Calling all poets, performers and academics. Tarrant County College Northwest will host renowned writer/musician/educator G’Ra Asim during its inaugural, free TCC Northwest Campus Mixtape: Memoir and Media event April 9-11 featuring live performances, academic presentations, creative workshops and open mic poetry.
Organizers anticipate a dynamic project as the public joins members of the TCC community in a showcase of skills on a compilation of music, typically by different artists, recorded onto a cassette tape or other medium — a mixtape.
“The event is designed to inspire anyone to test their creative abilities,” said Carroll Savant, professor of English at TCC Northwest. “Multiple methods are being offered to help people test their creative energies, whether in the visual arts, the performing arts, creative writing or scholarship.”
TCC Northwest Campus Mixtape: Memoir and Media is a product of the campus Common Reader Program and exists to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and community engagement. Professor Asim’s book, Boyz N the Void, is TCC Northwest’s common read text for the 2023-24 academic year. More than 300 students are using the book across 14 sections of classes.
“Mr. Asim’s exploration of identity, personal history and creativity will encourage attendees to explore what inspires them to create,” Savant added. “He’ll also invite those in attendance to tap into their innate creative powers to engage their pasts and enhance their futures.”
All events will be in the NW01 building. The schedule (https://bit.ly/NWCampusMixtape):
- April 9 – Participants start recording their performances.
- April 10 – G’Ra Asim delivers remarks, reads from his book and performs with his band.
- April 11 – Asim facilitates a creative writing workshop for attendees during the morning session followed by SlamCon: Open Mic Poetry in the afternoon.
About G’Ra Asim
G’Ra Asim is an assistant professor of nonfiction writing at Ithaca College. He holds an MFA in nonfiction from Columbia University and a BA in writing, literature and publishing from Emerson College. He has served as writing director at the African American Policy Forum and as a graduate teaching fellow in Columbia’s Undergraduate Writing Program. His work has appeared in Slate, Salon, Guernica, The Baffler and The New Republic. When not writing prose or teaching, he sings, plays bass and writes lyrics for NYC DIY pop punk band babygotbacktalk, which was named one of Afropunk’s Top 8 Punkest Bands on the Planet Right Now.
Tarrant County College is one of the nation’s largest higher education institutions and boasts the second lowest tuition of Texas’ Top 10 community colleges. A comprehensive two-year college with six campuses in Tarrant County and online classes, TCC offers a range of opportunities for learners of all ages and backgrounds, including Associate of Arts and Associate of Applied Science degrees; workforce and economic development programs; technical and skilled trades programs; and customized training for area businesses and corporations.