tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70810411554346831542024-03-13T06:26:47.623-04:00amena brownrandom thoughts on living creatively, finding your muse, and breaking old rhythmsamena beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16248527503173305824noreply@blogger.comBlogger88125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081041155434683154.post-39692419753489073082013-10-28T13:22:00.003-04:002013-10-28T13:22:52.125-04:00To the Warrior Women of Wellspring <div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; padding: 0px;">
<b></b>Had the privilege of sharing this poem at the <a href="http://wellspringliving.org/">Wellspring Living</a> Gala this past Saturday. Wellspring Living is an organization here in Atlanta that provides a home and recovery place for girls and women who are coming out of sex trafficking. When I first heard about the issue of sex trafficking I assumed it was happening overseas, but through Wellspring I found out that underage girls are being trafficked overseas and here in the states, with Atlanta being one of the biggest trafficking centers in the US. I never could have imagined that sex trafficking is happening right here in counties and on streets I visit all the time. </div>
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I have been volunteering at Wellspring for four years or so doing a poetry writing session with the girls there who are between 12 and 17 years old. Two graduates of Wellspring were honored with a Butterfly Award at the Gala and I shared this poem to honor them and the many women who are survivors of sex trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation. I wrote many of these lines while in session with the girls as we wrote about shoes, faith, starting over, and what we would be like if we could be superheroes. :) The young women I write with are brilliant and they continue to inspire me. They are my sheroes. </div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; padding: 0px;">
<b>Warrior Women of Wellspring</b></div>
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</div>
<div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; padding: 0px;">
To the brave warrior women of Wellspring</div>
<div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; padding: 0px;">
Life has left you with stripes</div>
<div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; padding: 0px;">
But they are not scars</div>
<div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; padding: 0px;">
They are war paint</div>
<div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; padding: 0px;">
A reminder that you are more than a survivor</div>
<div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; padding: 0px;">
You are living inspiration</div>
<div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; padding: 0px;">
Breaking out of a cocoon</div>
<div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; padding: 0px;">
Stretching wings to embrace the sky and fly</div>
<div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; padding: 0px;">
You are brave</div>
<div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; padding: 0px;">
Carrying courage with you always</div>
<div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; padding: 0px;">
Wearing resilience around your shoulders</div>
<div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; padding: 0px;">
Taking every step with tenacity</div>
<div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; padding: 0px;">
Let your determination </div>
<div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; padding: 0px;">
To not let your future be defined by your past remind you</div>
<div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; padding: 0px;">
That you don’t have to fit into a mold anyone builds for you</div>
<div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; padding: 0px;">
That you don’t have to walk this journey alone</div>
<div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; padding: 0px;">
You are loved, you are worthy</div>
<div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; padding: 0px;">
That in the arms of God we all have a place to belong</div>
<div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; padding: 0px;">
Use your voice</div>
<div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; padding: 0px;">
Speak your truth</div>
<div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; padding: 0px;">
Love yourself</div>
<div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; padding: 0px;">
Be yourself</div>
<div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; padding: 0px;">
Be an original</div>
<div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; padding: 0px;">
Be unique</div>
<div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; padding: 0px;">
Continue to grow, hope, succeed</div>
<div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; padding: 0px;">
Believe until your dreams come true</div>
<div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; padding: 0px;">
Be who God created you to be</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; padding: 0px;">
To the brave warrior women of wellspring</div>
<div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; padding: 0px;">
I look up to you</div>
<div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; padding: 0px;">
Thank you for teaching me what strength looks like</div>
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</div>
<div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; padding: 0px;">
For showing me how to stretch my own wings and learn to fly </div>
amena beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16248527503173305824noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081041155434683154.post-54688352046919807392013-06-18T13:17:00.000-04:002013-06-18T13:17:53.965-04:00How to Write a Poem <div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bm7xUyh0XWc/UcCR-GFhiKI/AAAAAAAAAP0/4wW25tvs0Kg/s1600/184869_10151324820757053_222527338_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bm7xUyh0XWc/UcCR-GFhiKI/AAAAAAAAAP0/4wW25tvs0Kg/s200/184869_10151324820757053_222527338_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">When I was a little girl I
watched my grandmothers cook. They never used a recipe book. To me, it seemed
like magic. A poof of flour, a whisk, the whir of a beater and an amazing cake
appeared. When I got older and realized I only knew how to cook spaghetti and
meat loaf, I called on my Grandma Bert to teach me this magic. She tried to
write things down but it was hard for her to remember exact measurements of
things. She could mainly tell me based on feel, touch or smell. So I went into
