ALL THE FIGHTING PARTS | A Busboys and Poets Books Presentation
Date and Time
Sep 28, 2023 6:00 pm
Location
Brookland
625 Monroe St NE, Washington, District of Columbia, 20017
Sep 28, 2023 6:00 pm
Brookland
Sixteen-year-old Amina Conteh has always believed in using her voice as her weapon—even when it gets her into trouble. After cursing at a classmate, her father forces her to volunteer at their church with Pastor Johnson.
But Pastor Johnson isn’t the holy man everyone thinks he is.
The same voice Amina uses to fight falls quiet the night she is sexually assaulted by Pastor Johnson. After that, her life starts to unravel: her father is frustrated that her grades are slipping, and her best friend and boyfriend don’t understand why the once loud and proud girl is now quiet and distant. In a world that claims to support survivors, Amina wonders who will support her when her attacker is everyone’s favorite community leader.
When Pastor Johnson is arrested for a different crime, the community is shaken and divided; some call him a monster and others defend him. But Amina is secretly relieved.She no longer has to speak because Pastor Johnson can’t hurt her anymore—or so she believes.
To regain her voice and sense of self, Amina must find the power to confront her abuser—in the courtroom and her heart—and learn to use all the fighting parts within her.
Hannah V. Sawyerr is joining us on the Busboys stage to share her defiant new novel in conversation with Mecca Verdell and Sadiyah Bashir. Copies of ALL THE FIGHTING PARTS will be available before and after the program, with Hannah signing after the talk.
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 ALL THE FIGHTING PARTS will be available for purchase before and after the event. Please note that this event is in person and will be livestreamed.
We ask that guests RSVP in order to receive direct updates about the event from Busboys and Poets Books
Hannah V. Sawyerr was recognized as the Youth Poet Laureate of Baltimore in 2016. Her spoken word has been featured on the BBC’s World Have Your Say program, as well as the National Education Association’s “Do You Hear Us?” campaign. Her written word has been included in gal-dem, Rookie, and xoNecole. She holds a BA in English from Morgan State University and an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School. Sawyerr is an English professor at Loyola Marymount University and lives in Los Angeles, California. ALL THE FIGHTING PARTS is her debut novel.
Mecca ‘Meccamorphosis’ Verdell is an Internationally winning spoken word poet, teaching artist and actor for film and Theatre (locally and Off broadway). Mecca uses their own anger and passion to speak on the 'soft' and 'pink' of Black culture. Their writing fearlessly ventures and unveils Black American shadows that exist from generational trauma. They center the pain, joys, and beauty of Blackness through the lens of womanhood, and queer experiences. As a Teaching Artist they’ve used their work to connect teachers and their students to create emotionally intelligent responses in an academic space. Mecca has molded poetry to be used in marketing and commercials as a Visit Baltimore Ambassador and or the National Education Association. Through their success she has been performing at universities, embassies, and theaters showing audiences how poetry can peek into the spirit and turn healing into ritual. Their debut book The Things I've Unlearned is an example of that process.
Sadiyah Bashir is a poet and freelance writer. Bashir took to poetry as a means of self expression to then becoming a two-time youth Grand Slam champion. Her poetry has been showcased for media outlets such as Al-Jazeera, and commissioned by Apple and Penny Appeal USA. Bashir’s articles have been published by the Independent, Wear Your Voice Mag and Nazar Newsletter. Her debut book entitled “Seven” is where she explores her life through her writing from adolescence to the present day. Seven discusses her personal battles with internal and external evils, finding radical self love, and simply trying to navigate life as a young Black Muslim woman.
