“The Cancer Crossroads: A Black Queer Intergenerational Reading Between Audre Lorde and Walela Nehanda” is an unforgettable evening weaving together narratives of two Black cancer survivors.
Offering an immersive, simulated conversation between Audre Lorde’s The Cancer Journals and A Burst of Light and Walela Nehanda’s Bless the Blood, the past meets the present in segmented readings and recordings accompanied by subtle background music and engaging visuals. Together, Walela will guide the audience through an exploration of the historical and cultural backdrop of Black queer experiences within a healthcare system fraught with systemic neglect and violence, while also contextualizing these works within the larger framework of the Black Radical Tradition. In a creative interlude, Walela will craft an erasure poem from the excerpts read, envisioning a future where disability is embraced as a site of possibility amidst the collapse of colonial powers.
This transformative experience promises to de-stigmatize cancer, celebrate radical possibilities of hope, and challenge societal norms, all while fostering a deeper understanding of love and revolution. Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with the enduring work of our ancestor, Audre Lorde, and the emerging work of cultural worker, Walela Nehanda in a concluding community conversation.
“The Cancer Crossroads: A Black Queer Intergenerational Reading Between Audre Lorde and Walela Nehanda” will take place at Mercado La Paloma on Thursday, October 24, 2024, from 7-8:30 p.m. The event is designed with accessibility in mind, including closed captioning, and a quiet space for attendees. Masks are required.
This reading is organized by Walela Nehanda as part of Circa: Queer Histories Festival 2024, presented by One Institute.
This program is suitable for all ages.
Walela Nehanda (they/them) is a Black, queer, disabled, cultural worker, poet, and author of critically acclaimed Bless the Blood: A Cancer Memoir (Penguin Teen) in verse for young adults. They have been featured as part of Out Magazine’s Class of 2020 consisting of 100 “groundbreaking, ripple-inducing, and culture-shifting” people in the nation,” alongside the likes of Janelle Monae and Andre Leon Talley. Walela had been spotlighted and written for publications such as TIME, The Cut, SELF Magazine, and Nylon Magazine. They have performed, provided keynotes, given workshops at various academic institutions including University of Iowa, USC, UCLA, UCSB, Chapman University and many more.
This reading is organized by Walela Nehanda as part of Circa: Queer Histories Festival 2024, presented by One Institute.
Mercado La Paloma is located in the Figueroa Corridor of South Los Angeles, a neighborhood that is full of creative and hard working entrepreneurs, community spirit, artists, musicians and cultural traditions. In 1999, the idea for Mercado La Paloma was born: an experiment in community revitalization that provides opportunities for our local residents and showcases our local creativity to the broader Los Angeles community. The four tenets of Mercado La Paloma's mission are to build local economies, provide services, promote arts and culture, and build community.