Toni Brown Memorial Service
April 25, 2008
I am deeply saddened to share that Toni Brown, a prolific Black lesbian poet and short fiction writer based in Philadelphia made her physical transition on April 19, 2008. Toni was a sister friend to so many people in the Philadelphia community and beyond. She was a sister cultural worker and sister organizer who always created spaces where other women artists, especially writers, to gather to share their work both privately and publicly. I had the privilege of knowing her and crisscrossing paths with her since the mid-90s.
Following is an announcement from the Leeway Foundation.
Toni Brown, Philadelphia poet and short fiction writer, passed away on Saturday, April 19, 2008, surrounded by her loved ones. Local services will held this Sunday, April 27th, at The Painted Bride Art Center, 230 Vine Street in Old City. For more information, please contact Janet Mason.
Attendees are invited to bring memories, photos if they have them, and light refreshments to share.
Toni’s work has been published in journals and anthologies including Sinister Wisdom, Night Bites: Vampire Stories by Women, NightShade: Gothic Tales by Women, American Poetry Review, Fireweed, and has been recently accepted for Prairie Schooner. A Cave Canem Fellow, she co-edited the Cave Canem 5th Anniversary Anthology and served as Senior Editor for the Painted Bride Quarterly Journal. In 2001, she received a Leeway Foundation Emerging Artist Award in Poetry.
Special Note: Dr. Niama Williams will be hosting a radio memorial program in honor of Toni on Monday, April 28 from 6:00-7:00 p.m. EST on blogtalkradio. She is looking for contributors to share their ‘Toni poems’ and memories. If you plan to call in, please email Dr. Ni before 4:00 p.m. on Monday April 28 with your name and the number you will be calling from so that she knows it is you on the line.
The Leeway Foundation extends its deepest sympathy to the family and friends of
Toni Brown.
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Technorati Tags: , Cave Canem Fellow, Leeway Foundation, Painted Bride Art Center, Philadelphia Poet, Short Fiction Writer, Toni Brown Memorial
The passing of Toni Brown, my dear friend, has left me with inconsolable grief. I met her in the summer of 1994 and have loved her since. To say she will be missed in no way captures the emptiness…..the void, her leaving has caused. Thank you for giving tribute to her profound talent, and for acknowledging the power of her presence and her voice.
Peace……..Ann