Kulturally Lit Launches Year Of Baldwin

The Bricks in Hamden was the place to be on Saturday night, as literature fans gathered to fete author and civil rights movement icon James Baldwin — and the beginning of a year’s worth of programming based on his works — helmed by IfeMichelle Gardin and her Kuturally Lit organization. 

The group’s Baldwin-themed monthly book club had its inaugural meeting at Possible Futures nearly two weeks ago, but so much more is planned to honor Baldwin and his work. Gardin wants everyone eager to learn more about Baldwin to make the journey together. 

“The whole mission of Kulturally Lit is to bring everybody’s attention, to enlighten everyone, to the significance of writers of the diaspora like James Baldwin,” she said. ​“His work is timeless. He was an ​‘artivist’ before it was a word, before his time. His work just covers everything: essays, novels, plays, multiple interviews. I want to share that with everybody.”

And sharing that with everybody means literary events such as readings, salons, and yes, even parties.

“For me, literary arts is a celebration,” Gardin emphasized. ​“It takes you somewhere.”

On Saturday it took a sizeable crowd to the new spot in Hamden, where guests ate bodacious burgers and scintillating salads, made fresh to order by Beyond the Salt and surrounded by art created by local artists Jasmine Nikole, Linda Mickens, Kuli, Saint, and Iyaba Ibo Mandingo while DJ Ryan Brown kept the music spinning and the people moving.

Upstairs merchandise celebrating Baldwin was available for purchase, with proceeds helping to support the organization, along with free stickers and bookmarks. Lauren Anderson of Possible Futures helmed another table where the books that would be included in the monthly Baldwin Book Club were available for purchase. Anderson was also partaking in a Pharaoh’s Salad with salmon purchased from the food truck; she exalted its ingredients and flavors, especially the roasted anise grapes.

This reporter could not resist purchasing an order of hand-cut fries, the scent of which greeted me upon exiting my car and stayed with me (and my growling belly). The menu said ​“while they last” next to them, so I did not hesitate too long. Once I got them, I did not hesitate to eat as many as I could before the poets began. During the break between performances, I did not hesitate to finish them.

Poetry was an integral part of the celebration, and the two poets scheduled to perform and share Baldwin-inspired poems were AnUrbanNerd and Sharmont ​“Influence” Little, the poet laureates of New London and New Haven, respectively. Before they took to the mic, curator Juanita Sunday introduced Gardin, who spoke to the growing crowd about ​“one of the most iconic literary artists of all time.” She also detailed the plans to celebrate him this year, as well as the history of Kulturally Lit and why they do what they do. 

“We have to expose people,” she said, mentioning how books continued to be banned ​“by people who don’t even read them.”

“In order to keep the culture going, we have to keep books going,” she said.

She then mentioned a few of the events planned for this year to celebrate Baldwin, including a reading at Beinecke Library, salons with a variety of artists throughout the year, the annual Elm City Lit Fest, and DiasporaCon, which focuses on comic books and graphic novels. The crowd applauded and cheered her on with glee at the prospects of what was to be in books, music, art, and poetry.

AnUrbanNerd then brought his poetic words to the room, in a piece that referenced the Baldwin doc I Am Not Your Negro as well as the films Get Out and Hidden Colors. He talked about how writing helped him process his feelings and thoughts about them. 

“Is this not what artists do?” he asked. ​“We write not because we want to, but because we have to.”

He also meditated on social media and the lack of discussion about art between artists. 

“What happens when the engagement is not engaging?” he asked, calling attention to the same issue raised by Kulturally Lit and calling for artists to rise up, write it down, and let it out with others. The crowd responded with finger snaps, claps, and cheers in agreement. 

Karimah Mickens came to the mic to talk about her joy in having this event at The Bricks, a venue that will celebrate its official grand opening in March. 

“This space is intended for art, it is grounded in the arts,” she said. ​“This is what I wanted it to look like, to feel like. It’s all about lifting up local art.”

The poetry continued as Sharmont ​“Influence” Little offered two pieces, noting with the second one that Gardin had told him to write a ​“Baldwin-esque poem” for the event, but to also make it his own. He looked to friend and poet Iyaba Ibo Mandingo, who was also in attendance, for guidance. Both pieces highlighted this poet’s powerful delivery of his words.

“You’ve got legacy in your bones composed of great heroes,” he said. ​“You can’t be broken. Ain’t no joking when I say we are young, gifted and black. Your potential and your success rate goes forever. All you gotta do is believe and go work on your dreams.”

Later in the evening Mandingo and Frederick-Douglas Knowles II both offered their own pieces with Gardin’s encouragement. Both spoke of history and the importance of storytelling, Knowles saying ​“our ancestry is not in a dot com, it’s in our stories.” Mandingo made his way around the room, engaging individuals enraptured by him and the way his eyes met theirs, wholly unique but also reminding one of how Baldwin himself was known for his can’t‑look-away delivery of his prophetic and energetic words.

“I am a Baldwinite to the bone,” Mandingo said later on, before performing another piece, and he was met with shouts of yes and cheers. He and Knowles each came back to the mic for more, as did Little and AnUrbanNerd. The four poets energized each other and everyone around them, including this grateful reporter (who is also a poet and, in the interest of full disclosure, somewhat fan-girled out during this part of the event).

Afterwards Gardin said to the crowd, ​“This is why Kulturally Lit and literary excellence of the African Diaspora is very, very key.” This was an example of what some of the salons they had planned would be like.

Gardin made one more announcement: The first Diaspora Book Awards for Emerging Literary Artists of Color would be happening this year. The crowd responded with joy, and after more thank yous, Gardin said to everyone, ​“let’s party out!” It already felt like we were headed into something bigger, even more lit. 

For more information about Kulturally Lit and The Year of Baldwin programming, please visit their website.