Wild Seeds Retreat for Writers of Color Guest Speakers
From the sanctuary of your own surroundings, immerse yourself in wisdom shared by some of today's most captivating literary voices.
Workshop Leaders
Felischa Marye (Screenwriting)
Felischa Marye is a writer, producer, director, and showrunner known for her keen voice and dynamic storytelling. A graduate of UCLA’s MFA Screenwriting program, Felischa pivoted to entertainment following a successful career in public relations in her hometown of Chicago. While still a film student, she sold her first comedy pilot to HBO, quickly establishing herself as a fresh voice in the industry.
She went on to write for two seasons on Netflix’s hit drama 13 Reasons Why and was tapped by Joey Soloway to help develop the drama series College for Amazon. Felischa then created the critically acclaimed comedy series Bigger, which aired for two seasons on BET+, serving as showrunner during its second season.
Most recently, Felischa was under an overall deal with BET Studios, where she developed multiple comedy and drama series, including a dark comedy with Paramount TV, which sold to BET+. She is currently writing and developing original television series and feature films across diverse genres.
Felischa currently resides in Los Angeles, and is proud to have made LA her home, largely because of Chicago’s weather and its indiscriminate cruelty.
Bayo Ojikutu (Fiction)
Bayo Ojikutu is the author of the critically-acclaimed novels 47th Street Black and Free Burning. His second novel, Free Burning has been called “Gritty, lyrical [and]intense,” by Kirkus Book Review, “the most foreboding love letter the city [Chicago] has ever received” (Tim Lowery- Timeout Chicago), & “a searing portrayal of one of the shameful realities within an oft unjust society” (Black Issues Book Review). Ojikutu's fiction has appeared in various anthologies, magazines and collections. Ojikutu has taught at the University of Chicago, DePaul University (and elsewhere) for many years. His work has garnered recognition from the Pushcart Prize, the African-American Literary Alliance and PEN-Beyond Margins. The author and his family currently reside in theChicagoland area.
Keisha-Gaye Anderson (Poetry)
Keisha-Gaye Anderson is an award-winning poet, artist, and author of three poetry collections: A Spell for Living (Agape Editions, 2020); Everything Is Necessary (Willow Books, 2019); and Gathering the Waters (Jamii Publishing, 2014). Her poems, essays, and fiction have been widely published in outlets like Academy of American Poets, Caribbean Writer, Prairie Schooner, Langston Hughes Review, Peregrine, SX Salon, and others. She is a recipient of fellowships or grants from the New York Foundation for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, and The Laundromat Project. She is a past participant of the VONA, Callaloo, and Wild Seeds (formerly North Country Institute for Writers of Color) writing workshops. Keisha’s early career work was as a journalist for CBS, PBS, NKH, and print outlets like Black Enterprise and Psychology Today. Keisha holds an MFA in Creative Writing from The City College, CUNY and a BA from Syracuse University, Newhouse School.. She’s a member of the part-time English faculty at LaGuardia Community College, CUNY, and leads writing workshops at Poets House and elsewhere. Learn more at www.keishagaye.ink.
PLEASE NOTE
- The staff is working remotely. Online applications and online payments are preferred.
- RFCUNY (referenced above) is the nonprofit arm of the City University of New York, is registered as a charitable organization, and is a 501(c)(3) organization.
- If you are sending the application package via postal mail, please:
a. Send a certified check or money order
b. Make the item payable to Medgar Evers College Educational Foundation
c. In the memo, write “Wild Seeds Retreat Winter 2026.”
d. Mail to:
Center for Black Literature
Medgar Evers College, CUNY
1650 Bedford Avenue | Brooklyn, NY 11225
ATTN: Wild Seeds Retreat Winter 2026
If you have questions or need more information, please email info@
You may also call the main office at (718) 804-8884 (please leave a message).
Contact Us
Center for Black Literature (CBL)
at Medgar Evers College, CUNY
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Brooklyn, New York 11216
(Click HERE for the Postal Mailing Address)
Main Phone: (718) 804-8884
Main Office: info@centerforblackliterature.org
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