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Torch Literary Arts

@torchliteraryarts

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Torch Literary Arts is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit creating advancement opportunities for Black women writers. Fiction+Poetry+CNF+Plays+Screenplays+More!

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This is your sign to come to the Torch Center! Our new sign is up above our doors at The Linc and Google Maps has been updated.

Torch Literary Arts
6406 N. I-35 Frontage Rd. Suite 1807
Austin, TX 78752

Stop by and see us Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from noon to 6pm and join us for our evening programs. Go to Torchliteraryarts.org/events to see our calendar of events. Link in bio. 🔥🔥🔥 by @torchliteraryarts

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It's Friday! Check out "The Path of Least Resistance" by Friday Feature, Nora Hylton, online in Torch Magazine at TorchLiteraryArts.org. Link in bio.

#torchliteraryarts #torchmagazine #fiction by @torchliteraryarts

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The Torch Center will be closed tomorrow, Thursday, October 15!

Planning your trip to the Center? Visit us today during our normal business hours, 12 pm to 6 pm.

Planning to visit us next week? Stop by during our normal business hours next week: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, 12 pm to 6 pm. We'd love to see you! by @torchliteraryarts

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3 days ago

Join Wintergreen and Torch for our next Welcome Table Talk– “The Sacred & The Secret: Writing the Women of the Black Church” with author Deesha Philyaw and poet-scholar Dr. Latorial Faison, moderated by novelist Ashley M. Coleman.

Tuesday, October 13th, 6-7:30PM CT / 7-8:30PM ET
Zoom Webinar

Learn more and register at the link in our bio 🔗

Deesha Philyaw’s debut short story collection, “The Secret Lives of Church Ladies,” won the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, the Story Prize, the LA Times Book Prize: The Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction and was a finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction. Deesha’s debut novel, “The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman,” is forthcoming from Mariner Books in September 2026.

Dr. Latorial Faison is a Virginia poet, author, professor, veteran military spouse, and mother. She is the author of historical research and over a dozen poetry collections, including Pulitzer Prize nominee “Nursery Rhymes in Black.” Faison is Assistant Prof. of English & Dept. Chair of Languages & Literature at Virginia State University. In 2026, Faison was appointed the Poet Laureate of Virginia.

Ashley M. Coleman is an author and music industry executive whose work sits at the intersection of literature, culture, and community. Her debut novel “Good Morning, Love” was featured by Joy the Baker and Katie Couric Media and named one of Bustle's Most Anticipated Books of June 2022. As a journalist, her bylines span Essence.com, The Cut, and GRAMMY.com. Coleman is a fellow of Torch Literary Arts (2023) and Kimbilio (2025), and the founder of Permission to Write. by @torchliteraryarts

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5 days ago

Today is TORCH DAY at Book People!

It's a beautiful day in Austin to visit Book People and support Torch Literary Arts, a local nonprofit that amplifies Black women writers.

Shop in-store or online Sunday, Oct. 11, and 10% of your purchase will go to Torch!

That's 10% of any purchase (books, socks, toys, etc.). Treat yourself or start your holiday shopping early.

Shop online at bookpeople.com

Stop by the store at 603 N. Lamar Blvd., Austin, TX 78703.

Thank you, @bookpeople!

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 by @torchliteraryarts

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6 days ago

Shop the Lit Shop at the Torch Center and support Black women writers!

Torch Literary Arts - Torch Center
6496 N. I-35 Frontage Rd. Suite 1807, Austin, TX 78752

We're giving away a limited edition Torch 20th Anniversary tote bag with purchase!

🔥🔥🔥🔥 by @torchliteraryarts

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7 days ago

Announcing Torch Magazine's 2026 Best of the Net Nominations!

🔥Creative Nonfiction
“Victoria Island Blues” by Mofiyinfoluwa O.
“But That's a Long, Long Time Ago” by Idza Luhumyo

🔥Fiction
“A HUNDRED, BRILLIANT SUNS” by Testimony Odey
“Documenti” by Jae Broderick

🔥Poetry
“joking” by Shy-Zahir Moses
“saint handyman” by a. adenike phillips
“Numerical” by Nina Oteria
“funerary rites” by Joy tabernacle KMT-Battle
“Unremarkable” by Alisha S. Lockley
“Good Times” by Lolita Stewart-White

🔥Visual Art
Nitashia Johnson

Congratulations to all of the nominees! by @torchliteraryarts

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It's Friday! Check out "When Willows Weep" by Friday Feature Melanie Mitchell in Torch Magazine at TorchLiteraryArts.org. Link in bio.

#torchliteraryarts #torchmagazine #script by @torchliteraryarts

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We got you! Stop by the Torch Center at The LINC this Saturday, Oct. 10 to shop for a new book, a Rest Deck, and plan your cozy nap time. 📚✨️🏠😴 by @torchliteraryarts

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A free gift for YOU! 🎁🎁🎁 Stop by the Torch Center Open House on Saturday, Oct. 10 from 10am to 4pm and get a free LIMITED EDITION Torch 20th Anniversary tote bag with your purchase!

See you at the Torch Center!
6406 N. I-35 Frontage Rd., Suite 1807, Austin, TX 78752 (by Sierra Club 💚) by @torchliteraryarts

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9 days ago

✨The vibes are immaculate ✨, and the stories are just getting started!

@torchliteraryarts is keeping Austin’s literary flame burning, and this October, there are even more ways to be part of the story!

Executive Director @poetamandajohnston and Communications Associate Brittany Heckard joined @swaggonerrr on We Are Austin to share how @torchliteraryarts is amplifying Black women writers and creating a welcoming space for the entire community.

From their beautiful new Torch Center at The Linc, complete with a bookstore, library and coworking space, to virtual writing circles and powerful conversations with award-winning authors, there’s something for every book lover and creative!

- October 10: Saturday Open House, 10 AM–4 PM

- October 12: Virtual Torch Writing Circle, 7 PM

- October 13: The Sacred & the Secret: Writing the Women of the Black Church

As Amanda shared, “The most important thing is that you have a place where you know you belong.”

Learn more about upcoming events and ways to get involved at TorchLiteraryArts.org. by @torchliteraryarts

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9 days ago

Throwback to Patricia Smith lighting the room on fire at A Gathering of Flames: 20 Years of Torch Literary Arts, on September 26, 2026, in Austin, TX.

Thank you, Patricia, for this special gift celebrating Torch and the Black women writers who make our flame brighter with their poems and stories year after year!

Learn more about Torch Literary Arts at TorchLiteraryArts.org

Onward!

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 taken in Austin Central Library, Austin Public Library by @torchliteraryarts

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