Cynthia Bond
Founder Blackbird Writing Group
& Blackbird Writing Collective
CYNTHIA is a New York Times Best-Selling Author. Her novel RUBY was an Oprah Book Club selection. RUBY was also a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers choice, an Indie Next Pick and was short listed for the Robert Bingham First Novel Prize. RUBY appeared on over 30 Best Seller’s list domestically and internationally. A PEN Rosenthal Fellow, Bond attended Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, then moved to New York and attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Cynthia worked on her novel, now a trilogy, for over 20 years.
Born in East Texas, her father taught at the historically Black College, Praire View A&M. When she was five her family moved to Lawrence, Kansas, where both parents worked at Kansas University. Cynthia witnessed her mother protesting, she narrowly escaped tear gas and saw the Student Union where she and her sister played, burned to the ground. When she was eight she attended the funeral of a young black student protester shot by in the back by police. The Afro-house where she and her sister learned about Black history and the Civil Rights Movement was bombed. These events, have stayed with her the course of her life.
Cynthia founded Blackbird Writing Collective in 2011 to give voice to those who were silent, hidden, whose stories were untold. She began teaching in 1993, working with at-risk and homeless youth for over twenty years. Cynthia also developed a writing program for aspiring and professional writers. Teaching is one of her greatest passions. She said in a recent interview:
“I believe in stories. I know I am here to tell mine, to write down all my secrets, the voices I hear in my sleep. But I’m also here to teach…When I was younger I remember thinking, dramatically, that if I couldn’t be a writer I would rather die. Now I’m older, I’m a writer, a Mom, a partner and so much more…but I also know if I could never write another word, as horrible as that would be, I would still teach. Watching a writer grow, find their voice, tell their story—that is one of the greatest joys in my life. I’ve just wept to see a writer emerge in spite of their fear, break through that hard shell, the many, many lies that stop them from telling the truth. I feel at times like a midwife. I give practical information—craft…tell when to push, when to breath deeply—but I also share inspiration, because I know it can be done—I’ve done it, and I’ve seen hundreds of writers do the same. Watching these stories being born—to know I had a part in guiding, supporting—teaching…well, that means everything. Another hidden story bursting through! That means everything.”
Cynthia is currently completing the second book in the RUBY Trilogy. It will be published in 2022. Cynthia currently lives in Los Angeles.
Franki Cox
Coordinator Blackbird Writing Collective
Workshop facilitator
A love of performance lured Franki from the predictably rhythmic pace of midwestern values to an array of endless possibility in the City of Angels. She has been fortunate to have professional experiences as a dancer, a singer/songwriter, a residential Interior Stylist, and as a Meisner trained actor. She has been honored to have her work featured in projects that include Covergirl, Super Soul Sunday, and David Fincher’s Fight Club. She currently spends her time designing Bansheestyle, a line of delicately handcrafted jewelry, parenting her two wonderful children, and writing. She has staged works with Scribe Stages, and is currently working on a collection of short stories, and a release of new music.
Franki began writing with the Blackbird Writing Collective in 2014, and credits the group with the discovery of her voice. She worked with Cynthia and other members of the original Blackbird Collective to create a unique workbook on women supporting each other’s writing, detailing a three tiered level of workshopping a piece. Franki Coordinates the day-to-day operations of Blackbird Collection.
Narissa Bond
Song-writing for writers facilitator
Narissa Bond an award-winning singer-songwriter who performs throughout the US and abroad.
Her mother urged her to tell family stories. Narissa took that to heart -- “When I write, those voices come to me.” And it’s a clear voice, like the one in “Road to Berea,” about her great-grandfather James, born into slavery, who walked 75 miles to Berea, Kentucky, where he attended college as a free man. His mother gave him a cow to pay for the tuition. Other stories flow through her songs, some that are personal, and others with lyrics so deep, they feel like family tales.
She had a passionate fan base early on. She’s released four albums, each filled to the brim with her poignant songs, from “Celia,” the true story of a slave who was executed after killing her master, to “Wishbone,” an uplifting song about the power of dreams told through the story of her mother’s father -- a beekeeper, carpenter, and farmer:
Her "Three Words" CD was honored by Hampton Roads for Best Song and CD. She is featured in the book I’ve Got Thunder, a collection of stories about Black female recording artists, including Abbey Lincoln, Chaka Kahn, and Joan Armatrading.
There’s a good reason radio DJ Barry Graham says, “Narissa has set a new standard for the art of singing and songwriting … she is the real thing.” Get the real thing. Listen to Narissa Bond.
La Tina Jackson, LCSW
Theraputic Consultant
Narrative Therapy Group Facilitator
La Tina Jackson, has worked in the mental health field for over 25 years. In her current assignment as a Deputy Director for Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, Ms. Jackson oversees the delivery of mental health services to some of the most vulnerable and impaired individuals living with mental illness (e.g. people experiencing homelessness, veterans, people with mental illness who are justice involved. Her career path includes: working as a leader in community integration of adults dually diagnosed with severe mental illness and autism; special education teacher; Deputy Director of the Youth Services Department of the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center; and serving as adjunct faculty at California State University Northridge for the MSW Program.
In the pursuit of expanding access to care and community support for those affected by severe mental illness Ms. Jackson has taken on additionally noteworthy projects. These include: participation in a collaboration between the mental health professionals and local clergy (i.e. Clergy Roundtable); a local initiative to improve collaboration with mental health, community members and law enforcement to prevent targeted violence; and creation a multiagency, multidisciplinary collaborative with Los Angeles City and County libraries to facilitate rapid service provision and housing placement for patrons experiencing homelessness.