Tag: Cleveland

The Writers Block represents at The Nia Coffeehouse

Inspiring. Heart wrenching. Brilliant.

Speaking from the heart and from life, Cleveland’s The Writers Block stood up and represented during the closing session of The Nia Coffeehouse’s 15th year. The Coffeehouse is a gathering of creative souls who come together to share their visions of the world through poetry.

The Writers Block
Unfortunately I didn’t capture the names of the students but the top photo features instructor Daniel Gray-Kontar and one of his students as they prepare and the bottom two are of the young ladies during Open Mic at The Nia Coffeehouse.

This past Tuesday the group was treated to the words of Cleveland students who are part of The Writers Block and are students at Cleveland’s School of the Arts. Leading the students is accomplished teacher, writer, poet and musician Daniel Gray-Kontar.

Words can’t capture the warmth that filled my heart as I listened to this group of mostly young ladies paint a picture of the world they live in through words. That world is not always a pretty place.

Anger. Frustration. Determination.

Those were some of the common themes. The messages that caused my heart to crumble. I was filled with pride, but I was also filled with shame.

The world in which they have to navigate is not a pretty or friendly place. As adults we must question what we are doing and leaving to them and most importantly WE MUST DO BETTER!

Spoken word instructor and students
Daniel Gray-Kontar and students from The Writers Block.

We need more Daniel Gray-Kontar’s in our communities. This is not a battle these children should have to wage on their own.

I applaud Kontar for his commitment to our youth and for showing them a positive way in which to channel their feelings. If you have the opportunity to hear these extremely talented students please do, and let’s all begin to LISTEN to what our children are saying and work HARDER to make the world a better place for future generations.

Pictured above are only a few of the students…more photos to come at a later date.

I can’t close without offering gratitude to Vince Robinson and Cavana Faithwalker for leading the charge and giving poets a place to express themselves through The Nia Coffeehouse.

Cavana
Cavana Faithwalker of The Nia Coffeehouse
The Nia Coffeehouse
Vince Robinson of The Nia Coffeehouse

Enjoy!

Help-Portrait Cleveland coming together!

After a week of feeling dejected and considering dashing my plans to help bring a smile to some Clevelanders through the Help-Portrait project I can breathe the proverbial “sigh of relief.”

Meeting number three was productive and I can see a successful project in the future. With a small group of committed women we worked through my anxiety and pledged to move forward.

Ladies on a mission
Grateful to these ladies for restoring my faith in the Help-Portrait Cleveland project. Seat (l-r) Stephanie Briggs and Angela Townsend. Standing (l-r) Bele’ Wondwossen, Keshia Johnson and Angela Tucker.

I am so grateful to these ladies and a few others who urged me to push forward and have faith that everything would come together! I am also grateful to Kat Sloma for planting the seed that will blossom into a day of giving back to the community.

We still have a lot of work to do, but I feel in my heart it will happen, so if you would like to join us in adding a bit of light into the lives of others visit the Cleveland community page here.

Enjoy!

Seeking Cleveland photographers, other volunteers

Help-Portrait

I’m looking to launch Help-Portrait Cleveland this December and in order to make this a successful project I need help.

If you’re not familiar with Help-Portrait, please stop by their site. On the site you will find a lot of great information, but in a nutshell it’s an international photo project offering those less fortunate than maybe you and I to experience a professional photography session.

We will set up a portrait studio and take photos of individuals and families that are not accustomed to having their photos taken professionally and then present them with a print – all for FREE!

All of the details have not been ironed out just yet, but we are seeking volunteers and sponsors. The volunteers would be photographers, make up artists, graphic designers, and anyone willing to help bring a smile to the faces of Cleveland families that don’t always have a lot to smile about.

Photographers would provide their own equipment i.e., cameras, lighting, backdrops and anything else you feel you would need for portrait photography. If you have a laptop or printer you’re willing to provide that would be great too!

If you are willing to sponsor this event some of the items we need are photo paper, printers, computers and a site to set up our studio. The event is planned to concur with other events around the world on Saturday, December 8, 2012 – what a great present!

If you or someone you know might be interested in assisting with this project, please visit our page and leave a message, or respond to this post.

Let’s work together to bring some cheer to local families this holiday season! The more the merrier and all ideas and suggestions are welcome.

Enjoy!