Wandering Ambivert

AUTHOR:

My name is Hannes van Eeden, also known as the Wandering Ambivert, currently living in Cape Town, South Africa. I tell stories with my camera. What is an Ambivert? It is a person who has a balance of extrovert and introvert features in their personality. Here I share things I’m passionate about which includes things like photography, film, travel and nature. I live my life by Seeking Discomfort. My anthem is High on Life. I believe in enjoying the small things. I live to inspire. “The best camera for photography is the one you have with you.”

The Unsung Legacy of Black Feminism

From Jane Crow to Intersectionality

Photo by RODNAE Productions on Pexels.com

At YWCA, our mission is inspired by the perspectives of Black feminists who have consistently transformed the fights for gender equity and racial justice. During Black Herstory Month, we’re celebrating Black feminism and centering the work of powerful Black sheroes past and present doing the critical work to eliminate racism and empower women. As leaders in the women’s empowerment and racial justice movement, it is our duty to uplift and center the Black feminist voices that have been the backbone of feminist and civil rights movements. Therefore, we are proud to uplift the unsung legacy of Black feminism, from Jane Crow to intersectionality.

Over the last century, Black feminists like Pauli Murray and Kimberlé Crenshaw have created terminology and tools that have helped many of us to work towards collective liberation. It was in 1947 at Howard University that civil rights advocate, lawyer, and ordained priest Pauli Murray coined the term “Jane Crow”. Pauli Murray’s articulation of Jane Crow alluded to the system of Jim Crow, which often focused on the experience of Black men. Additionally, this term informed her critiques of the male-dominated civil rights movement, arguing that women should be foregrounded within the movement because racial and gender-based oppressions combine to circumscribe Black women’s freedom and must be battled in tandem to ensure ALL Black people are treated equitably.

More recently, pioneering civil rights advocate, professor, and leading critical race theory scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw built upon Murray’s legacy when she coined the term “intersectionality” in 1989. In her own words, Crenshaw described intersectionality as “a lens through which you can see where power comes and collides, where it interlocks and intersects. It’s not simply that there’s a race problem here, a gender problem here, and a class or LGBTQ problem there. Many times, that framework erases what happens to people who are subject to all of these things.” Crenshaw’s work was derived from her experience as a Black woman, however, intersectionality can be applied to the analysis of power and privilege across the spectrum by helping us understand how individuals who experience compounding inequalities are the most equipped to lead all of us in the fight for equity and collective liberation.

Throughout the years, many women have contributed to the unsung legacy of Black feminism through their work, building upon their fore sisters and ensuring the wisdom of Black women is heard. Some of these empowered women include:

  • Dorothy Height: The godmother of the civil rights movement, leader of the National Congress of Negro Women for over 30 years, and former Director of YWCA Harlem who advanced YWCA’s One Imperative, which fuels our intersectional mission to eliminate racism and empower women. Dr. Height consistently pushed movements to be more inclusive by centering Black women in her activism.
  • Alice Walker: An award-winning novelist, poet, and social activist who coined the term “womanism” in response to how Black women are treated in feminist spaces to ensure they had space to center their own experiences, priorities, and concerns in the movement.
  • Roxanne Gay: A New York Times best-selling author, professor, and social commentator whose essay collection “Bad Feminist” challenges us all to humanize the flaws within feminist and social justice movements while inspiring us to be better allies and co-conspirators.

All during #BlackHerstoryMonth, we will continue our work of empowering women and eliminating racism by uplifting these and many other incredible Black feminists whose work inspires, informs, and guides so many advocates for equity and justice.

We are thankful for the work of these powerful thought leaders, which has been monumental in how feminism has evolved to become more inclusive. Black feminists like Pauli Murray, Kimberlé Crenshaw, and Dorothy Height have been – and continue to be – at the forefront of how we all think, strategize, and co-conspire to address interconnected systems of inequality. Their contributions, in addition to many others, consistently push us all to examine our intersecting privileges and challenge social justice movements to be more inclusive. Through their work, Black feminists invite us all to work together with respect to our differences to build a better world where injustice is rooted out for everyone. We are forever grateful for their calls to action which bring attention to the intersection of race and gender and informs YWCAs across the country doing the work to eliminate racism, empower women, and create a world of peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all.

