And the journey continues

Photo provided by Luca Guardabascio

On Wednesday November 19th, Luca Guardabascio presented his book, "Stones on the Ocean," at Oberlin College in Ohio. On December 4th, he will return to Detroit for another presentation. He plans to present the book in Philadelphia on December 13th and in New York on December 15th. The New York presentation will be sponsored by La Federazione Delle Associazioni Campane in USA.

Guardabascio is also busy shooting a new movie on the Italian American poet, Zach Aiko at Robert Morris University in Pennsylvania. Click here to be directed to the official Facebook page of the movie.

Photo provided by Guardabascio

Photo provided by Guardabascio

Hilary Clinton has a few advices for you

I just wanted to share this article on former US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton's speech at the Association of American Publishers this year. Her lessons are worth taking notes of. Click here to be directed to it.

Elsie Augustave: List of events

Below is the list of author Elsie Augustave's upcoming events:

• Mar 29, 2014: Elsie Augustave – National Black Writers Conference, Medgar Evers College, Brooklyn, NY
• Apr 11, 2014: Elsie Augustave – Eastern University, Wayne, PA
• May 4, 2014: Elsie Augustave – Grub Street’s Muse and the Marketplace Conference, Park Plaza Hotel, Boston, MA
• May 17, 2014: Elsie Augustave – Footprints Foundation Literary Jazz Brunch, Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove, Coconut Grove, FL

Elsie Augustave: Discussion with a reader

Photo by Sabine Cherenfant

I met Elsie Augustave not too far from Times Square on a cold Thursday evening. She wore a black fur collar coat and held a canvas bag and a purse hinting at her life as a teacher at the Stuyvesant High School in New York. After a "quick" stop, we made our way to the last floor of a building to talk about her debut novel, The Roving Tree, published by Akashic Books.
The novel depicts the brief life of Iris, a young Haitian adopted at the age of five by a liberal American family in the ending years of the Civil Rights Movement. The book takes you to the course of her life as she struggles to fit in and reconnect with her past. She moves from one place to another, all in a subconscious search for identity. Many topics arose from the book– political struggle, racism, Africanism, cultural boundaries and the mere history of humanity.
"Iris is a survivor," concluded Augustave as we discussed this heroine's ability to rise above all challenges and keep her head high despite all traumas.
As a reader, you begin to admire Iris' strength, and her independence becomes inspiring.
Yet, ask Augustave her reason for writing this book and she won't have an answer. Truthfully, she just knew she wanted to write a book. She was not trying to convey a message. Rather, she wanted to express herself leaving the readers the choice to find their own message.
"It wasn't so much that I was going to write a book about this or that," she explained. "The first thing I decided was I was going to write a book. The second thing was 'what about?'"
That is where her strong interest in the Haitian culture and her experience spinning the globe came into play. They guided her in writing the novel.
Even though Augustave's life is distinct from the life of Iris's, they are both travelers and seekers in nature.
"our itineraries are the same," said Augustave who have traveled or lived in all of the places mentioned in the book. Life circumstances led Iris from Haiti to the United States to Senegal, Zaire and France.
I asked Augustave about her most memorable experience traveling to South America, West Africa and Europe, and she recounted her time studying anthropology and archeology in Colombia in the 1970's, stubbornly visiting San Basilio de Palenque, a village founded by escaped slaves, for her final project. The mayor of the village took her in since there was no hotel in this isolated but historical community near Cartagena.
Just like Iris, Augustave grew up in Haiti under the Duvalier era and left at a young age.
"I was much older than miss Iris," she said. "I must have been 12 or 13 years old. It was quite a different experience."
Iris lived in Westchester with her family. Augustave's family first moved in Spring Valley, where few Haitians lived at the time.
"There were only three families [then]," she remembered. Her sister, the son of her father's friend and she were the only Haitians in the school they enrolled in.
On weekends they would visit family members and friends in brooklyn and the city. Seeing how happy those visits made her sister and her, her parents decided to move closer to the city.
Moreover, in addition to their early move to the US, dancing also united Iris and Augustave. Dancing connected Iris to her culture and transported her to Zaire where the second part of the novel takes place. Dancing gave her a purpose. Dancing also connected Augustave to her culture.
"I started dancing in Haiti but nothing structured," said Augustave who used to participate in neighborhood plays in Cabaret, Haiti.
She took ballet and modern dance classes when she moved to the US, studying under a famous Haitian dancer and learning Katherine Dunham's techniques. Augustave went on to choreograph a major production for the National Dance Theater of Zaire.
She also found another way to reconnect with her culture when she received a grant from Howard University and traveled to Haiti for a summer to study Haitian folklore. She spent a large amount of time in the north of the country, attending voodoo ceremonies with a historian friend. That time will shape Iris's return to the land.
"I wanted to write about that kind of world where people believe in life under water," said Augustave. "Monn Neg is an invention of my imagination. I wanted Iris's experience as a Haitian to be from that world."
That supernatural world also feeds this search for identity. We talked about the global aspect of the book, the common need among African descents in the Americas to know the past.
Augustave, who is currently writing her second novel, previously stated writing as her mission.
"When something becomes an obsession, it has to be because it is something you're meant to do," she replied when I asked her to elaborate on writing being her mission. "I'd like to know I have written before I die."
She is a reader at heart though her busy life makes reading and leisure almost impossible.
"I haven't used the word fun in my vocabulary in so long," she joked.
Lastly, I asked her what would be her advice to young writers to which she replied, "... perseverance and discipline are the two most important qualities one needs to achieve a dream."
"You have to persevere," she added. "Your desire to achieve that dream should be stronger than any obstacle."

