Event Calender
A curated list of the latest cultural happenings in Houston
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/back-2-the-lab-podcast-an-evening-with-5th-ward-boyz-tickets-845448016777
Vibe with your host Dameion (DMR) as we celebrate 30 years of Gangsta Funk w/ Rap-A-Lot LEGENDS 5th Ward Boyz.
Back2TheLab Podcast with host DMR presents a live production of the show with 5th Ward Boyz in celebration of 30 years in Hip Hop discussing their origins, studio session memories and notable collaborations. There will also be an opportunity to join the discussion with question and answer session too. Sponsored by beSocial.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-space-for-healing-with-samora-pinderhughes-tickets-837447918267
Location: Rockwell Pavilion, MD Anderson Library at UH
Multidisciplinary artist Samora Pinderhughes will lead a thought-provoking lecture about the music, art, and collaboration behind his newest project called The Healing Project at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, March 19, in the Rockwell Pavilion at the M.D. Anderson Library. Pinderhughes is a composer, pianist, and vocalist known for addressing sociopolitical issues and heavy concepts, such as trauma, healing and grief, with compassion. He will share the expansiveness of the dynamic project, which was based on his interviews with those who have experienced or are experiencing incarceration around the country and involves sustained partnerships with over 50 artists working across various mediums. Pinderhughes hopes his work will spark meaningful dialogue about structural violence and help audiences chart their own path to healing. Attendees can take in voices and experience the examination of the interconnectivity of structural violence in our society. The lecture is partly sponsored by the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts at the University of Houston.
About the Artist
Samora Pinderhughes is a composer, pianist, vocalist, filmmaker and multidisciplinary artist known for examining sociopolitical issues through his art. Lauded as "one of the most affecting singer-songwriters today, in any genre" by The New York Times and "a magical being" by Forbes, Samora shapes new worlds through his art, honesty and vulnerability.
Born and raised in the Bay Area, Pinderhughes began playing music at the age of two years. He studied music at Juilliard, where he met his primary artistic mentor, MacArthur-winning playwright Anna Deavere Smith. Pinderhughes has collaborated with several artists, and his works have been commissioned by institutions such as Carnegie Hall, the Sundance Film Festival, The Kitchen, Yerba Buena Center for The Arts, and the Kennedy Center.
About the Elizabeth D. Rockwell Center
The Elizabeth D. Rockwell Center on Ethics and Leadership at the Hobby School of Public Affairs was established in 2020 through an endowment by Elizabeth D. Rockwell to enhance ethics and leadership scholarship and programming at the University of Houston. The Center sponsors lectures, visiting professorships, conferences and other programs that promote the study of ethics and leadership.
Directions
Off-campus guests can park in the Welcome Center Garage (4434 University Dr., Houston, TX 77204). Enter the garage on Martin Luther King Blvd. The M.D. Anderson Library is near Cullen Performance Hall and Student Centers North and South. The Rockwell Pavilion is on the second floor of the M.D. Anderson Library.
https://events.rice.edu/event/womens-history-month-lecture
Humanities Building, 117
“Disability and Reproductive Justice”
This lecture is open to the Rice community and public.
Speaker:
Alison Kafer
Director of LGBTQ Studies, Embrey Associate Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies, and Associate Professor of English, University of Texas at Austin
Disability activists have long been concerned with ableist approaches to pregnancy and abortion. Disabled people also face many barriers to reproductive health care and have a heightened risk of sexual assault and pregnancies they did not choose. How does a disability studies lens reshape some of the conversations about reproductive justice?
Alison Kafer co-edited (in collaboration with Mel Y. Chen, Eunjung Kim, and Julie Avril Minich) the anthology Crip Genealogies (Duke, 2023), which explores the divergent experiences, commitments, and histories that both constitute the field of disability studies and imperil its foundations. She is the author of Feminist, Queer, Crip (Indiana, 2013), and her work has appeared in a number of journals and anthologies, including Catalyst: Feminism, Theory, Technoscience; Crip Authorship; the Journal of Literary and Cultural Disability Studies; Sex and Disability; and South Atlantic Quarterly. Her research is focused on disability and queer crip world-making in the contemporary United States, particularly as they intersect with movements and theories for reproductive, environmental, gender, and racial justice.
Sponsored by the Department and History and Center for the Study of Women, Gender and Sexuality, with support from the School of Humanities Dean’s Office.
