https://kindredstorieshtx.com/products/irl-author-talk-we-belong-here-with-shani-adia-evans-may-14-7-pm-cst

Join us as we celebrate We Below Here: Gentrification, White Spacemaking and a Black Sense of Place with Shani Adia Evans! 

EVENT DEETS

When: Wednesday, May 14

Where: Kindred Stories (2310 Elgin Street, Unit 2, HTX, 77004) 

How: RSVP ONLY to reserve your seat or RSVP WITH BOOK to support the author as well as our bookstore. There are free limited RSVP ONLY seats so please be mindful before you RSVP. 

ABOUT THE BOOK

A landmark study that shows how Black residents experience and respond to the rapid transformation of historically Black places.
 Although Portland, Oregon, is sometimes called “America’s Whitest city,” Black residents who grew up there made it their own. The neighborhoods of Northeast Portland, also called “Albina,” were a haven for and a hub of Black community life. But between 1990 and 2010, Albina changed dramatically—it became majority White.
 
In We Belong Here, sociologist Shani Adia Evans offers an intimate look at gentrification from the inside, documenting the reactions of Albina residents as the racial demographics of their neighborhood shift. As White culture becomes centered in Northeast, Black residents recount their experiences with what Evans refers to as “White watching,” the questioning look on the faces of White people they encounter, which conveys an exclusionary message: “What are you doing here?” This, Evans shows, is a prime example of what she calls “White spacemaking”: the establishment of White space—spaces in which Whiteness is assumed to be the norm and non-Whites are treated with suspicion—in formerly non-White neighborhoods. Evans also documents Black residents’ efforts to create and maintain places for Black belonging in White-dominated Portland. While gentrification typically describes socioeconomic changes that may have racial implications, White spacemaking allows us to understand racism as a primary mechanism of neighborhood change. We Belong Here illuminates why gentrification and White spacemaking should be examined as intersecting, but not interchangeable, processes of neighborhood change.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Shani Adia Evans is assistant professor of sociology at Rice University.

ABOUT THE INTERLOCUTOR

Jaison Oliver is a community organizer who brings people and institutions together to facilitate collaborative policymaking and drive community-led change. He is the Founder & Principal of Selden Resources and leads the Third Ward Cultural District in Houston, TX. Jaison is a Detroit native and an alumnus of Yale University.

https://kindredstorieshtx.com/products/irl-author-talk-spilling-the-tea-with-brenda-jackson-april-1-7pm

Celebrate Brenda Jackson's 150th book, Spilling the Tea! 

EVENT DEETS

When: Tuesday, May 15 @ 7PM

Where: Kindred Stories Reading Garden (2304 Stuart Street, HTX, 77004)

How: RSVP WITH BOOK

ABOUT THE BOOK

Ninety-something Mama Laverne is determined to find all of her great-grandchildren their perfect match before going home to glory. So far, her success rate is 100 percent—and she intends to keep it that way.

Ninety-something-year-old Felicia Laverne Madaris, known in the family as Mama Laverne, is determined to find all of her great-grandchildren the perfect match before she goes home to glory. So far, her success rate is 100 percent, and she intends to keep it that way.

After sustaining injuries in Iraq, US Army Ranger Chancellor (Chance) Madaris was told he’d never walk again. Chance credits his great-grandmother, Mama Laverne, with giving him the will and fortitude to heal and prove the doctors wrong. He has a healthy respect for her meddling ways and knows he’ll eventually end up next on her matchmaker’s list.

When Zoey Pritchard was eight, she survived a car accident that left both her parents dead. She was sent to live with her great-aunt who refused to speak about her parents. Zoey has no memory from before the crash, but she’s been having the same dream over and over…

Guided by nothing but a hunch and images from her dream, Zoey travels to Houston. Searching for answers, Zoey uncovers a scandal involving her parents and the wealthy and powerful Madaris family. Her trail leads her straight to Chance’s door. The dislike and intense attraction are instant and simultaneous. Was it chance or Mama Laverne’s plan to throw this pair together?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

BRENDA JACKSON is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than one hundred contemporary multicultural romance novels, including the Madaris Family series, the Westmorelands series, and The Playas series. She was the first African-American author to have a book published under the Harlequin/Silhouette Desire line and the first African-American romance author to hit both the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists in the series romance genre. Many of her books have been adapted into movies. Brenda lives in Jacksonville, Florida, and divides her time between family, writing and traveling. brendajackson.net.

