This poetic family gathering is in support of our brother/friend Nathan P as he conquers his battle with Lupus. As the former Nuyorican Slam Master he gifted his energy to poets with a sincere appreciation for their work. Now it's time to gift him our energy in return.

7PM~11PM

$10.00 Minimum Cover
(additional donations will be appreciated and welcomed)

Age 21+

Performances By

Queen GodIs
Oveous Maximus
Jamaal St. John
Mahogany Browne
Helena D. Lewis
Shanna Melton
Ngoma
Chance
Honest Abe

and many more!

Plus a 10 spot open mic. Come early if you want to get on.

Love.
Shanna
www.PoeticSoulArts.net
www.shatamel.blogspot.com

PLEASE FORWARD THIS INVITATION TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW
THEY ARE ALL WELCOME!!!

Lyrical Voices 6 Year Anniversary!!!! November 19th @ 9PM featuring Queen GodIs!!!

Hello Lyrical Voices Family!
We are celebrating 6 years of gathering together in the name of sharing our art! I am so proud of us and I hope to see you all there to mark this spectacular occasion. There will be surprises throughout the night! Queen GodIs is featuring! Alicia Cobb is doing a live body painting! DJ Buddha LuvJonz is going to set the music off! We all are offering our art and positive energy! What more could you ask for?!?!
Tell a friend to tell a friend to tell a friend!!!!

Queen GodIs!!

Lyrical Voices ~ 6 Year Anniversary ~ November 19, 2010

Legacy

Graphic Design By, Cody "Leviticus" Norris


There are phenomenal women who surround me. Some exist in the flesh and others in spirit and they guide me toward a better version of myself. Each day they remind me of my possibilities and their expectations and desire to render them proud is what sculpts me into the woman you see, hear, and experience through art. I have a friend who I met through this social medium called Facebook. She lives in the UK and we never shook hands, hugged, or shared eye contact to create a sister bond, we instant messaged our way into the other’s experience. It seems I visit a deep dark midnight blue place more often than I care to admit and she found me in the core of one. She introduced herself and spoke candidly about how my work as an artist has had a positive effect on her life. She is a cancer survivor who has developed it once again and she has been going through chemotherapy. During her treatments she uses my poem “I Am A Poem” as her mantra. When her daughter needs to chill out a while she plays the poem for her and it is the only thing that keeps her calm. I learned this while questioning why I keep trying and for what when so much of the rest of my life seemed to be in shambles. She typed confirmation that my art is my light. She reminds me each day that there is a purpose and my effort is not in vain.

September 25, 2010 marks one year since the transition of Zannette Lewis. In this past year I have witnessed a legacy take its place. We have honored her through poetry, students have gone to college standing on the foundation of her work, she has a holiday in her name, we have regular conversations about what she would think and how we should take action in ways that would make her proud. Stage four cancer didn’t sound like she would not survive when I heard it. I heard that she was on her way to a survival story and we just needed to be present as her support. Even went so far as to imagine her speaking to a room full of people about this miracle she experienced called survival. Even went as far as an attempt to convince her that survival was hers and she would be here to experience the turn around.

This time, I will not let my need for a miracle blind me from the reality of what is happening. I will listen to the truth as it settles into my ears and make sure it doesn’t turn into a hum so that we can experience what time we do have together. Not one minute it took to read this was promised or owed to us, they were all gifted. Life changes in an instant and while I am the first to admit that I rush through many of my moments, I am also the first to admit that I should embrace them all and carry the love filled ones for as long as possible. Love is the only thing we can take with us and leave behind when we transition. The way we speak, support, encourage, and embrace others is what determines our legacy. It is what makes others decide that we should always be remembered. Zannette kicked up a lot of dirt while she was here by making it her mission to educate children, provide platforms for poets to be heard, and read her way into so many hearts. Everyone says rest in peace but I believe she is kicking up clouds in heaven and making sure people have open spirits so they can embrace their new existence.

