Moon Mami Writes

I will be at the store ArtSpring on Saturday, October 31 to sign copies of the book Liberated Muse Volume I: How I Freed My Soul (June 2009) and hosting the afternoon which will feature performers Ne'a Posey, Gary Young, Sadie Flick and Quineice Clarkson. This is on Halloween, so I have fingers crossed that folks will come out. We have some things planned for the kids. Trying now to see what artists want to help with the arts and crafts table. I'm thinking teaching the kiddies how to make witch dolls. Hopefully artist Sherry Burton-Ways, an incredible doll artist can lead this project, but, if not, I'll have to pull out the rolodex. It should be a great afternoon.

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So, what a wonderful surprise to wake up with word from Jessica Solomon, the founder of the Saartjie Project, that we have been featured in the Washington Post. The article mentions the Saartjie Project show "Deconstructing the Myth of the Booty" which will be in this year's Capital Fringe Fest. The photo above is the only featured photo in the article. ( I am standing far right ). Capital Fringe strives to provide outlets and opportunities for artists to self-produce in a nurturing and supportive environment while exposing their work to patrons and the local, national and international media that they would never be able to garner on their own. Capital Fringe is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded in the summer of 2005 with the purpose of infusing energy into performing arts in the Washington DC region. As part of the Fringe movement that began in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1947 and continues today, Capital Fringe joins a host of counterparts around the world. The Saar...

I'm looking forward to performing with the Saartjie Project this summer in the Capital Fringe Fest. Tickets are on sale now. You can visit http://www.thesaartjieproject.org/ to purchase your tickets and get the dates. The photo shoot to create the photo above was fun as I got to participate with my kids. My photo is deconstructing the myth of the "perfect" mother when today's mom is usually working hard for the money and lucky to see her kids as often as likes.

The book is finally available for purchase at http://www.outskirtspress.com/LiberatedMuse Muse We had so many great things happen this past weekend. How fitting that our celebrations for the book kicked off on June 19-- known as Juneteenth! A book about freedom kicking off on Juneteenth. Deep. Check out some of the photos and video from this past weekend. Special thanks to all o f the artists who performed: Gary Young, Quineice Clarkson, Anonamas and Infinite Soul Music, Dee Stone and Teisha Marie. Props to the writers from the book who performed their pieces: Farah Lawal, Margaux Delotte-Bennett and Maureen Mulima. You were smashing! None of the weekend's festivities would have been possible without our volunteers who worked as servers during our gig at the Potter's House in DC: Susan, Le'Nia, Stephan and Lindsey! We appreciate you immensley! Below is some footage, but more is to come: Gary Young and Quineice Clarkson @ the Artomatic show Our wonderful audience @ the Ar...

I particpated in really refreshing conversation with Ananda Leeke and guest Moya Bailey on Ananda's show BAP Living Radio found HERE on June 7. The topic was Black Women Online Community Builders and this show was one in a series on Black Women and Social Media. I was honored to be asked again to be interviewed on this show-- first appearing on the show last year around the same time. Moya is creator of Quirky Black Girls, a wonderful safe space for those who don't so easily fit into a box and she also oversees an ezine and events that further expand the community borne from the site. Check out the site here: http://quirkyblackgirls.ning.com/ Ananda Leeke is a dear friend and creative mentor and her show is a wonderful treat. BAP Living Radio is a monthly Internet program that airs on the first Sunday of each month from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm (eastern standard time).

...a cyber-stalker! Yup. It's pretty sad really. I was on one of my favorite sites-- www.Sojournals.com -- last year, made a comment to a public blog posted on there and, apparantly, a war was launched. This joker-- who goes by several aliases, one of two of them being First Scribe and the other being Djehuti Wa Kamau-- felt so offended that I commented on his public blog as being overly naive and offensive that he felt the need to make a personal attack. Later, still angry, he began to post things on other websites about me, evident when I began to get Google alerts that my name was being used in posts without my consent. A recycled pdf s/he/it has fun posting is a rant about how I'm all of these terms-- a negro, nigger, ho, etc.-- and how he is a better writer than me. He represents the classic example of the cyber personas exemplified on so many websites that define this new type of online personality. This experience has been a very useful example I share when I do workshop...