https://www.crawfishandbrews.com/

An annual crawfish party celebrating Houston's rich culture and community. Pull up for crawfish, beer, music and good times.

https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/malcolm-x-100th-birthdayself-determination-weekend-517--51925

ALL EVENTS ARE FREE  National Black United Front 2428 Southmore Houston, Texas 77004

Saturday, May 17, 2025  Malcolm X Festival/FEED the HOOD   3pm - 7pm   Speakers, Edutainment, Food, Family Fun

Vendors Contact 832-671-1830

Sunday, May 18, 2025  Self-Determination Community March   4pm Direct Walking Outreach to the community

Monday, May 19, 2025  Community Forum Malcolm X  legacy for 2025    7pm

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/alpha-ice-cold-springfest-2025-tickets-1265617629399

Join the Ice Cold brothers of the Alpha Eta Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. for the 16th Annual Ice Cold Springfest Crawfish Boil & Fish Fry. We will be IN-PERSON at the Bayou City Event Center.

• $35 Crawfish Plate (3 pounds of Crawfish with Corn & Potatoes)
• $20 Catfish Plate (2 Catfish fillets with Fries)

Meal sales are PRE-SALE ONLY.

Entertainment by DJ Kayenne.

https://www.livenation.com/event/G5dIZb0zFZMZ6/jeff-shelley

Award-winning power couple Tamela and David Mann are bringing faith, family, and phenomenal music together like never before with The Live Breathe Fight Tour – a must-see event uniting some of gospel’s most powerful voices. 
Grammy® Award-winning singer Tamela Mann—renowned for her chart-topping hits like Working For Me from her latest Live Breathe Fight album and Take Me to the King—will take center stage alongside her husband, actor, and comedian David Mann, who will infuse the evening with his signature humor and uplifting messages.
Joining them are:
● Erica Campbell – One-half of the legendary Mary Mary, Grammy® and Stellar Award-winning gospel powerhouse.
● Tye Tribbett – A dynamic, high-energy worship leader known for hits like Victory and Work It Out.
● Karen Clark-Sheard – Legendary member of The Clark Sisters, bringing her unmatched vocal prowess.
● Kierra Sheard – Multi-talented singer, actress, and songwriter carrying on the family’s gospel legacy.

The Live Breathe Fight Tour | Smart Financial Centre, Sugar Land, TX. United States.

https://www.classbookstore.com/events-1/class-bookstore-presents-a-conversation-with-p-djeli-clark

Come through and experience a conversation with author P. Djeli Clark, and professor/pastor, Aswad Walker, about Clark's new book Abeni & The Kingdom of Gold!

Come join us at CLASS Bookstore, for a conversation with author P. Djeli Clark & Professor Aswad Walker, associate pastor of the Shrine of the Black Madonna and professor at UH & TSU, about P. Djeli's latest book, Abeni and the Kingdom of Gold!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/living-in-wisdom-with-devi-brown-bun-b-tickets-1325977397089

Celebrate Devi Brown's new book, Living In Wisdom: A Path to Embodying Your Authentic Self, Embracing Grief, and Developing Self-Mastery

Presented by Kindred Stories - a Black-owed, women-owned bookstore in Third Ward, Houston, TX.

Line starts at 6:00PM CST. Each ticket includes one signed copy of Living In Wisdom. The book will be available for pickup at the event.

We endure so much over the course of our lives. Some of it is beautiful; some of it traumatic and sometimes, that trauma can keep us from realizing and embracing all the good we cultivate; our successes and achievements and positive relationships.

This book is for those who feel like something in life is missing, like they want to change some aspect of their lives or themselves, but are being held back as they are denying the true origin of these feelings...so they are stuck. They may be high-achievers and externally, their life looks perfect, yet they are struggling to accept themselves, or even like themselves. They lack the tools, self-trust and personal power to make their ideal life real. In this space, Devi Brown offers help for those struggling to recognize the barriers that keep them from experiencing joy, vulnerability, and self-knowledge. Sharing the wisdom she has gathered as a healer and master well-being educator, Brown guides readers along the path to self-mastery through a combination of spirituality, psychology, ancient wisdom traditions, edgy holistic self-care, and her own inspiring and surprising life experiences.

Readers will:

• Learn aligned decision-making
• Gain practices to alleviate internal suffering
• Expand awareness of their unhelpful patterns
• Discover an integrated approach to self-love and self-acceptance
• Live in embodied wellness

For all those seeking self-improvement, this is an essential manual for getting out of your head and into your life. It is a full-bodied approach to total transformation of mind, body, and spirit. You can heal your life while fully living it. You can learn from life while enjoying it. You can cultivate a stable inner peace even amidst chaos, and release control to find the flow for your life's unique path.

