January 2026
MLK Day Celebration with the Center for Multicultural Student Services
Wednesday, January 21st | 6:30 - 7:30PM | Wilson Hall
Join us to celebrate the legacy of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in a collaboration with the Center for Multicultural Student Services. The event will feature a reading by Furious Flower staff member Nikema Bell and a keynote address by Donzaleigh Abernathy, Goddaughter of Dr. King.
February 2026
Furious Flower Broadside Exhibition Reception
Friday, February 6nd | 5-7PM | Caridnal House
Theme: Oshun Rising
Venue: The Furious Flower Poetry Center
Join us for another Arts Council of the Valley First Friday Downtown Art Tour reception featuring our first exhibit of the semester, Oshun Rising, on February 6th, from 5-7 p.m. at Furious Flower Poetry Center, Cardinal House, 500 Cardinal Dr. This exhibit was curated by Furious Flower Founder, Dr. Joanne V. Gabbin, to honor her 80th birthday. Light refreshments provided. Free and open to the public.
Go to the Broadside Gallery Webpage to find out more!
AAAD 16th Annual Interdisciplinary Conference
February 11th-13th | Hybrid
Furious Flower is a proud partner of the African, African American, and Diaspora Studies (AAAD) Department and its annual interdisciplinary conference. This year’s conference theme is Sanctuary: Sites of Survival and Spontaneity. As part of this collaboration, Furious Flower is honored to host featured speaker Bettina Judd as one of the conference’s main events. Learn more about the full conference offerings on the AAAD Conference website.
Furious Flower Reading Series: D.M. Aderibigbe
Wednesday, February 25th | 5-6:30PM | The Golden Pony
Our first reading series event of the spring! The Furious Flower Reading Series is proud to welcome poet, D.M. Aderibigbe, author of 82nd Division (Akashic Books, forthcoming). Aderibigbe will read at the Golden Pony, followed by a book signing. An open-mic will be available for those wishing to share their own work before the program begins.
Aderbigbie is from Lagos, Nigeria. He’s the author of 82nd Division (Akashic Books, forthcoming), winner of the National Poetry Series and How the End First Showed (University of Wisconsin Press, 2018), winner of the Brittingham Prize in Poetry, among other honors. He has received fellowships from the Mississippi Arts Commission, Sewanee Writers’ Conference (Walter E. Dakin Fellowship), The James Merrill House, OMI/Ledig House, Ucross, Jentel, and Boston University where he earned his MFA in creative writing. His poems appear in The Atlantic, The Nation, Ploughshares, The Southern Review, The Georgia Review, and New England Review, among others. He’s a Senior Fellow in Ethics & Writing in the Written Arts Program at Bard College.
March 2026
Furious Flower Broadside Exhibition Reception
Friday, March 6th| 5-7PM | Caridnal House
Theme: Oshun Rising
Venue: The Furious Flower Poetry Center
There's still time to view this incredible exhibit! Join us for another Arts Council of the Valley First Friday Downtown Art Tour reception featuring our first exhibit of the semester, Oshun Rising, on March 6th, from 5-7 p.m. at Furious Flower Poetry Center, Cardinal House, 500 Cardinal Dr. This exhibit was curated by Furious Flower Founder, Dr. Joanne V. Gabbin, to honor her 80th birthday. Light refreshments provided. Free and open to the public.
Go to the Broadside Gallery Webpage to find out more!
Screening: In Search of Phillis Wheatley Peters
Tuesday, March 24th | 5:30-7:30PM | Taylor 306
This event features a screening of In Search of Phillis Wheatley Peters, a film that offers a fresh perspective on the life of the first Black person to become a published poet in the United States. The screening will also include a reading of Phillis Wheatley’s work and a Q&A with Dr. Joanne Gabbin, who appears in the film.
Furious Flower Reading Series X Center for Multicultural Student Success: India Lena González
Thursday, March 26th | 5-6:30PM | Taylor 405
The Furious Flower Reading Series is thrilled to host multi-disciplinary poet India Lena González.
