Bella Bravo is the author of a short story collection, The Unpositioned Parts, published by Monster House Press, and the playwright of As Bad As They, performed by Sitcom Theatre. Bravo has co-curated multimedia event series, namely SYZYGY and Monster House Presents. Their writing can be found in NY Tyrant, Abstract, Commune, Driftless, Peach, Mask, Limestone, W the Trees, and Monster House.

✎ Below are links to writing, interviews, contact info, and events.

writing

“Five Microcosmographies” ~ stories

“A Short Passage” ~ a book review

“Los Angeles, 2017” ~ a story

“Monuments” ~ autofiction

“Sufferers of the World, Unite” ~ a book review

“The List” ~ an essay

Three Crises ~ short stories // review

As Bad As They ~ a play // Act 1, scene 1 & Act 1, scene 4

The Unpositioned Parts ~ stories

“Spirals” ~ a story

“Test Surfaces” ~ a story

“The Culvert” ~ a poem

“Public Figures” ~ a story

“Valiant Girls” ~ a story

Airport Axis ~ a play in one act

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interviews

Conversation with literary researcher Cody St. Clair on the political imaginary of the underclass during the Great Depression ~ June 30, 2020

Conversation with historian Asad Haidar and Cole Nelson on emancipatory politics and the limits that mass uprisings face today ~ June 16, 2020

Conversation with filmmaker and anthropologist Elizabeth Povinelli on late settler colonialism and the figure of the Virus ~ June 2, 2020

Conversation with participants in the Gilets Jaunes movement on memetic force ~ February 25, 2020

Conversation with poet Juliana Spahr on resistance arts and her book, Du Bois’s Telegram: Literary Resistance and State Containment ~ December 31, 2019

Conversation with anthropologist Nikola Garcia on the Chilean social explosion, chile despertó ~ November 19, 2019

Putty ~ June 28, 2018

Limestone Post ~ June 28, 2017

Mask Mag ~ June 20, 2017

Five Questions ~ February 12, 2017

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contact

FB ☻ IG ☻ TW ☻ isabellahbravo[at]gmail.com

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future events

February 29, 2020

7:30 PM

First SYZYGY reading

w Rose Wehrenberg, WLS, and Bree Jo’ann and Malikah Briah w art responding to their work by Meg Hart, and by music by Cridders Cridders

SYZYGY is a community-centered, expression-diverse reading and performance series based in Bloomington, Indiana. The series joins local, regional, and continent-wide writers & artists in the vital ritual of getting together to figure out how to get together,* in celebration of the we hidden in and by the singular I.

The series reimagines the model of literary events that presumes that the performance is the sole work of the artist rather than the collective power that brings so much joy to bear. By hosting events in community spaces, SYZYGY tries to bring sometimes-partitioned forms of artistic expression into conversation, collaboration, & conjunction with daily life, in hopes of course contributing to some sort of collective wisdom-in-process.

The word syzygy combines syn- (in Greek “with, together with”) and zyg- (“yoke”), and roughly means in English: connection even if in opposition.

SYZYGY is supported by the BUEA Zone Arts Grant.

*adapted from Fred Moten

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past events

Friday, October 4, 2019

Opening Reception for “Somewhere Along the Line”

The FAR Center for Contemporary Arts, Pictura Gallery

6:30 pm

Artist talk by Joshua Dudley Greer with a reading by local Bloomington poets and writers; Ross Gay, Essence London, Francesca Hanson, WLS, Bella Bravo, & janan alexandra will be reading original poems and stories in conversation with the photographs in Joshua Dudley Greer’s “Somewhere Along the Line”

Saturday, September 28, 2019

RE:PUBLIC — Epiphany

the launch event for a special print edition of Abstract curated by Justin Brown and A Bowden

3:00 PM

Hoy Polloy, 2121 East 10th Street, Indianapolis (map)

September 19, 2019

Sex & Sensuality reading and music w Alex Smith, Kristen Lucas, E Brady, Steve Marino, and Nico Rojas

Blockhouse Bar, 205 S College Ave, Bloomington

at 7 PM

August 17, 2019

Room Project, 6513 Woodward Avenue, Detroit

w Katie Nowinski, Rosechard Wehrenberg, Michelle Gottschlich, and WLS ~

7 pm

December 6, 2018

POETIX READING

w Ross Gay, Noah Baldino, Caleb Milne, Austin Araujo, Francesca Hansen

816 west kirkwood ave, apt 2

around 7ish

August 26, 2018

SAFTA Reading Series with Richard Wehrenberg & Shane Dedman

Hexagon Brewing Co. in Knoxville, TN

@ 2pm

August 24, 2018

Nashville, TN

August 25, 2018

Reading with Shane Dedman, Hannah Neal, and Richard Wehrenberg, Jr.

