“I have always, or for the most part, identified myself as a biracial person.”–Keegan-Michael Key
Jordan Peele On Being Biracial
“Growing up, until really last year, I don’t know that I would have readily brought up my white mother to anyone. It was not something I’m embarrassed by, but to announce that was synonymous to some black people to saying, ‘I think I’m better than you.’ This whole thing has felt almost like a coming out as biracial – saying ‘this is a thing, we exist, and this is a future.'”–Jordan Peele
Mixed Remixed Festival Video: What Are You?
We couldn’t be more excited by the wonderful video produced by Terrell Tilford of Band of Vices! Thanks to everyone who participated. What are you? You can answer that question any way you’d like at the Festival. Make sure you register NOW! FREE!
Share a Meal with Keegan-Michael Key of Key & Peele
Want to dine with Keegan-Michael Key? Half of the hilarious hit comedic duo Key & Peele? Well here’s your chance. We’re in the midst of our annual crowdfunder campaign for the Mixed Remixed Festival and your donation of $1000 will give you and a friend a chance to hang out with one of Hollywood’s hottest and most talented actors right now. Don’t miss this great perk! And help the Mixed Remixed Festival reach our funding goal!
2015 Mixed Remixed Festival Line-Up Revealed
MIXED REMIXED FESTIVAL REVEALS 2015 SCHEDULE
(Los Angeles, CA) The Mixed Remixed Festival will take place at the Japanese American National Museum in downtown Los Angeles (100 N. Central Avenue), June 13, 2015.
The Festival celebrates stories of multiracial Americans and families, the fastest growing demographic in the U.S. A free public event, the Festival brings together film and book lovers, innovative and emerging artists, and multiracial and multicultural families and individuals for workshops, readings, performances, and film screenings.
The Mixed Remixed Festival attracted close to 700 people from across the country last year and featured dozens of writers, scholars and performers including Comedy Central’s hit comedic duo Key & Peele.
The Festival, a non-profit arts organization — is produced by The New York Times best-selling writer, Heidi Durrow, and talented team of volunteers.
“It’s exciting to finally see mixed people and families in mainstream media and to connect with each other on-line,” says Durrow who calls herself an Afro-Viking because she is African-American and Danish. “But the Festival is the only nationwide cultural arts event where we get to meet each other and network.”
The event is free and open to the public. Registration opens on April 20, 2015. The complete Festival schedule can be found online at www.mixedremixed.org.
Festival Highlights Include:
- The Festival hosts the largest West Coast Loving Day Celebration, Saturday, June 13, 2015, at 6:30 p.m. with the annual Storyteller’s Prize presentation and live show. The Festival will present the Storyteller’s Prize to The Daily Show’s Al Madrigal and New York Times best-selling writer Jamie Ford (Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet and Songs of Willow Frost) as part of a dynamic live show featuring comedians, spoken-word poets and soulful songstress Donn T, Questlove’s sister, who will perform songs from her highly anticipated album Flight of the Donn T.
- Families can enjoy interactive craft activities as well storytelling events as part of the Target Free Family Day.
- The Festival will present two notable feature films including the award-winning feature documentary You Have His Eyes (dir. Christopher Wilson) about a transracial adoptees’s search for his biological parents. Immediately following the screening there will be a panel discussion with transracial adoptees and activists. French Dirty (dirs. Wade Allain-Marcus and Jesse Allain-Marcus, award-winning executive producer Stephanie Allain). The Festival is also pleased to present Mei Mei, the newest short film by two-time Peabody Award winner Dmae Roberts.
- The Festival includes author readings by Mat Johnson, the author of the breakout hit Loving Day, about a mixed-race utopian society; Marie Mockett, author of Where the Dead Pause and the Japanese Say Goodbye; celebrated writer and Fresno’s Poet Laureate James Tyner, and many others. Skylight Books is the Festival’s official bookseller.
- More than a dozen esteemed panelists will speak on diverse topics related to the Mixed experience, including: educator and community leader Marcia Dawkins, producer of the Tony Award-nominated play The Scottsboro Boys David Greer, and award-winning journalist Erika Hayasaki.
Festival sponsors include: Japanese American National Museum, Zerflin.com, The Black List, Cruise Invictus.
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Queen Sugar in PAPERBACK NOW
Yay! Yay! Yay! You can get your paperback copy of Natalie Baszile‘s excellent Queen Sugar TODAY! You will love this book. I had the chance to talk to her on my weekly podcast The Mixed Experience for the inaugural episode and she’s personally GREAT too!–Heidi Durrow
Key & Peele: “This prize means belonging.”
Mixed Remixed Festival honored Key & Peele with a Storyteller’s Prize in June 2014. It was exciting to hear biracial celebrities we adore talk about their own Mixed experience. The Storyteller’s Prize is presented by the Mixed Remixed Festival to artists, scholars, activists, organizations and community leaders who illuminate and celebrate the Mixed experience. The complete Storyteller’s Prize presentation featured many talented performers including Khanisha Foster, Aaron Samuels and Mya Greene. Video footage of the show will be posted on our You Tube page. You can see Key & Peele’s acceptance speeches here:
[youtube]http://youtu.be/IrsXHId3eRo?list=UUNJXzxVW32o6p66tL9ySX2w[/youtube]
[youtube]http://youtu.be/D7VRVQgbDvE[/youtube]
Key & Peele Season 4 Premiere 9/24
You know how much we love and adore these guys. And you know how long we’ve been waiting for this new season to begin of Comedy Central’s Key & Peele? ANSWER: since the end of the last season! So it is with great delight that we’ll be watching our guys for the season premiere on 9/24. See you on the couch then!-Heidi Durrow
Who Should be the Next Storyteller’s Prize Recipient?
This year’s Storyteller’s Prize winners were just amazing and we can’t wait to share some video with you soon from that wonderful award show. In the meantime, we’re asking you: who deserves a Storyteller’s Prize for 2015? Let us know who you think we should pick! Share your ideas here.-Heidi Durrow
Mixed Remixed Festival Photos 2014
We are so excited to share these awesome photos from the Festival! Check them out! And don’t forget to check out these photos too.-Heidi Durrow (Having trouble viewing the photos? You can view the photo gallery here.)