ON CUDDLING: LOVED TO DEATH IN THE RACIAL EMBRACE

In conversation with Mokia Laisin, Phanuel Antwi will discuss his latest book, On Cuddling: Loved to Death in the Racial Embrace published by Pluto Press & Vagabonds. Ranging from the terrifying embrace of the slave ship's hold to the racist encoding of “cuddly” toys, On Cuddling is a unique combination of essay and poetry that contends with the way racial violence is enacted through intimacy.

Phanuel Antwi is Canada Research Chair in Black Arts and Epistemologies. He is an artist, teacher and organiser concerned with race, poetics, movements, intimacy and struggle. He works with text, dance, film and photography to intervene in artistic, academic and public spaces. He is a curator, activist and associate professor at the University of British Columbia.