Literary Salon and Launch of Spring 2026 Issue of The Rebel's Zeitgeist

The Rebel’s Zeitgeist is the official literary magazine of Black Writers for Peace and Social Justice (BWPSJ), Inc. The lit mag is dedicated to amplifying voices that explore themes of social justice, radical resistance, and the revolutionary liminal spaces that shape identity.

This event celebrates our newest issue curated by guest editors, writers Synnika Alek-Chizoba Lofton and Khari Dawson.

The Spring 2026 issue's theme is, "Beyond the Bearing of Witness."

Contributors to the Spring 2026 issue include: Oshun Baronville, Russell Nichols, Martheaus Perkins, alfonzo solomon kahlil, Brandy Victoria, Nia Watson, Mildred Inez Lewis, Aaliyah El-Amin, TEN, Amari Murray, and shawn williams.

This launch is moderated by BWPSJ founder/director and Coppin State University associate professor, Dr. Khadijah Ali-Coleman. She is the author of three poetry collections, including For the Girls Who Do Too Much, and the second Poet Laureate of Prince George's County, Maryland from 2023 to 2025.

Featured writers reading their work include the guest editors, several Spring 2026 contributors, and Summer 2025 contributors that include Buddah Desmond, Colie Aziza, and Brenda Bunting.

ABOUT THE GUEST EDITORS AND MODERATOR

Synnika Alek-Chizoba Lofton is an award-winning poet, educator, and publisher. Lofton is the author of more than 35 collections of poetry and more than 177 spoken word albums. His poems have appeared in Clock House Journal, Revenge, UpStreet, Experience Reality Magazine, Quay, Dissident Voice, The Skinny Poetry Journal, Mid-Atlantic Review, and Blue-Collar Review. In 2024, his poem “To Honor Her Bold Walk” was nominated for a Pushcart Prize.

Khari Dawson is a multi-genre writer and musician based in Maryland. Published in multiple publications, including McSweeney's Quarterly, POETRY magazine, Cult, and Baltimore City Paper, she has enjoyed support for her work through grants and fellowship opportunities with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts’ Art Under a Minute program, the Martha’s Vineyard Creative Writing Institute, and the Smithsonian exhibit project, “Gen Z Speaks: A Right to the City.” She is a 2024 Watering Hole Poetry fellow.

Khadijah Z. Ali-Coleman, Ed.D. is the Founder/CEO of Black Writers for Peace and Social Justice, Inc., the publisher of The Rebel's Zeitgeist. She is an award-winning performance artist, multi-genre writer, playwright, and filmmaker, and served as the second Poet Laureate of Prince George's County, Maryland from 2023-2025. She is the author of the poetry collections A Park Stands on All of Our Graves (2025), For the Girls Who Do Too Much (2024) and The Summoning of Black Joy (2023), the children's book Mariah's Maracas (2018), and co-editor of Homeschooling Black Children in the US: Theory, Practice, and Popular Culture (2022).

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