We value inclusion and access for all participants and are pleased to provide reasonable accommodations for this event. For campus access and accessibility information, visit Rice’s Disability Resource Center.
https://hlff24.eventive.org/passes/buy
The Houston Latino Film Festival will be presented in-person on March 20th through the 24th at the MATCH (3400 Main St) in Midtown. We invite you to join us to celebrate and enjoy over 60 films from some of the brightest, emerging and established filmmakers from the U.S. and Latin America! Enjoy all films and events with a $60 All Access Badge! Students get a special discount price at $40 (must show student ID at check-in, no exceptions). The festival will kick-off its eighth edition on Opening Night on Wednesday, March 20th with an art exhibition and a live musical performance by Puerto Rico's own, Calma Carmona! Meet and greet filmmakers and enjoy complimentary drinks (*While supplies last. Must be at least 21 years of age). HLFF is funded in part by the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/kinder-institute-forum-adam-gamoran-tickets-753853896297
Adam Gamoran, president of the William T. Grant Foundation, will discuss education research and reducing inequality in youth outcomes.
Adam Gamoran is the president of the William T. Grant Foundation. He provides leadership for the foundation’s strategic direction, shapes its agenda and tactics, and partners with the foundation's board of trustees to advance its mission and objectives. Since joining the foundation, he launched a new initiative to support research on reducing inequality in youth outcomes, and has continued the foundation’s ongoing work to improve the use of research evidence in policy and practice decisions that affect young people.
From 1984 to 2013, Adam served on the faculty of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he held the John D. MacArthur Chair in Sociology and Educational Policy Studies. From 2001-2004, he chaired the Department of Sociology, and from 2004-2013 he directed the Wisconsin Center for Education Research.
Adam’s research focused on educational inequality and school reform. Recent publications include “Does racial isolation in school lead to long-term disadvantages? Labor-market consequences of high school racial composition” (American Journal of Sociology, 2016) and “Effects of school segregation and school resources in a changing policy context” (Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 2016). Earlier, he edited "Standards-based reform and the poverty gap: Lessons for No Child Left Behind" (Brookings Institution Press, 2007) and co-edited "Stratification in higher education: A comparative study" (Stanford University Press, 2007) and "Methodological advances in cross-national surveys of educational achievement" (National Academy Press, 2002). His research was funded by the National Science Foundation, the Institute of Education Sciences at the U.S. Department of Education, and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, as well as by the Spencer and William T. Grant Foundations.
Adam is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and the National Academy of Education, which he now serves as vice president, and was twice appointed by President Obama to serve on the National Board for Education Sciences. From 2014 to 2020, he chaired the Board on Science Education of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. In 2013, he received the Spencer Foundation Award for contributions to research on education policy from the Association for Public Policy and Management, and in 2014 he was honored with the award for Distinguished Contributions to Research in Education from the American Educational Research Association.
Adam earned his Ph.D. in education from the University of Chicago in 1984.
About the Kinder Institute Forum
The Kinder Institute Forum lecture series brings thought leaders from around the world to Houston to share ideas about today’s most pressing urban issues. Previous speakers include Pulitzer Prize-winning author Matthew Desmond, global urbanist Richard Florida, historian Richard Rothstein, urban advocate and strategist Carol Coletta, and U.S. Census Bureau Director Robert L. Santos.
https://www.seetickets.us/event/the-brad-scarface-jordan/589513
CLUB BPC Presents
THE BRAD "SCARFACE" JORDAN
BEHIND THE DESK EXPERIENCE
Warehouse Live Midtown
Houston, TX
Wednesday, March 20, 2024
Doors at 7 PM | Show at 8 PM
Standing Room General Admission
*Lineup Subject To Change
ALL AGES
https://hlff24.eventive.org/passes/buy
The Houston Latino Film Festival will be presented in-person on March 20th through the 24th at the MATCH (3400 Main St) in Midtown. We invite you to join us to celebrate and enjoy over 60 films from some of the brightest, emerging and established filmmakers from the U.S. and Latin America! Enjoy all films and events with a $60 All Access Badge! Students get a special discount price at $40 (must show student ID at check-in, no exceptions). The festival will kick-off its eighth edition on Opening Night on Wednesday, March 20th with an art exhibition and a live musical performance by Puerto Rico's own, Calma Carmona! Meet and greet filmmakers and enjoy complimentary drinks (*While supplies last. Must be at least 21 years of age). HLFF is funded in part by the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance.
https://blackhoustons.rice.edu/
Known to locals as “H-Town” and “the Prophetic City,” Houston is the most ethnically diverse metropolitan area in the United States and the fourth largest city in the nation. Since its official founding in 1837, Afrodiasporic people have fundamentally shaped Houston’s social and cultural landscapes. Precisely what opportunities have Black people negotiated and redefined, created and maintained in response to life lived in the Bayou City? How do residents establish their sense of place in the city, and in what ways might Houstonian cultural productions continue to influence Black artists, activists, and scholars in the 21st century? Houston certainly provides an ideal landscape to reflect on the rich contributions of shifting and dynamic Afro-Diasporic communities as key to a fuller picture of Black southern histories in the United States.
