Posted on April 14th, 2012 by admin
Each Monday at 7 pm the August Wilson Reading Round Table takes place in downtown Pittsburgh. This is a free event opened to the public set in the intimate setting of the August Wilson Center for African-American History (AWC). The readings to have the chance to hear readings of Pittsburgh native August Wilson plays by local artists and guest celebrities. Not only does cultivating event focus on the works of August Wilson, but also new works by emerging playwrights.
On Monday, April 9th, I was part of a very small audience that was fortunate to see Kim El’s production of Swallowtail Project written by Bianca Spriggs. This beautifully written choreopoem featured local poets/artists Vanessa German, Kelli Stevens Kane, Cheryl El Walker, Karla Payne, Candace Walker, Joy Brown, Crystal Noel and Dessie Bey.
“I loved the script and was honored and challenged to direct it,” Producer Kim El said after stating that she was approached byMark Clayton Southers, Artistic Director, Theatre Initiatives, at The August Wilson Center, to read Bianca’s script and then asked if she would direct it in a stage reading. When asked how she selected poets for the reading, Kim said that she picked those she felt had great voices. I will agree it was in the richness, the sexiness, the soprano and the contralto tones of voices that brought Ms. Spriggs Swallowtail Project alive. Read more »
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Posted on May 4th, 2012 by admin
Henry Reese of the City of Asylum/Pittsburgh welcomed the members of the audience who were comfortably squeezed into the host space of North Side’s Metropolitan Baptist Church. It was Tuesday, April 24, 2012 and the audience anxiously awaited the start of the evening’s event, Poetry as Performance with featured artists Keoprapetse Kgositsile, the 2006 Poet Laureate of South Africa and Oliver Lake, composer, saxophonist, bandleader and poet.
Recognition was given to the evening’s host church and Reverend Lacy Richardson the pastor. Henry noted that this would be the first of such collaborations with various North Side community venues to host future literary events.
K. Mensah Wali, who played a major part in the organization of the International African American Festival in Brooklyn and now in charge of the Kente Arts Alliance, was called on to introduce the evening’s first artist, Keoprapetse Kgositsile, by quoting poet Amiri Baraka that he comes from the belly of the beast.
South Africa a place that some only know through the splashes of serene greenery and laughing children frolicking in the blue sea; scenes of a diverse group of people embracing each other’s differences as though Apartheid never tore them apart. It is 2012 and a change has come? “Nothing has changed in South Africa. There is still poverty and unemployment.” Keoprapetse said as he introduced himself to the audience. Read more »
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Posted on October 31st, 2011 by admin
Soul Pitt Interviews Jaquaya Inez
Poetic author of Life Expressions Poetic Testimony
Jaquaya Inez, Author
Jaquaya Inez, from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, discovered her love for poetry at the age of thirteen. For her, writing has been a technique used to express and analyze natural feelings. She has experienced and observed how emotions can manipulate and destroy a person’s character; and how words have the power to ruin and rebuild. She uses her environment as her motivation and hopes to persuade positivity in the lives of others. Her lifelong dream is to be an affirmative role model and to invest love, peace, and faith in communities that suffer from lack of education and poverty.
Bonita: What inspiration led you to publish Life Expressions?
Jaquaya: I had a shoe box full of poems that I wrote, stored as a treasure box of memories. It was after I read a number of poetry books I realized how much I enjoyed the art of poetry. I then decided to publish my poems for others to read. As I reread the poems and prayers that I saved I noticed how my writings were a reflection of my pain, struggles, peace and restoration. When I realized that God was always there, even when it didn’t seem like it, I was convinced that I didn’t have a choice but to share my testimony. Read more »
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Posted on October 30th, 2011 by admin
Soul Pitt Interview with Leslie “Ezra” Smith
author of Journey of a Teardrop
Bonita: What inspired the title of your book, Journey of a Teardrop?
L.E.Smith: Actually, the title was recommended to me by Akia Williams, the mother of my son, Amaru. After sharing thoughts with her about what I was hoping to be able to do with the book, she said it sounded like a journey of a teardrop. I said that’s the title of the book.
Bonita: What challenges did you experience in choosing the right poems for this book?
L.E.Smith: The main challenge was striving to decide what still expressed who I am. Some of the poems were written years ago and some very recent. I wanted to make sure that they were still an accurate announcement of Who I Am today.
Bonita: Editing? Self or professional. Which did you choose and what was the experience?
L.E.Smith: Professional. The experience was very humbling. I consider myself a pretty great communicator and writer. I had to deal with the fact that although I’m good, I’m not perfect. So, I had to be humble to see where some of my mistakes were and to accept the corrections. Read more »
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Posted on April 20th, 2011 by admin
Author of Your Degrees Won’t Keep You Warm at Night: The Very Smart Brothas Guide to Dating, Mating, and Fighting Crime
Bonita: From Blog to Book, how did it come about?
