Writing
Visionary Demands
For the October 2014 Austin Writers Roulette, “Visionary Ideas,” I imaged myself as the future global leader of the world. Not too far fetched, considering that most of the world’s population is female, brown-skinned and English-speaking (as a first, second or third language). There were ten changes that I wanted to see in the world. … Continue reading
Spoken Word for Insomniacs
During the first day of the 2014 Austin Feminists Poetry Festival, the rain poured down. Despite the inclement weather, I’d prepared 30 booklets for my “Spoken Word for Insomniacs” workshop just in case. I also took the opportunity to set up a stylish display of my book and Austin Writer Roulette business-card-sized fliers. The space … Continue reading
Writing on the Air Interview
For my first radio interview ever, I was part of a four-artist panel. Three out of four of us where there because of our participation in the upcoming Austin Feminist Poetry Festival. The lone duck artist with the second best hair, only to my dreaded head, was a documentary filmmaker, searching for his birth mother. … Continue reading
Permaculture Food Forests
Permaculture is a sustainable way to grow food. With sustainability in mind, people interested in permaculture think about getting the biggest bang for their buck. The key is to figure out multiple functions for everything, including back up redundancies. One of the cornerstones of permaculture is to take care of the Earth by conserving soil and water. … Continue reading
Water Update
The importance of water and the state of my apartment complex is such that I keep at least one 2.5-gallon of water in my laundry room for just such emergencies as I find myself in right now. When I flushed the toilet and didn’t hear the familiar sound of rushing water to refill the tank. … Continue reading
Ignorance Slayer
This Saturday, I attended my hottest poetry event yet…started off as 90 degrees when I arrived and swelled to 95 by the time I left. Nonetheless at the base of Philosopher’s Rock and the entrance of Barton Springs…that 68-degree natural waters would’ve actually felt refreshing if I didn’t have another reading afterwards. I first explained … Continue reading
Courageous Journey
She squared her shoulders Defiance in her eyes Dared him to touch her one more time It wasn’t a threat But a promise he didn’t want fulfilled She’d marched too far to be denied a place Not the best place Not his place But a place A place she knew she had the right to … Continue reading
The Never-Ending List
I’ll admit it: I struggle with arrogance. After all, I’m only a perfect nine. I know I have flaws. Yet I make the most of what I have. When revising my bucket list, I was initially stumped. Consider this: I’ve traveled around the world, driven cross-country, been published, happy, in love, thinner, younger, in good … Continue reading
Ain’t I a Woman: My Testimony
Growing up in the Bible belt, I learned very little about the contributions of blacks and even less about strong black women. Yet from the little I was taught, one of my sheroes was Sojourner Truth. Named Isabella at birth in 1797 in New York, she grew up speaking Dutch, the language of her original … Continue reading
Womanifesto
As the youngest child of three girls, I played the theatrical role of being the youngest and loudest. Whenever I didn’t get my way, I’d pout. My mother, a Virginian country girl at heart, knew how to nip that in the bud with one question: “Do you want me to give you something to cry … Continue reading