My sister/friend says she understands that death is a part of life and she is laying this struggle in God’s hands. That is a courageous act of faith that must be respected. I will not fill her head with talk of survival but I will continue to pray for her miracle. She is trying to change the world so her daughter’s have a greater place to exist and the way she loves the people in her life is her legacy. The way she sends love and speaks of her victories while experiencing so much pain makes her a living testimony to how humans are positioned to save each other. Her presence in my life has saved me from that deep dark midnight blue place more times than I can count. The thoughts are blocked by proof that the strokes of our pens and paintbrushes create more than a story, but a reflection for much needed light in dark places.
LOVE.

I Adore Montreal, Canada!!!

I have gone international baby!!! Thanks to all the wonderful artists in Montreal, Canada for making Tantra, Mildred, and myself feel like family. Eliz, you are a wonderful person with a generous spirit and the time we spent was a blessing. Tantra, thank you for the invitation to perform with you. It was a weekend I will never forget. Love. Shanna

Lyrical Voices Presents A Night of Poetry & Arts feat. Tantra~Zawadi... August 20th @ 9PM

Join us as we gather for a night of poetry & arts. Tantra~Zawadi will be our feature for the night as she brings her love and light into our art space. She is a poet, documentary film creator, & actor, who has travelled from Brooklyn through Africa sharing her art. For more information about Tantra ~Zawadi visit http://www.tantra-zawadi.com/

OPEN MIC! Bring your poems, voices, and positive energy and add to the fullness of this... night.

All profits of this evening will go toward Nathan P, brother & former Nuyorican Poets Café Slam Master,as he conquers a battle with Lupus.
http://www.lupus.org/newsi...te/index.html

We look forward to seeing you all!!!

9PM~1AM
Admission $5.00

Love.
Shanna

www.PoeticSoulArts.net

Rebuilding Bridgeport Fundraiser 7/14/10 @ 8pm, $5.00 minimum donation

PoeticSoulArts.net & LuvJonzEntertainment.com are joining forces to raise money towards helping families in Bridgeport rebuild their lives after the recent tornado. Shanna is a local poet/visual artist and Buddha Luvjonz (Adrian Sayaphet) is a local dj/poet/ceo and we are joining forces by bringing artists together for the greater good of the community. Amici Mei, downtown Bridgeport is allowing us to create this event and all the performing artists are donating their time and are to create a successful event. We hope you can attend this event. Any help you can provide in terms of promotion would be greatly appreciated. The more people we have in attendance, the better we will be able to contribute to the community. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Shanna T. Melton
shatamel@gmail.com
www.PoeticSoulArts.net

Lyrical Voices Presents A Night Of Poety & Arts ~ Friday May 21st @ 9PM!!!!

"It's Bigger Than..." by, Shanna T. Melton 2010

"It's Bigger Than..." by, Shanna T. Melton 2010
"Once Sweet" by, Shanna T. Melton
Music Produced by Cody "Leviticus" Norris of Third Book Productions
Artist Information: www.PoeticSoulArts.net
www.shatamel.blogspot.com

The Z Experience ~ Soldier Blues

This event will honor Zannette Lewis. She lived as a woman with many hats,most of which supported artists and all of our visions. I am honored to be part of this event and I hope to see you there...
Type: Music/Arts - Performance
Date: Friday, March 12, 2010
Time: 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Location: Southern Connecticut State University

DescriptionA Spoken Word Event
Honoring the Life
of Zannette Lewis
(1946—2009)

* Brought to you by the Women Studies Department at Southern Connecticut State University....Thanks to Professor Yi-Chun Tricia Lin

Featuring: Ngoma Hill, Croilot Carlos Adames, Baub Bidon, Akua Doku, Frederick-Douglass Knowles, & Shanna Melton
Highlights

♦ 6:30—7:00 PM: Reception
♦ 7:00—7:30 PM: Open Mic
♦ 7:30—9:00 PM: Program

“Unboxable improvisational freestyle. Zannette was her own universe, simultaneously a connection to past, present and future. An activist and visionary, she always confronted the system from the inside. Realizing that revolution goes in circles, Zannette was evolutionary. A free thinker unencumbered by theory and dogma, she was a seer and a giver, an earth angel, she's moved on to a new assignment."





Tantra~Zawadi has a play titled "Soldier Blues" featured on these nights which includes artwork by yours truely, Shanna. The night is dedicated to Xavier Kemp and many Connecticut artists will be featured this evening thanks to Tantra. If you are able to come out and support, it would be great to see you there. Call and reserve your seat before attending...