the kitchen with her and followed her instructions as she watched over my
shoulder, taste-testing along the way.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I didn’t understand how she
could cook this way without leveled cups of flour, without exact fourths of a
teaspoon. Now as a poet I understand this. The page is my kitchen and how the
words appear there is a bit of magic I sometimes have a hard time explaining. A
poof of rhyme, a whisk of rhythm and a poem seems to just appear. I also
realize this isn’t helpful for the person who wants to learn how to discern and
recreate this magic. So like my grandma, I will try to take myself to the very
beginning in hope that anyone who would like to can write a poem and make their
own magic too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">All cooks, the same as all
writers, are different. Here’s my approach to writing a poem.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial;">Decide on form.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Are you
writing a haiku? Sonnet? Sestina? Limerick? Free verse? Rap verse? Spoken word
poem? Each of these forms, no matter how rigid or freewheeling have rules. In
the creation of art, you break a rule better when you first learn how to follow
it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial;">Choose a subject.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Pick a word
randomly out of a dictionary. Ask your Facebook or twitter friends to send you
words or topics. Start with a question you’ve always wanted to know the answer
to.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial;">Clear your mind.</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">If
you are a person who needs quiet to write, silence as much of the distractions
around you as you can. If you need a bit of noise, try a coffee place, library,
bookstore, or whatever world you can create for yourself with your headphones
on.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial;">Use your senses.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">When you
think of your subject matter, what images, aromas, sounds, textures come to
your mind? Describe them, keeping in mind the form you’ve chosen. Write as if
your poem is an experience you are trying to describe to someone who has never
been there. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial;">Write. Revise. Rewrite.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Do this
until your idea is as complete as your brain can accomplish that day. Some days
this may happen in one day. For me sometimes this process takes weeks or
months. Sometimes I start an idea and set it aside, coming back to it months or
years later. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial;">Read.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Once you
have written something you feel slightly proud of but mostly nervous about it,
read it aloud to someone else. That someone could be an open mic audience or it
could be a family member or friend, just needs to be someone that has different
ears from your own.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Hopefully,
after completing these steps you will experience a little bit of magic. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">How do you
write poems?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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amena beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16248527503173305824noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081041155434683154.post-59264779578385292282013-02-04T10:00:00.000-05:002013-06-18T13:16:31.066-04:00Finishing a Book is Writing Boot CampPrior to writing <a href="http://amenabrown.com/new-book/">Breaking Old Rhythms</a>, I wrote as needed.
Finishing a poem for a recording project, video or event was the catalyst that
forced me to nail myself to the seat of some coffeehouse where I hid out from
anyone I knew, checked Twitter and Facebook, filed my fingernails and mentally
organized my taxes until I finally gave up on procrastinating and wrote
something.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I learned writing a book doesn’t quite work like that.
Author friends encouraged me to set up an amount of words a day to write, so I
did. Some days those words arrived on the page swimmingly well. Other days they
escaped slowly and I painfully watched as if my laptop screen were an annoying
leaky faucet.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here are some tips I learned from writing a book on how to
complete a longer writing project:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->1.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> <b>
</b></span><!--[endif]--><b>Set a schedule.</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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Do this because most days you won’t want
to. If you wait to write until you feel like it, you’ll end up with a stained
deck, scrubbed floorboards, lint free jackets, plates and plates of eaten
cupcakes, but probably not a finished piece of writing. Schedule the days you
will write, how long you will write, and how many words you will write that
day. Give yourself a week or two of grace before your deadline. Do this because
sometimes life happens, you get the world’s worst cold, have a family crisis,
or have an urgent project that comes up. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
Do this also because even if none of these
things happen you will more than likely have a day or two that you will come up
with some reason why you mustn’t write that day. Maybe you have to practice
your English accent for your Lord Grantham Halloween costume, even though
Halloween is several months away. Maybe you suddenly realize you never
alphabetized the cleaning products underneath your sink. These are the things
writers do to skirt away from writing, because we’re basically afraid we’re
gonna suck. Allow yourself the grace to have a couple of “oh no what if I
suck?!” days, but also remember almost every first draft sucks so get over it
and write! Deadlines don’t care as much about whether or not your writing
sucks, they just want you to finish so your writing will eventually not suck.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->2.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span><!--[endif]--><b>Remove distractions.</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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Put your phone on airplane mode. Turn off
TweetDeck. Do not use this time to figure out how to use Pinterest. Stop
calling long lost friends you haven’t talked to since you were three years old.