Each ticket includes one signed copy of Living In Wisdom .Your book will be available for pick-up at the event.

NO REFUND OR TRANSFERS

About the Author:

Devi Brown is one of the most sought-after wellness educators and creative advisors in the country. Through her signature blend of advanced meditation, breath work, metaphysical philosophy, spiritual psychology, and holistic trauma-informed facilitation, Devi has touched the lives of countless students, including renowned artists, athletes, and executives of global corporations. She served as the Chief Impact Officer of Chopra Global before founding her own company, Devi Brown Well-Being. She is currently the host of leading spirituality podcast Deeply Well, is the author of Crystal Bliss, and proudly serves on the board of directors at The Omega Institute for Holistic Studies. She lives in Los Angeles with her son.

About Kindred Stories:

Kindred Stories is here to give kids and adults alike a space to explore the wide-open world of literary content and creative works fashioned by black and brown hands. We are a bookstore committed to amplifying Black voices and bringing diverse stories from throughout the African diaspora to our local community in Houston, TX. We are currently located at 2304 Stuart Street, Houston, TX, 77004 in the Third Ward neighborhood in partnership with Project Row Houses. We provide a well curated selection of books and artisan wares to edify the swelling appetites for authentic stories as told by those who have lived them. Learn more about Kindred Stories and shop our online book collection at www.kindredstorieshtx.com.

https://kindredstorieshtx.com/collections/book-clubs/products/may-2025-fiction-book-club-may-22-7pm

We're meeting to discuss The Wedding by Dorothy West!

BOOK CLUB MEETING DEETS

When: Thursday, May 22 @ 7PM CST

Where: Kindred Stories (2304 Stuart Street, HTX, 77004)

How: RSVP ONLY to let us know you plan to attend and RSVP WITH BOOK to purchase your book and support Fiction Book Club!

ABOUT THE WEDDING  

In her final novel, “a beautiful and devastating examination of family, society and race” (The New York Times), Dorothy West offers an intimate glimpse into the Oval, a proud, insular community made up of the best and brightest of the East Coast's Black bourgeoisie on Martha’s Vineyard in the 1950s.

Within this inner circle of "blue-vein society," we witness the prominent Coles family gather for the wedding of the loveliest daughter, Shelby, who could have chosen from "a whole area of eligible men of the right colors and the right professions." Instead, she has fallen in love with and is about to be married to Meade Wyler, a white jazz musician from New York. A shock wave breaks over the Oval as its longtime members grapple with the changing face of its community.

With elegant, luminous prose, Dorothy West crowns her literary career by illustrating one family's struggle to break the shackles of race and class.

https://kindredstorieshtx.com/products/irl-author-talk-run-like-a-girl-with-amaka-egbe-may-24-1-pm

Celebrate debut author, Amaka's Egbe, first novel, Run Like a Girl! 

EVENT DEETS

When: Saturday, May 24 @ 1 PM

Where: Kindred Stories (2310 Elgin Street, HTX, 77004)

How: RSVP ONLY to let us know you're coming or RSVP ONLY to secure your seat and book. 

ABOUT THE BOOK

Perfect for fans of Furia, this YA debut follows a girl whose dreams of becoming an Olympic track star are thrown for a loop when she has to move in with her estranged father and learns her new school doesn’t have a girls’ track team—so she joins the boys’ team instead.

Dera Edwards knows her life is over when she's shipped off to live with her estranged father in the middle of White Suburbia. To make matters worse, Dera learns that her new school doesn’t have a girls’ track team, shattering her dreams of getting a track scholarship and, one day, competing in the Olympics. 

Not one to give up easily, Dera joins the boys’ team instead. But while she has the school administration’s blessing, her new teammates and classmates are less than welcoming. Between that and her frustratingly distant father, Dera is positive her junior year is ruined.  