An Afro-Latin poet and award-winning choreographer, dancer, and actor, González brings a dynamic, embodied approach to the page and the stage. González will read from her work, followed by a book signing.
India Lena González is a poet, editor, and multidisciplinary artist. She received her BA from Columbia University and her MFA from New York University. Her work is published in American Chordata, the Brooklyn Review, Harvard Review, Lampblack Magazine, Literary Hub, PANK, Pigeon Pages, Poetry Northwest, and the Washington Post, among others, and it has been featured on the Slowdown podcast. fox woman get out! (BOA Editions, 2023), chosen by Aracelis Girmay as part of the Blessing the Boats Selections, is her debut poetry collection and was a finalist for Poetry Society of America’s 2024 Norma Farber First Book Award. Her book has taken her to classrooms at MIT, Fordham College at Lincoln Center, Rutgers University-Newark's MFA program, and more as a guest author and visiting artist.
April 2026
Poetry Workshops with Dr. Gbenga Adesina (Time and Location TBD)
Poetry Workshops with Dr. Gbenga Adesina
Thursday, April 2nd, 2026 - Student workshop in partnership with CMSS
Saturday, April 4th, 2026 – Workshop in partnership with JMU Arboretum
Saturday, April 11th, 2026 – Community Workshop
Furious Flower Broadside Exhibition Reception
Friday, April 3rd| 5-7PM | Caridnal House
Theme: TBD
Venue: The Furious Flower Poetry Center
Join us for another Arts Council of the Valley First Friday Downtown Art Tour reception featuring our final exhibit of the semester, April 3rd, from 5-7 p.m. at Furious Flower Poetry Center, Cardinal House, 500 Cardinal Dr. This exhibit will be curated by poet Kadija George, who will also be joining the center for a poetry reading and book signing at the end of the month. Light refreshments provided. Free and open to the public.
Go to the Broadside Gallery Webpage to find out more!
Furious Flower Reading Series: Kadija George Sesay
Thursday, April 23rd | 5-6:30PM | Taylor 405
The Furious Flower Reading Series concludes this semester with poet and scholar Kadija George Sesay. Kadija will give a reading, followed by a book-signing. She comes to JMU from the United Kingdom and is currently a Fulbright scholar at Howard University.
Kadija Sesay FRSA, Hon FRSL is a literary activist who has worked in the field of book and periodical publishing for several years. She published SABLE LitMag for 15 years until 2015. She is currently the Publications Manager for Inscribe, a Black British writer development programme at Peepal Tree Press. She has co-edited anthologies with novelists Helon Habila, Courttia Newland and Nii Parkes and is an award winning writer in her own right. She is the co-founder of Mboka Festival of Arts Culture and Sport in The Gambia. Kadija is a PhD scholarship student researching Black British Publishers and Pan-Africanism. She is the creator of AfroPoeTree – a Poetry and Pan-Africanism app. Kadija has received several awards for her work in the creative arts.
Furious Flower X UREC: Poetry Hike at Cliff Trail
Friday, April 24th | 1-5:00PM | Meet at UREC
On this adventure trip, participants will ride together in a UREC van out to Hone Quarry for a short 1-mile hike to an overlook called “Lover’s Leap." At the overlook, a member of the Furious Flower Poetry Center will lead an approximately 45-minute poetry writing/reading session. Participants should bring their own writing utensils and paper/notebook.
This trip is designed for both beginners and experienced participants. No previous experience is required. Space is limited. Reserve your spot early!
May 2026
Furious Flower Broadside Exhibition Reception & Farewell to Cardinal House
Friday, May 1st| 5-7PM | Caridnal House
Theme: TBD
Venue: The Furious Flower Poetry Center
Join us for our Arts Council of the Valley First Friday Downtown Art Tour reception, featuring our final exhibition at Cardinal House before our move to Carrier on May 1, from 5–7 p.m. This exhibit is curated by poet Kadija George, who also joined the center for a poetry reading and book signing in April. We welcome everyone to celebrate this final transition for the center. Light refreshments will be provided. Free and open to the public.
Go to the Broadside Gallery Webpage to find out more!
