Journeys Across Imaginary Lines: Creating & Sharing Immigrant Stories

Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture and Philadelphia History Museum invite you to attend a participatory workshop and presentation of new poetry and music inspired by An Immigrant Alphabet.

Poets Trapeta Mayson and Frank Sherlock will present their commissioned works followed by an interactive poetry workshop and a premiere of compositions by Jay Fluellen (piano) and Kinan Abou-afach (cello) with Hafez Kotain (percussion) and Valerie Gay (vocals).

Date: Saturday April 21, 2018

Time: 1:00 – 3:30 PM

Location: Philadelphia History Museum

Admission: FREE / RSVP HERE!

1:00 – 1:30 p.m. – Introductions and refreshments

1:30 – 2:00 p.m. – Poetry read by Frank Sherlock and Trapeta Mayson

2:00 – 2:45 p.m. – Collective Poetry Workshop facilitated by Frank Sherlock and Trapeta Mayson

2:45 – 3:15 p.m. –  Music performed by Jay Fluellen, Kinan Abou-afach, Hafez Kotain, and Valerie Gay

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Trapeta Mayson

Trapeta B. Mayson is a member of the Greene Street Artist Cooperative (GSAC). She reads her poetry widely and works extensively conducting poetry and creative writing workshops. Her work sheds light on and honors the immigrant experience as well as amplifies the stories of everyday people. She is a recipient of a Pew Fellowship in Literature, Leeway Transformation Award, Leeway Art and Change Grant and Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Grants. Her work was also nominated for a 2016 Pushcart Prize. She is the author of two books, She Was Once Herself and Mocha Melodies. Her other publications include submissions in The American Poetry Review, Epiphany Literary Journal, Aesthetica Magazine, Margie: The American Journal of Poetry among others. Trapeta is a native of Liberia. Her family immigrated to America when she was in elementary school and she has lived in North Philadelphia and Germantown most of her life. She is committed to artistically and thoughtfully developing and contributing to efforts that positively and sustainably impact communities. Currently serving as the executive director of Historic Germantown, Trapeta is a graduate of Temple University, Bryn Mawr Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research and Villanova University School of Business.

Frank Sherlock

Frank Sherlock was the 2014-15 Poet Laureate of Philadelphia, and a 2013 Pew Fellow in the Arts for Literature. His most recent collection of poems is Space Between These Lines Not Dedicated (Ixnay Press, 2014).  Sherlock approaches the work of a poet as conduit, and views writing poems as “collaborations of encounter.” His projects are often collaborative.  The City Real and Imagined (Factory School, 2010) was written with the poet CAConrad as a re-visioning of public spaces in what they refer to as “the City of Otherly Love.”  The two embarked on self-guided psychogeographical wanders through Philadelphia, each beginning at LOVE Park. Sherlock’s time in New Orleans in 2006 resulted in a collaboration with poet Brett Evans, entitled Ready-To-Eat Individual (Lavender Ink, 2008). In an interview with Katy Henriksen for Oxford American: New Orleans & the Gulf Coast Issue, 2008, he remarks: “The cases of DIY rebirth were everywhere around us, and it was a secret that had stayed within the region’s limits. Also, the effects of a city (with virtually no public services) trying to deal with a shared psychic wound of post-traumatic stress, its effect on the kids of New Orleans shuffled across town into schools with more security guards than teachers, the spike in street crime (partly as a result of these things) and other issues of displacement are largely untold stories in the national conversation. But there is also the light and dark magic of the city that cannot be explained in a straight-ahead journalist pursuit. Brett and I decided we could best talk about the state of the city post-Katrina through the medium of poetry.”

Jay Fluellen

Jay Fluellen, D. M. A. is a Philadelphia born musician known as a composer, college professor, educator, accompanist, pianist, singer, and organist/choir director. He has a doctorate in music composition from Temple University in addition to his certification in music from Eastern University. Dr. Fluellen is currently a teacher with the School District of Philadelphia at Northeast High School. He has taught college level courses in the fields of music composition, written and aural theory, music history, piano, and conducting at the following institutions; Morgan State University, Lincoln University, Montgomery County Community College, University of the Arts, and Community College of Philadelphia. He has been commissioned by various performers and institutions, including; The Bucks County Choral Society, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Network for New Music, Relâche, Singing City, Traci Hall Dance Co., The Settlement School of Music, Trinity Episcopal Church, Swarthmore, bass; John Alston, and soprano; Martha Sullivan, among others. Since January 1997, he has been an organist /choir director at the historic African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas, Fr. Martini Shaw, rector.

Kinan Abou-afach

Born in Damascus, Kinan Abou-afach is a cellist, oud player, and composer currently based in Philadelphia. He is a recipient of the 2013 Pew Fellowship in the Arts for his exemplary talent as a performer and composer. He began his musical studies at the age of seven and went on to complete a Bachelors degree in cello performance with a minor in oud performance from the Higher Institute of Music in Damascus. He moved to Chicago in 2000 where he completed his Masters degree in Cello Performance at DePaul University School of Music in Chicago. As a composer, Kinan writes music that is influenced by Eastern and Western traditions. Several of his recent compositions were commissioned by Al-Bustan, notably: “Roads to Damascus” with visual artist Kevork Mourad premiered in February 2013; {De}perception with digital artist Ayman Alalao premiered in May 2015, “Of Night of Solace: Fantasia on Andalusian Muwashshah Poetry” premiered in December 2015, and “Nur: One Breath, One Soul” premiered in April 2016 and most recently “Of Roads and Homes”, commissioned as part of Al-Bustan’s (DIS)PLACED Philadelphia series.

About Valerie Gay
Gay, is an active performer across several genres. Performances include operas, special events and solo concert recitals, including a solo performance at Carnegie Hall. Awarded First Prize at the Summit City Art Song Festival Competition, Val has performed with several artists including Kathleen Battle, Opera Libera, Poor Richard’s Opera, Gospel artists Dottie Peoples and Walter Hawkins, and Jazz trumpeter and composer Hannibal Lokumbe (world premiers). As a keyboardist and conductor, Val has formed and director several Gospel choirs across Philadelphia. She also co-founded the EVER Ensemble, a collective of women musicians who perform diverse musical genres, from classical to hip hop. In 2006,
Val founded Fortress Arts Academy, which provides arts and skill building lessons to children and adults, especially those in underserved communities. Val earned a Professional Studies Certificate and a Master of Music in Vocal Performance at Temple University’s Boyer College of Music and Dance, a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from the University of the Arts, and completed degree course work at Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University.

This component of An Immigrant Alphabet project is made possible with support from PNC Arts Alive and Knight Cities Challenge — An Initiative of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Overall the project has been made possible with additional support from the Barra Foundation, Philadelphia Foundation, William Penn Foundation, Philadelphia Cultural Fund – Youth Arts Enrichment, The Philadelphia Foundation, Bartol Foundation, Spruce Foundation, Intech Construction, Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation, Individual Donors