Moonlight and Mangos and Her Projects

Listen to Moonlight and Mangos talk about her art and upcoming projects by clicking here to be directed to the radio interview. Moreover, her art will be auctioned this Saturday Feb. 15th at the 11th Annual Elmont Online taking place at Adelphi University at 5:30 pm. Her TV appearance will soon be available for viewing.

2014 Benefit Concert featuring Moonlight and Mangos' s Artwork

Photo by Sabine Cherenfant
This Sunday Feb. 2nd, Moonlight and Mangos' s artwork will be featured in a benefit concert at the Elmont Memorial High School. Please click here to be directed to the page to RSVP and attend this event. 

Tanguy Exume's "Sur Mon 31" soon to be published!

It came on December 20th, five days before Christmas and 12 days before the new year. It was just an email with a simple subject line yet a message big enough to push a long scream out of Tanguy Exume.
"It was a long yell as if someone in my family passed away [followed by] constant laughter," divulged Exume. "I just couldn't imagine it. Finally I had a positive answer on having something published."
Now begins the process to publishing Exume's collection of poems, "Sur Mon 31," and he is more than ready for it. He has already signed the contract, sent corrections, took out the English poems (including the poem that will feature a rap verse by Mizzy) and replaced them with French poems. He will soon receive a tentative cover, and from there, there will be a lot of back and forth to bring the book to its final look before officially publishing it in four months or less.
It all started 10 months ago in March as a "tentative project" (as Exume describes it) to challenge himself to write 31 poems in 31 days for his 31st year on earth.
"I was working on just following a task, so sometimes it was painful," he admitted. "Some nights, I would be like 'OMG I have to write a poem today.'"
Other nights, he would wake up in the middle of the night realizing he forgot to finish a poem.
"It was the first series not based on inspiration," he said. I was forcing myself to write as opposed to feeling something and writing about it."
The collection is made of a diverse set of poems varying from political and social issues to pure love. As Exume pinpointed, several of the poems contrast with the title, which refers to the expression "Sur mon 31" (meaning to be on your Sunday best).
He wrote one of the poems (also one of his favorites) in Vancouver Island where the aboriginal heritage is celebrated.
"We went by a lot of Totem Poles, and that day I had to write a poem," he narrated. "And I [thought] if they ask me build a Totem Pole, what would it be, what would it contain, what would be my heritage and what would it represent?"