African American History Research Center, Gregory Campus
1300 Victor St.
Houston, TX 77019
Lois Chiles Theater
Moody Center for the Arts
Rice University
6100 Main Street
Houston, Texas 77005
Center for African and African American Studies (CAAAS)
Center for Engaged Research and Collaborative Learning (CERCL)
https://hspvafriends.org/event/jazz-spring-concert-2/
Don’t miss this special two-night event from the Kinder HSPVA Jazz Program. On Friday, the two official jazz combos and a big band (Jazz Ensemble I) perform. On Saturday, catch the two big bands (Jazz Ensembles I and II). Each night, they will be joined by a renowned guest artist.
Tickets typically go on sale 30 days before the performance. When they’re available, you can purchase yours here!
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/samora-pinderhughes-the-healing-project-tickets-845525789397
Vocalist, pianist, artist and filmmaker Samora Pinderhughes creates large, multi-disciplinary projects, which invite audiences to examine what is visible and what is hidden in our daily lives, and how to make social change. Described as “...one of the most affecting singer songwriters today, in any genre” by The New York Times, Pinderhughes’ work inspires awe and thought in equal measure.
His latest work, The Healing Project, a recipient of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation grant, is a searing examination of the prison industrial complex in the United States, amplifying the testimonials of those affected by incarceration, policing, violence and detention through original music and film. Known for carefully crafted songs with striking intimacy and radically honest lyrics, The Healing Project is a palpably empathetic experience, uniting those who have been silenced with storytellers to create deeply affecting art rooted in connectivity and compassion.
Doors and bar open at 6:30 p.m. for a film screening, performance starts at 7:30 p.m.
The Healing Project is co-presented by Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts, the Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston, and Project Row Houses. Free parking will be available onsite at the El Dorado Ballroom.
March 21, 2024
The film series Who’s Behind Black Art offers a close-up look at the experiences of five emerging young Black artists: Adrian Armstrong, Laurena Finéus, Jewel Ham, Tae Ham, and Mario Joyce.
Complementing the exhibition Multiplicity: Blackness in Contemporary American Collage, the series unfolds in four parts on two evenings: March 14 and March 21. The first two parts give viewers the opportunity to appreciate the people behind the remarkable works of art. Part three features a roundtable conversation with the artists and seasoned professionals. Part four covers the exhibition opening for all five artists’ work at the World Trade Center in New York City.
Who’s Behind Black Art explores themes including the state of art in the era of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor; Black women in the art world; social media; racism in the industry; and the preservation of Black art.
Program
Anita N. Bateman, associate curator of modern and contemporary art, introduces the guest speakers and moderates post-film panel discussions with them and director John Campbell. On March 14, the guests are artist Mario Joyce and contributor Paul Anthony Smith. On March 21, the guests are artist Adrian Armstrong and contributor Alteronce Gumby.
Plan Your Visit
About the Director
John Campbell’s career started in the music industry working with artists including Whitney Houston, Elton John, and George Michael. He then moved to the financial industry, ending as Chief of Staff, Global Digital Strategy at Citigroup. Next he became founder of JCINTIME, LLC—a creative management and production company. Among Campbell’s most-notable projects are the docuseries Who’s Behind Black Art; the documentary feature COLOR; and the film 5150, co-executive produced with actor David Oyelowo. Other projects include The Sleeping Negro; A Boy, A Girl, A Dream; Destined; and The Infamous Future.
https://hlff24.eventive.org/passes/buy
The Houston Latino Film Festival will be presented in-person on March 20th through the 24th at the MATCH (3400 Main St) in Midtown. We invite you to join us to celebrate and enjoy over 60 films from some of the brightest, emerging and established filmmakers from the U.S. and Latin America! Enjoy all films and events with a $60 All Access Badge! Students get a special discount price at $40 (must show student ID at check-in, no exceptions). The festival will kick-off its eighth edition on Opening Night on Wednesday, March 20th with an art exhibition and a live musical performance by Puerto Rico's own, Calma Carmona! Meet and greet filmmakers and enjoy complimentary drinks (*While supplies last. Must be at least 21 years of age). HLFF is funded in part by the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance.