Join us as we continue to uplift the lives, experiences, and contributions of Black feminists throughout the month of February by following us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also join the conversation using #BlackHerstoryMonth, #BHM2022, and #EmpoweredWomen to highlight the unsung legacy of Black feminists in your community

Dawoud Bey

 An American Project Through May 30, 2022

Dawoud Bey, A Girl with a Knife Nosepin, Brooklyn, NY, 1990, inkjet print (printed 2019), collection of the artist, courtesy of Sean Kelly Gallery, New York; Stephen Daiter Gallery, Chicago; and Rena Bransten Gallery, San Francisco. © Dawoud Bey

“This exhibition is magnificent.”
—Andrew Dansby, Houston Chronicle

Photographer Dawoud Bey portrays communities and histories that have been underrepresented or even unseen. From portraits in Harlem to nocturnal landscapes, classic street photography to large-scale studio portraits, his images combine an ethical imperative with an unparalleled mastery of his medium.

Dawoud Bey: An American Project spans the breadth of Bey’s career through nearly 90 works, from the 1970s to the present. Photographs in this retrospective of the influential photographer range from his earliest street portraits in Harlem (1975–78) to his most recent historical explorations: the Underground Railroad (2017) and Louisiana plantations (2020).

Born in New York City in 1953, Bey received his first camera as a gift when he was 15. The following year, he saw the landmark, highly divisive exhibition Harlem on My Mind at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Widely criticized for its failure to include significant numbers of artworks by African Americans, the exhibition nonetheless made an impression on Bey and inspired him to take up his own documentary project about Harlem, in 1975. Since that time, Bey has worked primarily in portraiture, making tender, psychologically rich and direct portrayals of Black subjects and rendering African American history in a form that is poetic, poignant, and immediate.

Dawoud Bey: An American Project introduces Bey’s deeply humanistic photographs into a long-running conversation about what it means to represent America with a camera.

Dawoud Bey: An American Project /March 6–May 30, 2022

• Included with general admission. Advance timed tickets recommended.

This exhibition is co-organized by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York.

Generous support provided by:
The African American Art Advisory Association (5A) at the MFAH
Krista and Michael Dumas
Merinda Watkins-Martin and Reginald Martin
Nancy Powell Moore
Joan Morgenstern

Location

Audrey Jones Beck Building

5601 Main Street

Houston, TX 77005

Map & Directions

Poetry

Photo by Suzy Hazelwood on Pexels.com

– Acoustic Tribute–

H e and I engage in a kiss, Prince plays in the back ground

E motional build up reaching its peak

S weet nothings and so much more – he whispers in my ear,

E xcites me from my toes to my inner thighs

D elivery is his masterpiece

U ncrontrollable is how I feel, yes he motivates me, and I

C omply with the movements he supplies

E argasms, orgasms, mo’ and mo’ gasms…. please

S team ain’t got nothin’ on me and him, we

M agnetize the room…as we attract and repel, give room to breathe…

E cstasy occurs whenever he seduces me.

– heather parker –

DJ Love

The record spun in time with the turn tables

He spit lyrics in my ear stimulating my mental

Energy transfers on oversized stereo vibes

See this man… has skills beyond Greek mythology

Ear plugs won’t stop his seduction

I’m doomed like sea men listening to sirens

My imagination is five dimensional

He and I can meet on the dance floor or somewhere galactical

Eyes locked while his fingers massage the vinyl

Teasing my neurons with his instrumental

Body temperatures rising, dance floor crowded like a shopping spree

Doesn’t really matter,

when the DJ is the only one you see.

