“PART OF BEING A REVOLUTIONARY IS CREATING A VISION THAT IS MORE HUMANE. THAT IS MORE FUN, TOO. THAT IS MORE LOVING. IT’S REALLY WORKING TO CREATE SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL.”
ASSATA SHAKUR.
Joy persists when we tell stories. Be it in writing what is blissful, or in creating through grief and darkness. Joy can illuminate like the sun bearing down and burrowing into our skin, or it can peak through the cracks of our fingers as we shade sudden bursting lights from blinding us. To me, creating stories is The Joy.
Join this reading room session guided by a reading list, texts and prompts encouraging open discussions.
Reading Room Co-Curator, Vuma Phiri is a Zambian-born storyteller. Her writing has been published in the anthology, Under the Paving Stones, the Beach, and in Black Ballad UK, Ubwali Literary Magazine and SBS Voices. She is among the 2024 recipients of the Centre for Stories Hot Desk Fellowship. She was shortlisted for the 2024 Kat Muscat Fellowship for Writers and Editors. She is a spoken word poet who performs and reads her work for audiences throughout WA.
joy persists reading list
1. Unlimited Futures: Speculative, Visionary Blak and Black Fiction – edited by Ellen Van Neervan and Rafeif Ismail
2. Fire Front: First Nation’s Power Today edited by Alison Whittaker
3. Homecoming - Elfie Shiosaki
4. Parable of the Sower – Octavia E. Butler
5. When The Poems Do What They Do - aja monet (available on music streaming apps)
6. The Masters Tools Will Never Dismantle the Masters House – Audre Lorde
7. Rock Flight – Hasib Hourani
8. Meet Me at the Intersection edited by Ambelin Kwaymullina and Rebecca Lim
9. Kumukanda - Kayo Chingoyo
10. All the Black Girls Are Activists: A Fourth Wave Womanist Pursuit of Dreams as
Radical Resistance – Ebony Janice Moore
11. Home Is Not a Country – Safia Elhillo
12. Carefree Black Girls: A Celebration of Black Women in Pop Culture – Zeba Blay
13. The Flirtation Of Girls: Ghazal el-Banat - Sara M Saleh
14. Father of the Lost Boys – Yuot A. Alaak
15. Africa’s Tarnished Name – Chinua Achebe
16. Washed Over: ...Or, Things Dedicated - Reinfred Dziedzorm Addo
17. Queer Palestine and the Empire of Critique – Sa’ed Atshan
18. Tiwi Story: Turning History Downside Up – Mavis Kerinaiua and Laura Rademaker
19. Refuge: The Collected Poetry of JJ Bola – JJ Bola (Kindle/ebook)
20. Their Eyes Were Watching God – Zora Neale Hurston
Venue Info
opening hours
Fri 16 10am-4pm
Sat 17 10am-4pm
Sun 18 10am-6pm
Tue 20 10am-8.30pm
Wed 21 10am-4pm
Thu 22 10am – 4pm
Fri 23 10am-4pm
Sat 24 10am-4pm
Sun 25 10am-8pm
PS Art Space (PS) is a progressive project space for the experience of contemporary art which presents a curated program of exhibitions and events by Australian and international artists. Sensitively restored, the heritage listed building is located in the heart of Walyalup/Fremantle’s historic West End precinct, PS has become one of Boorloo/Perth’s most exciting and experimental platform to experience contemporary culture.
PS Art Studios (PS) is also home to Western Australia's largest independent artists studios. With a total of 36 spaces PS art Studios, is populated by a very diverse and committed community of contemporary practitioners working across a broad spectrum of disciplines.
This exhibition will be in PS's main gallery which is wheelchair accessible.
Soul Alphabet held it’s first event at PS as part of Another Antipodes public program in June 2017. Closing Soul Alphabet here is a full circle moment.
This project is supported by City of Fremantle | 10 NIGHTS IN PORT 2024 Festival.