Wanda's Picks

We open with an interview with Larry Americ Allen re: the World Premiere of "The Expulsion of Malcolm X," which opens in San Francisco at the Southside Theatre in Ft. Mason Center, Bldg. D., 3rd floor, (510) 213-0401. Directed by Michael Lange, the play runs F-Sat. 8 p.m., Sun., 3 p.m. April 12-May 5, 2013, browntickets. The next interview is with the subjects: Amlan Ganguly, Salim Shekh, and Sikha Patra, in Nicole Newnham and Maren Granger-Monsen's film, which opened in SF Bay Area theatres, April 5, 2013, The Revolutionary Optimists: How Far Would You Go to Change Your World?  Amlan Ganguly empowers children to become activists and educators, with powerful results. The Revolutionary Optimists follows him as he attempts to replicate his work in the brick fields outside the city, where children live and work in unimaginable conditions.Using street theater, puppetry, and dance as their weapons, the children in Calcutta's slums have cut their neighborhoods' malaria and diarrhea rates in half, and turned former

We open with an interview with Bay Area author, journalist and political columnist J. Douglas Allen-Taylor about his  first novel, Sugaree Rising, set in the South Carolina coastal area Lowcountry in the late Depression years and discuss his well-crafted female characters like narrator Yally, Aunt Soo, Na'Risa, Nana'Timbi, Eshy. . . to hold the bridge between the past and the present as this community of Gullah people face an enemy threatening to end their collective lives. They resist while Yally feet in the middle of the path finds no rest, as her beloved community seems to be unraveling and withit her identity. Sugaree shows there are many ways to die, some more painful than others. And what do we do with the dead who refuse burial? http://www.sugareerising.com/ Our next guest, David Roach is the founder of the Oakland International Film Festival, Apr. 4-7, 2013 http://www.oaklandinternationalfilmfestival.com/film-schedule/  We close with an interview with Bernadette Cooper her DIVA AND A TURNTABLE TOUR,

Wanda Sabir welcomes Simone Missick, (Camae) in Katori Hall's TheMountaintop at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley at the Lucie Stern Theatre in Palo Alto, CA, through Apr. 7, 2013 with performances Thursday, Friday and Sunday afternoon. Visit www.theatreworks.org Wanda's Picks is a black arts and culture show. Mountaintop looks at the evening before Martin Luther King is killed. The one act play  takes place at the Lorraine Motel the night before. King and Camae, a maid, spend the night together in conversation, comradery and comfort. We meet a King who smokes Pall Malls, is honest about his fears, loves his family, and is a devoted servant to his creator even when the two disagree. Visit http://www.theatreworks.org/ Our next guest Jovelyn Richards joins us as scheduled to speak about her Nappy Hair Love Stories and the kickstarter campaign to mount them all (4) this summer. Ms. Richards joins us to talk about her Nappy Headed Love Stories Series kickstarter campaign. We close with Konda Mason who speaks about the

We close our March celebration of women with a look at the legacy of Sojourner Truth, Rosa Parks, and Harriet Tubman. We start with a conversation with Avery Sharpe, a visionary composer, educator and musician whose work “Ain’t I a Woman” consists of compositions based on formerly enslaved abolitionist and women’s rights advocate, Sojourner Truth’s life, the title of the project taking its title from a speech she made for woman suffrage in Seneca Falls, NY, in 1851. See http://www.averysharpe.com/  Later in the show we continue this conversation with Paula M. Kimper, composer of  “Truth, a New Folk Opera about Sojourner Truth, the ex-slave, fiery abolitionist and women’s rights pioneer, Linda McInerney, director/co-creator and co-conceiver, is also founder and Artistic Director of Old Deerfield Productions; and Mari-Yan Pringle, who sings the lead. Visit http://truthopera.com/Between the two Truth conversations is a prerecorded interview with scholar and author, Dr. Jeanne Theoharis about her latest book: "Th

Women's History Month is closing with a bang in Berkeley with "Just Like a Woman," a concert featuring an all-star line up of women vocalists and musicians among them Rhonda Benin, the show's producer, with Paula Harris, Terrie Odabi, Kellye Gray and the Lillian Armstrong Tribute Band  with musicial director Tammy Hall, at the Freight and Salvage. Visit http://www.thefreight.org/event We close with an interview with Tobie Windham, a regular guest who joins us to talk about his latest role, "John," in Matthew Lopez's The Whipping Man opening at Marin Theatre Company March 28-April 21, 2013. Visit www.marintheatre.org (415) 388-5200. Music: Kim Nalley's "I Wish I Knew How It Felt to Be Free"; Keb'Mo's "Wake Up Everybody"; Karrin Allyson's "Spring Can Really Hang You Up," and Paula West's "Rolling Stone" (an excerpt).

