September is National Literacy Month. In
celebration of National Literacy Month, Tex-
as Literacy Connection Corporation (TLC),
in collaboration with The Dock Bookshop
and Friends of Cobb Park, will host the 4th
Annual DFW Literary SoulFEST Saturday,
September 29, 2012. The event will be along
Cobb Park Drive West at the New Cobb
Park, one of the oldest and largest parks in
Fort Worth that was completely refurbished
in 2012, in which, Fort Worth Parks & Com-
munity Services Department dedicated $4
million to improvements.
The goal of this festival is to advocate,
promote, and celebrate literary arts and litera-
cy and bring community awareness to issues
concerning our youth, health, environment,
and economy as well as support the mission
of TLC - building reading skills and trans-
forming lives.
TLC is dedicated to creative and innova-
tive actions to promote literacy based on the
National Literacy Act of 1991 definition of
literacy: "an individual's ability to read, write
and speak in English and compute and solve
problems at levels of proficiency necessary to
function on the job and in society to achieve
one's goals and develop one's knowledge and
potential." DFW Literary SoulFEST brings
together the novice reader, authors, publish-
ers, poets, writers, artists, book clubs, avid
readers, scholars, families, students, educa-
tors, aspiring actors/actresses, organizations,
churches and businesses. From this collective
energy, we hope to cultivate new readers and
enlighten seasoned readers in the surrounding
communities.
This event was founded by Donya
Craddock, Donna Craddock and Dominique
Johnson, owners of The Dock Bookshop.
Why A Literary Celebration Octavia Butler was an American science
fiction writer, one of the best-known among
the few African-American women in the
field. In 1979, she published Kindred, a novel
that uses the science-fiction staple of time
travel to explore slavery in the United States.
The literary expression of African Americans
has always been a tale of life realities wheth-
er dealing with historical experiences in sci-
ence fiction or love in romance. Literary
works, like music, have become a tool that
reflects the African-American experience
from one generation to the next generation.
This legacy continues by us creating and/or
reclaiming and maintaining a literate envi-
ronment.
To understand and appreciate literacy is to
understand the African American literacy and
literary history beginning in Africa as cradle
of civilization and the birthplace of the writ-
ten word script that pre-dates our Latin-based
writing system of standard contemporary
English. Ancient Egypt along the Nile River
valley, the Nubian of the Eastern Sudan and
the Axumites of the Ethiopia highlands had
their own forms of writing. In the case of
Egypt (Kemet) hieroglyphics were in use by
3300BCE. (continued on page 2)
In this Guide: Why A Literary Celebration, 1-2
Event Highlights, 2
Literary Parade Grand Marshals, 3
Authors & Presentations, 4
Event Schedule, 5
Upcoming Events, 6
Businesses & Supporters, 7-8
The next major literary influence on the
African continent was in a script known as
ajami and abjab commonly referred to re-
spectfully as Yoruba or Arabic and Hebrew.
During the past 20 years ancient African
manuscripts were rediscovered in Timbuktu,
Mali. Over a million manuscripts were re-
cently rediscovered in Timbuktu, Mali and
about 20 million more in West Africa. These
manuscripts date back from 12th to 16th cen-
tury period. Prior to the rediscovery of these
manuscripts, people thought Africa had no
written tradition and that it was only oral
tradition according to the International Muse-
um of Muslim Cultures. Hence, prior to the
MAAFA or African enslavement there was a
great appreciation of the written word and
books was a very valuable commodity.
European languages such as French, Eng-
lish, and Portuguese begin to spread in the
fifteenth century in West Africa. During the
Transatlantic Slave Trade period, Olaudah
Equiano and Otta-bau Cugoano were en-
slaved Africans who learned to read and
write. They both gained their freedom in the
late eighteenth century and wrote books con-
demning the Atlantic slave trade.
During slavery legislators enacted a dra-
conian body of public laws, making two
forms of literacy punishable by law: mastery
of letters, and the mastery of the drum. These
two forms of literacy were related to the Afri-
can slave capacity to rebel. The Stono Rebel-
lion, the largest uprising of slaves in the colo-
nies, was related to Africans becoming lit-
erate prior to the literacy laws.
Now we come to celebrate two centuries of
writing in English by person of African de-
cent in the United States. We kickoff our
literacy celebration with the talking drum in
the DFW Literary SoulFEST parade.
