Beautiful Revolutions at TFBWL
JULY 2025
“Part of being a revolutionary is creating a vision that is more humane. That is more fun, too. That is more loving. It's really working to create something beautiful. - Assata Shakur
Happy Friday night beautiful people!!
I hope you’re feeling a sense of lightness and ease in your lives.
Summertime is always a busy time for The Free Black Women’s Library and this year (OUR TENTH!!) is no different.
We started off the month of July with a beautiful arts workshop in stencils and collage led by Jennella Young. This session dedicated to June Jordan called Nobody’s Fool was inspired by her poem Resolution #1003.
We also had a self-defense training on Sunday, led by our comrades, Lorraine, June and Michael of the Dragon Combat Club. We have three more sessions left, that I highly recommend attending.
We had an amazing discussion on Zoom about the book FISH TALES by Nettie Jones and talked to Dr. Kaila Adia Story about her new book, THE RAINBOW AIN’T NEVER BEEN ENUF/On The Myth of LGBTQ+ SOLIDARITY .
Over on Patreon, I had the pleasure of leading IN RESPONSE: Black Oddities, a monthly Ekphrastic Writing session where we create new works in response to the work of Black women artists. This month we engaged with the wonderful work of Betye Saar. Our next session takes place on Monday, August 4th and all Patreon patrons are welcome!!
If you feel like you have missed a lot, don’t worry there is plenty more coming up this weekend and the next week!!
Below is our very full July calendar followed by all the event registration links!!
Saturday, July 19 3pm
Hot Honey & Ink/A Sapphic Poetry Revival with Jasmin Benward
(Writing Workshop, Performance & Book Release)
Sundays, July 13 & July 20 1pm
Self Defense Training with Dragon Combat Club
(also on August 3 & August 10)
Sunday, July 20 3pm
SCENE & Heard/Vol 5: Playwriting & Performance
with Liza Jessie Peterson & Camille Simone Thomas, produced Naomi Bah
Friday, July 25 7pm
Sensual/New Moon Yoga with OlaRonke
60 minute Hatha Yoga and New Moon Conjuring session.
Saturday, July 26 3pm
Becoming Your Own Primary Partner: How to Care for the Child You Once Were
A Somatics Workshop with Blessing Uchendu
Sunday, July 27 1pm
Black Banjo Reclamation Project (Monthly Meetup)
Bring a banjo (or other stringed instrument) to participate, no registration required.
Sunday, July 27 3pm
NECESSARY FICTION Book Release Celebration with Eloghosa Osunde
(Reading & Book Signing with the author)
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS!!
The Free Black Women’s Library seeks sponsors!!
We are celebrating our TEN YEAR anniversary on August 24 and are looking for organizations, businesses and collectives to sponsor and/or collaborate with us on this special occasion. Please help me in making this celebration as iconic as it should be!!
For a solid decade The Free Black Women’s Library has been consistently and carefully building community via Black women’s literature!! How cool is that?!?
For more information and further details on how to support our upcoming birthday, please contact me via our website or email at thefreeblackwomenslibrary@gmail.com.
(W)Ratchet Studies is back!!
We are excited to host this collective of Black Feminist scholars once again for (W)Ratchet Gyal 201: A Critical Queeribbean Anti-colonial Bashment, for the next two Thursdays from 6pm-8pm.
Please email them at wratchetstudies@gmail.com for registration details.
Thank you all so much for your encouragement and appreciation of this work!!
Wishing you a sweet and lovely weekend!!
Sincerely,
Ola