Type: Music/Arts - Performance
Start Time: Thursday, March 11, 2010 at 8:00pm
End Time: Saturday, March 13, 2010 at 10:00pm
Location: WOW CAFE THEATER - 59 EAST 4TH STREET, BTWN 2ND AND 3RD AVE, 4TH FLOOR, NYC
Street: 59 EAST 4TH STREET
City/Town: New York, NY
View Map

DescriptionPARTIAL PROCEEDS OF BELOW EVENT TO BENEFIT PEOPLE OF HAITI!!!!
East Village, NY
Thursday, Friday, Saturday MARCH 11, 12, AND 13, 2010 - 8pm -
THREE NEW ONE WOMAN SHOWS each night for only $15 TOTAL!!!!

TICKETS ON SALE NOW AT THIS LINK:
http://fabnyc.org/calendar.php?month=3&year=2010&ctype=month&type=event&mids[0]=17#event_2010_03_11_1359

INFO ABOUT ALL THREE SHOWS BELOW...OR GO TO EVENTS SECTION AT WWW.DREDLOVE.COM

Come Experience MilDred's NEW Show:
"I Transcender: The Gender Expression of Haitian Gods and Goddesses" (c) 2010. Created by MilDred Gerestant, the artist formerly known as DRED. Choreographed by the fabulous and talented Sokhna Heathyre Mabin!!! "I Transcender: The Gender Expression of Haitian Gods and Goddesses" is a mix of dance, poetry and music experiencing the spiritual dance expressions of the fabulous Haitian God/desses: sexy Danbala, cross dressing Baron Samedi and beautiful Erzulie. MilDred has performed internationaly, from college campuses including NYU, Penn State, Vassar, MIT, NYU, Amherst, and Smith College; to theaters such as Lincoln Center, and Henry Street Settlement. Cameos of her performance have been featured on HBO, MTV, and Oxygen television. She also appeared in the award-winning film "Venus Boyz." MilDred was featured on Go Magazine's "100 Women We Love”- Class of 2009 List, along with Ellen DeGeneres and Wanda Sykes. She was also awarded the 2009 Spirit Award, from OUTMusic, for 14 years of dedicated service through her acting & performing. MilDred has been featured in over 8 books including: Female Masculinity, Assume Nothing, Long Live the King: A Genealogy of Performative Genders, and Social Justice: A Journal of Crime, Conflict, and World Order. MilDred is also a Yoga teacher, Reiki Practitioner, and Thai Yoga Massage Bodywork Practitioner and is available for private sessions. www.DredLove.com

Also in these three evenings wonderful Tantra Zawadi presents, "Soldier Blues" An exploration through word, music, and movement of the battlefield of the soul and heart. Soldier Blues is an interpretation through poem/movement, that examines the hearts and circumstances of Americans who enlist in the armed forces. The accompanying original sound track explores the "blues" which also has deep roots in American history. The music progresses as does the poem/video presentation; from the opening poem by Blis Blis, the mother who is praying for the safe return of her soldier girl, the lover-man longing for his woman back in the states, to the married mother who left her family behind. Soldier Blues, written and performed by Tantra-zawadi, was inspired by poet/musician Xavier Kemp and is a call for America to help our soldiers recover when they return home. Music created by Stevie Gee, Leviticus, Russ Mitkowski and BooBoo Cousins. Art work by Shanna Melton. Video edited by Oliver Covrett, XYAYX Multimedia with choreography by Von Jacobs. Tantra-zawadi, an award winning international poet, recording artist and filmmaker, is a native of Brooklyn, New York. She has performed in South Africa, London and Germany and her new documentary, "A Silent Genocide A Brief Insight Into HIV/AIDS" offers a glimpse into the lives of those living with HIV along with commentary by Betty Makoni, a 2009 Top Ten CNN Hero and founder of Girl Child Network Worldwide. For learn more about Ms. Zawadi or to view her documentary, please visit her on-line at www.tantra-zawadi.com.