"Mon Totem/ Un poeme/ L'embleme de ma vie boheme/ Le siege de mes dilemmes/ Mon Totem..." he wrote describing every aspect of his life. 

He joked about his inability to draw and explained writing the poem was his way of drawing with words his Totem pole.

Also in the collection is a poem on Aida, the love goddess and on John Coltrane, the famous Jazz saxophone player.
"It about how I feel when I listen to John Coltrane, and the fact that I grew up with my dad playing the saxophone," said Exume. "All of those memories resurface throughout the poem, but the poem is really based on the accomplishments of John Coltrane and his influence on me."
Once the book comes out, he plans to tour and promote his book in Vancouver and Montreal, Canada and of course, his country Haiti.
As mentioned in my first article on Exume, he is also hoping to produce a CD composed of a dozen of the poems. Due to budget and time constraints, he didn't start this project yet. Nonetheless, Exume is determined to give his fans something concrete to remember him in addition to his live performances.
Of course, the upcoming book will also fulfill this goal.
In two weeks, he will his release his video project with new poems on YouTube. Please see the video for a preview.
Exume, elated, talked about his excitement for upcoming reactions for his book.
"I am not afraid," he said, welcoming both positive and negative feedbacks. "I do it because I love writing. I have no commitment to writing. I am very excited for 2014."

Friends in The Arts Auction

Two of Moonlight and Mangos' paintings, Evolution and Paradise, are being auctioned on Highlighting Success Inc. The auction will end on Jan 2. 2014. Hurry!!! :P

Happy Birthday to Moonlight and Mangos

Wish Moonlight and Mangos a happy birthday by visiting her shop on Etsy and purchasing one of her artwork!
http://fanfantwins.blogspot.com/2013/10/moonlight-and-mangos-find-something-you.html

Luca Guardabascio: Dove Posarono i Suoi Piedi Trailer

Here's the link to the trailer of Luca Guardabascio's new documentary: 

http://www.youtube.com/v/HNJc6jkgu0w?autohide=1&version=3&autohide=1&feature=share&attribution_tag=anwL5RxUJOR032NN2j37-g&showinfo=1&autoplay=1

Luca Guardabascio

Luca Guardabascio began his tour in Detroit, where he had a very successful stay. On Oct. 27 he held a lecture on his new book, Padula-New York-Pittsburgh:Emigrazione Sangue Speranza - La storia di Joe Petrosino e del suo migliore amico Giovanni Esposito at the Laurel Manor Banquet and Conference Center in Michigan. The following day, Guardabascio held a screening of his documentary on Angela Volpini at Wayne State University. Click here for more information on those events. Both events were sponsored by the Italian Consulate in Detroit and the Italian Program in the Department of Classical and Modern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures at Wayne State University and hosted by the Dante Alighieri Society.
He fell in love with the city because of its sublime nature despite it being in decadence and the wonderful people he met there. He plans to put Detroit in the title on his book on Joe Petrosino and began shooting scenes in this city on Oct. 29.
"The city of detroit needs help to show her power to the world so I wish to help," said Guardabascio.
He will be in Pittsburgh from Nov. 1 to Nov. 14 for lectures and screenings at Robert Morris University and Chatham University. He will have a lecture on Italian Neorealism at Oberlin College on Nov. 19. The 21st, Guardabascio will present his documentary at the Italian American Museum in New York.
Dates for presentations in Philadelphia and Cleveland will soon be announced.

Moonlight and Mangos: The Artist

Photo by Sabine Cherenfant

"I finally know what I want to do when I grow up," the artist behind Moonlight and Mangos writes on her personal blog. "I want to color… Paint. Create… I am an artist…"

Her hair probably tied back or falling on the side, her sweats covered with a rainbow of paint colors, she leaves her garage door open to listen to the sound of the wind blowing through the entrance, the cars passing by and the birds singing their morning lullabies. She paints with no before-thought. She lets the brush take its own course because painting comes from within.

That's exactly what she tells her students from her art class at the 5 Star Sports and Entertainment Academy in New York. She refuses to dictate their drawings. Instead, she encourages them to let their feelings guide them.

