Madison Public Library - Goodman South Madison Library

Paul Robeson -- Ballad of an American is an excerpted reading in performance of Sharon Rudahl's beautiful work

Loud ‘n’ Unchained Theater company presents a series of writing workshops and open mic events centering Black, Indigenous and POC, Queer, Trans and Disabled writers and authors. Each open mic will feature a new QTBIPoC Disabled artist and and Live DJ. Sign up in advance to read or show up by 5:45 to sign up to read!

Masks required.

Program Description:

Loud ‘n’ Unchained Theater company presents a series of writing workshops and open mic events centering Black, Indigenous and POC, Queer, Trans and Disabled writers and authors. Each open mic will feature a new QTBIPoC Disabled artist and and Live DJ. Sign up in advance to read or show up by 5:45 to sign up to read!

October 13 5:45-7:45pm Writing Workshop (feat. T.S. Banks)

Local history buffs Pia Kinney James and Char Braxton pay tribute to their legacies in Madison through a discussion of Madison past, present and future.  James was the first African American woman police officer and Braxton is on staff with the Odyssey Program. Both are from African American families who have lived in Madison for generations.  There will also be a Soul food meal featuring African American food from local African American caterer, Ruthie’s Chili Spot.

This is a tribute to Wisconsin civil rights activist Joe McClain, community activists, and our elders.  Learn why elders are important and necessary to Black legacy with additional information about the Committee for a Black History Museum in Madison. Joe McClain testimonials are welcomed.  Precious Memories Choir, a choir made up of people with memory loss, their caregivers, family and friends, will sing.  A Soul food tribute, with historical African Americans dishes from local African American caterer, Ruthie’s Chili Spot, will be offered.

Farmer Robert Pierce and Chef Ruthie Allen will discuss good food and the roles food and farming play in Madison’s African American community, past and present. The event will include famous Black love songs, food from Chef Ruthie and a chocolate tasting from CocoVaa, and information about the Committee for a Black History Museum in Madison.

This event will feature remarks from five artists who will be present: Jerry Butler, Jerry Jordan, Linda Mathis Rose, Henry Hawkins and Freida High Tesfagiorgis.  They will share their art, its connections to African American history and culture, and their partnership with UMOJA.  The event will feature a performance of Lift Every Voice by Pam Soward and a short movie about the history of UMOJA and its founder, Ms. Milele Chikasa Anana.  A dinner reception will feature African American food from local African American caterer, Ruthie’s Chili Spot.

Chances are, you’ve had one – more than one. They can be inspiring, terrifying, tedious, nauseating, and profound.  Jobs.   Jobs put food on our tables, roofs over our heads, and (sometimes) anxiety in our hearts.

The Someone's Gotta Do It monologues introduce you to characters telling their work stories: the exhilarating, the necessary, and the outlandishly absurd.

Join three African American writers from Madison as they discuss their poetry, prose, and drama in relation to the work of three African American literary giants who also lived and worked in Madison during the 20th century.  Experience literature that will shed light on what it means to be African American in Wisconsin today, yesterday, and tomorrow.

Restorative Justice: Join the Movement