Thank you & Congratulations!

Thank you to everyone who helped with the 2023 Literary Arts Festival this year! I am deeply grateful for the work of so many City Tech faculty, staff and students!

Below is a partial list of people who were essential to the 2023 Literary Arts Festival excerpted from the festival program:

Excerpt from the 2023 LAF Program

And, congratulations to all of this year’s LAF Writing Competition winners! Please see below for a complete list of this year’s winning entries. I applaud all of you who submitted to the competition, and congratulate the winners. You are all a tribute to the amazing creativity, character, and commitment of City Tech students.

2023 Literary Arts Festival Writing Competition Award Winners

Thank you to everyone who made LAF possible & Congratulations to our amazing City Tech writers and artists!

LAF 2023: Share this now!

Please consider copying and pasting the information below to share on your course site, social media account, etc.

You’re invited to the 2023 City Tech Literary Arts Festival on Thursday, April 27, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., at the Academic Complex Theater, 285 Jay Street.

Please register now!

Poster with rainbow heart and LGBTQIA+ flag LAF City Tech's 42nd annual Literary Arts Festival Free & Open To The Public Featuring Akwaeke Emezi [includes photo] and City Tech Students For more info: Megan Behrent MBehrent@CItyTech.cuny.edu Thursday April 27 4pm-6pm The Theater at City Tech 285 Jay Street Sponsored by: Coordinated Undergraduate Education (CUE), New York City College of Technology This event is made possible through the generous support of LaGuardia Community College and the New York City Council LGBT and Queer Caucus
LAF 2023 Poster

This year’s event features acclaimed multidisciplinary artist, writer, and a National Book Foundation “5 Under 35” honoree Akwaeke Emezi, author of Freshwater and the bestsellers You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty and The Death of Vivek Oji.

the book covers of Akwaeke Emezi's seven books
Akwaeke Emezi, Books 2018-2022, via https://www.akwaeke.com

Akwaeke Emezi’s website is a great way to get to know their work in many different genres.

See you there!

Reading Akwaeke Emezi

June 2021 cover of TIME Magazine, via Akwaeke.com

Akwaeke Emezi’s website offers us the opportunity to immerse ourselves in their writing–plus images and video, too.

A quick browse takes me to a short list of their poems, a list of their fiction, and a lengthy list of non-fiction pieces.

The first piece I read, a poem entitled “self portrait as a god who is loved,” moves me to print it and share it on a bulletin board near the English Department.

The next text I chose to read, “Writers Of Color Are Making Their Own Canon,” is familiar to me. I realize that I’ve read it already as the essay entitled “Writing into the Unknown” included at the end of Freshwater. It’s an essay that gives us insight into Emezi’s life as a reader as much as their development as a writer.

Next, I decide to watch one of the videos Emezi includes in the shorts section, called “Hey Celestial.”

HEY CELESTIAL | Pantin, France | 2014, by Akwaeke Emezi

Browse through these titles and choose a few to read or watch, too–and feel free to leave a list of recommendations in the comments!

Akwaeke Emezi interview

Before Thursday’s Literary Arts Festival (have you registered yet?!), you might take some time to get familiar with the featured speaker. Here’s a quick way, through a nine-minute conversation Akwaeke Emezi had with Trevor Noah when they were a guest on The Daily Show.

Have you watched other videos featuring Emezi that you want to share with the City Tech community? Leave a link in the comments!

City Tech Students: Register now for the 2023 Literary Arts Festival to win a free copy of Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi

The first thirty City Tech students who register will receive a free copy of Freshwater by LAF featured writer Akwaeke Emezi at the event! Register here now!

Read more about this acclaimed debut novel by Akwaeke Emezi in this review of Freshwater in the New York Times 

Register now for the 2023 Literary Arts Festival featuring Akwaeke Emezi!

Please join us at the 2023 City Tech Literary Arts Festival on Thursday, April 27, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., at the Academic Complex Theater, 285 Jay Street.

This year’s event features acclaimed multidisciplinary artist, writer, and a National Book Foundation “5 Under 35” honoree Akwaeke Emezi, author of Freshwater and the bestsellers You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty and The Death of Vivek Oji.

Please register here now!

The first thirty City Tech students who register will receive a free copy of Freshwater by LAF featured writer Akwaeke Emezi at the event! 

There is also limited virtual option to join by Zoom available to City Tech students, faculty & staff. Please choose the virtual option when registering for the event and the link will be sent two days before the event.

The poster for the Literary Arts Festival features a float with balloons spelling "LAF" surrounded by Pride posters with a rainbow and the NYC City skyline in the background.
The poster for the 2023 Literary Arts Festival was designed by Savonne Andrews, a member of the amazing Faculty Commons Design Team.

You can download a pdf of the poster here.

THE 2023 LITERARY ARTS FESTIVAL FEATURING AKWAEKE EMEZI

Register now for the 42n Annual City Tech Literary Arts Festival Featuring Akwaeke Emezi!
April 27, 2023
4 to 6 pm
The New Academic Complex Theater at City Tech
285 Jay Street
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Click Here to Register

 

To learn more about this year’s featured author, see LAF 2023 FEATURED WRITER: AKWAEKE EMEZI

Spring 2023 LAF Writing Competition

Attention all City Tech Students!

The Literary Arts Festival organizers want to hear your voice, your story, your words! Read more to learn about the 2023 City Tech Literary Arts Festival Writing Competition and to get the link to the Submission Form.

All City Tech students are welcome to submit creative work for the following awards:

  • Adolphus Lee Poetry Award
  • Charles Matusik Fiction Award
  • Kay-Hirsch Literary Criticism Award
  • Michele Forsten Advocacy Award
  • Walter-Scanlon Creative Non-Fiction Award
  • Aaron Barlow Journalism Award
  • Mary Nilles Award for City Tech/CUNY Spirit (any genre).

Questions? Reach out to CitytechLaf@gmail.com.

Winners will receive monetary awards and may be invited to read from their winning work at the Literary Arts Festival on April 27th at 4:00 p.m!

 

 

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