https://blackhoustons.rice.edu/
Known to locals as “H-Town” and “the Prophetic City,” Houston is the most ethnically diverse metropolitan area in the United States and the fourth largest city in the nation. Since its official founding in 1837, Afrodiasporic people have fundamentally shaped Houston’s social and cultural landscapes. Precisely what opportunities have Black people negotiated and redefined, created and maintained in response to life lived in the Bayou City? How do residents establish their sense of place in the city, and in what ways might Houstonian cultural productions continue to influence Black artists, activists, and scholars in the 21st century? Houston certainly provides an ideal landscape to reflect on the rich contributions of shifting and dynamic Afro-Diasporic communities as key to a fuller picture of Black southern histories in the United States.
African American History Research Center, Gregory Campus
1300 Victor St.
Houston, TX 77019
Lois Chiles Theater
Moody Center for the Arts
Rice University
6100 Main Street
Houston, Texas 77005
Center for African and African American Studies (CAAAS)
Center for Engaged Research and Collaborative Learning (CERCL)
https://www.menil.org/events/4359-art-feminism-wikipedia-edit-a-thon
Art+Feminism is a campaign that started in response to a survey conducted by the Wikimedia Foundation in 2011. That survey found that less than 10% of contributors on Wikipedia were women. The goal of this event is to amplify the work of cis and trans women, non-binary people, and everyone from under-represented backgrounds by giving them due coverage on Wikipedia. Art+Feminism is an initiative that seeks to improve coverage of feminism, gender, and the arts on Wikipedia.
Join us for a communal updating of Wikipedia entries on subjects related to art and feminism, including gender non-binary artists and activists. We will provide tutorials for the beginner Wikipedian, reference materials from the Menil Library, drinks and snacks, and community support. Bring your laptop, power cord, and ideas for entries that need updating or creation. People of all gender identities and expressions are invited to participate.
Read more about the event here.
This event is free and open to everyone, but registration is required and limited. Sign up to edit here. The deadline to register is March 17, 2024.
The collaboration between contemporary fine artist Deborah Argyropoulos and classic neon artist KC Loveless, both originally from Maryland but meeting in Austin, TX after half a century, promises to be a unique and innovative fusion of artistic styles. They have bonded over their shared love of art and creativity and are set to launch their first collaboration in Houston, TX in March 2024.
Their collaboration will explore the interplay between neon light and traditional painting elements, resulting in thought-provoking compositions. This fusion of styles and materials has been aptly named "Electrafine Art," a style that allows for endless creative possibilities.
Deborah and KC are both experts in their respective art forms, and together, they aim to push artistic boundaries and find a unique voice to express their artistic vision. Their collaboration represents a new level of creativity and promises viewers an unexpected and captivating artistic experience.
https://events.rice.edu/event/358353-we-have-not-come-here-to-die
Sewall Hall, 301
Co-sponsored by Rice Cinema, Rice HRC and FotofestGlorious Things curated by Sindhu Thirumalaisamy.
We Have Not Come Here to Die
Directed by Deepa Dhanraj
(India, 2018, 110 min.)
Friday, March 22, 6:00 PM (Special Time)
Cosponsors: Rice Cinema, Rice HRC and Fotofest
Glorious Things curated by Sindhu Thirumalaisamy
Rohith Vemula, a Dalit Ph.D research scholar and activist at University of Hyderabad who was persecuted by the university administration and Hindu supremacists, died of suicide on January 17, 2016. His suicide note, which argued against the “value of a man being reduced to his immediate identity” galvanized student politics and solidarity movements. The ensuing outrage gave rise to protests across India, calling the neglectful treatment and systemic oppression faced by Dalit people into question, and encouraging solidarity with minority groups facing similar discrimination from Hindu nationalists, students, administration and aligned governing authorities.
Discounted parking is available at Founder’s Court, a $6 flat rate, credit card is required.
Open to the public.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/movie-night-in-helix-park-tickets-794686447557
Join us for a family-friendly movie night as we relax and enjoy freshly popped popcorn, various candies, and an assortment of drinks while watching "Elemental," rated "PG," at Helix Park on Friday, March 22, 2024 beginning at 6 p.m. We ask that you please arrive 10-15 minutes early to allow everyone to get seated and purchase snacks before the movie begins.
Please bring a mat or towel to sit on while watching the movie.
