For FAWQ’s Sake!: Halifax Launch
Fernwood Publishing, Bus Stop Theatre and Venus Envy Halifax are pleased to invite you to the Halifax book launch of FREQUENTLY ASKED WHITE QUESTIONS. Free and open to the public.
Featuring: - the authors, Ajay Parasram and Alex Khasnabish - poetry by El Jones - stand up by Chanel Freire - music by General Khan
This venue is wheelchair accessible. Refreshments will be available on site and books will be sold by Venus Envy Halifax.
Ajay Parasram is a multigenerational transnational byproduct of the British empire, with roots in South Asia, the Caribbean and the settler cities of Halifax, Ottawa and Vancouver. He is an associate professor in the Departments of International Development Studies, History and Political Science at Dalhousie University in Kjipuktuk (Halifax), unceded Mi’kma’ki. His research interests surround the colonial present, or the many ways through which strings of historical colonial entanglements continue to tighten the limit of political action today, and how those strings might be undone.
Alex Khasnabish is a writer, researcher and teacher committed to collective liberation living in Halifax, on unceded and unsurrendered Mi’kmaw territory. He is a professor in sociology and anthropology at Mount Saint Vincent University. His research focuses on radical imagination, radical politics, social justice and social movements.
El Jones is a poet, journalist, professor and activist living in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She teaches at Mount Saint Vincent University, where she was named the 15th Nancy’s Chair in Women’s Studies in 2017. She was Halifax’s Poet Laureate from 2013 to 2015. She is the author of Live from the Afrikan Resistance!, a collection of poems about resisting white colonialism. Her work focuses on social justice issues, such as feminism, prison abolition, anti-racism and decolonization. Since 2016, she has co-hosted a radio show called Black Power Hour, on CKDU-FM where listeners from prisons call in to rap and read their poetry, providing a voice to people who rarely get a wide audience.
For the last decade Chanel Freire has had the pleasure of telling jokes all over Atlantic Canada. She finds her humour in the darker areas of life and is never at a loss for material with society crumbling beautifully around her. When she’s not connecting with strangers in the cozy boathalls of Minto or the firehalls of Sydney she can be found making miniatures in silence while planning her commune; yes you ARE invited. Chanel has been part of the Halifax comedy festival, the Hub Cap Comedy festival and can be found on Sirius radio as well as Spotify
General Khan is a local artist and community organizer, born and raised in Kjipuktuk, Mi’kma’ki (Halifax, Nova Scotia). For General Khan, poetry is an expression that is tied to her identity as a displaced Pashtun. Her debut album, Wrath of Khan, released on April 30th, 2021. General Khan’s art style is influenced by her lived experiences with oppression such as white supremacy, colonialism, displacement, racism, islamophobia disability justice, and more. General Khan is also a local community organizer. She is known for her overwhelming passion and commitment to dismantling systems of oppression. At most actions, you’ll find her on the megaphone chanting. Those closest to her know her for her big smile and an even bigger heart.
Co-sponsored by Venus Envy Halifax.
More about: Frequently Asked White Questions.