in Atlanta, GA

May 18, 2018

Teen Writing Workshop on Writing & Food Autonomy

Monroe County Public Library ~ Bloomington, IN

@ 4pm

March 15, 2018

Reading with Wendy Spacek, Michelle Gottschlich, A. Bowden, Alex Hodge and Mary Luncsford, and DJ ~OLASWAVE

321 E Wylie St, Bloomington, IN

@ 8pm

February 17, 2018

Teen Writing Workshop w Michelle Gottschlich

Rhino’s Youth Center, 331 S Walnut St, Bloomington, Indiana 47401

@ 4pm

October 2, 2017

Omen Amen Release: reading with V, Morgan Elridge, A. Bowden, Yalie Kamara and Bree Robinson, music by Bad Psychic, Yalla Stockings and Midwife, and visual installation by Miles Grimmer

Blockhouse Bar

@ 7pm

July 9, 2017

Left Bank Books ~ Seattle, WA

Reading w Morgan Eldridge, Magpie and Dana. Hosted by Em.

@ 8pm

July 8, 2017

Presentation on “Narrative Structures in the Anthropocene”

Commie Camp ~ dm for add

@ 10 am

July 6, 2017

Reading with Tyler Meese, Nikki Levine, and Joshua James Amberson

Mother Foucault’s ~ Portland, OR

@ 8pm

July 3, 2017

Reading with music by the Mooks and Baby Ghosts

Vague Space ~ Salt Lake, Utah

@ 8pm

June 30, 2017

As Bad As They

The Blockhouse ~ 205 S College Ave, Bloomington, IN

@ 9 pm EST

premier of play featuring actors from Sitcom Theater and Optical Popsicle, soundscapes by Jon Meador, sets by Alan Crenshaw, costumes by Morgan Eldridge, Props by Wendy Lee Spacek, graphic design by Erin K. Drew and Richard Wehrenberg, and simulcast by Anna Teeter-Powell.

click here for archive of this performance’s simulcast

May 18, 2017

Benefit for All Options Pregnancy Resource Center

Extra-Special*Plus*a-Surprise Reading

The Root Cellar ~ 108 E Kirkwood Ave, Bloomington, IN

@ 8 PM

w Emily Corwin, Dan “Sully” Sullivan, Jasper Wirtshafter, Michelle Gottschlich, Mobe, Eszi Waters, T.K. Williams, and music by Doozie, Spacer, and Yalla Stockings

May 13, 2017

Flyover Fest

Panel discussion on Zines/ Zine Culture

Used Kids Records ~ 2500 Summit St, Columbus, OH

@ 2pm

Panel squished between every introvert’s favorite activity ~> tabling from 11am – 5pm

April 8, 2017

Bloomington Zinefest 2017

The Void ~ 1607 S Rogers St, Bloomington, IN

with Ross Gay, Hannah Thompson, and Bree Jo’ann

@ 4:30

January 22, 2017

For the annual Trans Prisoner Day of Action– initiated by Marius Mason

Boxcar Books ~ 408 E 6th St. Bloomington, IN

with V, Nadja, Liza, Hannah Thompson and Avery Smith

@ 6:30

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Future Absence Tour____October 7-17, 2016____with Richard Wehrenberg, Jr.

October 17, 2016

No Place Studios: 1164 S Front St, Columbus, OH

with Glenn Gox, Danielle Gagliano, V

October 16, 2016

The Salon: Athens, OH

with Jay Riley, Madeleine Toerne, and Morgan Eldridge

October 15,2016

Big Idea Bookstore: 4812 Liberty Ave, Pittsburgh, PA

with Asa Critterden and Average Joey

October 14, 2016

Peach Mag Fall Reading

Dreamland: 387 Franklin St, Buffalo, New York

with Noah Falck, Paige Melin, Woogee Bae

October 13, 2016

Fort Tender: Philadelphia, PA

with Cynthia Schemmer, Harmon Butcher, Robyn Campbell

October 12, 2016

Molasses Books: 770 Hart St, Brooklyn, NY

with Andrea Arrubla, Gustavo Rivera, Peter Bd – Hosted by Conor Messinger

@ 8 PM

October 11, 2016

Small Press Reading Series

Case Library, Room 560, Colgate University, Hamilton, NY

with Colgate University O’Connor Creative Writing Fellows

@ 4:30

October 10, 2016

Random Access, 117 Smith Hall, Syracuse University, NY

with Sean D. Henry-Smith, Anna Mebel, Walker Rutter-Bowman – Hosted by Jonathan Aprea

