'Coal Black Voices' celebrates 'Affrilachian' poets

Each year at the Annual Athens International Film and Video, one film or video is featured from the Ohio region. This year, that film is about black poets from Appalachia.

As part of the 29th Annual Athens International Film and Video Festival, guest artists Fred Johnson, Jean Donohue and Frank X. Walker will present a video documentary titled Coal Black Voices at 7 p.m. April 29 at The Ridges Auditorium.

The video is based on the Affrilachian Poets, a group Walker founded to give voice to black Appalachians. The video includes images, poetry and storytelling that celebrate black heritage in Appalachia.

“This video is about a number of African-American poets who are from the Appalachian region,” said Ruth Bradley, film festival coordinator. “It is a documentary about their lives and work.”

Bradley said the Athens Center for Film and Video, the organization that sponsors the film festival, chose this particular film to represent the region because of the story the film tells.

“It was chosen because it’s a really interesting film about a wonderful group of people,” Bradley said.

Walker is the consulting producer of Coal Black Voices . He also recently published a book of poetry titled Affrilachia.Walker’s work has been published in The Appalachian Journal and Spirit and Flame: An Anthology of Contemporary African American Poetry

Johnson, one of Coal Black Voices producers, has produced numerous documentaries since the 1970s. His work has been shown on The Learning Channel and The Discovery Channel. Johnson also works as a media educator, documentary maker, writer and communication policy analyst.

Donohue, an award-winning documentary maker, is another producer of this film. In addition to Coal Black Voices, she has produced more than 18 documentaries in the past 20 years.

—Lindsey Grant