"The Black Woman Is God," curated by Karen Seneferu is at the Sargent Johnson Gallery in SF, CA through May 30, 2013.  A self-taught artist that grew up in Oakland, California, receiving her BA in English from University of California, Berkeley she will speak about her interest in how individuals can be a part of mainstream society and maintain cultural integrity. In her academic hat Karen created a program that removed fear and anxiety for Foundational students called Take Flight at Berkeley City College. At the center of the program was the idea that narrative is art and art is narrative. Senferu's artwork is also a cross section of her teaching. She uses various mediums, such as installation, mix media sculpture, painting, and video to reveal the process of self empowerment and self- transformation. Zena Carlota Pearl Allen is a self-trained artist who uses the mediums of collage, painting, sculpture, and installation. In her art, which is currently a part of a number of exhibitions: Joyce Gordon Gallery i

Jacquie Jones joins us to speak about 180 Days: A Year inside an American High School, airing nationally on PBS March 25-26, 2015. The film follows a high five students at DC Met. Jones is the Executive Director of the National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC) and the Executive Producer of DC MET. Since taking over leadership of NBPC, Jacquie has established herself as a leader in the evolving next-media landscape through innovative partnerships and initiatives such as the Katrina Project, the ground-breaking New Media Institute, the Public Media Corps and blackpublicmedia.org. She was previously the Executive Vice President of ROJA Productions in New York City, a producer of high impact media for public television and museums. Jacquie is also a Peabody Award-winning producer and director of documentary films. Her credits include “Africans in America” and “Matters of Race” for PBS, “Behind Closed Doors: Sex in the 20th Century” for Showtime, and “The World Before Us,” for the History Channel. She has a BA

We speak to Albert Mazibuko about Ladysmith Black Mambazo – led by founder and leader Joseph Shabalala – which this year celebrates over fifty years of joyous and uplifting music that marries the intricate rhythms and harmonies of their native South African musical traditions to the sounds and sentiments of Christian gospel music. In those years, the a cappella vocal group has created a musical and spiritual alchemy that has touched a worldwide audience representing every corner of the religious, cultural and ethnic landscape. Their musical efforts over the past five decades have garnered praise and accolades within the recording industry, but also solidified their identity as a cultural force to be reckoned with. Assembled in the early 1960s in South Africa by Shabalala – then a young farmboy turned factory worker – the group took the name Ladysmith Black Mambazo – Ladysmith being the name of Shabalala’s rural hometown; Black being a reference to oxen, the strongest of all farm animals; and Mambazo being the

Deepa Dhanraj is a writer, director, and producer living in Bangalore, South India. She has produced and directed numerous an award-winning documentaries such as her latest film, Invoking Justice, which is a part of CAAM Film Festival 2013. Other films are: Something Like a War (Channel 4); The Legacy of Malthus (BBC 2); Sudesha (Faust Film/ARD); Nari Adalat/Women's Courts; and What Has Happened to This City? Her films have been screened on BBC, ARTE, ZDF, CBC, and SBS. Her films have been invited to festivals such as IDFA, Berlinale, Leipzig, Oberhausen, Films deFemmes, Creteil France,Tampere, Vancouver, and Chicago. She has a special interest in education and has created video materials to address challenges faced by first generation learners. Bill Bell, jazz pianist, composer, arranger has earned the title "Jazz Professor" for completing over 30 years of successful University and College jazz teaching.  He joins us to talk about his Spring concert Sunday, March 17, 2013 in Oakland. Before retiring in 2001,

