New anthology, edited by Khadijah Ali-Coleman
Performance artist and writer, Khadijah Ali-Coleman, a resident of Fort Washington, Maryland, last year was working a rigorous 9 to 5 job, commuting to Baltimore and rushing home to find enough hours in the day to spend time with her family and devote time to her creative passions. Today, she is editor of a recently published book-- Liberated Muse Volume I: How I Freed My Soul (Outskirts Press, 2009)-- which she is promoting in a unique book tour which features music and readings from the contributors to the book. One of the contributors to the book is local PG County visual artist, Sharon Burton. Burton, a mixed-media visual artist who is the owner of Authentic Contemporary Art--a consulting group that provides opportunities for individuals who are interested in visual art to learn more about collecting and conserving art through workshops, gallery visits and special events.
"I didn't know that [my work] was going to be the cover until about a month ago," wrote Burton on her blog. "[The announcement]
Burton and dozens of other writers and visual artists submitted visual art, poems, essays, prose and short stories to Ali-Coleman in late 2008 when Ali-Coleman put out a call for submissions for an anthology that would revolve around the concept of "freeing one's soul". Out of the many selections, a select few were included in the anthology which became available for purchase in June 2009. Burton's two selections were chosen, one gracing the cover, and another piece within the book.
"It was truly amazing, the caliber of work, that was submitted for inclusion in this book," said Ali-Coleman.
Ali-Coleman, co-founder of the online social network www.LiberatedMuse.com, is a patron and participant in the arts, performing nationally with the performance group The Saartjie Project. When deciding to put out the anthology, Ali-Coleman made the personal choice to begin focusing full-time on her own artistic pursuits. She also began to see the arts as a way to create opportunities for those who were less advantaged.
"We began a book tour for the book and put a call out for donations during our first stop at the Potter's House in DC," recalls Ali-Coleman. "That evening, we raised almost $400. We were able to give that money to four low-income recent high school graduates who needed assistance paying for college expenses such as housing deposits and enrollment fees."
Ali-Coleman has scheduled book tours locally and is in talks with the PG County Library System to possibly facilitate workshops for aspiring artists-in-thought who are interested in new ways to liberate their muse.
"Liberated Muse is a movement ," says vocalist Quineice Clarkson, a PG County resident who has been a featured performer in the past promotions for the book and is a member of the online network www.LiberatedMuse.com.
The book is available for purchase online at http://www.OutskirtsPress.com/
