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About Us
Conference 2004 Archives Updates & Announcements |
Black arts association has eye for talent
International Black Writers & Artists Los Angeles hands out
awards to winners of national competition Los Angeles, CA, July 24, 2004: The last national competition sponsored by International Black Writers & Artists Los Angeles (IBWALA) in 1993, helped spawn the career national Bestseller Eric Jerome Dickey, whose 11th novel on Dutton's Penguin imprint, "Drive Me Crazy," hit bookstores this month. Dickey was one of the many who answered the call for submissions, but one of the few whose writing was accepted. His short vignette, a stream of consciousness moment in the mind of a teenaged girl titled "Thirteen," appears in the group's third anthology, "River Crossings: Voices of the Diaspora." That was Dickey's first foray into getting published. In 2003, IBWALA again put out a national call for submissions. The winners of that competition will be recognized during the group's 30th anniversary celebration Sat. Aug. 14, 2004, the highlight of a semi-formal awards dinner dance hosted by 94.7 the Wave's Pat Prescott culminating a two-day celebration and conference to be held in Los Angeles. The short story and poetry finalists hail from around the country, but most come from the full length of the state of California. Taking top honors in the competition were: From central California, Romus Simpson of Delano (first place poetry); from the east coast, Saleem Abdal-Khaaliq of Great Barrington, Massachusettes (second place poetry); from southern California, Excell N. Hunter of Pomona took third place in poetry as well as first place in the short story category; also from southern California, Frederick Smith of Monterey Park took second place in that category. William L. Buckley of Lakewood, California, and James Hampton, II of Gretna, Louisiana tied for third. Honorable mentions went to five other California writers. But Dickey , who will lead a workshop and sign books at the two-day conference, and the latest crop of emerging literary artists are not the first to be attracted to the first, and perhaps only, chapter of IBWA remaining. Before anyone knew her name, popular novelist Terry McMillan was a member briefly—from across the miles. Before the MacArthur Foundation "Genius" award-winning Octavia E. Butler became a well known name in literature, she was a frequent presenter and supporter of IBWALA programs. The author who wrote the book Crips from whence came the film "South Central," Donald Bakeer is a lifetime member. There is an impressive list of past and present members, affiliates and associates of IBWALA, everyone from the Watts Prophets to Eric Jerome Dickey. Held at the Exposition Park Intergenerational Community Center (EPICC) located at 3980 Menlo Avenue (near Vermont and Martin Luther King Blvd.), the gathering will feature book signings, discussions, workshops, vendors. Theclosing semi-formal awards dinner and dance hosted by 94.7 FM The Wave’s Pat Prescott will take place at USC's Davidson Conference Center in the Embassy Room, located at 3415 S. Figueroa. The conference and workshops will include a panel of non-fiction writers, screenwriters, and will feature a free youth poetry workshop led by “Poetri” from HBO’s Def Poetry Jam and Broadway . General admission is free and open to the public which includes the book and health and wellness pavilion, but pre-registration is required. Paid admission to the event includes the Friday night poetry slam, also hosted and featuring “Poetri,” Saturday morning continental breakfast, workshops and discussions, and the awards dinner and dance. For more information or to register, go to http://www.ibwala.org/, or email conference@ibwala.org. You can also call (323) 964.3721.
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