HHM Digital presents Wine & Words with Michelle Gipson on Thursday, December 16 at 7:30 PM (EST). Michelle’s special guest is Anita Kopacz. They’ll discuss Ms. Kopacz’s first novel, SHALLOW WATERS, which Harper’s Bazaar calls “spellbinding…a captivating debut.” This virtual event via Zoom is free for Hammonds House Museum members and $5 for non-members. Please register at Eventbrite HERE.  Join us and invite your book club, too!

Anita Kopacz is an award-winning writer and spiritual psychologist. She is the former Editor-in-Chief of Heart & Soul Magazine and Managing Editor of BeautyCents Magazine. When she is not writing, you can find her on the dance floor or traveling the world with her children. Kopacz lives in New York City with her family.

 In SHALLOW WATERS Kopacz draws on the Yoruba legend of Yemaya, a Black mermaid deity who watched over enslaved African people as they were forcibly shipped across the Atlantic. In her stirring debut novel, Kopacz imagines Yemaya’s origins as she uncovers her powers—which include miraculous healing abilities, elemental manipulation, a body designed to traverse lethal rivers and survive the darkest depths of the ocean—as well as her greater purpose. 

During her journey, Yemaya confronts great evil as she transcends time and place in search of Obatala. She realizes the fighter within as she travels from the Middle Passage to the Underground Railroad, aided by indigenous Americans, fellow travelers, and iconic historical figures including Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass. 

Carrying on the tradition of magical realism, which, for centuries, was a spiritual escape in the face of enslavement, SHALLOW WATERS will allow you to forget the world and tap into your imagination. The tale of hope, strength, love, and perseverance, in this powerful exploration of Black identity and history, will serve as a nourishing work of ritual storytelling. 

SHALLOW WATERS is the first work of fiction from Charlamagne Tha God’s imprint, Black Privilege Publishing.

Michelle R. Gipson is the Publisher and Founder of Written Magazine. She holds a B.A. and a M.A. from Hampton University, attended Stanford University's Executive Publishing Course, and Harvard University's Maynard Institute. A freelance writer, radio personality, and marketing and advertising executive, Ms. Gipson has been in publishing and media for more than 15 years. She has contributed to Essence, Chicken Soup for the African American Soul, Chicken Soup for the Recovering Soul, and Where Did Our Love Go: Love and relationship in the African American community.

Hammonds House Museum is generously supported by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners, Fulton County Arts and Culture, the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, The National Performance Network, AT&T and WarnerMedia.

Hammonds House Museum’s mission is to celebrate and share the cultural diversity and important legacy of artists of African descent. The museum is the former residence of the late Dr. Otis Thrash Hammonds, a prominent Atlanta physician and passionate arts patron. Located in a beautiful Victorian home in West End Atlanta, Hammonds House Museum is a cultural treasure and a unique venue. The museum’s current show, Exhibiting Culture: Highlights from the Hammonds House Museum Collection, features artwork from some of the world’s premiere African American artists including Romare Bearden, Benny Andrews, Elizabeth Catlett, Sam Gilliam, Lynn Marshall Linnemeier, Richard Hunt, Nellie Mae Rowe, Hale Woodruff, Radcliffe Bailey, Mildred Thompson, Jacob Lawrence, and many more. The exhibition will be on view through January 30, 2022.

A 501(c)3 organization, Hammonds House Museum offers rotating exhibitions, artist talks, exhibition tours, arts education programs, family days, virtual programs, and other cultural events throughout the year. For more information, and to learn how you can support their mission and programming, become a member, or reserve tickets for an upcoming visit, go to their website: hammondshouse.org.