– heather parker-

Brown Sugar Cafe & Books

VISIT US

5330 Fry Rd

Katy Tx, 77449

Suit J

WORKING HOURS

Wed-Friday 7am-7 pm
Sat-Sunday 9am-7pm
Closed: Mon-Tuesday

Contact us at Info@brownsugarcafeandbooks.com

(346) 377-6028 

(214) 241-4933

Brown Sugar Café & Books.
An Upscale Urban Book Store.


Often times, I find that in some communities many of “US”  African Americans have been left unsupported & disconnected right in the very neighborhoods where we live especially when it comes to literature.

Respectfully, brown sugar will be that place where many can come and get to feel… Seen, heard  & most importantly at Home! I want brown sugar bookstore to feel like HOME to those who need a reminder from time to time, like myself.

Brown Sugar Café’ & Books is way more than Coffee & good reads! 

poetry

Photo by Suzy Hazelwood on Pexels.com

My Mouth is Listening While My Eyes are Talking

Look me deep in my eyes and tell me what you hear. If you listen carefully to my thunderous, earsplitting stare, you will hear the unmistakable sound of agony that the owner of these eyes is screaming through tears. These eyes are pleading with you to stop with the madness. We ready to go out and mob against Zimmerman and Dunn and then turn right around and use the same gun to assassinate the ones that they missed. Kinda hypocritical don’t you think. Don’t get me wrong I’m praying for justice to be served for Jordan and Trayvon but not because it was another race that erased their existence. These eyes are screaming for it all to stop. Not just racial violence but also violence against ourselves. My mouth is listening to every excuse and reasons why my people feel it was more tragic in the race cases, but my mouth can only respond with what it heard with the phrase of “Bullshit!! The tragedy is not in who did the killings, but in the fact that two young lives were removed from possibly becoming the men to find the cure for cancer or maybe even being owners of their very own fortune 500 company.” My vocals sometime has a hard time trying to translate the words of my vision so all I can say is my mouth is listening while my eyes are talking.

Look me deep in my eyes and tell me what you hear. If you listen carefully to my thunderous, earsplitting stare, you will hear the unmistakable sound of confusion that the owner of these eyes is screaming through raised eyebrows. These eyes are asking “What happened to the respect some of these ladies have for themselves”? You are on the internet begging for attention through half naked pics and twerking videos, but you get pissed when disrespectful guys call you a hoe. You gotta be smart enough to know that the image you are portraying is not making men attracted to your personality. These eyes are screaming from the bottom of their optic nerve for these ladies to take back the respect that they deserve. Your mother gave you a name and it is not “Bad Bitch!!” Bad bitch is not a compliment. A bad bitch is a female dog that tears up things in your home, and as the owner you have to punish it by whipping its ass. That is the reason why so many of you “bad bitches” end up in domestic situations. My eyes, my eyes are screaming for you take your respect back. There is more to you than what looks good in boy shorts and a wet tee-shirt. Make him respect you by respecting yourselves first. You are worth more than sexual satisfaction.  My vocals sometime has a hard time trying to translate the words of my vision so all I can say is my mouth is listening while my eyes are talking. 

Look me deep in my eyes and tell me what you hear. If you listen carefully to my tranquil, serene stare, you will hear the unmistakable sound of hope that is whispering through eyes wide open. These eyes are speaking to the hearts of those that hurt letting them know that a better day is coming. If you listen carefully to the whispers, you would hear the reasons why giving up should not ever be an option. In your toughest situations, you should teach your mouth close itself because sometime your vocals have a hard time trying to translate the words of your vision. Allow your mouth to listen while your eyes are talking.

