Wednesday, November 10, 2010

M.K. Asante

M.K. Asante
M.K. Asante is an award-winning author, filmmaker, and professor who thePhiladelphia Inquirer calls "a rare, remarkable talent that brings to mind the great artists of the Harlem Renaissance."
The author of three celebrated books, Asante is the recipient of the 2009 Langston Hughes Award. His latest book, It's Bigger Than Hip Hop, was hailed by the Los Angeles Times as "An empowering book that moves you to action and to question status quo America."
His other books are Beautiful. And Ugly Tooand Like Water Running Off My Back, winner of the Jean Corrie Prize from the Academy of American Poets.
An acclaimed filmmaker, Asante directed The Black Candle, a film he co-wrote with renowned poet Maya Angelou who also narrates the prize-winning film. He wrote and produced the film 500 Years Later, winner of five international film festival awards as well as the Breaking the Chains award from the United Nations. He also produced the multi award-winning film Motherland.
Asante studied at the University of London, earned a BA from Lafayette College, and an MFA from the UCLA School of Film and Television.
A dynamic speaker, Asante has presented in twenty-five countries as well as throughout the United States at hundreds of colleges, universities, libraries, conferences, and festivals.
He has been featured on numerous TV and radio programs including the CBS Early ShowNBC NewsTom Joyner Morning Show and NPR. Asante’s essays on music, politics, and culture have been published in USA TodayHuffington Post, and the San Francisco Chronicle.
Asante is a tenured professor of creative writing and film in the Department of English and Language Arts at Morgan State University.

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