Today we speak to Jennifer Phang about her futuristic thriller, Advantageous, which is screening with Mekong Hotel as a part of CAAM Festival Sat., March 16, 4 p.m. at PFA and Sun., Mar. 17, at 2:10 p.m.. at New People. In the film, Gwen is the spokesperson for a radical technology allowing people to overcome their natural disadvantages and begin life anew. But when her job and family are in crisis, will she undergo the procedure herself? Phang's presents an interesting premise. What will a mother sacrifice for her daughter’s future? Advantageous is an amazing playing out of the patriarchal system—and the look, a woman's look, "more universal" which means ethnic erasure. A true melting pot with benefits for the most visually assimilated. Gwen, a single mom, with school fees to pay, is suddenly too old to advance in her company and too Asian looking for that universal face caamedia.org Stephen Vittoria, director of "Long Distance Revolutionary: A Journey with Mumia Abu Jamal," opens at the New Parkway today (3

Rhodessa Jones joins us to talk about her latest work, The Resurrection of SHE opening at Brava Theatre where she is the current Artist in Residence March 28-April 7, 2013. Ms. Jones is Co-Artistic Director of the critically acclaimed San Francisco performance company Cultural Odyssey. An actress, teacher, singer, and writer, Jones is also the founder and director of the Medea Project: Theater for Incarcerated Women. On January 29, 2013 San Francisco Mayor Lee presented the 2013 Mayor's Art Award to Rhodessa Jones for her “lifetime of artistic achievement and enduring commitment to the role of the arts in civic life”. Rhodessa was selected as an "ARTS ENVOY" by the U.S. Department of State, Educational and Cultural Affairs Bureau in June/July 2012. She received grant support to journey to South Africa to continue her work in collaboration with Urban Voices Festival inside the Naturena Women's Prison in Johannesburg, South Africa and then journey on to participate in the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown,

We open with a rebroadcast of an interview with Joanna Haigood re: Sailing Away Sept. 13-16, 2012 on Market Street in San Francisco. Out & Equal at Work edited by Selisse Berry contributor:Christie Hardwick has more than thirty years of experience with Fortune 500 companies, nonprofit organizations and grassroots organizing efforts. She is also past president of the National Board of Directors for GLSEN: Gay, Lesbian, & Straight Education Network. She provides strategic thinking and personal guidance services to clients across the United States. Christie has facilitated the Out & Equal Executive Forum since 2008. Shirlene Holmes, playwright's work "A Lady and A Woman" is having its West coast debut next week, March 7-24 at the Eureka Theatre in SF. Dr. Holmes is an Associate Professor at Georgia State University presently. Her dramas are rooted in the African American experience and give voice to the marginalized in society and celebrate the profundity of the common person. www.TheRhino.org  Dave

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the writing, visual and performing arts of African people in the Diaspora. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work filled with raw unfettered passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay! Remember to tune in on Wednesdays from 6 AM PST to 7 or 8 AM and on Fridays from 8 AM to 10 AM. We also host special broadcasts from time to time.

The continuing story of Jerri Lange, a former Chronicle reporter; SFSU professor and longtime television host whose groundbreaking broadcasting career spanned several decades. Now in her late 80s, Jerri is still exploring, most recently becoming the student of a Master Zen Buddhist priest.  This exhibit follows not only her past work but focuses on her love for Japan and her ongoing spiritual journey. Meet Ms. Lange, Sunday, February 24, 2013, 2 PM in the Koret Auditorium, Lower Level, Main Library. http://sfpl.org/index.php?pg=1012883001 Belva Davis has been a fixture in Bay Area journalism for more than five decades. Since becoming the first black female television journalist in the West in 1964, she has covered events of local, national, and international scope. Her tribute, hosted by former SF Mayor Willie Brown is Feb. 23, 7 p.m. is at YBCA's Forum. Visit http://ybca.org/belvadavis Teri Simmons pops into the studio to talk about the big free gospel concert this weekend, Sunday, Feb. 24, 4 p.m. at S