P.A.W.C.R.A.M.    02/19/2014

No Good News

We interrupt you regular scheduled programming to bring you breaking news. This is Pawcram Da Poet reporting live from a scene that has become way to familiar in the black community. If you look pass the red and blue flashing lights and the police uniforms you will notice a mother who has had her heart torn from her chest and the pipes in face has busted and leaking profusely.  She is crying because her young son has now become a victim another senseless act black on black violence. Some witnesses say that the altercation started because of some he say she say they said about this type stuff while others say is was over the sexual pleasures of a young lady in the neighborhood who was not loyal to either of them because she was giving her sexual pleasures away to everyone in the neighborhood anyway. Either way, we lost two more young black men for absolutely no damn reason. One will forever be remembered on the R.I.P. T-shirts and the “Gone but not forgotten” Facebook post while the other will live on through unnecessary chants of “Free my boy” and collect calls that will eventually stop being so collected. A uniformed officer, who chose to be anonymous, said that on the record we will do everything we can to get the complete story about why this senseless crime took place. Off the record, he said that there is no need to investigate what he considers a job well done. “We got rid of two more at one time. No need to go hunting when the animals will just kill each other.” Once again we are left with so many unanswered questions. No explanations will be giving to the families or the communities because the police feel that we should be used to this by now. This just in.  An off duty police officer guns down a young black man on the corner of MLK Blvd. and Malcom X Street. Officer DaWhite Mann fired four “warning” shots in the back of the young man who was unarmed. Officer DaWhite Mann said he feared for his life because the young man fit the description of a suspect in a robbery that occurred two weeks prior when the young man was, according to sources, away at school. When will this end? When will we finally decide to get rid of the crab in the bucket mentality and come together as a people? When will we come together as a unit and stop the open season on our black men?  Dr. Martin Luther King had a dream that looked nothing like what we are going through today. Until we can decide to live in unity, we will continue to have to watch parents bury their kids due to acts of violence against themselves and if this continues we will continue to remain on the endangered species list. This is Pawcram Da Poet saying WAKE UP!!!!!! It’s time to stop the killings. Now back to you regular scheduled program.

PAWCRAM Da Poet

1/20/14   

HPS Creature Deidre Gibbs Dec.2010

Cringe worthy but here you go!!! lol

Yes!!!! Finally she takes time to be interviewed by the first person she interviewed for this magazine Shontell Foster and then took it a step further and answered her readers as honest as only she knows how to be.

First, How are you doing?

Deidre: I’m doing well thanks for asking

Can you introduce yourself, please, and tell the audience who you are, for those who don’t know.

Deidre: Let’s see my name is DEIDRE GIBBS others know me as LADY D . I’ve been a poet here in HOUSTON for about 7 years now. I still feel like a newbie because there is so much to learn. I am the OWNER AND CEO OF HPS MAGAZINE!!!

How and when did you get started with doing what you love?

Deidre: I started by going out with an old friend to a poetry spot back in 04 I think and it was called the red cat. Showing her around but ended up finding an outlet for something I loved to do and that is writing. I grew up reading poetry but never wrote any. I wrote short stories and plays.

Who or what inspires you?

Deidre: My inspiration is life. To me everything and one tells a story in my mind. I guess that’s why some say I’m a visual poet. My work always paints a picture.

Is there a specific topic or subject you focus on within your art?

Deidre: NO!!!! LOL If it can touch me or pull some kind of emotion out of me then I can write about it.

Name some of your favorite artist?

Deidre: OOOH BOY… There are so many but I love all kinds from unknown poets to Shakespeare to NIKKI GIOVANNI, LANGSTON, MAYA It goes on and on when it comes to poetry. When it comes to music it’s about the same. I love hearing up and coming artists to boyz2 men to prince to the Four Tops to classical. I love love. A good love song can inspire me as well.

Who would you like to work with if you had a chance?

Deidre: Hmmmm I would have to say any and everyone because each person brings their own style into a project that no matter if your well known to a unknown it’s a learning process and you would get something from it every time.

Do you have a favorite piece you have written?

Deidre: I have to say my curves poem because fellow poets and fans request it and they changed the name. lol It was called “once told” but people always requested as the curves poem so I call it my jlo piece and its still asked for when I get a chance to go out.

What is in your near future?

Deidre: Right now I would say the magazine. Expanding it more. I work so hard to make sure there is an audience out there for it. I know I need to work more on getting the trust of poets to believe in an unknown publishing with their work. That is a job in itself.

And before we close this long anticipated interview, give us one word that describes you……….

