Thriving Mindfully as the Real You!
Happy Internet Geek Tuesday!
When I started blogging about my poetry, January Gill O’Neil a/k/a The Poet Mom was one of the first people I met online. Her Poet Mom blog inspired me to take risks with my poems. She made blogging about poetry COOL.
Watch a video of her reading her poem, “What Mommy Wants.”
Check out her debut poetry collection, Underlife.
Follow her on Twitter @januaryoneil.
Do you have a favorite poetry blogger?
Happy Creativity Thursday and National Poetry Month!
Today, I am celebrating the poetry of Derrick Weston Brown, an educator and a “people’s poet.” He is also the author of Wisdom Teeth. Derrick is a dear friend and an extraordinarily gifted wordsmith.
His poetry gets underneath my skin and travels to the depths of my soul. When I hear him read his work, I am stopped in my tracks. Click here to watch his Wisdom Teeth trailer. Be sure to check his book out on Amazon.com. Go on and buy a copy! His poetry will expand your mind! Enjoy!
Who are your favorite poets?
Happy Internet Geek Tuesday!
It’s National Poetry Month! One of the places I like to visit during the month is Poets.org. It offers a new poem each day. You can even have it emailed to you. Click here to sign up.
Are you a poetry lover? Who are your favorite poets? Where do you go online to read poetry?
I love reading the poetry of Tim’m T. West, an amazing activist,author, educator, feminist, hip hop artist, poet, scholar, and singer. I met Tim’m while he was hosting The Front Porch, a monthly poetry reading series at Mocha Hut, a cafe located on U Street in Washington, D.C (closed in 2009). He encouraged me to participate in The Front Porch monthly readings.
His creative energy, friendship, music, poetry, and poetical memoir, Red Dirt Revival: A Poetic Memoir In Six Breaths, inspired me to write and publish my own poetical memoir, That Which Awakens Me. Take a moment and click here to watch a video of Tim’m performing his creative work at the Front Porch in 2007. Also, click here to watch a 2009 video of my poem dedicated to him. Enjoy!
Happy Thursday!
Last night I spoke at Ignite DC #4. “Who lives inside of me?” was the title of my five-minute talk. Visit www.ignite-dc.com to learn more about this amazing event. Click here to read a summary of my talk: http://www.ignite-dc.com/speakers/369.
My talk was based on my eight archetypes discussed in my new book That Which Awakens Me: A Creative Woman’s Poetic Memoir of Self-Discovery (November 2009, Amazon.com). Six-word memoirs, yoga, poetry, and my creative process were mentioned during my talk.
My dad “J” videotaped my talk. See the video below. The Ignite DC organizers will post the 16 speakers’ talks on Blip.tv in a few weeks. I’ll be sure to post the link when it goes live.
Ignite DC #4 was a great event. I saw so many friends and met many new people. I also took a lot of photos. Click here to see my Flickr photo set: http://www.flickr.com/photos/anandaleeke/sets/72157624167809241.
Many thanks to the Ignite DC organizers, sponsors, attendees, and speakers (amazing group of folks — I learned so much from them and laughed too!!!). A big thanks to everyone on Twitter and Facebook who mentioned my talk, took photos, and shared my links.
Enjoy your day and weekend!
PS: Blogging While Brown is my next social media event! Visit www.bloggingwhilebrown.com or http://twitter.com/bwbconference. Blogging While Brown begins on June 18 at the Washington Convention Center in DC. I will teach a yoga class for social media users from 8:15 am to 8:30 am on June 19. I am so excited about attending the conference. It will be my third Blogging While Brown conference! I am also excited about going to the Blogalicious/Red Pump Project meet up at Tabaq on June 19. So get ready for lots more videos, photos, and Facebook/Twitter posts!!!!
Click on the Cinchcast button below to hear me share Ralph Waldo Emerson’s poem “Berrying.” I also share my poem “All Souls” from my book That Which Awakens Me.
Read my six-word memoir for Saturday: Poetry. Jazz. Earth. Reflect. Rejoice. Reconnect.
If you have one, share it in the comment section. Enjoy!
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Hi all,
Join me for an author talk about poetry as a natural medicine for the soul on April 8 from 9:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. EST on Ananda Leeke Live! UStream.tv. During the talk, I will share how I use poetry in my work as an artist-in-residence for Smith Farm Center for Healing and the Arts and excerpts from my new book That Which Awakens Me. Click on the link to watch the author talk: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/ananda-leeke-live. If you miss it, you can always watch the video.
Enjoy your day and week!
Peace, Creativity, Compassion, and Gratitude for the power of poetry,
Ananda
Happy Friday!
I started my morning with yoga, meditation, and Reiki. My sun salutation practice was truly juicy. I listened to jazz musician Duke Ellington’s Black, Brown and Beige CD, a jazz symphony written for his first concert at Carnegie Hall, on January 23, 1943. I discuss Black, Brown and Beige in my debut novel Love’s Troubadours – Karma: Book One. His composition “Come Sunday” featuring Mahalia Jackson plays a key role. Click on the YouTube video below to listen to a part of the CD. It is one of my favorites!