Oh wait, those were my distractions/procrastination tools. Ahem, in your case
get away from anything that will distract you from getting the job done. If it’s
social networking, turn off the internet mode on your phone or computer. If
it’s people, go and write in a place where no one will talk to you. Like a
library or a monastery, the opposite of the bar in Cheers. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
For me, I have to leave home to write most of
the time. When I was single I did this because I was likely to watch TV or take
a nap instead of write. Now that I’m married I do this because I will think of
all sorts of random things to talk to my husband about since we both have an
office at home. Whatever you do, go someplace where all you can do is write.
After you get your words in for the day you can read Wikipedia bios, tweet
anonymous quotes, watch Cheers or call your friend from preschool.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->3.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span><!--[endif]--><b>Trust in the process of drafting.</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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My first draft felt like a failure to me,
because I had such big ideas for what I wanted to write but I couldn’t get the
words to live up to my idea. This is the beauty of writing. To be a writer,
doesn’t mean you immediately write something genius, it means you disciplined
yourself to keep sharpening what you’d written until you got it just right.
Don’t be afraid to think, write, rewrite, think, rewrite, cry, rewrite, think,
rewrite. Rewriting done well can lead to writing that really doesn’t suck.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now, as I have written this and had the audacity to post it
online for anyone to read, you will have to remind me of this. Let’s keep each
other accountable so the ideas inside of us will get written.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ZWgqSyqpoB4" width="560"></iframe><a href="http://amenabrown.com/new-book/"></a>amena beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16248527503173305824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081041155434683154.post-39437216123331761832013-01-31T12:43:00.001-05:002013-01-31T12:45:47.870-05:00The Importance of the Book ProposalOkay in my last blog, I waxed poetic about ugly crying and
the pay off of finishing the thing that’s in your heart to start. For this
post, I’m gonna be more practical, since I’ve had a few people ask me where to
start as it relates to publishing a book.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Let me start off by saying I am by no means a veteran, I’m
just sharing here the practical lessons I learned as a first-timer writing a
non-fiction book while the experience is fresh on my mind and before I get
distracted gearing up for this week’s episode of Scandal and Downton Abbey.
Practicing “his Lordship” in my best English accent and rehearsing my Olivia
Pope walk really does take a lot of work. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here are a few thoughts that may help those of you with book
dreams in your heart. Complete a book proposal. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Whether you’ve decided to self-publish or submit your book
to a publisher, a book proposal will help you organize your ideas and see if
they are really book length. Many people come and talk to me after events with
book ideas burning inside of them. They decide this is the time. They are just
going to start writing. Without a book proposal, you may be likely to get
disillusioned with what seems like an awesome idea from the onset. You may find
yourself getting lost in what was your point in the first place. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<br /></div>
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A couple of my friends bugged, bothered, and encouraged me
until I finally gave in and completed my book proposal. Here’s why a book
proposal can help you:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->1.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span><!--[endif]-->A book proposal is like a business plan for your
book. The first part will include a chapter outline, description of your
demographic, what qualifies you to write the book, and what makes your book
different from other books on the market on the same topic. The second part is
two sample chapters of your book.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->2.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span><!--[endif]-->If you can’t finish the proposal, you will know
either your idea is more the length of an article than a book or that your idea
has been written about well and you have nothing fresh to add to the topic.
