Epic Island

Was a featured poet at Van Duzer Days at Full Cup Saturday 8/13/2011. There were about 9 other artists reading poems. All poems about Staten Island. Frank William hosted.
Very cool.

Rejections

Why is it that we place so much stock on being accepted to publishers who we do not benefit financially from. I understand the importance of having your name in books. It looks good, builds up a name for yourself...but in the end, who benefits from all of it? The person publishing the anthologies and collecting the royalty checks which is not the individual artists but the person who said yes or no to your submissions. So why let one person make you feel good or bad because they decide that a select group will fit together better than others. Maybe I just tell myself this to make myself sleep better at night but I have confidence my writing is good and no matter how many rejection letters I receive, I need to keep hold of the fact that it has no bearing on me as an author. I just do not fit what they are looking for. Plus i deserve to be paid for my hard work and genius. lol.... not watch someone else profit from it.

Me a while back reading at Mike Geffner's Spoken Word. I think that night I read my Port-Au-Prince Poem. That poem was later published in this zine... check it out...

http://www.statenislandcreativehub.com/files/issue3hub.pdf

puzzle piece

this is a puzzle piece i submitted to Art Connects as part of Tim Kelly's collaborative puzzle installation. i worked on it for about an hour hour and a half ....my daughter submitted a puzzle piece as well. she was very proud that her and i would have art in the same show. according to her, if i am in the show, then it must be a really great show and so she is proud to have her art in it as well...it is real.. her remarks made me very happy... it is nice to know someone thinks so highly of you and your talents...especially your kids!

St. George Day summer 2010

Mike Geffner's Inspired Word

http://inspiredwordnyc.blogspot.com/2010_08_01_archive.html

What does an artist look like?

I've posed this question toward the reader for one sole reason. I've been told on numerous occasions that I "look like an artist". So what exactly does an artist look like? At first I thought it was the tattoos. Yea, that must be it...tattoos equal artist. That has to be it. But no, that can not be it. People say this to me even when I am covered up. So what is it? And why is it that people can spot that I am an artist right away but struggle to identify my race? I find this phenomenon very amusing.

Racial Disparities

I am reading an article about race and class and how it affects the education system in America. This article focuses on urban education in particular. What defines urban education and how is it different from suburban? According to the piece it is defined by color. When we speak about diversity, we are referring to the integration of people of color into an area or in this case, school. So why do I bring this up on a site where I talk about art? Simple. It's the makeup of students on campus. It's the inadvertent segregation that is created by the students. It is also the fact that while I was enrolled in school as an undergrad I was told in front of my class that I would have a harder time as an artist because I was a person of color and I was female. It is also because I witness that minorities have a harder time receiving validation for the same effort put out by their peers. The talk I hear about integrating school is received poorly and why? Have people not let go of their prejudices yet ... the answer is no... and the canvas to me has become my new race. It defines me by an open array of color which no one can easily connect to me. Maybe then I will be treated equally instead of predisposed ideas are brought to the table and inhibits creation

Thrash 'Til Death

My most recent painting. This was painted for a friend. <3 .