When Madison Ford and Will Evans were dreaming of headliners for Deep Vellum’s inaugural music and literature festival, Hanif Abdurraqib was at the top of their list.
But they weren’t sure if they’d be able to book the MacArthur Foundation "Genius" grant winner and New Yorker contributor, with a charming Instagram presence, in time.
“There is an energy in the room when Hanif engages an audience that feels very special,” said Ford, programming director for the Deep Ellum-based publisher and bookstore. “There's not a lot of artifice to the way he performs his work. It feels more like an exchange, which I think is quite beautiful.”
Whether you’re an NBA obsessive, music aficionado or voracious reader, Abdurraqib’s work connects with a broad audience as he deftly uses subjects like basketball or pop singer Carly Rae Jepsen to explore themes of grief, love and longing.
Abdurraqib will headline an event with musician and poet Jamila Woods at Sons of Hermann Hall on Saturday night.
“I think that people think about a reading as a thing where someone's sitting in front of a music stand and turning [pages]. My readings aren't like that,” Abdurraqib said. “I think of myself as someone who is performing, not just performing my work but performing an opportunity for connection.”
The Ohio native is proud of his hometown of Columbus, but Abdurraqib feels an affinity for Texas too.
“It disheartens me and frustrates me when I hear people talk about the American South specifically as this almost like cartoonishly stereotypical place where only one type of person or if they're being quote unquote generous, only two types of people live. That's just not the case," he said.
One of Abdurraqib’s favorite things about Dallas is its rich literary scene.
“There are readers everywhere, and because there are readers everywhere, cities have to find a way to cater to what those readers are looking for and what they desire,” he said. “And they have to find a way to open those readers up to new things that they did not know they desired but still do. And I think Dallas has done such a great job of that.”
Abdurraqib said that more people should take note of literary scenes across the South, from Dallas to Oxford, MS and Birmingham, AL.
Deep Vellum is part of the local literary scene’s growth. Storytelling is for everyone, Ford said, and this event is one of the ways that they hope to reach more people.
“This is not a series of book clubs where we expect people to have done homework. We just want people to get together and hear some good stories,” she continued.
The event kicks off with tacos and translations at Ruins on Friday night. Events will continue at places like Kettle Art Gallery, Undermain Theatre and Poets Books featuring North Texas musicians like Ceci Ceci and DAMOYEE and local poets Aaron Brown and Reverie Koniecki.
Details: The Deep Vellum Music and Literature Festival kicks off at 6 p.m. on July 10 and ends with an 11 a.m. session of poetry and jazz music. Various venues. Daytime events are free. Ticketed gatherings start at $15. Headliner show with Hanif Abdurraqib and Jamila Woods Saturday at Sons of Hermann Hall. $30.
