Dr Toniesha L. Taylor, Quentin VerCetty. Moderated by Reeni Odd (BSAM Canada)
11:15p-12:15p BLACK QUANTUM REALISM w/ Rasheedah Phillips & Damion Scott
12:30p-1:30p CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT 101 w/ Shawn Alleyne
12:30p-1:30p BLACK ART & COMMUNITY w/ Danny Simmons
1:45p-2:45p HIP HOP & ARTIVISM w/ Moor Mother, Sole Rebel, Andre Leroy Davis, Danny Simmons
1:45p-2:45p THE TRUE STORY OF THE NAT TURNER REBELLION 1831 w/ Michael Imhotep/ African History Network
3:00p-4:00p Afrofuturism 2.0: THE NEXT WAVE w/ Dr Reynaldo Anderson, Dr Tonja Lawrence, Dr Lonny J Avi Brooks, Dr David Deluliis. Moderated by Quentin VerCetty (BSAM Canada)
3:00p-4:00p AFRICAN SPIRITUALITY and AFROFUTURISM in the PSYCHODELIC WORLD w/ Kilindi Iyi
4:15p-5:00p OUR VOICES, OUR IMAGINATION w/ Shawn Alleyne, Stacey Robinson, Tim Fielder, N Steven Harris, and Maurice Waters.
4:15p-5:00p AFRICOLOGY w/ Dr Zizwe Poe, JP Craig, Marquice Jacobs, Ama Mazama
MECCAcon INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, w/ QnA, moderated by Ka'ramuu Kush :::
1045am ONLY LIGHT, Evita Castine; 13mins
1130am THE SUMMER OF GODS, Eliciana Nascimento; 20mins
1215pm LOUISIANA 1961, Bobby Huntley; 13mins
115pm TEDx TALK and BLK COMICS WORKSHOP, Tim Fielder/ Diesel Funk
200pm WOMAN OUTSIDE, starring Yolonda Ross; 20mins
245pm BLACK CARD, Tony Patrick/Pete Chatmon; 14mins
345pm AND THEN, ka’ramuu kush; 30mins
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OTHER #bsamPhilly2016 weekend events include:
Our BSAM events will be fully covered by:
* Black Tribbles
* Dark Matters/ Erica Freeman
* Taji Mag/ Nay Marie
* Chevy Eugene & Quentin VerCetty/ BSAM: Canada
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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.