LIT Friday is a monthly virtual program from the August Wilson African American Cultural Center, hosted by Literary Curator, Jessica Lanay. Started in 2020, LIT Friday aims to provide accessible conversations with emerging, mid-career, and established Black writers about their work and its connection to contemporary Black realities. LIT Friday is live on the final Friday of each month at 6pm EST via Zoom registration at AWAACC.org, Facebook, and YouTube. For November and December, out of respect for seasonal celebrations, LIT Friday is live on the second Friday of those months.
Follow the host and curator, Jessica Lanay, on her Instagram at @hanginthere_kitty, and subscribe to the August Wilson African American Cultural Center channel to catch up with LIT Friday if you miss it while it's live.
In this episode of LIT Friday, Emmai Alaquiva discusses the ins and outs of creating his critical documentary, Ebony Canal, an investigation into Black infant mortality death rates in the United States. Following the pregnancies of expecting mothers along with their families, this documentary takes a look at the intersection between society, birth, and disparity.
Emmai Alaquiva is an Emmy Award-Winning filmmaker, photographer, poet, and multidisciplinary artist who is manufacturing the future of digital art across the multiverse of mindful media. “The sky is not the limit,” says Alaquiva. He is proud to be the August Wilson African American Cultural Center’s inaugural B.U.I.L.D artist-in-resident during which he launched launched a national exhibit of photography, film, mixed media, and augmented reality called OPTICVOICES: Mama’s Boys.