Please park in the surface-level parking lot at 1885 Old Spanish Trail, Houston, Texas 77030. Please arrive at the north green helix park ( I/J Park) with the amphitheater-style lawn to watch the movie. Follow us on social media to obtain the latest updates and information on weather changes.
View the full FAQ here.
Picnic blankets will be available for a $15 donation. *
*All proceeds will benefit Texas Medical Center Foundation.
https://hspvafriends.org/event/jazz-spring-concert/
Don’t miss this special two-night event from the Kinder HSPVA Jazz Program. On Friday, the two official jazz combos and a big band (Jazz Ensemble I) perform. On Saturday, catch the two big bands (Jazz Ensembles I and II). Each night, they will be joined by a renowned guest artist.
Tickets typically go on sale 30 days before the performance. When they’re available, you can purchase yours here!
https://www.uh.edu/kgmca/art/events/calendar/?view=e&id=640364#event
Join us for the opening reception of this year’s MFA Thesis Exhibition at Blaffer Art Museum.
Each spring the Blaffer Art Museum and the University of Houston School of Art proudly presents the work of the Masters of Fine Arts degree candidates from the school’s five studio programs: Graphic Design, Interdisciplinary Practices and Emerging Forms, Painting, Photography/Digital Media, and Sculpture. The exhibition showcases highly developed bodies of work produced in a studio-intensive environment over a three-year degree program.
“Without question, the most astounding pianist of our age,” says The Times of London. Don't miss this rare Houston appearance.
Rameau: Suite in A Minor, RCT 5
Mozart: Sonata No. 12 in F Major, K. 332
Mendelssohn: Serious Variations in D Minor, Op. 54, MWV U
Beethoven: Sonata No. 29 in B-flat Major, Op. 106, “Hammerklavier”'
https://hlff24.eventive.org/passes/buy
The Houston Latino Film Festival will be presented in-person on March 20th through the 24th at the MATCH (3400 Main St) in Midtown. We invite you to join us to celebrate and enjoy over 60 films from some of the brightest, emerging and established filmmakers from the U.S. and Latin America! Enjoy all films and events with a $60 All Access Badge! Students get a special discount price at $40 (must show student ID at check-in, no exceptions). The festival will kick-off its eighth edition on Opening Night on Wednesday, March 20th with an art exhibition and a live musical performance by Puerto Rico's own, Calma Carmona! Meet and greet filmmakers and enjoy complimentary drinks (*While supplies last. Must be at least 21 years of age). HLFF is funded in part by the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance.
https://houstonparksboard.volunteerhub.com/vv2/event/ff62da88-1fb4-4f19-a3e1-a354e39d4789
Let's keep MacGregor Park looking great! Join us for a litter pick-up volunteer event at MacGregor Park on Saturday, March 23th, from 9 AM-11:30 AM. This event is held in conjunction with the MacGregor Park Master Plan Update process with our partners, MacGregor Park Conservancy, City of Houston, and Houston Parks and Recreation Department.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/teenbookcon-2024-registration-802036702367
Mark your calendars for TeenBookCon 2024, the amazing festival that connects teen readers with authors! We're going to try to hold this event in person in a way that makes every attendee feel safe and welcome. Register free here.
Melissa Albert and Tahereh Mafi
https://www.facebook.com/events/1512411802868977/
Join us for the 11th Annual Lyons Avenue Renaissance Festival!
Hosted by Fifth Ward Community Redevelopment Corporation and the 5th Ward Cultural Arts District.
Saturday, March 23, 2024 * 12pm – 5pm
LOCATION: Lyons Avenue, between Gregg and Benson Street [Blocks 3800-4000 Lyons Ave.]
Now in its eleventh year, the Lyons Avenue Renaissance Festival’s theme for the year is HOMECOMING! We are celebrating the rich history of education and remarkable educators in the 5th Ward community!
The festival is FREE to the community and continues to celebrate the history, art, culture, and current revitalization of Houston's 5th Ward. We use the allure of music, dance, and other art forms to engage the community and showcase the positive changes that are taking place.
Meet artists featured in the exhibition Multiplicity: Blackness in Contemporary American Collage as they lead conversations in the galleries. This series of guided experiences explores the landscape of contemporary Black collage. First up: Houston-based artist Lovie Olivia on March 23.