This doesn’t have to be a bad thing. You could either turn your book idea into
an article or blog, or you can move on from that idea and work on another one.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->3.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Your book proposal will help you discover who
your market is. Before you publish a book, you want to have some sort of
readership in mind, other than your mom or best friend. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->4.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span><!--[endif]-->A book proposal will provide you with a sketch
with which you can write your book. It’s much easier to write a book when you
have a sketch or outline of some sort. As writers we would love for you to
believe that we sit down at our MacBook (I mean all writers use Apple products,
right? Right?!) and extemporaneously come up with immediate and unplanned
genius for our readers (I get some cool points for using extemporaneously in a
sentence, right? Right?!). But this is a myth, a legend, don’t believe the
hype. Every great writer you know sat down at the MacBook, notebook, typewriter
with a plan. A book proposal will force you to have one.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->5.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span><!--[endif]-->If you decide to go with a publisher, many
publishers are not looking for your finished non-fiction manuscript. They want
a proposal because they want a sample of your writing and they want to know how
you plan to access readers and succeed in the current market.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->6.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span><!--[endif]-->For me, writing my book proposal was a microcosm
of the book writing process. It required discipline, it wrung me out of
creative energy and ideas, it brought out all of my worst procrastination
tendencies, but it was so worth finishing. How you complete your book proposal
is a fraction of the experience you will have actually writing a book.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Michael Hyatt posted an e-book on <a href="http://michaelhyatt.com/writing-a-winning-book-proposal.html">How to Write a Winning
Book Proposal</a>. It really helped me with the first draft of my proposal.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So with all those tips said, when are you gonna finish that
proposal and stop procrastinating?! Writers don’t procrastinate, right? Right?!<o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment-->amena beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16248527503173305824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081041155434683154.post-55462464125081664942013-01-15T14:34:00.000-05:002013-01-15T14:36:45.026-05:00A Few Thoughts on Writing a Book <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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I’ve been writing on a regular basis since I was twelve
years old. In all my years of school, studying as an English major, writing
vocationally, I never met a writing project that beat me…until I had to turn in
the first draft of my book.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was supposed to turn in 40,000 words. At the end of a few
months I had arrived at a meager 27,000, and that felt like someone had
squeezed the words out of my veins. I clicked send and emailed the draft to my
editor. My husband walked in and smiled.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You finished your book! Let’s go celebrate. We can do
anything you want.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I disintegrated into a shoulder shaking, ugly cry. Turns out
tears was the way I wanted to celebrate. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I shared this with friend, songwriter, and fellow author
Candi Pearson Shelton and she told me:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“The difference between poems and songs is the pay off. You
know how you feel when you know a poem is finished and you’ve done your best
with it?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I nodded.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You’ll eventually feel that way about your book. It’s just
gonna take a whole lot longer.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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We laughed. And I breathed a sigh of relief that maybe my
tears didn’t mean I was a failure. Candi was right. By my third draft, some
feedback from friends and writers I respected, plus edits and challenging
questions from a great editor, I finally felt like writing a book hadn’t beaten
me. I arrived at my word count and felt good about what I’d written.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I had to excavate my past, dig beneath my stories, get
honest, and focus more on doing the best I could than comparing myself to
anyone else. Breaking Old Rhythms is a result of several coffee house
conversations, a few embarrassing moments, honest prayers, and a few stanzas of
poetry weaved in.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Whether it’s writing a book, completing a degree, raising
kids, starting a business, caring for a loved one, or just simply getting up
out of bed and living every day to its fullest, don’t let it beat you. Keep
showing up until you figure out its rhythm. Learn to dance with it, until it
brings out the best in you.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ZWgqSyqpoB4" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
Next blog: The Importance of the Book Proposal<o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment-->amena beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16248527503173305824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081041155434683154.post-32024503791363746412013-01-11T10:22:00.000-05:002013-01-15T14:37:23.183-05:00Breaking Old Rhythms - Book TrailerI am less than 2 months away from the release of my first non-fiction book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Breaking-Old-Rhythms-Answering-Creative/dp/0830843019/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357917408&sr=8-1&keywords=amena+brown">Breaking Old Rhythms: Answering the Call of a Creative God</a> on March 1! Thanks to the wonderful peeps at Skor Inc. here is the book trailer. Check it out!<br />
<br />
Video by: Brody Harper and Ryan Slaughter of Skor Inc.<br />
Music by: Matt "DJ Opdiggy" Owen<br />
Book Publisher: Intervarsity Press - Crescendo<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ZWgqSyqpoB4" width="560"></iframe>amena beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16248527503173305824noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081041155434683154.post-61770369870151511692013-01-09T21:48:00.000-05:002013-01-09T21:48:32.628-05:00Amena Answers Your Questions Part 3My third Question and Answer blog featuring questions from Angeley Crawford on Facebook.