Ms. Aisha Brown who joins us to talk about African American Organizations Making Connections 2, this Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, at Laney College in Oakland, CA, works as a Senior Legislative Aide for Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson in the Fifth District. For over ten years, Aisha has worked for Supervisor Carson on policy in the areas of workforce and economic development, STEM (Science Technology, Engineering and Math), social services, early care and education, and housing. Ms. Brown is a native of Oakland, CA, graduating from Skyline High School. She attended San Francisco State University where she received a Bachelors of Arts degree in Clinical Psychology and a Master’s degree in Organizational Management. Ms. Brown is the President of Black Women Organized For Political Action (BWOPA), the Oakland/Berkeley Chapter, one of the oldest women’s political organizations in the state of California. To register visit: http://aamakingconnections2013.eventbrite.com/#Omitola Toluwalase Akinwunmi, MA, psycholo

We open with an interview with Mama Charlotte Hill O'Neal about her "Heal the Community Tour 2013"; We then shift into a conversation with Rev. Dr. Leslie White, senior pastor of St. Paul AME Church, 2420 Ashby Ave., Berkeley, CA, about the Second Annual Voices of Healing Concert, Feb. 24, 2013, 4 p.m. Admission is free. We close with a rebroadcast of an interview with Whitney Young's neice, Bonnie Boswell, about her film Power Broker:Whitney Young's Fight for Civl Rights, which airs Feb. 18, 2013 on ITVS. 

This is a rebroadcast of the June 22, 2012 show: Gina Breedlove speaks about the community healing:One Billion Rising Bay Area, 6/24/12, at Civic Center Park (MLK At Allston Way, across from Berkeley High). http://www.bayarearising We close with an interview with San Francisco Silent Film Festival director, Anita Monga about "Silent Winter," a day long series of wonderful film classics with live musical performances this Saturday, Feb. 16, 2013, 10 am until. The festival takes place at the Castro theatre in San Francisco. Visit www.silentfilm.org for all day passes and information on programming.

Bryant Bolling, speaks to us about TuBeNu Productions "Black Like Me in America: A Musical Journey through Slavery, at Joyce Gordon Gallery, Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013, 4-6 p.m. It is a free event. He was joined by Derek "Mac Quan," a wonderful poet who will share the program with Bryant. Next in the studio is Kim McMillon playwright who drops in to talk about her latest work, "Black Heaven" and a staged reading at The Frank Bette Center, 7-9 p.m., 1601 Paru Street (at Lincoln) in Alameda, CA, (510) 523-6957. This is another free event (smile). Victor Lawhorn was commissioned to write a play about aviator, Bessie Coleman, 12 years ago. "A Shadow in the Clouds: The Story of Bessie Coleman," which opens tonight at Black Rep in Berkeley. He is joined by actress Nathalie Autumn Bennett, who plays Queen Bessie. We close with our annual conversation with Laura Elaine Ellis with special guests, among them Latanya Tigner and Deborah Vaughn to talk about this years celebration of Dimensions Dance Theatre and "The 9th Anniv

Today we interview Ms. Bonnie Boswell, niece of Civil Rights Leader, Whitney Young. Young is the subject of a new film, Power Broker, airing on ITVS this month, Feb. 18. Executive Producer and Producer of Power Broker: Whitney Young's Fight for Civil Rights, Ms. Boswell, is an award-winning reporter, producer, commentator and talk show host. A graduate of Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boswell won a Golden Mike Award for a one-hour news program she created for NBC. Mrs. Boswell has been a news reporter for NBC-TV, Los Angeles, the co-host of a national cable television news talk show and and an associate producer for ABC’s 20/20.

We kicked off the show with a broadcast of an interview looking at the musicality of Langston Hughes's poetry. On what would have been the poet's 111 birthday. When the Weary Blues Met Jazz, Langston Hughes's collaboration with Charles Mingus and Leonard Feather, is a part of the wonderful Poetry Foundation--audioitem/713. We follow this recording with a live interview with narrative features programmer for SF Indie Fest, Holly Roach, who will speak to us about this 15th Anniversary. Visit http://sfindie.com/ There is a special Superbowl event on Sunday, Feb. 3, at the Roxie Theatre. Joy Elan, poet, teacher, writer, scholar, whose book Signs of Life, Past, Present, and Future (2011), is next. I first met Joy at the Empowering Women of Color Conference March 2012 at UC Berkeley. Visit http://www.joyelan.webs.com/  Guetty Felin, joins us to talk about her latest film, Broken Stones, which creatively uses an edifice to depict the tragic events and her people's resilience during and since the earthquake three yea