Plan Your Visit
https://hlff24.eventive.org/passes/buy
The Houston Latino Film Festival will be presented in-person on March 20th through the 24th at the MATCH (3400 Main St) in Midtown. We invite you to join us to celebrate and enjoy over 60 films from some of the brightest, emerging and established filmmakers from the U.S. and Latin America! Enjoy all films and events with a $60 All Access Badge! Students get a special discount price at $40 (must show student ID at check-in, no exceptions). The festival will kick-off its eighth edition on Opening Night on Wednesday, March 20th with an art exhibition and a live musical performance by Puerto Rico's own, Calma Carmona! Meet and greet filmmakers and enjoy complimentary drinks (*While supplies last. Must be at least 21 years of age). HLFF is funded in part by the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance.
https://improvtx.com/houston/comic/loni+love/
A real-life journey that takes a person from a latchkey kid of a loving and hardworking mother in Detroit’s Brewster-Douglass Housing Projects to a stand-up comedienne/movie star/bacon loving television personality is not something that happens easily or often, but somehow Loni Love pulled it off with her usual aplomb. Not to say there wasn’t a lot of hard work getting there, but when Love puts her mind to something, well, you better move out of the way.
Loni Love is currently a co-host of The Real, the one-hour daily talk show which has just been renewed for a fifth AND sixth season on Fox stations. The nationally syndicated show (with a rebroadcast in primetime on cable network BET) was touted by the New York Post as “fun, funny, involved in life, outrageous by nature, warm and, most of all, real.” The show was nominated for four EMMY Awards, including Outstanding Talk Show, and won the EMMY for Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Hosts. The Real also won a 2018 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Talk Series.
As a young person, Loni knew the smartest way to get ahead was to work hard and take scheduled naps. Working hard was an ethic passed down to her by her mother. The naps were Loni’s own doing. While in high school, she worked on and flirted with the guys on the General Motors assembly line, discovering a passion for electrical engineering. Her smarts, hard work and determination helped her land a scholarship to Prairie View A&M University in Texas. She took her studies very seriously but was equally as driven in her downtime. While in college, she began dabbling in stand up and brown liquor, loving every minute of captivating an audience with her comedy. When she graduated college, she took an engineering job in California, which worked for both her chosen vocation and her ‘side-gig’ as a comedienne.
She quickly became a regular at the legendary Laugh Factory, working during the day as an engineer and at night doing her comedy. In 2003, she was a finalist on the revived Star Search, and not long after, Loni won the Jury Prize for Best Stand-Up. From there, she was invited to showcase on HBO’s U.S Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen. At this point, it was time to make a career change, and thankfully for audiences, Loni went with comedy. “I took some time to think about what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. At my job, my manager had a massive heart attack. It made me realize that nothing is certain, nothing is for sure, and if I’m going to make a move, I gotta make a move now.” Loni told Ebony magazine.
In the ten plus years since she began doing comedy full time, Loni has found her niche on The Real (“It’s like a younger, intoxicated version of The View” said Jezebel), as well as the recurring guest DJ on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Loni also currently co-hosts the Café Mocha radio show with rapper MC Lyte. They’ve interviewed President Obama and the First Lady as well as superstars like John Legend, Toni Braxton among many others. Café Mocha is the only nationally syndicated show of its kind that was created exclusively BY and FOR women of color. You can catch the show on over 40 stations including SiriusXM Channel 141. Additionally, Loni has guest hosted on Fashion Police and has been a correspondent for Entertainment Tonight and E! Along with her work on television, Loni has appeared in myriad movies including Mother’s Day, the successful Paul Blart Mall Cop 2 opposite Kevin James, Soul Plane with Kevin Hart and the Bad Ass franchise with Danny Glover and Danny Trejo.
In addition, Loni is the subject of the documentary “Being Loni Love”, which traces Loni’s life story from her early days as a latchkey daughter growing up in Detroit’s Brewster- Douglas housing projects to national stand up comedienne, tv and movie star.
Author (“Love Him or Leave Him but Don’t Get Stuck with the Tab” came out in 2013), popular stand up comedienne, theatre actor, film star, television host, roving reporter and part time aunt – Loni Love has no plans to slow down.
https://inprinthouston.org/event/inprint-tommy-orange-reading/
Tommy Orange will read from his new novel Wandering Stars, followed by an on-stage conversation with with a local writer. The evening will conclude with a book sale and signing. The event is presented as part of the 2023/2024 Inprint Margarett Root Brown Reading Series.