The Artist, who prefers to remain nameless and refuses to be categorized, obtained her bachelor's degree in psychology and hopes to pursue a master's degree in art therapy.

"Painting is my therapy," she stated, and it was a part of her she kept private for a long time until a recent life transformation.

"Last year I fell in the street leaving SOBs," she recounted. "I broke my knee open. It was too wide to stitch and too deep to heal."

For six painful week, she was unable to work and stayed home while most of her loved ones turn their back on her.

"People don't understand how you could be so injured from a fall," she said. "They thought I was being a baby."

Confined to her home, painting was the only thing she could do. She never stopped painting from then on. She realized in life you can't rely on anyone. You have to take control of your life.

She hoarded all of her emotions in her paintings.

"I asked God 'why are you punishing me,'" she said. "[Then] I realized that it was not punishment rather something to make me stronger. I had to get up, get better and move on."

Looking back at the work she produced during that time, she remarks how different they are from her more recent work.

In her dearest painting, Mother Nature, a tear trickles on the right cheek of a mournful face.

"[Looking at it] I always go back the emotions I felt when I painted it," she confessed. This painting to her is an emotional photograph of her mindset during a painful time period.

As her emotion changed, her paintings became more vibrant, and as she became more confident in her work, she began to make it less private.

"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you," she said quoting Maya Angelou. Aside from the paintings depicting the pain, she also wrote a poem, posted on her blog to remind her how far she has come.

Six months ago, she quit her job of 16 years as a lab technician to find more time doing what truly fulfills her as a person. Furthermore, this has allowed her to spend more time with her kids.

"you will never find happiness living someone else's life," she declared. "If something makes you miserable, get rid of it."

Optimism and the quest for happiness are her intents in life. This optimistic goal is unintentionally shown in her paintings almost never drawn with sharp edges and colored frequently with glitter. It is her way of making her paintings less threatening and bringing a little bit of optimism to the complex, dark emotions.

There seems to also be a correlation among the circular lines in her work, the name of her company and her personality.

"I can see the moon from my bedroom," said The Artist, who is a nocturnal woman.

In addition to paintings, she also has a collection of bottles, titled bottled emotions. She is also an interior, landscape and graphic designer, making promotion and invitation flyers. As a writer, she published two informational pieces on relationship on a blog and occasionally posts poems in her personal blog.

She is an innovative thinker and forward-minded artist, who stopped watching TV because of the vicious coverage of Haiti after the earthquake. Her free time is dedicated to her kids and her artistry.

"Sometimes, desperation is the best inspiration," she said regarding her ability to create art from nothing. Art crafts are expensive. Thus, she creates 3D art or mixed-media art from tiles, wood, glass, nail polish, hand sanitizer, stones, ink or anything else she could find around her.

Some of her paintings and bottles are sold on Etsy [click here to be directed to her shop]. On december 7th, she will have an art opening in NYC. Location and time are to be announced.

Her blog is filled with quotes from respected figures, such as Alice Walker, Pablo Neruda and Bob Ross. In fact, Bob Ross's quote, "whatever makes you happy, you put in your life," is her life mantra.
Sh strives to expand her knowledge of the world.

"What is the opposite of 'ignorance is bliss?'" She asked to explained the importance and effect of knowledge in our life.

Everything she does is to inspire emotional freedom, empowerment and strength.

"[In Haitian paintings], even if a woman is sad, her chin is always up," she pointed out. In her own painting, she emphasizes the strength of women. Eyes, which are the windows to the soul, are also an important aspect in her paintings.

She wants to transform her brand into a household name, while bringing other innovative Haitians together.

"Something I noticed is that Haitians are proud," she said. "[Moreover] our generation is our future."

