HUMMINGBIRDS IN THE TRENCHES | A Busboys and Poets Books Presentation
Date and Time
Jul 18, 2023 6:00 pm
Location
Hyattsville
5331 Baltimore Ave, Hyattsville, Maryland, 20781
Jul 18, 2023 6:00 pm
Hyattsville
“Kondwani Fidel is a brilliant and bold voice of a generation of hummingbirds. This book of essays and lyrics sing baritone from the depth, from the complexities of the young Black experience in America. It is relevant. It is regal. It is real.”
— Ibram X. Kendi, National Book Award-winning author of Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America
Kondwani Fidel,Valenciá,Wallace Lane,Mikea Hugley and Eddie Vanz are joining us on the Busboys stage to celebrate the 5-year anniversary of Hummingbirds in The Trenches. Copies of the book will be available for purchase during and after the event, and Kondwani Fidel will be signing following the program.
This event is free and open to all. Our program begins at 6:00 pm, and will be followed by an audience Q&A. Copies of HUMMINGBIRDS IN THE TRENCHES will be available for purchase before and after the event. Please note that this event is IN PERSON and will NOT be livestreamed.
We ask that guests RSVP in order to receive direct updates about the event from Busboys and Poets Books
Kondwani Fidel has used the power of storytelling to confront education reform and civil rights all over the world. Fidel has captivated audiences at conferences, literary events, and has lectured and taught classes at the University of East London while touring in the United Kingdom. He has produced creative and inspiring narratives for brands such as Under Armour, Visit Baltimore, and The Baltimore Orioles.
He was recently featured on The Tamron Hall Show where he discussed his work and life story. Baltimore Magazine honored Fidel with the “Best of Baltimore” in 2021 for his poetic skills. Fidel is the author of The Antiracist, Hummingbirds in The Trenches, and Raw Wounds. He received his BA in English from Virginia State University, and his MFA in Creative Writing and Publishing Arts from the University of Baltimore—and is currently an Assistant Professor of English at Coppin State University. NPR called Fidel “one of the nation's smartest young Black voices.” He is from and based in Baltimore City.
Valenciá is a neuroeducation research student pursuing an EdD at Johns Hopkins University. Her focus is Mind, Brain, and Teaching. She is actively applying the knowledge she gathers about neurodiverse learning to reform Valenciá’s Garden from being a reflective educational community blog, into GrowCery Garden (https://www.growcerygarden.org/)—a virtual bookshop with resources to help the community grow their creativity and productivity.
One of GrowCery Garden’s first resource tools, the G.R.O.W. Beyond Creative Barriers Productivity Guide, (https://www.growcerygarden.org/) also known as the “grow guide,” was drawn from Valenciá’s initial pivot from life as an educator to life as a doctoral student.
During her doctoral journey, she spent the first 2 years barely managing her dissertation studies with traumatic events unfolding in her life (which caused high anxiety, depression, and feeling a loss of her sense of identity). At the end of year 2 and all of year 3, she documented her musings on Instagram and developed GrowCery Garden’s budding virtual community of folks who support each other with learning how to achieve creative independence, especially when its not easy to concentrate on completing tasks because of disorganization, procrastination, and distractions. With the community’s engagement, she designed/used/re-designed the “grow guide” that freed her from her creative barriers.
Today, she is working on both her dissertation and modifying the “grow guide” to meet the needs of her college learners, who joined a virtual GrowCery Garden session and discussed the creativity issues they experience because of academic emotions such as anxiety, boredom, and maladaptive-focus habits.
Wallace Lane is a poet, writer, author and creative director from Baltimore, MD. He received his MFA in Creative Writing and Publishing Arts from the University of Baltimore in May 2017. His debut collection of poetry entitled Jordan Year was also released in May 2017. Wallace works as an English and Creative Writing Instructor with Baltimore City Public Schools. His writing has been published in several print and online publications and forthcoming in several upcoming anthologies. Wallace Lane is also part of The Baltimore Banner’s Creatives in Residence program, which amplifies the work of artists and writers from the Baltimore region.
Mikea Hugley presents 9+ years’ experience in branding and graphic design. She received her BFA degree in Graphic Design at the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2019. Started in 2014, Mikea runs her own design company called Cre8t1v3, which was started due to her firm belief in the visual language of creativity. Mikea has developed working relationships with high profile clients such as Hachette Book Group, Johns Hopkins, Enoch Pratt Library, Maryland Public Television, Google, and a variety of profound brands. Award winning skills acknowledged by the AIGADC World Studio scholarship, MICA’s Up/start pitch competition for an innovative footwear venture, and Makers for Humankind. Recently selected by the Baltimore Banner, a non-profit local news start-up, as one of the Creatives in Residence, and an alumni of the Goldman Sachs 10k Small Business Program.
In addition to her entrepreneur ventures Hugley is an educator at DINFOS (Defense Information School for the Department of Defense ) where she instructs Military soldiers about the design process, theory and practice of becoming a Military Communicator ( Graphic designer, through the lens of the military services and partners goals.)
Eddie Vanz is an up and coming rapper from the DMV. He has collaborated with several of Hip Hop’s popular figures today, such as IDK and Chaz French. Vanz has performed at some legendary music spaces including Broccoli City Festival, SXSW, SOB’s, and has also shared the stage with Freddie Gibbs on his “SOD Tour.” In January 2019, Vanz released his debut rap EP titled “I Choose Me,” available on all streaming platforms.