TOMMY ORANGE’s first novel There There was “an astonishing literary debut” (Margaret Atwood) that “places Native American voices front and center” (NPR). Featuring the stories of 12 Native Americans all traveling to the Big Oakland Powwow, There There “has so much jangling energy and brings so much news from a distinct corner of American life that it’s a revelation” (The New York Times). There There was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, and winner of the American Book Award, the PEN/Hemingway Award, the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, and the National Book Critics Circle John Leonard Prize. He is an enrolled member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma and teaches at the Institute of American Indian Arts.
Orange will read from and talk about his highly anticipated new novel Wandering Stars, which traces the dark history of the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre, the founding of the Carlisle Industrial School for Indians in 1879, and the 2018 shooting of Orvil Redfeather in There There. According to Orange’s publisher Alfred A. Knopf, Wandering Stars is “an utterly gripping story of history, legacy, and family in which all of Tommy’s prodigious gifts as a storyteller are on full display.” His editor adds, “Tommy Orange has returned with an unforgettably powerful multigenerational saga about what it means to be the children and grandchildren of massacre. Wandering Stars is a major achievement by one of the great writers of our time.”
https://events.rice.edu/event/358887-dancing-through-houston-how-black-dance-transformed-h
Sewall Hall, 301
A CERCL/AAHRC Scholar-in-Residence Event (2 of 2)
Please also join us for Dancing through Houston: Challenges and Highlights of Black Dance Archives March 16 2:00 PM @ HPL - AAHRC (Gregory School Campus)
Dr. Lindsay Gary is a professor-scholar (of history, Africology, and dance), conceptual DiasporArtist, Afrocentric entrepreneur, and cultural curator. As a Scholar-in-Residence for Rice University’s CERCL Program, she has led a research project entitled “Black Dance in Texas” at the African American History Research Center, Gregory Campus (formerly The Gregory School). This lecture will highlight her research findings around the history and legacy of Black dance in Houston, with a particular emphasis on how these individuals and institutions have transformed the landscape of Houston, from the height of Jim Crow to the present.
Dr. Lindsay Gary’s (PhD, MFA, MA, MPA) mission is to educate, connect, and empower the African Diaspora. She graduated from the University of Houston with a BA in History and minors in Dance and Business Administration, and later obtained her Graduate Certificate in African American Studies. She also has an MA in History, an MPA in Public Policy, and an MFA in Dance, and recently obtained her PhD in Africology and African American Studies from Temple University. Gary is an adjunct professor of African American Studies at the University of Houston and of History at Houston Community College, in addition to being the Executive Director of The Re-Education Project (501c3), the Artistic and Executive Director of Dance Afrikana LLC, Co-Director of Ade Ile Properties (Nigeria), and the CEO of Isegun Enterprises LLC (home of Sawari Tours, Afrikanah Book Club, Gumbo: The Podcast, and more). She is the author of The New Red Book: A Guide to 50 of Houston’s Black Historical and Cultural Sites, and the director and creator of “Who Yo’ People?”, a documentary film that explores the African heritage of Louisiana.
This lecture is one of two lectures in fulfillment of the of the Scholar-in-Residence program, a joint initiative created and supported by Center for Engaged Research and Collaborative Learning (CERCL) and African American History Research Center/Houston Public Library (AAHRC/HPL). For more information on the program and how to apply, please visit https://www.cercl.rice.edu/scholar-in-residence.
https://uh.edu/kgmca/art/events/speaker-series/
Zora J Murff
March 28, 3-5:00 pm, CT
Dudley Recital Hall
132D Fine Arts Building
Speaker Series Archive on Youtube!
Zora J Murff is an artist and educator living in Northwest Arkansas. In 2019, Murff was named an Aperture Portfolio Prize finalist, a PDN 30 honoree, and a Light Work Artist-in-Residence; he was one of eight artists chosen for the most recent iteration of the Museum of Modern Art’s New Photography series, Companion Pieces: New Photography 2020. His work was presented at the 2021 Rencontres d’Arles, France, as part of the Louis Roederer Discovery Award. His works are housed in many notable US institutions and collections including, Studio Museum, SFMOMA, LACMA, and MoMA.
“Zora J Murff. He is Black; therefore, he is.”
https://www.uh.edu/calendar/?view=e&id=643382#event
University of Houston Honors College Commons (2nd floor) 212 M.D. Anderson Library
Please join the Arab-American Educational Foundation Center for Arab Studies on Wednesday, February 28, from 5:00 - 7:00 pm for the 2024 AAEF Dr. Burhan and Mrs. Misako Ajouz Distinguished Lecture in Literature “Narrating Humanity: Life Writing and Movement Politics from Palestine to Mauna Kea” featuring Professor Cynthia G. Franklin (University of Hawai’i).
