Friday, April 16, 2021

End of an Era--Shutting of Operations

 I have not posted here in a looooooooooooong while.  I apologize for that.  That falls on me.  Well...it falls on me, and Blogger was acting weird, and wasn't allowing me to log on a number of years ago on some dumb shit. But, getting to the matter at hand...


As of February 26, 2021, I have official shut down the Universal Africana Literary Arts Movement.  Now...what does that mean, exactly?  Simply put...I/we will no longer be sending out the Schedule of Events (SoE) lists via email anymore.  I will not be doing any other promotional, or informational e-blasts, either. The only arm of the Movement that will remain functional, is our Facebook Fan Page, where I will occasionally post some promotional information.  Other that that, no other activity will be taking place in the name of the Movement.

 

Now...what made me come to this decision?  Simply put...the COVID-19 shutdown put a hurting on all of us, and as the founder/organizer of the Movement, it put an additional strain on me, as the Movement is operated by one person...ME!  Many of the events that I'd listed in the SoE were shut down, and there wasn't much that I could do informationally to help the other members.  Also, I had to concentrate on how to maintain my own literary career at the same time.  It was impossible for me to serve 2 masters, and I had to make a serious choice.  I chose to maintain my own writing career; that was more important for me.  I love representing for our brothers & sisters in this literary field & industry, but I have to maintain my own house, first.  Everything that I did was for the good of our people; both the creators/creatives, and the consumers in the community, alike.  At the same time, it was very solitary for me, as I'd received absolutely NO assistance in maintaining the Movement.  I never had the financial resources, the manpower to do the research and other projects, nor the technical expertise to do other things online that would've helped the Movement to grow.


I am not bitter about this.  I was able to maintain this Movement...BY MYSELF, I might add...for 13 years.  It was a good and long run, and I am proud of what I was able to accomplish.  Some people stuck around until the end, others have fallen to the wayside.  Some were true to this mission and their craft & careers, others were nothing more than egomaniacs, and buckelisters.  The impact that I've had on people and our community is incalculable.  I have no regrets at all.  If I would've gotten the support that I needed and wanted, who knows how much more of an impact I could've had?  I never wanted to be commercialized by what I was doing.  I never cared for mainstream accolades.  I was strictly grassroots with everything that I did.  Others cared for mainstream acceptance, or were in it strictly for the financial gain of it...I  wasn't.  I was an activist, first and formost.


So, from when we came on the scene in our first incarnation as the Black CapaCity Literary Arts Festival/Movement, to our current incarnation as the Universal Africana Literary Arts Movement, it was an excellent 13 years of celebrating the Black literary voice.  To all of you that have followed and supported us...thank you.


Your humble servant,


Kevin Sabio

"Knowledge As Supreme"

Founder/organizer




Friday, July 1, 2016

Monday, March 7, 2016

March Madness (in the arts)

Got a couple of events for you going on in March...


WinC Con: Women In Comics Convention
March 12, 2016
Bronx, NY
11am to 7pm




Caribbean Literary Lime-Woman Tings
St. Francis College
March 20, 2016
Brooklyn, NY
Starts at 4:430pm




Towson Comic Book Mini-Fest
March 26, 2016
Towson, MD
11am to 5pm



Afrosurrealism: Black Speculative fiction, Comics, & Social Justice Conference
Afrsurrealism Workshop
March 26, 2016
Oakland, CA

Mark your calendars, and please help to spread the word!!!

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Black Comic Cons in Black History Month



OnyxCon: Sankofa
Aviation Community Cultural Center
February 13, 2016
Atlanta, GA
1pm-7pm
www.onyxcon.com



Khem Comic Book Fest
Central High School
February 20, 2016
Newark, NJ
10am-7pm
www.tinyurl.com/KhemComicFest

PLEASE help to spread the word, and come out to support!!!!

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

MLK Literary weekend

first off...HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!  Back/Fresh on the scene in 2016!!!!

Here are some events that are going on that I know about for the coming weekend...


Black Comic Book Festival
January 16, 2016
Schomburg Center
515 Malcolm X Boulevard
New York, NY
10am-7pm



Black Comix Art Festival
January 17-18, 2016
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
San Francisco, CA



Total Equity Now-Harlem
Martin Luther King Day of Service
January 18, 2016
Harlem, NY
10am-12:30pm

If you're in the area for any of these events, please come out and support them, and the organizers.  Please help to spread the word!

Thursday, December 24, 2015

Black Comic Book Festival & Black Comix Art Festival 2016

Greeting to all of you!!!  Happy holidays!

As we are wrapping up the end of 2015, and if you art looking for events to participate or attend in the new year, here are two that you should enjoy, one on the east coast, the other on the west coast.  Celebrating the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day weekend!!!




Black Comic Book Festival
January 16, 2016
Schomburg Library Center
New York, NY


Black Comix Art Festival
January 17-18, 2016
The Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
San Francisco, CA

Hope that you all have a happy new year!  See you all back/fresh on the scene in 2016!!  :-D

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Literary Weekend: Langston Hughes Festival, and the Mosaic Literary Conference



Langston Hughes Festival
November 20, 2015
Marian Anderson Theatre at Aaron Davis Hall
City College of New York (CCNY)
New York, NY




Mosaic Literary Conference
November 21, 2015
Bronx Museum
1040 Grand Concourse
Bronx, NY
www.mosaiclitcon.com