Did you know Ellington’s full name was Edward Kennedy Ellington? He was born on April 29, 1899 to James Edward Ellington and Daisy Kennedy Ellington in Washington, DC. He lived a long, creative, and fulfilling life as a pianist, composer, and band leader. FYI He led his band from 1923 until his death on May 24, 1974.
I also read a poetry quote by my literary mentor E. Ethelbert Miller that reminded me of Ntozake Shange’s Nappy Edges poetry book. I included Ethelbert’s quote in my new book That Which Awakens Me: A Creative Woman’s Poetic Memoir of Self-Discovery. Nappy Edges was the first poetry book I bought during my freshmen year at St. Elizabeth Seton High School (1978). Shange’s poetry inspired me. I discovered her creative work while watching her chorepoem for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf.
Click on the my Cinchcast audio blog below to hear Ethelbert’s poetry quote, Shange’s poem, and my Twitter poetry (an excerpt from That Which Awakens Me) Enjoy!
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When you think of jazz on a Fridays what songs come to mind?
Do you have any favorite poems about music? If so, what are the titles? Who are the poets?
Do you have a six-word memoir for Friday? My six-word memoir is Poetry. Jazz. Earth. Shange. Duke. Gaia. What do you think?
Have a great weekend!
Peace, Creativity, Compassion, Gratitude for Shange’s poetry, Duke’s jazz, and Gaia’s planet,
Ananda
Happy April! Happy National Poetry Month! Happy Jazz Appreciation Month! Happy Early Earth Day (4/22)!
Today marks the beginning of “30 Days of Poetry, Jazz, & Earth Day Awareness,” my online campaign that promotes National Poetry Month, National Jazz Appreciation Month, and the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day. From April 1 to April 30, I am using social media and six-word memoirs to share jazz inspirations, poetry, and reflections about Earth Day and green living.
Here’s my first six-word memoir for April: Poetry. Jazz. Earth. My Soul Necessities.
Do you have a six-word memoir for April, poetry, jazz, or Earth Day awareness? Share it in the comment section below.
This morning I recorded an author chat on BlogTalkRadio which celebrated jazz, poetry, springtime, Cherry blossoms in Washington, DC, green living, and Mother Earth (in celebration of the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day). Several poems discussed neo-soul singer Erykah Badu, jazz singers Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald, jazz musicians Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Thelonius Monk. They were published in my new book That Which Awakens Me: A Creative Woman’s Poetic Memoir of Self-Discovery. Click on the the BlogTalkRadio widget below to hear my 15 minutes of poetry.
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Who are your favorite poets?
What are your favorite poems?
Who are your favorite jazz musicians and singers? Any favorite jazz songs or CDs?
Who are your favorite green living activists?
Enjoy your day! Make it a poetic, jazzy, and green living kinda day!
Peace, Creativity, Compassion, and Gratitude for poetry, jazz, and Mother Earth,
Ananda
Happy Monday! Happy International Women’s Day!
Today is really special for me. International Women’s Day always reminds me of my trip to the U.N. Fourth World Conference on Women held in September 1995 in Beijing, China. My trip to Beijing was one of the most powerful experiences in my life. This morning, I discussed my trip during my author talk on BlogTalkRadio. I also shared woman-centered poetry including two poems I wrote while attending the conference in China. Click on the link to listen to a recording of my show (12 minutes): www.blogtalkradio.com/anandaleeke/2010/03/08/author-chat-with-ananda-leeke.
Who are your favorite women poets?
How are you celebrating International Women’s Day?
Enjoy your day and week!
Peace, Creativity, Compassion, and Gratitude for women’s power, passion, and progress,
Ananda
Greetings All,
My sistalove friend Dehejia Maat is a multitalented woman. She shares her gifts as an actress, artist, poet, singer, yoga teacher, mother, and spirit woman. She recently published Deep Rooted Soul Sista Poems. Her book is available on Amazon.com: http://bit.ly/aNbzkt.
Guess what? Dehejia also released a fantastic CD entitled Melanin Wine (Earth Mix) which is available on Amazon.com: http://bit.ly/couuRI.
Dehejia currently serves as the theater director for the Dragon Box Theater in D.C. She established the No Goddess Left Behind writers workshop. Her current projects include The Joy of Billie Holiday (an original one woman show) and The Yes That Leads to Infinity (her second book of poetry). Click here to learn more about Dehejia and her creativity: www.dehejiamaat.com.
Follow her on Twitter: http://twitter.com/dehejiamaat.
You can also join her Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/dehejia.maat.
Check out her YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/dehejiamaat.
Here are some of my favorite YouTube videos featuring Dehejia. Enjoy!
Peace, Creativity, Compassion, and Gratitude for the creative spirit of Dehejia Maat,
Ananda
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Ananda Leeke 