Date: Wednesday, February 28, 2024
Time: Reception: 5:00 pm, Lecture: 5:30 pm
Location: Honors College Commons (M.D. Anderson Library, 2nd floor)
Parking: Parking is available at the Welcome Center Garage
Contestations over the status of the human are at the center of those supporting and resisting Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza against the Palestinian people. Taking up this context, Professor Cynthia Franklin explores the powerful role life narratives and movement politics play in struggles over who counts as human. Expanding on her 2023 publication Narrating Humanity: Life Writing and Movement Politics from Palestine to Mauna Kea, she considers the urgent need to practice decolonial ways to be human. As she does so, Franklin attends to narratives of human being and belonging that have emerged as part of movement building in Hawai‘i for a deoccupied Hawai‘i and Palestine.
Cynthia G. Franklin is Professor of English at the University of Hawai‘i. She coedits the journal Biography and is author of Academic Lives: Memoir, Cultural Theory, and the University Today (2009), as well as Writing Women’s Communities: The Politics and Poetics of Multi Genre Anthologies (1994).
Signed copies of Narrating Humanity will be available for purchase at the event.
https://events.rice.edu/event/358356-joyland
Sewall Hall, 301
Presented by Rice Cinema
Joyland
Directed by Saim Sadiq
(Pakistan, 2022, 127 min.)
Friday, March 29 7:00 PM
Winner of the Prix du Jury and the Queer Palm at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival. The youngest son in a traditional Pakistani family takes a job as a backup dancer in a Bollywood-style burlesque and quickly becomes infatuated with the strong-willed trans woman who runs the show. “The right way to feel love, and the right way to feel part of a family, are the insoluble difficulties at the heart of this mysterious, sad and tender movie from Pakistan, a drama brimming with life and novelistic detail, directed by the first-time film-maker Saim Sadiq… This is a movie about people who find their inner lives and sense of themselves don’t match up to what is expected of them. Their feeling of wrongness is part of what they have to suppress, from day to day” — Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
Discounted parking is available at Founder’s Court, a $6 flat rate, credit card is required.
Open to the public.
Free
https://www.mfah.org/calendar/amelie/202403301900
In one of the most beloved and acclaimed romantic comedies ever made, Audrey Tatou plays a naïve Montmartre waitress who performs random acts of kindness for others, but privately leads a lonely, melancholic life bereft of love. The imaginative, whimsical masterpiece from the director of Delicatessen and City of Lost Children is also set to a distinctive soundtrack by Yann Tiersen.
Amélie (Le fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain)
Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet
(France, 2001, 122 minutes, in French with English subtitles)
Brown Auditorium Theater, digital restoration
https://events.rice.edu/event/358357-israelism
Sewall Hall, 301
Co-sponsored by Rice SJP and Rice Cinema
Israelism
Directed by Erin Axelman and Sam Ellertsen
(US, 2023, 84 min.)
Saturday, March 30, 7:00 PM
Co-sponsors are Rice SJP and Rice Cinema
In 2023, two young American Jews raised to unconditionally love Israel witness the brutal way Israel treats Palestinians, and their lives take sharp left turns. With co-filmmaker Nadia Saah, they join a movement of young American Jews battling the old guard to redefine Judaism’s relationship with Israel, revealing a deepening generational divide over modern Jewish identity. A provocative and personal documentary, nominated for a Brooklyn Film Festival Spirit Award. “A powerful and honest exploration of the changing Jewish attitudes towards Israel” — Jacobin
Discounted parking is available at Founder’s Court, a $6 flat rate, credit card is required.
Open to the public.
Free
https://www.ticketmaster.com/amaarae-fountain-baby-tour-houston-texas-03-30-2024/event/3A005F21C0A03BF2
https://events.rice.edu/event/352230-cswgs-martel-lecture-naomi-oreskes
Fondren Library, Kyle Morrow Room (3rd floor)
The Center for the Study of Women, Gender, and Sexuality at Rice University
presents a Marian Fox Martel Distinguished Lecture in Gender and Science
“Epistemic Privilege and the Gender of Climate Change Denial”
Naomi Oreskes
Henry Charles Lea Professor of the History of Science
Affiliated Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences
Harvard University
Thursday, April 11, 2024
6:00pm Lecture
Additional information forthcoming.
A world-renowned earth scientist, historian and public speaker, she is the author of the best-selling book, Merchants of Doubt (2010) and a leading voice on the role of science in society, the reality of anthropogenic climate change, and the role of disinformation in blocking climate action.
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