Just as she starts to accept her status as an outsider, Dera’s approached by her classmate Rosalyn, who wants to feature Dera’s story in her blog. Eager to change the narrative and spend more time with Rosalyn's gorgeous cousin Gael—also known as one of the few teammates who will talk to her—Dera agrees.  
But when she goes viral and gains attention across the state, Dera’s new notoriety opens the door for trolls both online and at school. Paired with her deteriorating relationship with her father, she soon finds everything to be too much. Will Dera be able to keep outrunning her problems, or will her dream be the very thing that derails her? 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amaka Egbe has been writing ever since she could hold a pen. Exploring cultural differences and mental health are major tenants in her work, stemming from her American and Nigerian upbringing. Amaka studied Marketing and Psychology at the University of Houston and earned a master’s degree in Industrial-Organizational Psychology at the University of Houston-Clear Lake. Run Like a Girl is her debut novel.

https://kindredstorieshtx.com/products/irl-author-talk-this-could-be-forever-with-ebony-ladelle-may-28-7pm

Celebrate the release of This Could Be Forever with Ebony LaDelle!

EVENT DEETS

When: Wednesday, May 28 @ 7PM CST

Where: 2310 Elgin St, Houston, TX 77004

How: RSVP ONLY to reserve your seat or RSVP WITH BOOK to support the author and our store programming. There is limited number of free tickets so please be mindful before you sign up. 

ABOUT THE BOOK

This compelling and complex romance about love across cultures follows a Black girl and Brown boy who find themselves—and each other—while pursuing their passions the summer before college.

Deja’s got a plan. The first in her large family to go to college, she wants to study chemistry and sell natural skin care products, like the ones she already creates from plants grown on her family’s North Carolina farm. It all starts with the Onward Bound summer program at the University of Maryland, the summer before school officially starts.

Raja’s got a dream. His traditional Nepali parents want him to study engineering and settle down in an arranged marriage, but his passion is art, and he wants to open his own tattoo parlor one day. In the meantime, he’s apprenticing at a tattoo shop in College Park, Maryland.

When Deja walks into the shop where Raja’s working, they both start crushing hard—over the course of the summer, they fall more and more deeply for one another. But the closer they get and the more their lives entwine, the more they find that dating someone who doesn’t match your parents’ expectations is harder than they ever imagined.

Can they bridge the divide between the vision their families have for their futures and the lives—and love—that are starting to feel like destiny?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ebony LaDelle is the author of Love Radio—which was People magazine’s best book of the summer, a 2023 Audie Award Finalist, a 2023 Michigan Notable Book, and was featured on the Today show—and is the editor of the forthcoming romance anthology, You’ve Got a Place Here, Too. Prior to being an author, Ebony was a brand marketing director in book publishing and worked at Penguin Random House and HarperCollins, among others. You can visit her online at EbonyLaDelle.com and follow her on social at @EbonyLaDelle.

ABOUT THE CONVERSATION PARTNER

Public Opening of Olivia Erlanger: If Today Were Tomorrow at Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, 2024.

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(View Full event Description Here: https://camh.org/event/public-opening-tomashi-jackson-across-the-universe/)

https://improvtx.com/houston/comic/tony+baker/

Chicago native, Stand Up Comedian/Actor Tony Baker has been making people laugh for nearly a decade, blessing stages around the world with his unique brand of humor and style.

In addition to being seen performing at the hottest comedy clubs around the country and organically making millions of people laugh worldwide with his legendary viral voiceover videos on social media, Tony Baker’s comedic skills has landed him on the big screen and television: finalist on NBC’s The Last Comic Standing (Season 8 & 9 ), NBC’s The Carmichael Show (Season 2), HBO’s All DEF Comedy (Season 1), Trutv's Standup/storytelling showcase, Laff Mobb’s Laff Tracks, the Academy Award nominated movie Whiplash and his 2018 debut Comedy special “Scaredy Cat” (iTunes/Google Play).

Affectionately called “Your favorite comedian’s ‘Favorite comedian’”, Tony Baker’s comedy has taken on a movement of it’s own and his many fans can attest to that by easily quoting a few of his popular “Bakerisms”. So feel free to “Get In On This” and “Feel Every Piece” of the laughter that Tony Baker has to offer.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/opening-reception-for-figurative-histories-tickets-1307063374739

Opening on May 30 at 6 pm, the Moody’s summer exhibition Figurative Histories brings together a select group of Texas-based artists whose work is figurative in nature and is characterized by a heightened sensibility towards personal and sociopolitical histories. The featured artists­ – Letitia Huckaby, Earlie Hudnall, Jr., David McGee, and Delita Martin – center the human figure in their compositions, specifically the Black body, as a means of mining the past in order to more fully understand the present.

In addition to experiencing the works of these talented artists, guests will be able to listen to a historic playlist compiled by artist Tierney Malone, and peruse Amarie Gipson's The Reading Room.

https://improvtx.com/houston/comic/tony+baker/

Chicago native, Stand Up Comedian/Actor Tony Baker has been making people laugh for nearly a decade, blessing stages around the world with his unique brand of humor and style.

