As Waves of One Sea: Transatlantic Encounters in African American Culture, Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts, 20-21 November 2017

As Waves of One Sea: Transatlantic Encounters in African American Culture

(part of Being Human: A Festival of the Humanities 2017)

Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts, University of Sussex, 20-21 November 2017

From deep in the vaults of the University of Sussex, voices whisper stories – speaking of rivers and the Black Atlantic, singing of jazz and Harlem and the African American literary renaissance. Drawing on the University of Sussex’s Rosey Pool collection, As Waves of One Sea is a series of events exploring Dutch academic and Holocaust survivor Rosey Pool’s exceptional life and her relationships with prominent African American writers like Harlem Renaissance poet Langston Hughes, crime writer Chester Himes, and poet and playwright Owen Dodson. All events take place at the Attenborough Centre for Creative Arts, Falmer.

The first event, They Taught Me Laughing to Keep from Crying, (20 Nov, 8.00pm) is a theatrical lecture that brings to life the University of Sussex’s archival holdings in African American culture in unique and inspiring ways. Part traditional talk, part experimental performance, it is devised especially for Being Human: A Festival of the Humanities by Dr Joanna Pawlik and Dr Doug Haynes from the University of Sussex and Dr Diarmuid Hester from the University of Cambridge, with celebrated British-Ghanian performance artist Harold Offeh. The second event is Treasures from the Rosey Pool Library (21 Nov, 12.30pm), where experts explore special works in Pool’s remarkable collection with a series of spotlight talks for a general audience. The programme closes with a screening of the queer British cinema classic Looking for Langston (21 Nov, 8pm), introduced by the film’s director, Turner Prize-nominated artist Isaac Julien.

All events are free but booking is essential. See: attenboroughcentre.com

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