Donya Craddock, 9/25/2009
DFW Literary SoulFEST Highlights
Why a Literary Celebration continued from page 1
Dallas / Fort Worth Literary SoulFEST Guide September 2012 page 2
BUY BOOKS
WWW.THEDOCKBOOKSHOP.COM
Dallas / Fort Worth Literary SoulFEST Guide September 2012 page 3
Council District
8 Councilwom-
an Kelly Allen
Gray
Kelly Allen Gray
was sworn in as
the District 8
Councilmember
July 10, 2012.
Community Ser-
vice is nothing
new to Allen Gray. She started early in her
District 8 neighborhood collecting money
door-to-door for the family of a neighbor
who had passed away. It was this early com-
munity service that gave Allen Gray her first
opportunity to walk District 8, learning her
neighbors and their needs.
Allen Gray, a graduate Polytechnic High
School and Texas A&M - Commerce, contin-
ued her service to the community she grew
up as the executive director of the United
Riverside Rebuilding Corporation, helping
her neighbors gain assistance in weatherizing
their homes, obtaining needed home repairs
and, in some cases, building their first homes.
Allen Gray served as President of the PTO
at Our Mother of Mercy Catholic School for
four years and currently serves on the
school's board of directors. She also serves
on the board of Streams and Valleys, which
included the Riverside Trailhead Committee.
She has served on the boards of the North
Texas Housing Coalition and Neighborhood
Housing Services.
CHURCHIN - Church News Magazine
Owner, Michael
W. Jordan, Sr
Michael W. Jor-
dan, Sr. is a life-
long native of
Fort Worth, Texas
where he
graduated from
the historic I.M.
Terrell High
School and at-
tended both Okla-
homa City Southwestern College and Tarrant
County College in the
early 1970's.
He has been a businessman and church
musician for over 30 years and started, by
divine intervention, CHURCHIN' News
Magazine in 2006. Since then the magazine
has become the premier church news publica-
tion in Tarrant County as it serves the entire
church community. Mr. Jordan says he start-
ed the magazine to fulfill a longing desire to
show all the uninformed people that churches
are in indeed very
active with ministry
and answering the call
of serving their com-
munities both spiritu-
ally and physically
through various out-
reach efforts and min-
istry opportunities.
Mr. Jordan also
owns and operates
MW Jordan Publish-
ing, which is a service
and products business
specializing in full
service printing, ban-
ners and sign making.
He is a member of the
Minority Leaders &
Citizens Council of
Fort Worth, The Fort
Worth Southside Opti-
mist Club and serves
faithfully as musician
at Greater Saint Ste-
phen First Church
where Dr. M.A. Bell is
Pastor. Michael W.
Jordan is proud father of 2 children, Joyclyn
Blackshear and Michael Jordan, Jr. and 2
grandchildren, Jadalyn and Divinity.
ISIS Brantley (Mother, Business Owner,
Master Braider, Author, Lecturer, Trail-
blazer, Icon) & Grand Marshal for "The
300" symbolic of a small number making a
mighty impact.
Some may have come to know Isis as the
Dallas-bound woman
angry at TSA after
agents stopped and
searched her afro while
she went through securi-
ty at Atlanta's Hartsfield
-Jackson airport. Most
know Master natural
hair stylist, Isis Brant-
ley, as a vibrant spokes-
woman for black ances-
tral culture for over thirty years. An iconic
adorner and educator in the beauty industry,
Isis has maintained a presence in her commu-
nity, as well as established herself as a well-
known icon in the
struggle for cultural
identity for African
Americans, after her
decade long battle with
the State of Texas re-
garding anti-braiding
regulations.
In 1997 Isis was
arrested for braiding
hair without a license.
Although at the time, no laws in the state of
Texas required braiders to be licensed, many
in the community saw the arrest as an attempt
by the state to intimidate underground braid-
ers and subject them to the same require-
ments as cosmetologists. Isis, who was tar-
geted by the State because of her widespread
reputation as one of the best braiders in the
state, was not intimidated. A firm believer of
constitutional justice, Isis fought for what she
believed was a violation of her civil rights by
the state of Texas. Isis is single handedly
known nationwide as Naturally Isis, the guru
of Natural Hair Care. Stylist to many clients
across the country and including celebrity
soulstress Erykah Badu, Isis is deeply in-
volved in building and expanding her busi-
ness, with the promotion of her hair care
products appropriately donned, Sisters of
Isis , and upcoming release of three books:
Hair Once Sacred, Now Desecrated, Braid
Raid, and Olayinka's Magic Beaded Comb.
