LitArtlantic: Creativity Crossing Borders

On Friday, May 21 The Writer's Center and LitArtlantic present "Creativity Crossing Borders," a panel featuring artists discussing their approaches to creating work. The program begins at 7:00 P.M. at The Writer's Center, 4508 Walsh Street, Bethesda, MD 20815. Call 301.654.8664 for additional info or visit http://www.writer.org/. Creativity Crossing borders is sponsored by the Arts & Humanities Council of Montgomery County. Here is the outstanding lineup of panelists:

Born in Washington, DC, Bill Warrell became a force behind the avant-garde art and music scene, opening D.C. Space (1979), 9:30 Club (1980), and District Curators, Inc (1978). After 25 years as a leader in presenting and producing performing arts for the stage, radio, and video, Warrell began producing documentary and feature films. The first documentary, titled Jazz Dancing with Bill T Jones, was produced in 2000 and his first independent feature film produced was Crazy Like a Fox in 2004. DCI Production was established in 2005 and features Maker of Saints based on the novel by Thulani Davis (2009). Warrell is also a visual artist and premiered his incredible collection of paintings that celebrate jazz and jazz musicians entitled "Ode to Life: The Paintings of Bill Warrell" in October 2009. Read about Warrell at WTOP's Web site. He was also featured recently in Washington Post Magazine.

Askia Muhammad is a poet, journalist, radio producer, commentator, and photojournalist. He has been multiply awarded by the National Association of Black Journalists for his work on National Public Radio, with first place “Salute to Excellence” awards for his commentaries on “Mississippi and My Memories” and “Mike Tyson: Check Yourself” and a third place “Salute to Excellence” award for "Ethel Payne Postage Stamp.” He has served as the editor of the Web site Muhammad Speaks and as the head of the Washington office of The Final Call, the official newspaper of the Nation of Islam. He has worked as a commentator for National Public Radio and a columnist for Washington Informer. He is the author of the book Behind Enemy Lines.

Amy Souza is a freelance writer, editor, and media producer. Her articles have been published on the Web and in daily newspapers, alternative weeklies, and alumni, trade, and national magazines. She also edits and produces e-newsletters and has produced corporate videos, online and CD-based instructional materials, and segments for national and regional public television shows. Souza has a master’s degree in radio and television from San Francisco State University, and in 2009 she received an honorable mention for magazine feature writing in the Writer’s Digest 78th Annual Writing Competition. Amy is also the founder of SPARK: art from writing: writing from art. Find her online at http://www.amysouza.com/.

Christylez Bacon (pronounced: chris-styles) is a Grammy nominated Progressive Hip-Hop artist and multi-instrumentalist from Southeast, Washington, DC. As a performer, Christylez multi-tasks between various instruments such as the West African djembe drum, acoustic guitar, and the human beat-box (oral percussion), all while continuing the oral tradition of storytelling through his lyrics. With a mission towards cultural acceptance and unification through music, Bacon is constantly pushing the envelope – from performances at the National Cathedral, to selling out two consecutive concerts at the Mansion at Strathmore, becoming the first Hip-Hop artist to be featured at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, composing and orchestrating an entire concert for a 12-piece orchestra commissioned by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the Smithsonian Institute, or recording a Folk/Hip-Hop children’s album. Find him online at http://www.christylez.com/.

Moderator: Suzan Jenkins


Recognized as one of the Top CEOs You Need To Know in 2009 by The Gazette of Politics and Business, Suzan Jenkins has over 20 years’ extensive experience spearheading organizational and programmatic development in the non-profit arts and culture sector from world renown organizations such as the Rhythm and Blues Foundation, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Recording Industry Association of America. Over the course of her career Jenkins has created local, national, and international initiatives and educational programs which celebrate constituents and provide opportunities for creative expression; identified and framed strategies for sustainability; encouraged and developed initiatives for lifelong learning in the arts and humanities; and heightened awareness regarding art, culture, and non profit management. She has produced several recordings and is the Conceptual Producer of the Peabody Award winning series Let the Good Times Roll, produced for Public Radio International. Find her online at http://www.openskyjazz.com/.