Tanguy Exume: "My work is a reflection of who I am and who I want to be"

Photo provided by Tanguy Exume

"I like to see writing as a mirror... and as a writer I believe I am a mirror," revealed Tanguy Exume, a young and passionate Haitian writer with a fierce voice diffused through postcasts accompanied with soft melodies on his blog. "I absorb conversations, sounds and feelings. That's what I try to depict in my writings."
He becomes highly critical of his surroundings, fetching for bits and pieces that he stores for future creative work.
This love for writing mellowed while he lived in Montreal. Far from the homeland, conversations about Haiti erupted among Exume, his friends and his elders.
"...But when you're a kid, you are not heard," he explained, so he began to put his thoughts into papers transforming writing into his voice and bearing his multi-performed piece, Haiti Parle (Haiti Speaks). Yet this very love for writing started much earlier than that with teenage love letters to girls.
"You listen to songs," he divulged with a chuckle. "We didn't have internet back then, so you write lyrics and you start familiarizing yourself with how beautiful those lyrics are. But, more precisely, my love for writing comes from my father."
He described his father as a heavy reader and quoted, "I've never known my father without a book. He used to joke: 'When he's dead, the only thing that he would leave us is a bookshelf.'"
Through books, Exume noticed the important of literature in conveying messages. His goal is to send messages marked mostly by the political landscape and the strong sense of community and family in Haiti.
In the midst of the interview Exume remembered his earliest, most vivid memory as a 4-year old child on a troubled January 1986. His father and mother, then pregnant with Exume's younger brother, led him to a demonstration against Duvalier.
"I remember the day Jean-Claude Duvalier left," he related. "We were living on Rue Capois then, not too far from Palais National. We went out in the streets and chanted."
A song came to mind, and Exume began to sing: "Se nan riyel vayan ohhh! Yo tiye neg vanyan ohhh!"
This song, depicting the massacre of November 29, 1987, resounded in his mind as if it were yesterday.
In his household, the political and social situations in Haiti were the main topics. Under a sweltering sun, his brother and he, grey or brown from the soil, played soccer in the large backyard while the parents and friends from the balcony, discussed the political situation of Haiti.  Furthermore, outside was where most of his cherished and vibrant memories took place.
This desire to be outdoor stayed with him. Unable to write at home, he finds inspiration when he is outdoor.
Outside, little ideas pique his interest and develop into bigger ideas. Writing for Exume is a slow and meticulous task that takes time.

Photo provided by Tanguy Exume

His poem, Petit Pays, posted on his blog on July 29, 2013, engendered from a regular day of him listening to Cezaria Evora's song, Petit Pays. In this poem, he opines on the inequality between Creole and French and the complicated political situation in the country.
"Petit pays, petit pays, je t’aime beaucoup," he concludes in the poem because as he stated, "despite all this, you can't deny the love you have for this country."

Amid his purpose to describe the crude reality of Haiti, he recounts in Nan Fon Ke'm the pride of Haiti, the pride of being among the descendants of "those who helped Bolivia, nurtured minds like Guevara and Lumumba" ["Men tankou sa-a yo ki te ede Boliva,/ Ki te bwode lide Guevara ak Lumumba]. 

Yet, Exume, who is a multilayered writer, embraces diverse topics aside from Haiti. Questions, such as are we practicing what we preach?, are we happy? and can we believe we will not exist one day? are addressed in his works. 

In two of his poems, Perdu and Nan Yon Kafou, he invites his readers to travel inward and discover the different avenues of their mind. He uses the dilemmas that he faces and present them in his work.
His poem, C’était comme ça dans le temps, was triggered by a twofold question asked by one of his student: What is the difference between abortion and suicide? Isn't it the same thing? [the student gave him permission to write a poem based on the question]

Exume currently has two projects ready for publication. The first is a collection of 31 poems, titled Sur Mon 31, he wrote in 31 days for his 31st birthday. He will also produce a CD version with 12 or 13 of the poems. He intends to have a rap collaboration with Justin Mizzy Mejia on one of the poems. Exume previously recited a poem as the intro track of Mizzy's album, ComMiZZerate Your Soul (CYS).
The second project is a novel about a mathematician who, unable to find a pertinent job, worked at a call center and discovered another side of society. The title of the novel is, Le Centre, and the novel was revised by Gilbert Mirambeau Jr.
Soon, he will posting some of his performances on Youtube not for visual purposes but rather to give his audience a chance to see how he is on stage.
Exume is also venturing into Spanish while finding inspiration from the Chilean poet,  Pablo Neruda because of his ability to condense emotions and send it out to the world in the form of concise, powerful poems. However, his favorite poet remains Michel Welbeck. 

