In the film, Sanchez’s life unfolds in a documentary with readings and jazz-accompanied performances of her work, including appearances by such artists and writers as Questlove, Talib Kweli, Ursula Rucker, Amiri Baraka, Haki Madhubuti, Jessica Care Moore, Ruby Dee, Yasiin Bey, Ayana Mathis, Imani Uzuri and Bryonn Bain. The film examines Sanchez’s contribution to the world of poetry, her singular place in the Black Arts Movement and her leadership role in African-American culture over the last half century.
Following the screening, the audience can hear a conversation between Sanchez and Patrice Muhammad, founder and editor of the Key Newsjournal, which has served Central Kentucky’s black community since 2004.
Throughout the conference, poet Sanchez will join other programming events, which you can research at: www.kentuckywomenwriters.org.
For Sonia Sanchez, writing is/has been both a personal and political act for Sonia Sanchez. She emerged as a seminal figure in the 1960s Black Arts Movement, raising her voice in the name of black culture, civil rights, women’s liberation and peace as a poet, playwright, teacher, activist and early champion of the spoken word.
In addition, she is among the earliest poets to have incorporated urban Black English into her poetry; she was one of the first activists to secure the inclusion of African-American studies in university curricula. Deemed “a lion in literature’s forest” by poet Maya Angelou and winner of major literary awards including the American Book Award, Sanchez is best known for 17 books of poetry that explore a wide range of global and humanist themes, particularly the struggles and triumphs of women and people of color.