<br />
<br />
Question 1: What is "Christian" Poetry?<br />
<br />
Question 2: How do I find a writers' group?<br />
<br />
Question 3: What are your thoughts on dealing with the hurt or envy that comes with interracial dating?
<br />
<br />
Have more questions? Find me on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/amenabrown">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/amenabee">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/menabee">YouTube</a>, and <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/amenabee">Pinterest</a>.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/AfYFnO9ANH4" width="560"></iframe>amena beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16248527503173305824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081041155434683154.post-1052260307872202782012-12-17T17:03:00.001-05:002012-12-17T17:19:30.805-05:00Finding Wonder: Margaret Feinberg's Book Wonderstruck<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DiybAX3ONt8/UM-aSCnACjI/AAAAAAAAAOU/gn8oyHffJbI/s1600/Wonderstruck+Cover+Art+Image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DiybAX3ONt8/UM-aSCnACjI/AAAAAAAAAOU/gn8oyHffJbI/s320/Wonderstruck+Cover+Art+Image.jpg" width="320" /></a>My friend, <a href="http://www.margaretfeinberg.com/">Margaret Feinberg</a>, has a new book and 7-session DVD Bible study called <a href="http://www.margaretfeinberg.com/wonderstruck">Wonderstruck: Awaken to the Nearness of God</a> (releasing Christmas Day)—a personal invitation for you to toss back the covers, climb out of bed, and drink in the fullness of life.<br />
<br />
Through <a href="http://www.margaretfeinberg.com/wonderstruck">Wonderstruck</a>, you’ll learn how to recognize the presence of God in the midst of your routine, unearth extraordinary moments on ordinary days, develop a renewed passion for God, identify what’s holding you back in prayer, and discover joy in knowing you’re wildly loved.<br />
<br />
Wonder isn’t a word I often use. Even as a kid I was a bit of a skeptic. I stopped believing in Santa by the time I was six, because I surmised that Jolly Old Saint Nick wasn’t coming to my grandma’s, where I spent most Christmases. First, because where she lived was near the ‘hood and second because she had no chimney and I hadn’t heard many stories about Santa walking in through front doors in the ‘hood with presents and reindeer.<br />
<br />
In the same way that the magic of believing in Santa was lost on my six year old self, a sense of wonder or amazement can still slip by me today. Thankfully, in Margaret’s book, she isn’t writing about a mythical character, magic, or make believe, she is writing about the Creator of all things, the Savior of the world, and when we take the time to really experience his creation, it makes us believe.<br />
<br />
My husband and I recently moved. Our old apartment was full of imposing walls and closed off spaces, but our new place is all open space and archways, with two large windows opening up to the living room and dining room. We moved in just as the summer was ending, and found ourselves mesmerized by the path of trees we could see swaying in front of our windows each morning.<br />
<br />
One morning, I woke up and caught a glimpse of the most beautiful purples and oranges as the sun began to rise. All this time we’ve been living here I never knew such a view was possible from our window. This is what Margaret’s book <a href="http://www.margaretfeinberg.com/wonderstruck">Wonderstruck</a> invites you to do: take in a new view, see a sunrise through a wall of trees, remember God’s faithfulness during tough times, lift your skepticism and be struck with wonder right where you are.<br />
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Follow Margaret’s snarky, funny, and inspirational posts on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/mafeinberg">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/margaretfeinberg">Facebook</a>, or her <a href="http://www.margaretfeinberg.com/">blog</a>. You can learn more about this great book by visiting www.margaretfeinberg.com/wonderstruck where she’s offering some crazy promos right now with up to $300 of free stuff. I’ve seen the book for as low as $7.95 ($14.99 retail) on <a href="http://http//www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wonder-struck-margaret-feinberg/1110904808?ean=9781617950889">Barnes & Noble</a> for all you savvy shoppers.<br />
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So where have you seen the wonder of God in your life?
