[Peace] Aya de Leon in-residence at Unit One/Allen Hall

[Laura Haber]

  Aya de Leon
Guest-in-Residence at Unit One/Allen Hall 9/10-9/14
  Aya de Leon will be a Guest-in-Residence at Unit One/Allen Hall Sept 10 - Sept 14. She will be performing, conducting workshops, and leading discussions every night of her residency. All programs are open to the public and take place in the South Rec Room of Allen Hall, 1005 W. Gregory, Urbana. See below for her schedule.
  About Aya de Leon:
Aya de Leon is a Black/Puerto Rican writer/performer in the Oakland Bay Area. Her work has received acclaim in the Village Voice, Washington Post, American Theatre Magazine, the Oakland Tribune, and San Francisco Chronicle. In 2004-2005 she was named best discovery in theater by the SF Chronicle for her show "Thieves in the Temple: The Reclaiming of Hip Hop." She also received a Goldie award from the SF Bay Guardian in spoken word, and was voted "Slamminest Poet" by the East Bay Express. Aya came very close to being elected in her fall 2004 show, "Aya de Leon is Running for President." Aya is a Cave Canem Poetry fellow, and her work has been featured on HBO's Def Poetry Jam, and in Essence Magazine. In 2001-2002 she taught spoken word and poetry at Stanford University. Aya was just named the new director of June Jordan's Poetry for the People and is teaching poetry and spoken word at UC Berkeley. She is also working on her first novel and a collection of essays about
 self-love. She has released two spoken word CDs. For more information, visit www.ayadeleon.com. 
   
  Schedule:

Sunday, Sept 10
7:00pm – Opening Program: "Towards a new radical poetry aesthetic: how do we keep spoken word hot & relevant?" 
Beginning with an exploration of protest poetry of the '60s and '70s, Aya discusses how poetry connected to current movements for social change needs to do more than preach morals and rehash litanies of injustice. She offers samples of her work that put forth a new aesthetic, which provides powerful social commentary with fresh combinations, metaphor, parody, boldness, music, and storytelling. 

Monday, Sept 11
7:00pm – Hip Hop Theater Movie Night: "Thieves in the Temple: The Reclaiming of Hip Hop" 
In this one-woman hip hop theater show, Aya de Leon explores a variety of characters, including a West Coast hardcore emcee with an unusual case of Tourettes Syndrome that makes him reveal his sensitive side, a shady record executive, and a sex object emcee on the verge of a nervous breakdown. At the center, however, is her personal journey from wide-eyed teenage fan to hip hop’s center stage. Aya will show the DVD of her hit show from 2004, and answer questions about her work, hip hop theater, hip hop, and performance.
9:00pm – "Creativity from the Inside Out" – In this workshop/discussion, Aya will share her approach to creating and living that emphasizes an artist or creative person's whole life, not just the product of their creativity.

Tuesday, Sept 12
7:00pm - "Fiction Night: The Voodoo Sorority" 
For the last 15 years, Aya has been working on a novel. She will be completing the third draft of the book while at Unit One! Come hear her read from her book about young women dealing with the pressure of college [sound familiar?] 
9:00pm – "Book Projects/Big Projects: How to start, stay motivated, and finish them!" – discussion. Do you have a novel, memoir, collection of essays, stories or poems that you want to write? Do you want to write a play? A movie script? Make a film? After 15 years of working on a novel, and with two critically acclaimed theater shows, Aya has a wealth of experience to share, as well as tips on how to get started, how to stay motivated, and how to get your work out there! As Aya says, "If you have ever even had a fleeting thought that you want to do it (write a book, make a film, perform your life story...), trust that thought!"

Wednesday, Sept 13
7:00pm - "Understanding Gender through Spoken Word" (open to all sexes) 
In this spoken word set, Aya deconstructs issues of gender by posing provocative questions: What if women ran hip hop? What if there was a cable TV network dedicated to male sensitivity? What if women never needed to diet or worry about their bodies? What if our political movement was a nightclub? Why would R Kelly make a video that would incriminate himself? What to do when a teenage girl asks you to take her to an abortion clinic? Through parody, fantasy, and hard looks at reality, she moves from heaviness to frivolity through well-crafted poetry and prose that engages both women and men.
9:00pm – "Sister Cipher" (women only)
This workshop is open to women only, who want a safe space to explore writing rhymes, freestyle rapping, beatboxing, and hip hop collaborations. This is a cooperative, battle-free zone. 

Thursday, Sept 14
7:00pm – "Finding Your Writer's Voice" 
This introductory workshop is an encouraging, creative environment for new and experienced writers of all ages to explore their voices through a series of writing exercises and discussion. 
9:00pm – Open Mic Night
This is an opportunity for all writers in the community to share their work. Aya is an enthusiastic and affirming host, who is experienced in keeping a show moving.
   
  Laura Haber
  Program Coordinator of Unit One
  University of Illinois
  68 Allen Hall (MC 050)
  1005 W. Gregory
  Urbana, IL 61801
  (217) 244-2317
  lhaber at admin.housing.uiuc.edu
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