Grand Marshals for the 4th Annual 2012 DFW Literary Parade
MEET THE
2012 DFW
LITERARY
SOULFEST
AUTHORS
MEET Melody "AFI" Bell,
a GRIOT (gree-o); traveling storyteller, musician and poet. She touches thou-sands of children and adults with her heart felt talent. Melody uplifts the spirit of all people regard-less of age. Melody has a
gift that must be shared.
“Under the law of nature,
all men are born free, eve-
ry one comes into the
world with a right to his
own person, which in-
cludes the liberty of mov-
ing and using it at his own
will. This is what is called
personal liberty, and is
given him by the Author”
10:00-11:00 – Music 11:00a-12:00p Welcome Occasion Overview Recognitions
SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES September 29, 2012
PROGRAM PARADE 10 am
Starting: Cobb Park at Glen Gardens & Berry Entrance
Route: Cobb Park Dr Ending: Stage area
Line Up Time: 9:00am Start Time: 10:00 am
Cost: Free
COACHES FOR LITERACY BASKETBALL
11:00-4:00p
SPECIAL PERFORMANCES BY The Suave Band
Dezyne Griot/Storyteller Melody Afi Bell
National Performance Poets Anthony Douglas and Be Wise
and other artists and musicians
YOUTH ACTIVITIES
Children, Young Reader, Teen Books Face painting Storytelling
Written Wonders of the World Bingo
Boardgames Games and more
Occasion with an Introduction to the African American Lit-erary Traditions with Amin Ojouk
11:00a-12:00p Awards & Recognitions Grand Marshals Special Honor to Fort Worth Historian, Reby Cary Partners & Supporters Authors & Vendors
Celebrity Author Toya Carter
12:00-1:00p Author Runway Part 1 A Word to Parents, Educators & Students Written Wonders of the Word Author Kwan Entertainment
1:00-2:00p Author Runway Part 2 Books Beauty & Beyond Historical Analysis of Donald Goines Entertainment
2:00-3:00p Vendor Runway Part 1 Authors Sheila Lipsey & Pat Tucker Poetry in the Park
3:00-4:00p Vendor Runway Part 2 Entertainment Closing Remarks
Dallas / Fort Worth Literary SoulFEST Guide September 2012 page 5
Dallas / Fort Worth Literary SoulFEST Guide September 2012 page 6
UPCOMING EVENTS
Wed. Oct. 3—Presidential Debate Viewing Party, 8pm The Dock Bookshop.
Sat. Oct. 6—Pens and Pancakes Writers Brunch: What’s Your Next Step, 10a-12p The Dock
Sat, Oct. 6—Native Omaha in Texas, 12noon Lynn Creek Park inside Joe Pool Lake
Sat. Oct. 6—Fort Worth Conscious Movement 1st An-nual Blackout Networking Banquet, 7p Glen Garden Country Club 2916 Glen Garden Dr. Fort Worth 76119
Sat. Oct. 13—Candle-Making Workshop, 1-4p The Dock
Sat. Oct. 13—Zion Age of Aquarius Party featuring Poet-ry of TepRa, 8-11p
Sat. Oct. 20—Sankofa Caravan to Ancestors for more info contact NBUF 214-460-7672
Sat. Oct. 20—Texas Rose Festival, Tyler, TX
Sat. Oct. 27—Educators Appreciation, 11a-1p, The Dock
Sat. Nov. 3—2012 Nappiology Expo, 8a-7p, Hurst Con-ference Center
Fri. Nov. 23—Black Friday Event. 9a-12noon, The Dock
Sat. Nov. 24—Winter Wonderland of Reading, 12noon-2p, The Dock
BUY BOOKS
WWW.THEDOCKBOOKSHOP.COM
BUSINESSES &
LITERARY SUPPORTERS
Thanks to all the Organiza-
tions, Book Clubs, Businesses
who support Reading & Inde-
pendent Bookstores!!!
www.dallasgospelconnection.com
Dallas / Fort Worth Literary SoulFEST Guide September 2012 page 7
Naturally Isis
17290 Preston Road Suite 104
Dallas, Texas 75252
214-946-1460
Naturally Isis
2642 S. Beckley
Dallas, Texas 75224
214-329-3820
Website: [email protected]
Intelligent Bookmarkery—Visit us at www.book-inz.com
BUY BOOKS
WWW.THEDOCKBOOKSHOP.COM