The above photo and three others by Khadijah Ali-Coleman were featured in an article by Virginia Spatz found HERE in East of the River newspaper. Visit HERE to view the Shopping Guide featured in the 2008 Dec issue of East of the River newspaper. The guide features hand-crafted items by residents of Washington DC's east of the river communities.

( In photo: Eleanor Holmes Norton at October meeting telling the community about Homeland Security's plans to make the St. Elizabeth campus in DC their site for their new headquarters. Read full story at http://www.capitalcommunitynews.com/ in the East of the River newspaper. Story & photo by Khadijah Ali-Coleman) ( In Photo: Marion Barry and Melvin Deal shake hands as Barry congratulates Deal on the opening of the new African Heritage Drummers and Dancers Center which opens in the Ward 8 neighborhood in Washington DC. Story will be published in the December issue of East of the River found at http://www.capitalcommunitynews.com/ . Story & Photo by Khadijah Ali-Coleman)

Photos of Atlanta Skyline by Khadijah Ali-Coleman

All Photos by Khadijah Ali-Coleman (All Rights Reserved)

Check out photos from the Capital Hip Hop Soul Fest by Khadijah Ali-Coleman HERE Read a summary of the Capital Hip Hop Soul Fest HERE (in photo: Poet Jade Foster) Photo by Khadijah Ali-Coleman

"Planning for the Capital Hip Hop Soul Fest has included wearing many hats-- publicist, creative director, stage manager, media writer, photographer, administrative assistant, meeting planner, accountant, etc. etc. etc.... Recently, the Washington Post contacted us for pictures of artists who will be performing in the fest. I sent them five pictures of five different artists...the one pic of Dee Stone that she had sent in her press package didn't have a dpi that was large enough and I shot them a pic I had taken of the singer at a Memorial Day shindig. Out of the five pics, my shot made the story. Check it out HERE

Check out the article on events happening in Northeast DC for the July issue of East of the River Newspaper: Click HERE Check out the article on how to live GREEN when your pockets are lean: Click HERE

On Sunday, July 6, 2008, BAP Living Radio interviewed me to speak on the topic of Black women in the media and the Capital Hip Hop Soul Fest. You can click HERE to listen to the taping of the show.

In the June 2008 issue of East of the River, I reviewed three CDs of up and coming artists in the Washington DC area-- Cool Cee Brown, Dee Stone and Tia Dae. All acts are performers in the Capital Hip Hop Soul Fest slated for Saturday, July 26th in Washington DC. Click HERE for the article.

(Photos by Khadijah Ali-Coleman All Rights Reserved ) I covered the Artomatic festival last year (2007) and was able to catch one show this year. The band was UNINTERRUPTED, a hot soul rock band based in the DC metropolitan area. The lead singer is Aneisha Newbill, known on stage as MOON, or MAMA MOON after the recent birth of her daughter, Sage. This new mama is a firecracker on stage, giving a magnificent stage performance accented by her deep, Nina Simone-ish soulful voice. The band is fantastic too, with an intensity that was well-received in the cavernous room this Artomatic concert was held in at Capital Plaza 1 located at 11200 First Street, N.E.,Washington DC. I was able to get some really good shots of Moon and the band members. View additional photos on http://www.liberatedmuse.com/

April consisted of the development and content management of the website Liberated Muse and creating the copy for the website for the Capital Hip Hop Soul Fest . Below are some of the stories written over the course of the two months: College Round-Up found in DC NORTH Ning Networks in East of the River Singer Sy Smith in East of the River Revisionist Tale (photo by Khadijah Ali-Coleman)

Visual Artist Sharon Burton Shades of Black Journal Teaching Sex Education Non-traditional Students Studying for the College Student

(above photos and postcard design by Khadijah Ali-Coleman) Here is some news by and about me: Press Release Regarding "Shades of Black: a thought in progress" by Khadijah Ali-Coleman 2007 Year In Review in East of the River Newspaper, Jan 2008 The 411 on Adoption in East of the River Newspaper, Feb 2008 Top Players in the Hip Hop Game: Substantial and Kokayi , East of the River Newspaper, Feb 2008 I'm cited as a reference on Wikipedia for page on the go-go group Mambo Sauce Mention of "Shades of Black: a thought in Progress on the website Today's Drum