Damon: We actually started playing around with the idea to publish a book offering a humorous take on dating, relationships, and sex in 2006 – two years before VerySmartBrothas.com (VSB) was even created. The initial purpose of the site – which launched in the spring of 2008 – was to create a bigger fanbase so that we’d have a support base when we finally released the book.
A year or so into its creation, VSB became so popular and successful that we actually began putting all of our focus into maintaining and promoting the site, losing sight of our initial goal. We got back on track in early 2010, though, and finally decided to put forth the energy and time needed to edit, enhance, and ultimately complete the book.
I guess you can say we went from Book (idea) to Blog and back to Book. Read more »
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Posted on January 4th, 2011 by admin
Mental Masturbation: Quit Playing with Yourself is my third book. It began as one prose piece describing what I’ve seen and heard of crack cocaine addiction. I wanted to publish this one piece in traditional pocket book size however 85 pages is the minimum for a paper back book so I decided to publish an eBook. For me the electronic book left a lot to be desired. It lacked intimacy. You know when it comes to reading, especially at bed time or in the middle of the night, I prefer a dim light not a glaring computer screen. In this age of electronics, you can be wiped out without a trace by technology. It’s like a sci-fi movie. It’s so mechanical that it leaves out that personal touch, from pen to paper is like from the heart of the author to the heart of the reader. I decided to write a few more poems and republish a few to create 85 pages on paper. Read more »
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Posted on April 20th, 2011 by admin
The Disgruntled Wives Club by Portia Cosby
“Welcome to the club of disappointment and lies. Where wedding rings and smiles are a part of the disguise.”
Bonita: Where did you come up with the plot for The Disgruntled Wives Club (DWC)?
Portia: The plot is a result of one of my moments of reflection. After swapping stories with a friend of mine for the umpteenth time, I joked that I should write a book about relationships gone wrong. Too many of my girlfriends, guy friends, and family members were/are disgruntled. I wanted to explore why.
Bonita: You seem to have included every scenario a woman married or unmarried could face involved in a relationship gone wrong, from cheating, abuse, childhood secrets all tied up with handsome lies, was this purposeful?
Portia: Most definitely. Everyone has different reasons why they are unhappy. I wanted to show that different circumstances warrant different reactions and ways of coping. There’s something for everybody in this novel. If you haven’t been in a situation like these characters, you know someone who has been. Read more »
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Posted on August 25th, 2011 by admin
When I heard of the death of Nick Ashford, my first thought was, ”where will the love come from?” When I think of Black/Black love the image is of Valerie Simpson and Nick Ashford clinging to each other on the Heinz Hall stage so many years ago, singing songs that could only be sung by two people deeply in love. On stage they smiled, winked, laughed and touched each other and I fantasized one day that special man just for me will love me as deep. Well, that hasn’t happened yet, but their music still clings to my heart. The closest I’ve came to loving a Black man has been through writing. Along with friend and sista poet Romella Kitchens, we will share our love for Black men through our written words. Read, enjoy and share the love.
A Love Poem Written To A Black Man In Return (Romella Kitchens)
If I could speak Swahili I would tell you
my love for you is a gazelle which leaps
the fence of entrapment every night and comes
to you lingeringly, without restraint, its heart
beating beyond all beats and beyond all space
and time. Read more »
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Posted on August 1st, 2009 by admin
SP Bonita: Marc Livingston hails from the windy city of Chicago. Marc tell us a little about yourself and how you came to be the Greatest Living Poet.
Marc: Thank you, Bonita. Well, I am the author of the best selling, critically acclaimed boo of poetry entitled THE CONFESSIONAL HEART OF A MAN, the founder of the poetic website I Blow Your Mind and a member of the poetry performing collective called the LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY POETS. After leaving my poem that I had written to perform at a wedding, I did it freestyle and was outstanding. From that moment forward, I have felt that I, along with my LOEP, am the best in the genre.
SP Bonita: Where does your poetry flow? And does it always take the direction you want?
Marc: My gift flows from God to my heart then from my mouth and pen. And no, the rhymes don’t always go where there are supposed to because they touch someone or an audience I hadn’t intended it too. And isn’t that the way poetry or any art should travel? I think so. Read more »
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Posted on June 15th, 2009 by admin
Pneuma Publishing is pleased to announce the upcoming release of our
newest title. Tested Mortar: How God Uses Life’s Test and Trials to Strengthen Us by Dr. Audrey J. Murrell of Pittsburgh.
Read more »
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Each Monday at 7 pm the August Wilson Reading Round Table takes place in downtown Pittsburgh. This is a free event opened to the public set in the intimate setting of the August Wilson Center for African-American History (AWC). The readings to have the chance to hear readings of Pittsburgh native August Wilson plays by local artists and guest celebrities. Not only does cultivating event focus on the works of August Wilson, but also new works by emerging playwrights.