@ 8 PM

October 8-9, 2016

Detroit, MI

Detroit Art Book Fair at Trinosophes

Salt & Cedar with Leigh Gallagher

October 7, 2016

Scribble’s Coffee: 237 N Water St. Kent, OH

with Mallory Whitten and Emma Shepard

@ 8 PM

Wick Poetry Center of Kent State University wrote a review of the event.

August 25, 2016

The Blockhouse: 205 S College Ave, Bloomington, IN

with Theon Lee and Mariah Ivey, DJ Little Town, DJ Evan L and DJ Ginnypep

@ 9 PM

August 7, 2016

Mac’s Backs-Books On Coventry: 1820 Coventry Rd, Cleveland Heights, OH

with Nicolette Polek, Jordan Castro, James Payne and Alex Mussawir

@ 7pm

August 6, 2016

The Salon: 75 Grosvenor Athens, OH

with Cindy Crabb of Doris publishing, James Payne, Marie Swartz, and Kelsey Kerr

@ 5:30

August 4, 2016

The Root Cellar Lounge: 108 E Kirkwood Ave, Bloomington, IN

with Emily Corwin, Richard Wehrenberg, James Payne, and Alex Mussawir

@ 9:00

July 24, 2016

Midwest Release of Nothing Series

Rainbow Bakery: 4th & Rogers St, Bloomington, IN

with Tyler Meese, Bethy Squires, Michael Barton, and Yalie Kamara

@ 7:00

April 23, 2016

Release Party for The Unpositioned Parts

The Void: 1607 S Rogers St, Bloomington, IN

The premiere of Airport Axis, a play featuring Michael Barton, William McHenry, Miles Grimmer and Janelle Beasley of Sitcom Theatre

Readings by Alex Mussawir, Danielle Gagliano, Glenn Cox

April 2, 2016

Psychogynecology / Pretty Pretty Prison Tour

The Void: 1607 S Rogers St, Bloomington, IN

with Dave Watters, Morgan Eldrige, Wendy Lee Spacek, Richard Wehrenberg, Jr., Kate L’Heureux, Harvey Pekar, Hive Mind, and Super Famicom

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Public Empathy Tour____March 10-20, 2016____with James Payne

March 20, 2016

No Place: 1164 S. Front Street, Columbus, OH

with Glenn Cox, Lillian Currens, Dan Dogliani, Paige Früchtnicht, Alex Mussawir, Destiny Strudwick, and Ania Urbanski

March 19, 2016

Belleville Arts Collective: 761 Franklin Ave, Pittsburgh, PA

with Amanda Collins & Morgan Erina

March 18, 2016

Molasses Books: 770 Hart St, Brooklyn, NY 11237

with Andrea Arrubla, Darcie Wilder, Andrew James Weatherhead, Andrew Duncan Worthington, and Denise Zevach – Hosted by Tom McDonald & Peter Bd

March 17, 2016

Anthology 13 Reading Series

Granoff Center for the Creative Arts at Brown University

Studio 1, 154 Angell St. Providence, RI 02912

with Carolyn Bergonzo, Diane Exavier, Martim Galvao, Yoni Greenwood, Thalassa Raasch, Ada Smailbegovic, and Alex Toy – Hosted by Ilana Fogelson and Cary Thomas

A video of the Anthology 13 reading is available here. I begin at 57:00.

March 15, 2016

Kafein café-bar: 1429A Bishop St., Montreal, Quebec H3G-2E4

with Lizzie Hanley, Nicholas Tyrakis, DJ PULSUM

March 13, 2016

Textual Potluck in Montreal, QC (invite only)

March 12th, 2016

8-11: 233 Spadina Avenue, Toronto, ON M5T 2E2

with Sophia Katz, Julie Mannell, Annie Webber, Kai William Millson-Taylor

March 12, 2016

The Tower: 281 Cannon St. E Hamilton, ON L8L 2B4

March 11, 2016