The Fabulous Gunslingers Band Performs Today

Photo provided by Heather Pinson

Go see Heather Pinson perform with The Fabulous Gunslingers at 9 p.m. TODAY!
SEPTEMBER 14TH - SUNNY JIM’S
255 CAMP HORNE RD.

PITTSBURGH, PA 15202
412-761-6700
9PM - 1AM

New post by Marlie Decopain

Make sure to visit Marlie Decopains's newblog post on what inspired her to create her latest piece, "In the wing."

Make sure to also browse the blog to discover her journey as an artist and her pillow cover collection, "Anew," which is available on etsy.

Luca Guardabascio on Facciomo Pace

Photo provided by Luca Guardabascio

Click here to get a chance to see Luca Guardabascio guest starring in the first episode of Facciomo Pace! His segment roughly begins at 35 minutes.

Luca Guardabascio Set to Screen Documentary in The United States

Photo provided by Luca Guardabascio

Luca Guardabascio will be a guest star on the first episode of Facciamo Pace on Rai 2 (Second channel in Italy), a reality show about high school time. It airs TODAY!!!
He is currently working on a book on fairy tales, titled Le Stagioni Delal Fantasia (The Season of Imagination), which should be coming out very soon. He partnered with the visual artist, Eleonora Corrado, for this book.
His other book, Padula-New York-Pittsburgh, regarding the 1873-1980 Italian emigration will be published this Fall. The book is sponsored by Padula Coimart S. P. A., a big production company located in Padula.
This October, Guardabascio will be touring the United States to screen his documentary, Dove Posarono I Suoi Piedi, relating the story of Angela Volpini and the Virgin Mary. He will give lectures at Robert Morris University, Chatham University and Lake Eire College. He will be touring in Philadelphia, New York, Washington and possibly Richmond.

Gilbert Mirambeau Jr: Ray of Sun

Photo provided by Gilbert Mirambeau

Please click here to be directed to Gilbert Mirambeau Jr's newest blog entry, "Ray of Sun," depicting a dialogue between a child soldier and his memory.
"I was dreaming all night and couldn't sleep," recollected Gilbert. "I was thinking about these kids, soldier children..."
As he wondered about those kids, he thought of them strolling and wanting to forget about "these monstrosities."
In an effort to understand how those children would surmount the challenge of forgetting their past, Gilbert created this piece.
"I'm always trying to find these impossible dialogues between a writer and his character,"  he explained. "Here I went beyond, where the child is talking to his memory."

Jasmine Tate performs tomorrow

Jasmine Tate peforming at 720 Cafe

After a successful concert at the Second Annual Rock All Night Tour (R.A.N.T.) on the 10th, Jasmine Tate will be performing again tomorrow at 7 p.m. in Grove City as an opening act for David Wade. Click here for more information on this event.
At the R.A.N.T. event last Saturday, she performed along with six other artists at the 720 Music, Clothing and Cafe venue. Overall, 50 bands were in attendance and performed in neighboring venues. Tate gave away t-shirts and CDs to the audience to help them connect with her music.
On August 31, Tate will be performing at the Wick'D Conference in a Navajo Reservation in New Mexico.
She will be in Grove City on Sept. 13 and 21 for respectively her EP/CD release and a fashion show.
Stay tuned for more info!

Successful Kickstarter Campaign

Photo provided by Jasmine Tate

Jasmine Tate successfully raised $20, 341 for her Kickstarter project. The eve, she held a successful pledge party at My Friends Bar, abounded with people. She raised $2, 800.
"I want to say a big thank you first and foremost [for all of the support]," she said. "I want [my supporters] to know they will get to see the fruit of their seed."
Tate explained that her team and she are currently in the preproduction stage of the album and the concert.
"We're just planning on nailing down studio times."
Stay tuned for more update!