Deidre: DETERMINED…thanks Shontell it’s been fun!

Reader’s turn!!!!

Donald Fordan Houston, TX. What’s one word you HATE to be described as?

Deidre: sensitive! true I am but when I get tagged with that name I lose any point of view. I get brushed off and that always gets under my skin.

Mike Coles Houston, TX. what made you decide to start HPS again?

Deidre: life really I constantly hear the need plus there were a lot of things going on in my life and I needed an outlet as well so I’m trying. it’s different but it’s working.

Derrick Adams Houston, TX. do you think you will ever go back to the mic and perform?

Deidre: Yes I hope so. I do miss it but I look forward to hearing new talent and different types of artists. I still write and one day I hope to go back. if life lets me.

Phillip Mill Atlanta, GA. Do you think you can handle HPS better than you did from the start?

Deidre: I’m learning. it’s a long and slow process. I’m trying to keep the magazine small as i learn but its steadily growing so I’m trying to keep up.

Anna Sage Houston, TX. How do you handle critics?

Deidre: it’s a learning process as well. I’m growing a thicker skin but i still get caught off guard sometimes but it’s not what’s being said or done but who it comes from.

Anna Sage Houston, TX. What’s the hardest thing you deal with when it comes to making HPS go to print?

Deidre: hmmm I have to say getting people to submit their work. I understand my mag is far from being well known so finding ways for artists to trust I am not out to steal their work I would say is the hardest thing I’ve been dealing with.

Anna Sage Houston, TX. What motivates you?

Deidre: Fear Sometimes I will come off very confident and for the most part I am but really I’m just pushing myself through the fear I am feeling at that time. I say my stubborn side pushes me too! against any fear I have.

Kaori Sako Japan where do you want to travel to next?

Deidre: I always tell myself I want to go back to san Francisco and new York but I would love to travel around my state more and go abroad to other countries before I croke.

Kaori Sako Japan List 5 things you think are most important in your life?

Deidre: 1.being loved 2. having loved ones 3. faith 4.health 5. my craft

Kaori Sako Japan what kind of people you hate the most?

Deidre: superficial and user’s…I can tolerate hater’s they can motivate me sometimes.

Kaori Sako Japan which will you choose, a man who is super poor but has a great personality or a man who’s so rich but has annoying personality?

Deidre: poor lol why live life around extra stress when you don’t need to.

Kaori Sako Japan money or love?

Deidre: love you can leave this earth still feeling loved but you can’t take money with you

Kaori Sako Japan what’s the most embarrassing thing you’ve ever done?

Deidre: oh lord!!! let’s see, to others I have to admit I am a prankster. It is in my bloodline so when I am just being silly who knows what my mind will come up with at that moment but it’s never anything to hurt anyone. as for myself I am a klutz and always falling but my worst moments are on vhs and since they are pretty much history I am gonna keep my moments there! I’m not telling!!! lol

Kaori Sako Japan what do you want to eat right now?

Deidre: (While answering this question) tex-mex

Clovia G. Houston, TX.. why do you hang around crazy people?

Deidre: because their creative and not all the time crazy. just misunderstood lol

Clovia G. Houston, TX. are you on drugs?

Deidre: only the ones my doctor prescribed lol

Poetry

Photo by Wendy Wei on Pexels.com

Days of Beauty

by Roshanda Johnson on May 31, 2011

 Days of Beauty

He was working out

Sweat glistening

Shiny black

Like a brand new pair of Mary Janes

I knew that he was too complex for ordinary game

No need to ask him what he went by

‘Cause Beauty had to be his name

That was day one

And ever since I been beyond

Just strung out

I’m roped up chained and bound

And being tossed about

In a sea of beauty that’s no doubt

Deeper than any I’ve ever known

Day two

I saw him sitting by the telephones

In the lower level of the UC

I walked by hoping he would notice me

And guess what

He didn’t

He was too wrapped up in this book about the hidden

Secrets of the pyramids

So guess what I did

Stood there and fell in love all over again

With his wavy hair and angelic eyes

And when something inside those pages

Made him smile

My heart jumped

Like it was entering a game of Double Dutch

Beauty of his caliber was far too much

For me to analyze

So day two I just stood there paralyzed

Day three

He was making photocopies in the library

And when I saw him from behind

I knew it wasn’t the time

To let him slip away

So I accidentally bumped into him

And before I got the chance to say

Excuse me

He turned to me and said

It’s Lady, isn’t it?