amena beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16248527503173305824noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081041155434683154.post-28682209047400057502012-11-16T10:42:00.001-05:002012-11-16T10:42:42.990-05:00Amena Answers Your Questions Part 2<br />
My second Question and Answer blog featuring questions from Grant Moyo and Penny Hunter on Facebook.<br />
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My literary calling has not been exposed in spite of acknowledgement, was it not meant to happen? -- Grant Moyo<br />
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How do you view the role of women in the church - is their voice for other women only? -- Penny Hunter<br />
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Have more questions? Find me on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/amenabrown">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/amenabee">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/menabee">YouTube</a>, and <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/amenabee">Pinterest</a>.<br />
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<br />amena beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16248527503173305824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081041155434683154.post-19347259598264054692012-10-09T17:56:00.001-04:002012-10-09T17:57:08.259-04:00Amena Answers Your Questions Part 1<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/62Prrimg5pc" width="560"></iframe><br />
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My first Question and Answer blog featuring questions from @YaniMeansPeace on Twitter and John Bomboy on Facebook.<br />
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How Do You Book Your Gigs? -- @YaniMeansPeace<br />
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What is Your Take on Using "Choice Language" in Christian Music? -- John Bomboy<br />
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Have more questions? Find me on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/amenabrown">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/amenabee">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/menabee">YouTube</a>, and <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/amenabee">Pinterest</a>.amena beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16248527503173305824noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081041155434683154.post-3048311108081611362011-12-12T12:25:00.002-05:002013-09-10T19:14:17.751-04:00Christmas Poem Videos, Script, and DownloadThrough a partnership with 4Thought Media, I have released two new Christmas poem videos: <a href="http://www.4thoughtmedia.com/vmchk/View-all-products-in-shop.html?keyword1=amena&keyword2=christmas&search=Search&search_category=12&search_limiter=anywhere&search_op=and">"Shine His Light" and "Unlikely Situations." </a> These two are available for download at 4ThoughtMedia.com.<br />
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Below the Script for "Shine His Light" and "Unlikely Situations" is available for purchase as well. We had some broken links previously so if you have any trouble downloading this, please email info@amenabrown.com.<br />
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Thank you and Merry Christmas!<br />
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AMENA BROWN - <a href="http://amenabrown.skorstore.com/amena-brown/shine-his-light-christmas">SHINE HIS LIGHT (CHRISTMAS) SCRIPT</a><br />
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AMENA BROWN - <a href="http://amenabrown.skorstore.com/amena-brown/unlikely-situations">CHRISTMAS POEM SCRIPT</a> <br />
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<br />amena beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16248527503173305824noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081041155434683154.post-68187186245787691782011-11-13T16:22:00.002-05:002011-11-13T16:28:20.037-05:00poem: for the girls at wellspringstarted scribbling this poem after beginning a monthly writing session at the wellspring living victory program, a home for girls who have been victims of sex trafficking, exploitation, and abuse. you can check out more info and support the work of wellspring living here: <a href="http://www.wellspringliving.org">http://www.wellspringliving.org</a>.<br /> <br /> <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">for the girls at wellspring<br /></span> <br /> <br />these women<br />have seen more storms before the age of 16 than I have known in all my years<br />these girls were forced to be women<br />responsibility and sexuality and violation forced down their throats and in between their legs<br />they had no silver spoon<br />were never spoon fed anything except miniscule amounts of love<br /> <br />one writes<br />of a dark alley<br />watching the ravaging of another girl<br />wishing for superheroes or God to save her<br />another writes<br />of her proud Latina heritage<br />the rhythm of her people dancing in the consonants of her poetry<br />another writes<br />of anger pent up, folded, rolled and stuffed<br />that now must be opened up, examined and freed<br /> <br />I feel inadequate<br />what do I have to teach these women?