Chris Abani joins us for the third year at VONA. A remarkable novelist, poet, essayist and educator Chris Abani's prose includes Song For Night, The Virgin of Flames , Becoming Abigail, GraceLand; and Masters of the Board . His poetry collections are Hands Washing Water, Dog Woman, Daphne's Lot, Kalakuta Republic. He is a Professor at the University of California, Riverside and The recipient of the PEN USA Freedom-to-Write Award a Lannan Literary Fellowship, a Hurston/Wright Legacy Award , The PEN Hemingway Book Prize. Novel Week Two Elmaz Abinader is an Arab American author, playwright and poet and the winner of The 2002 Goldies Award for Literature and a recent winner of The Silicon Valley Arts Grant for Fiction. Her poetry collection In the Country of My Dreams... won the 2000 Josephine Miles/ Pen Oakland Award. She is the author of Children of the Roojme, a memoir With the Country of Origin Band, Elmaz has presented her plays to audiences throughout The Middle East, Central America, Europe and The United States. The play, Country of Origin won two Drammies, (Oregon Drama Critics Awards).She has a forthcoming memoir, Country of Origin and a new collection of poetry, The Torture Quartet and Other Acts of Poetry Political Content Week One; Memoir Week Two Faith Adiele Educated at Harvard and The Iowa Writers; Workshop, FAITH ADIELE is the author of Meeting Faith, which received the PEN Beyond Margins Award for Best Memoir of 2005; writer/narrator/subject of My Journey Home (PBS), a documentary about growing up with a Nordic-American single mother and then traveling to Nigeria as an adult to find her father and siblings; and lead editor of the forthcoming international anthology, Coming of Age Around The World (New Press). Her travel essays and memoirs have been widely published and anthologized. Memoir Week One
(2008) The Torturer’s Wife; the essay collection Words to Our Now: Imagination and Dissent (winner of a 2005 Lambda Literary Award); and editor of The anthology Our Caribbean: A Gathering of Lesbian and Gay Writing from The Antilles (2008). He has just been appointed the Martin Luther King, Jr Professor at MIT for 2008-2009. His fiction and nonfiction have recently appeared in Callaloo, The Kenyon Review, and African American Review. He teaches in The English department at The State University of New York, Binghamton Fiction Week Two Ruth Forman poet, filmmaker, children's author, Ruth's newest work Young Cornrows Callin Out The Moon was published by Childrens Book Press. She has received great recognition for her two poetry collections: Renaissance and We Are The Young Magicians. Her work was selected for The PBS series The United States of Poetry. She attended the famed USC School of Cinema-Television, and continues to teach, and collaborate on music, dance, art and media projects. She also starred in the 2004 California premiere of For an End to The Judgment of God/Kissing God Goodbye, directed by acclaimed theater artist, Peter Sellars. Poetry Week One Mat Johnson Born and raised in Philly, Mat Johnson grew up in the Germantown and Mount Airy sections of the city. Author of the graphic novel, Incognegro, he has won several awards. His first novel, Drop, was a B & N Discover Great New Writers selection. His second novel, Hunting in Harlem, won the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award. He has written for a variety of publications, including a stint as a as a columnist for Time Out-NY. Mat Johnson currently teaches at the University of Houston, Creative Writing Program Fiction Week Two Suheir Hammad is a poet, memoirist, actor, and performer. She participated in the original Broadway case of Poetry def Jam and is the author of Born Black, Born Palestinian, Drops of this Story, and Zaatar Diva. A recent Copeland Fellow at Amherst College, she has taught seminars and performed throughout the world. Her work has appeared in award winning anthologies, and in zines stapled together by queer youth collectives. Suheir is currently starring the moving Salt of the Sea, a selection at Cannes Poetry Week Two Gregory Allen Howard is a screenwriter whose projects Remember The Titans, and Ali, placed him in the spotlight. His new projects, Drummer Boy, and We are a Chain, promise to have the same kind of impact. He received an NAACP Image Award for Best Picture. and was also honored with a Christopher Award, given to those whose work celebrates the humanity of people in a positive way. A new film, Baptism in Fire, tells the story of the only black tank battalion in World War II. Masters Suite Screenwriting Week one David Mura is a memoirist, poet, essayist, novelist, critic and performer. His writings include Where the Body Meets Memory; Turning Japanese; After We Lost Our Way, Color of Desire, and Angels for Burning. A third-generation Japanese-American, he has written intimately about his life as a man of color and the connections between race, sexuality and history. In public appearances interweaving poetry, performance and & testament, he provides insights into the racial issues facing America today Residency Week Two O |
| Choosing our Faculty WE select only internationally celebrated authors of color who are known for their excellence as writers and their sensibilities toward political and cultural issues. All of our workshop leaders are experienced and proven teachers experienced with diverse populations. Half of our faculty return yearly and others are invited for specific sessions. Here is the faculty for 2008 |
| evangelos dousmanous: photo |
| Amazing. Life-changing. Chris is honest and tough and compassionate in the most perfect way. I also appreciated (no, LOVED) his focus on structure and his methodical approach. It's exactly the big picture thinking and insight I needed for my novel-- Novel 2008 |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| Arts Foundation (VONA) 1346 The Alameda, Suite 7-146 • San Jose, CA 95126 • (866) 202-6152 Contact VONA |
| David Mura has a wealth of knowledge and experience to share plus a unique perspective on the writing, the process, and the writer that is so rich.-- Residency 2008 |
| Ruth is a phenomenal instructor. She is an expert in the craft and I appreciate her gentle feedback yet constructive criticism which has taken my writing to a higher level Poetry 2008 |
| Elmaz is a fabulous teacher who is incisive in her critique AND mirrors our absolute ability to pull off whatever we're trying to do. IAlso, her ease and delight in discussing the political was soooooooooo refreshing!! Political Content 2008 |
| Suheir is mystic. She was able to get me to express my own gaps in my writing, as a reflection of my growth/progression, and figure out where I need to push myself Poetry 2008 |
| Thomas gave the most insightful and open critiques that I've ever been exposed to. . I was totally challenged and inspired and, as a result, my process as a writer has improved. I have been raving about it since it ended last week. Fiction 2008 |
| Greg's experience, knowledge, and insight were invaluable to me. He didn't hold back with feedback/critique/suggestions, and in the end that "tough love" always led to me broadening my understanding of screenwriting and story in general. Screenwriting 2008 |
| Ultimately, I had many writing breakthroughs, including writing about my father's death which Faith as an instructor. She was also instrumental in creating such a warm and accepting atmosphere in our group, we felt like a family/team in there Memoir 2008 |
| Matt is a very helpful teacher. Our class ranged from novices to MFA grads, yet he taught in a way that allowed us all to learn. His one on one advice was on point; besides that, he's just a cool ass dude--Fiction 2008 |
| Our Faculty |