We have the same class

Art 3302

I smiled How is it that you know me

And I don’t know you

He said Every time I get the nerve to speak

I turn around and you’re about to leave

Besides I figured a girl like you wouldn’t notice a guy like me

Formal introduction

I’m Roshanda

And you

You’re my destiny

Day Four

I knew that it was my soul’s duty

To trek around the campus

In search of Beauty

So we could make that exchange of phone numbers

E-mail and house addresses

If we were to ever stand before God

To ask His blessings on our love

Maybe I jumped the gun a little bit

But I knew he was the one

Without a guess, maybe or if

And no sooner than I walked through Farish Hall

There he was standing like a tall

Glass of thick Nestlé’s Quik

Waiting on me to sip

And lick my lips

And say That’s goooooood

We made that exchange of numbers

And from that first conversation

I knew he was the 7th wonder of my world

And now on day eight

Our first date

As we sit and look at the stars

From the highest plateau on the planet Mars

I’m hanging on every word he’s saying

All the while praying

God will let him be mine

And that day eight will turn into nine

And nine will turn into months

And months into centuries

And that our love will outgrow time so much

That we will turn into a galaxy

Or better yet

A universe

Oz Longworth

Age: 30

Location: Houston

Goals: To finally be a published poet, To finish my book, to ensure the survival of John Connor

Talent: Writing, performing poetry

Passions: Comic books, music, movies, traveling,

Achievements: Hosted Liquid Soul poetry for two years, performed at the Nuyorican in New York City, three time Thumb War champion of the thirteen knows galaxies

Why do you think men find it easier to express emotions in writing rather than verbally?   

Honestly, I think it has to do with the fact that, traditionally, we are not encouraged to express ourselves emotionally as children and certainly not later as adults. Therefore, there tends to be a lot of things we don’t say out loud. Writing offers a (mostly) judgment free outlet for us to be emotional and say what we’ve always wanted to say out in the world. Granted, it should be this way for everyone, man or woman alike, but I definitely find this to be the case for men.

Your known for your sense of humor what else do you want to be known for? 

I would like to known as someone who was committed to the betterment of whatever ground is beneath my feet, as someone who believed in something. It would be nice to hear someone say….”Say what you want about Oz, but dude had a code. It’s good to have a code.”

What is Poetry with Purpose and Oz underground? 

Poetry with Purpose is an organization I volunteer my time to every once in a while that encourages bringing young women to poetry because even with what I said about young men needing an outlet to express themselves, everyone, regardless of gender, needs an outlet. The Oz Underground project is sort of an ever-evolving “work in progress” activist media community, but the primary purpose is to educate the general populace on the state of affairs in their world and, hopefully help eradicate social inertia.

What inspired you to create Oz underground? 

Well, honestly, we (and in “we”, I include myself) are really hard on this generation and we talk a big game about how they don’t stand up for anything or fight for anything. I mean, we say “write your congressman” but how many people know actively keep up with their state representatives? Their city officials? Their districts? This isn’t necessarily a judgment, but democracy on benefits when the electorate is well informed. So, I grabbed my camera, booted up the laptop and came up with the project. “Man on the street” style interviews, local stories, fact checking public officials…It’s this project that never really goes away that I just keep coming back to.

How did you get involved with Poetry with Purpose? 

A couple of dear friends started the project up and I’m just sort of around when/if I’m needed. I can’t really comment where the organization is at right now or what they currently have going on, but I’m always around when they need me. I’m so busy on a good day, it seems like being a full time Oz means being a part time everything these days.

Do you think male poets dominate over female poets when it comes to the mic? Why? 

