Kuma2.net Blog

Zuna Institute announces the release of the Black Lesbian needs assessment report, “Black Lesbians Matter.” Authored by Francine Ramsey, Zuna Institute’s Executive Director; Dr. Marjorie J. Hill, Gay Men’s Health Crisis, Chief Executive Officer; and Cassondra Kellam, PhD Student, Graduate Center, CUNY, this report examines the unique experiences, perspectives, and priorities of the Black Lesbian community.

The “Black Lesbians Matter” report, the result of a quantitative study, is akin to a Black Lesbian “census.” Regional, statewide, and local organizations that support Black LGBTQ asked Black lesbians to speak up and be heard, to stand up and be counted; 1,596 Black lesbians answered that call by participating in focus groups and through an on-line survey.

Cherrybomb is an online talk show for women who love women…

The most recent episode discussed domestic violence with Roberta Munroe director of the short film Dani and Alice.

To learn more about the ladies of Cherry Bomb TV – visit their site: cherrybombtv.com
To see the current season of Cherry Bomb – visit shewired.com
To learn more about Roberta Munroe – visit her site: robertamunroe.com
Dani and Alice trailer (warning–this trailer contains a depiction of domestic violence).

please forward widely especially among your networks

(There is a AWESOME and historic audio recording of Ira Jeffries, Griot Circle Founder Regina Shaver and others talking about about their lives as African American lesbians over 50 and the our history as Black LGBT people http://www.griotcircle.org/ – Imani Henry)

The Passing of Ira Jeffries – July 16th 2010 from Ronald Lonesome
Friends, after six weeks in a coma brought on by a massive stroke, Ira Jeffries expired yesterday, July 16th at 3 p.m. She was a patient on the Hospice Unit at the Bronx Lebanon Hospital. Following her wishes, she will be cremated, and the cre-mains will be placed in the columbarium at The Riverside Church. She did not want a funeral or memorial service. However, Maranatha would like to host a program at Riverside Church honoring the life and legacy of Ira. We’re asking members of GRIOT, SAGE, Theater Groups, Playwrights, Artists, and other friends of Ira to participate in the planning of this event. Please email us at MaranathaTRC@hotmail.com. Thanks to all of you for your support. Ira was a talented, spirited artist and a loving human being. ~ Ronald Lonesome

From her Bio from WOW’s GRIOT festival
Ira Jeffries has been a playwright for over twenty years and a member of the WOW collective for over ten years. She is a graduate of City College with a B.A. in communications. She has written over twenty plays, most of which have been produced at WOW. She founded Kaleidoscope Theatre to produce her own plays and deal with issues of the lesbian community. In 1985 she received an Audelco Theatre Award for Excellence in Playwriting.

July 17 – 24, 2010:
FIRE! NEW PLAY FESTIVAL 2010
Four black queer plays offer darkness and hope.

South Oxford Space (138 South Oxford Street in Ft Greene, Brooklyn)
BAAD! (841 Barretto St, 2nd FL, in the Bronx)

$5 – $10: Advance tickets at Brown Paper Tickets | Limited door tickets

Produced by Freedom Train Productions, FIRE! NEW PLAY FESTIVAL 2010 presents staged reading and barebones productions of new black queer plays that offer darkness and danger and, yes, a little artfulness and hope for these bleak post-Bush times.

As is our custom, these black queer plays are our curated – canaries in the coal mine – offerings to inspire and provoke artists and community into thought and action:

@ BAAD!, a co-production
SAT JULY 17TH, 2010 @ 2:30PM & 7:30PM
ORIGINS OF US by Jerome A. Parker
Promising cosmology graduate student, Adam, rents out his Bronx apartment’s closet to a stranger. ORIGINS is a cautionary journey through the realms of time, space, the body and the mind.

@ South Oxford Space:
THURS JULY 22ND, 2010 @ 7:30PM
SHE WHO STRUGGLES by LaTonia Phipps
A modern day Assata Shakur re-imagined, living in gentrified Harlem and in love with a white woman.

@ South Oxford Space:
FRI JULY 23RD, 2010 @ 7:30PM
MIRRORS by Azure D. Osborne-Lee
Two women mourn the loss of a loved one while sifting through the secrets of their shared past.

@ South Oxford Space:
SAT JULY 24TH, 2010 @ 2:30PM
BLACK/OUT STORIES by Steve Harper
When a writer conducts documentary theatre interviews with black LGBT people across the country about their most unusual coming out stories, he revisits his own personal challenges around being out, gay and black in America.

// Freedom Train in TIME OUT NEW YORK and NY DAILY NEWS.
// Watch a mini-documentary on the festival!

These new plays are written by citizen theatre artists. Since January, the producer artists of Freedom Train have provided safe and encouraging spaces in workshops and actor labs for these artists to create their work and test out their new ideas — independently and with collective purpose.

Every year our performances are attended by audience community members, like yourself, who care to wrestle with, laugh with, and be inspired by the ideas the playwrights and their creative team explore in the staged readings.

This year we are thrilled to announce a special barebones co-production of ORIGINS OF US by Jerome A. Parker at BAAD!, the Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance, to kick off our fourth festival and of course a powerful lineup of new play readings by Azure D. Osborne-Lee, Steve Harper, and LaTonia Phipps, a talented associate artist here at Freedom Train with whom we are thrilled to once again support.

Offstage Forums 2010, critical discussions inspired by their current work in development, precede the festival.

Major funders include The Union Square Arts Awards, a project of the Tides Foundation, Stonewall Community Foundation, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs and the Brooklyn Arts Council, and S/HEROES FOR THE FUTURE.

We’ve scrapped the old “support independent authors” page from the Kuma library and replaced it a new blog-
Chapter 1: Showcase For Independent LGBT Authors & Artists

You can now order these

and other Redbone Press titles online–directly from the publisher.

Support black lgbt publishers!

(Who else will tell our stories?)

Get more info and buy the dvd at familythefilm.net

If you were a regular Kuma reader, you are already familiar with the work of D. Alexandria (aka Glitter or, if you go waaay back in the archive, aka Pandora). So the following review should come as no surprise.

This is How We Do It: A Raw Mix Of Lesbian Erotica is one of the best solo collections of erotica we’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. D. Alexandria deals with taboos and her writing is quite provocative. So, yes, the sex is steamy and hot.

What gives the stories their power and passion,though, are the wonderfully developed characters. They are not one dimensional stereotypes who’s only purpose is to set up the next explicit action. Whether the sex is a casual encounter in a club, a couple expressing the ultimate commitment to each other, or involves a stud trying to come to terms with her desires, the interplay between all parties involved just sizzles.

An added touch is that This Is How We Do It is dedicated to you–the Kuma readers and fans who through the years have encouraged D. Alexandria to continue dipping her pen in the ink.

The Verdict: Buy it!

A teaser from Fantasy Alley, one of the hot new stories in D. Alexandria’s This Is How We Do It:

I haven’t moved, not taking my eyes off the person. My eyes adjust, and I realize it’s a guy. He looks to be in his mid to late 40s, and he’s just standing there smoking a cigarette, and watching us.

You turn your head to look at him, not moving away, your fingers still deep in me, occasionally flexing, and it makes me tremble. I’m getting myself ready for you to move away so we can leave, but instead, you turn back to me, kissing me again.

“Baby…,” I manage to say between kisses, “What about him?”

“What about him?” You ask.

To pre-order D. Alexandria’s This Is How We Do It, email your preferred shipping address to preorder@dalexandria.com!

The first 50 orders will receive an autographed copy and a surprise!

(pre-order transactions will be through PayPal)