The Fractured Writer: Creating Community

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The Fractured Writer

“Creating Community – Authoring Success”

“Home of the Loving Boot Camp for Writers”

Anjail Rashida Ahmad is the author of two collections of poetry: the color of memory and necessary kindling which was a finalist in the Binghamton University Milt Kessler book competition. Her poems have appeared widely in journals and other periodicals.

“Her poems traverse ancestry and personal myth; expand into widening circles of jazz music,… Realness and revelation….” Holly S. Pauj, Reviewer

“Her work takes us beyond the boundaries of mere observation or fact. Rather, her ability to place in juxtaposition narrative content or delineation of character and the subtleties of contradiction, innuendoes, and feeling holds the attention of the reader. Lyrical in tone and narrative in content….we are drawn to her work by reveling in her metaphorical images that reach to the center of her poetic vision. And therein lies the underlying power of her work.” ~~Pinkie Gordon Lane, Former Poet Laureate, Louisiana

I am the culmination of ancestral dreams;

I am the best story I could ever hope to hear;

I am alive; my life matters; let me share my truth—

“I believe in the power of and the necessity for ordinary, everyday people (who often live extraordinary lives) to tell their stories, speak their truths, value their experiences and share that which makes us whole. This life transforming necessity propels me to share my poems and stories because a people who do not own or value the validity of their own stories, lives and their places in the historical record, will suffer at the hands of those who usurp this power.”

Award-winning poet, educator and activist, Anjail Rashida Ahmad engages audiences of all ages with poetry as performance, self-discovery and positive transformation. Her poetry and programs celebrate family stories, rediscover heroes and heroines, and reclaim familial and communal traditions. As a poet who experiences blindness, Anjail explores the dusky realms of place, belonging and identity along the margins where sight becomes tentative and a renewed sense of vision extends into possibilities.

· “We identified Dr. Ahmad as a potential speaker through the Touring Artist Directory and were very pleased with her performance. Her poetry is, at the same time, strong and gentle, and a personal way to explore diversity topics through stories and experiences.” ~~Tiffany Eatman Allen, University Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

“…”Dr. Ahmad’s reading in February was the highlight of our literary activities last year, and the writing workshop for students was very well received. Students and faculty continue to talk about the ideas and creativity that resulted from her insightful and engaging workshop. In addition, Dr. Ahmad met with faculty and spent two hours in dialogue about writing, teaching, and cultural arts. It was a wonderful day of events and ideas…” ~~Roxanne Newton, Ph.D., Dean, Humanities and Fine Arts Division, Mitchell Community College

· Program Packages:

*Poetry Reading/Performance: 30-45 minute reading with question and answer module,

*Two-hour Poetry Workshop,

*Day-long author visit (Travel/accommodations extra)

Program options include: The Live Your Best Life Series:

Self-Exploration, Visioning and Poetic Expression; Remembrance, Reflection and Forgiveness; Poetry as Word and Performance; Finding the Extraordinary in the ordinary or Honoring the Sacredness of Daily Expression; Our Mothers, Ourselves; Fathers and Keepers; Keeping the Vigil) veterans); Discovering the Arc of gratitude; Recovering the Root, the Seed and Familial History Weaving Tales of Folklore, Cultural Celebration and Legacy (All programs can be modified to accommodate groups of varying ages.)

What You Get

· She has far exceeded our expectations because she has” baptized” the entire campus and community in successful poetry workshops, programs, writers’ series, etc… Students, faculty, administrators, and people from the community have participated in the many events she has hosted.” Dr. Patricia Bonner, Director of Composition and African American Literature

· “As the director of our annual ”Poetry Greensboro” festival, I have watched Dr. Ahmad in a variety of community settings and all I can tell you is that she is phenomenal. People who attend her readings and workshops call me afterwards to thank me for sponsoring her presentations. Many of those attending her workshops are new to poetry writing, but after they experience Anjail they have a new sense of confidence in themselves as writers. They inevitably return and bring their friends anytime they hear that Dr. Ahmad is reading.” ~~Steve Sumerford, Assistant Director, Greensboro Public Library

Awards:

2006 Nominee for the Human Rights Medal, 2007 North Carolina Arts Council Artist Fellowship, 2009 & 2012 nominee for North Carolina Poet Laureate, 2009 Teacher of the Year, 2012 Guilford County Poetry Out Loud High School District Coordinator, United Arts Council Regional Artist Grant, North Carolina Arts Council Touring Artist Directory, Headlands Center for the Arts Residency, Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, Sigma Tau Delta Honor Society

· Boards:

North Carolina Writer’s Network, Girls Inc. of Guilford County, Piedmont Literary Laurel, The ACLU of North Carolina, The Joy A. Shabazz Center for Independent Living, The Greensboro Transit Authority

· Literary Awards:

The Robert Frost Prize for Poetry, Two Academy of American Poetry Janef Preston Prizes, The Margaret Walker Prize for Poetry, The Southern Literary Prize for Poetry

· Publications:

Journals and Newspapers:

The African American Review, The Black Scholar, All That Jazz, In the People’s Hands: A Journal, Obsidian III: Black Literature in the African Diaspora, Estuary Journal, PLUCK: The Journal of Affrilachian Arts & Culture, Midlands, Ikon, Ark/Angel Review, O’ Henry Magazine of Literature and Art, Greensboro News and Record, The Carolina Peacemaker. Greensboro Times, The Register, The Missourian Weekend Magazine

· E-Media:

Poem in Your Pocket Day, Greensboro Public Library, Poet of the Week, North Carolina, Arts Council, My Favorite Poem Video Project

· Anthologies:

North Carolina Literary Travel Guide, Faith Is Not a Handicap: From those Who Know, Aforebo A Celebration of North Carolina Writers of African Descent (Obsidian), Home Is Where: An Anthology of African American Poets from the Carolinas

· Education:

Anjail received her PhD from the University of Missouri-Columbia in African American Literature and 20^th Century American Poetry; her Masters from New York University in Creative Writing and her Bachelors from Agnes Scott College. Her areas of interest include: African American Literature and Oral Traditions; Twentieth Century American Poetry; The Poetics of Resistance in African American Poetry; Spoken Word and the poetics of Performance; Poetic Entrepreneurship; E-Texts and Publication; Women’s Voices and Social Justice and disability Rights advocacy. She teaches in and directs the Creative Writing Program at North Carolina A&T State University, and she is founder and artistic director of The Fractured Writer, LLC where she lives in Greensboro.

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The Fractured Writer: Your Place for Soul-filled Writing, Visioning and Publishing

~~The Sunday Workshop Series~~

The Fractured Writer facilitates a year-long series designed to guide and support writers in making a sustained commitment to their writing projects. These 4-part intensives are designed to catch writers where they find themselves and to chart a course toward achieving these goals. The Sunday workshops offer writers with busy schedules an opportunity to receive support on their creative journeys as they complete a project in an intimate, supportive environment.

No matter where writers may be in their processes or whether the genre is poetry, fiction, narrative or spoken word, each writer will be welcomed. Join us Sundays by a rustic and cozy fireside, deck side under cooling breezes or any writing season and let’s write, vision and prepare for success.

Contact Information:

The Fractured Writer, LLC

“Your Loving Boot Camp for Writers”

Anjail Rashida Ahmad, PhD.

Founder and Artistic Director

Address: 2 Fractured Writer House

Ivy Glen Ct.

Greensboro, North Carolina 27406

Tel: (336) 833-1610

Web: www.thefracturedwriter.com

E-mail: anjail.ahmad@thefracturedwriter.com

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