Absolutely not. I think it’s an “apples and oranges” scenario if there has to be a difference at all. Personally, I’ve always found female poets to be every bit as commanding in performance poetry as men. Granted, it’s a very subjective thing because it’s all about the relationship the poet creates with his/her audience, but many of my favorite poets are women. Over the years, I find that I’ve learned a lot about the craft from them. When the right woman gets on that stage and speaks, whether they’re shouting or reciting just above a whisper, there is just something so organic and elemental about it. I could go on waxing poetic about some of these female poets, but yeah….needless to say, I’m a sucker for the work of the opposite sex. 

Many believe that women are drifting to erotic poetry and thinks it’s porno on paper….what are your thoughts? 

For those people to imply that women (or anyone for that matter) are drifting to erotic poetry implies that erotic poetry is a). some new phenomenon and b). that it’s limited to poetry involving sexual innuendo. Erotic language isn’t exclusively for one gender or the other and doesn’t just have to do with sex. It incite passionate feelings depending on the poet delivering it. I’ve heard a poem that I considered immensely erotic that was primarily about a woman finding a text from another women in her man’s phone. I also believe that when America lets go of some of these old fashioned, restrictive notions about sexuality, we’ll find a drastic difference in the things people consider to be pornographic.

If you had control of every radio stations on this planet for one day what would people listening to and why? 

Common, Foreign Exchange, Childish Gambino, Daft Punk….what do these artists have in common? They maintain fun, stylish, digestible sounds for hip hop in the electronic era while still not needing to be hypersexualized and misogynistic and violent (although Common and Gambino have their moments). Mayer Hawthorne’s latest album is dope, too. Very exciting and uptempo while meeting your ears in the middle as far as content. I’d also play Kanye West’s music from the era before he was kidnapped and replaced by space aliens who apparently REALLY like Daft Punk and lyrics about “molly” and cars.

When did you know you wanted to be a writer? 

I’ve been writing in one form or another since I was able to hold a pen, so it’s hard to pin down a specific moment, but I do remember writing a short story about a vampire who had just been turned. This is before the era in which all supernatural creatures started sparkling and dating high school students and having all these feelings. A few close friends read and said “Wow…why are you not doing this ALL the time?” I think if I had to pick one moment, that would probably be a big turning point.

How did studying Journalism help you? 

I think everything you learn in every facet of life offers a new dimension to the writer’s journey. That said, I definitely learned a greater appreciation for searching for truth and the power of information. Information is a weapon. Character tells you where to aim it. That’s what I learned from that part of my journey.

If you could showcase any of your work or projects you have worked on with others to our president what would you do and why? 

I did a video package about Occupy Houston for the Oz Underground project. I spent a lot of time with those people, hearing their reasons for being involved, listening to their stories. Ultimately, the movement was a flawed experiment for various reasons, but I think this was a lot of people with their hearts in the right place who wanted to be heard. I would love to show the President the footage I acquired. I would also love to perform a love poem alongside a band for their anniversary dinner. I think they would appreciate that.

What authors inspired you enough to where they made you want to be an inspiration to others? What made them so inspiring? 

Anne Rice is definitely a major inspiration. Interview with the Vampire is probably my favorite book of all time. The language there is so unapologetic in its simple romanticism of everything. Everything. They say Adele could sing the telephone book and it would still be sexy. That’s how I feel about Anne Rice. Sonia Sanchez is so essential to my journey as a poet. There’s something so untamed and honest about her style. I also can’t talk about inspiration without mentioning the work of Nikki Giovanni. So simple yet so refined and poignant and meaningful.

What’s a unknown talent you have people would be surprised to know of? 

I used to moonlight as an exotic dancer named Officer Goodbody. Seriously, though, I have a penchant for photography. Apparently, people want actual currency for the equipment these days, so developing this gift further hasn’t exactly been a financially sound idea for me. But I enjoy taking pictures of cityscapes and parks and old buildings, capturing life in these little instances. It’s fun and odds are I’ll find my way back to it soon.