In addition to being seen performing at the hottest comedy clubs around the country and organically making millions of people laugh worldwide with his legendary viral voiceover videos on social media, Tony Baker’s comedic skills has landed him on the big screen and television: finalist on NBC’s The Last Comic Standing (Season 8 & 9 ), NBC’s The Carmichael Show (Season 2), HBO’s All DEF Comedy (Season 1), Trutv's Standup/storytelling showcase, Laff Mobb’s Laff Tracks, the Academy Award nominated movie Whiplash and his 2018 debut Comedy special “Scaredy Cat” (iTunes/Google Play).

Affectionately called “Your favorite comedian’s ‘Favorite comedian’”, Tony Baker’s comedy has taken on a movement of it’s own and his many fans can attest to that by easily quoting a few of his popular “Bakerisms”. So feel free to “Get In On This” and “Feel Every Piece” of the laughter that Tony Baker has to offer.

https://genreurbanarts.com/rsvp-my-daddy-never-taught-me-how-to-write-a-love-song

We are deeply honored to have worked with Donnie D. Moreland Jr to publish his debut collection of poetry! Come celebrate with us!

https://improvtx.com/houston/comic/tony+baker/

Chicago native, Stand Up Comedian/Actor Tony Baker has been making people laugh for nearly a decade, blessing stages around the world with his unique brand of humor and style.

In addition to being seen performing at the hottest comedy clubs around the country and organically making millions of people laugh worldwide with his legendary viral voiceover videos on social media, Tony Baker’s comedic skills has landed him on the big screen and television: finalist on NBC’s The Last Comic Standing (Season 8 & 9 ), NBC’s The Carmichael Show (Season 2), HBO’s All DEF Comedy (Season 1), Trutv's Standup/storytelling showcase, Laff Mobb’s Laff Tracks, the Academy Award nominated movie Whiplash and his 2018 debut Comedy special “Scaredy Cat” (iTunes/Google Play).

Affectionately called “Your favorite comedian’s ‘Favorite comedian’”, Tony Baker’s comedy has taken on a movement of it’s own and his many fans can attest to that by easily quoting a few of his popular “Bakerisms”. So feel free to “Get In On This” and “Feel Every Piece” of the laughter that Tony Baker has to offer.

https://www.toyotacenter.com/events/detail/lilbaby/

Lil Baby: WHAM World Tour
w/ BigXthaPlug, NLE Choppa, Loe Shimmy

Toyota Center is excited to welcome back rap superstar Lil Baby on June 3! he upcoming world tour supports Lil Baby’s fourth studio album WHAM [Who Hard As Me], making this album his fourth consecutive No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Don't miss the WHAM World Tour with Lil Baby and special guests BigXthePlug, NLE Choppa, and Loe Shimmy in Houston this summer!

https://performingartshouston.org/events/monuments-are-here-2025-06-12-500-pm/

A film night curated by Nuotama Bodomo and Solange Knowles at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, part of Eldorado Ballroom, Curated by Solange Knowles.

An Evening of Film Surrounding Object Constellations, Black Domesticity & the Art of Collecting

Monuments Are Here is an original short film and film series produced by Saint Heron, meditating on the spiritual act of collecting. Written by Solange Knowles and directed by Nuotama Bodomo, the short film premiered at The Guggenheim, anchoring a series that features fellow visual works exploring Black domesticity, the sacred nature of collections, and the stories held within the objects we keep.

At the heart of the project lies a series of quiet, urgent questions:

What do our objects say about us in silence? Who are we through their reflection? What stories do they whisper to those we love when we are no longer present? Who are we in our homes, unseen? And what is our right to opacity—to choose when to be witnessed, and when not to be, even when that act of invisibility becomes a form of resistance?

Monuments Are Here brings these questions into focus through the story and personal archive of Gene “Shady The Great” Thomas—Grammy Award-winning artist and member of the legendary Parliament-Funkadelic collective. Though celebrated as a vocalist and producer, Thomas’s artistic expression extends beyond sound into the physical curation of memory and imagination.

Over decades, Thomas has composed a living collection—objects of nostalgia gathered from flea markets, tour stops, and the generous hands of his children. These are not merely possessions; they are extensions of self and soul. Each piece is stitched into a larger quilt of futurism, reverence, and timeless reflection. Within the walls of his home, these objects don’t just exist—they breathe, bearing witness to the sacred bond between the seen and the unseen, the remembered and the becoming.