Also introducing a new performance by Sokhna Heathyre Mabin!!! called snapshots from the underground forrest - 1 line description: snapshots from the underground forrest is a choreocollage of how this sister deals with betrayal, abandonment, revelation, joy, birth, healing & maintanance to a higher level of being. Performance description: snapshots from the underground forrest, is a choreocollage of music, dance, vocal soundings, poetry, & her reality - be it real or semi-fictitious. Working her way thru luv, betrayal, be(lie)fs, by way of the daily commitments, sokhna intuits how 2 alchemically transform the mundane 2 the sacred. sokhna heathyre mabin is a multi-artistic performance artist who uses her life experience, dance, music & trust to express her revelations...sokhna is the mother of 2 other multitalented, passionate artists, a doula, & yoga instructor.

WOW Cafe Theater is located at 59 East 4th street between 2nd and 3rd avenue
R train to 8th street
6 train to Astor Place or
F train to second avenue

TICKETS ON SALE NOW AT THIS LINK:
http://fabnyc.org/calendar.php?month=3&year=2010&ctype=month&type=event&mids[0]=17#event_2010_03_11_1359


Make reservations at 646 342 5660 646 342 5660 - or mildred_gerestant@yahoo.com


Love.

A Mother's Love by, Shanna T. Melton 2009

Part 3 of my series is titled "Praise"

Who Would I Be Without My Art?

Who Would I Be Without My Art?

The message I continue to get is that art is worth living for and an artist should do everything possible to continue creating and growing. There is a conflict with existing as an artist when your everyday life does not feed creativity. Sure there are lines people say or words that summon the inner writer. There are events that take place and ignite our anger and passion for change. We fall in and out of love and passionately feel like every moment of emotion deserves documentation. We hear notes in our head and convince the world it is music then watch as backs arch, feet stomp, and heads bob unwillingly. There are also times when nothing feels poetic or worth documenting. It is just something to survive and put in the past even with the knowledge that it is worth a testimony. Artists are often dreamers and we want to maintain comfortable lifestyles off of our dreams. That sounds absurd when voiced; we want to maintain comfortable lifestyles off of our dreams.

I often wonder who I would be if I did not have my art. What would happen if I did not want to mimic the visions and sound of scratching paintbrushes that fill my head? If I never introduced the words that sound beautiful in my mind to paper and confined the freedom I experience under the title of a poem, story, or essay. How does it look when we walk by colors and shapes or see the different shades that define a person’s face and feel like it is common enough that I am justified in taking them for granted? Is it possible to hear music and not realize how the energy changed, speech takes on its rhythm, perspective becomes parallel enough to call it my own?

I am told that it is during prayer when people feel closest to god. I wonder if you have to be on your knees bowing before a cross, a sun, or clay molded into a representative of whom we believe to be our God to actually pray. I wonder if the times in my car hoping my voice moves past my windshield or while I am in the bathroom during the chaos of my day asking God to remind me that my purpose is greater than my circumstance; I wonder if those times count too. When I was younger my great grandmother would always tell me how God doesn’t give us more to carry than we can bear. So often I ask myself why I am carrying so much more than my art.

The time when I feel closest to God is when I am painting and my mind has unraveled enough through the conversations I have with it that I can hear the paintbrush pressing colors into the canvas. I feel closest to god when my hand curves with letters that fall like dominoes onto lines and construct their own melody. It is during these times that I am not present in this experience called reality because nothing is intentional. I am communicating with something greater and allowing it to guide my hands while I submit because I trust that is for a greater purpose. The purpose often remains a mystery but I have to trust that all will be revealed in time.

Who would I be without my art? I never explore this with enough depth. It is scary to go into that place where this love, the one I truly never want to overcome, could not exist. Thoughts of its importance overshadow thoughts of its absence and I rebel with a ferocious search for ways to forget that this question tried to invade my dreams. People keep telling me not to quit because there are times when I want to make my paintings and writing a secret again. There are times when I want it to be less vulnerable and open to interpretation. There are also times, more than not, when I love sharing what comes through me and being an artist is the one thing I would never sacrifice. Hearing how a painting or poem pulls emotions to the surface and inspires another to mimic their sounds and visions reminds me that reality really gets more credit than it often deserves.

©Shanna T. Melton2010