<br />I am a student in their classroom of how to survive<br />how to not let life beat you down<br />how to crucify and resurrect<br /> <br />I write and talk with them<br />a few are bubbly attention-getters<br />some are quietly ruminating<br />some listen to and watch me but refuse to talk or scribble<br />some sleep through the entire session<br /> <br />this is no ordinary classroom<br />I work with who I can<br />whisper silent blessings and gratitude over those who albeit quiet are here and alive to tell of it<br /> <br />words and stories<br />sit in the stomachs of women like these<br />crawl up their windpipe<br />tire, fatigue and then rest in the throat<br />eventually, the weary words make it to the tongue, to ink<br />and this is the day I hope for these precious ones<br />a place to be free and uneditedamena beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16248527503173305824noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081041155434683154.post-44337099509513653722011-04-27T21:45:00.002-04:002011-04-27T21:49:59.090-04:00poem: letter to the emceeso it's national poetry month. figured i could at least post one poem before the month runs out. here's one of the newest ones i've written. i wrote this poem at a hip hop show while watching a wack emcee perform. goes to show that wackness can be its own form of inspiration. :) <br /> <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">letter to the emcee</span><br /><br />i don't want your<br />wack rap lines<br />don't want your tired metaphors and limp analogies<br />sick of your false manhood and your oversexuality disguised as womanhood<br />do not want to see your button down unbuttoned three buttons down<br />do not prefer your short shorts and skirts <br />showing your breasts, thighs, chest, biceps, doesn't entice me <br />nor does it make your rhymes have skill<br />I don't care about your endorsements<br />about your mixtape download remix<br />your jesus piece doesn't matter to me<br />your rented cars and fronted g4 flights bore me<br />could care less about your record deal, your advance, the units you pushed, the gold platinum you sold<br />don't care about your crew, your set, your peeps, your hoes<br />don't want to hear about your sexual exploits<br />about your tongue's run in with bottles and cans<br />how much money has changed hands<br />how much tapping and banging and smashing<br />about your high class vacations and exclusive hotels<br />so what?<br />oh well<br />i. don't. care.<br /><br />what i like<br />what i wanna see you do<br />is stand on the corner in your own hood<br />shove one hand into the pocket of your hoodie<br />place one hand on your chest<br />pull that hood over your head and ears<br />and listen to your heart<br />listen to the streets you came from<br />tell me a story i've never heard<br />tell me a story i've heard a thousand times and help me see it through new eyes<br />break out your spiral notebook<br />scrawl. scribble. write.<br />until your hand cramps up<br />until the sun comes up<br />until your lunch break is over<br />until your boss catches you<br />until all the words in your head rest <br />so you can catch shuteye for a few hours to wake up and do it all again<br /><br />rhyme. <br />while you restock the shelves at walmart<br />after you put the kids to bed<br />while your math teacher lectures equations<br />unspool the lines wound in your head<br />hold them in your mouth until you can give them a place to play<br /><br />i don't need you to be pretty or rich or sexy or gangsta or hood<br />i need you to be an artist<br />a master of ceremony<br />who finds the break beat<br />laying rhymes into it like so much mortar and brick<br />building verse and chorus with the technique of a sculptor<br /><br />freestyle<br />like your family's mouths depended on it<br />like the beat beats in your chest<br />like hip hop runs through your capillaries<br />give me music to listen to<br />prove to me that keep it real is no cliche<br />make fresh and dope and cool more meaningful than words marketing companies throw on ads and tshirts<br />tell me the hook so i can say it after you<br />so i can raise one hand in the air and keep it there<br /><br />i'll be waiting for you<br />with an old set of headphones, a boombox and an mpc<br />please<br />for me<br />just be an emcee.amena beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16248527503173305824noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081041155434683154.post-82929546546666120362011-01-12T21:45:00.003-05:002011-01-13T17:30:17.933-05:00The Artist's Dance*I originally wrote this article for CatalystSpace.com and thought I'd repost it here.<br /><br />When was the last time you danced? – Cee-lo Green<br /><br />A couple of years ago I took dance lessons, learned a dance that requires you to simultaneously count steps, feel the music, and follow your partner. Found myself thinking less about the steps as my feet intuitively learned what to do. Then, life got busy. I was too tired, too preoccupied with knocking off my to do list to make time for dancing. By the time I tried the dance again, my feet were clueless, slow going like a child’s brain struggling to remember vocabulary words on the first day of school after a summer spent with water slides and ice cream cones. <br /><br />The artistic journey is like this for many of us. We wrote, painted, danced, sang, played, until we were spent. Then, responsibility got the best of us. We “grew up” became “responsible.” Too busy for dancing.<br /><br />Your desire to artistically dance will not go away. The Creator of creativity put it there. The question is will you come back to the dance floor. Will you endure the process of your feet clumsily rediscovering what to do?<br /><br />All artists fear the same thing. Whether it’s a canvas, page, sheet music, or a blinking cursor, we detest the blank. It’s the time when all these creepy, negative voices start peeling out of the darkness like dancers from the Thriller music video taunting you with all of the reasons why no one is ever going to read, listen to, watch, care about whatever it is you're doing. Sometimes in the humdrum of life, jobs, responsibility, we shy away from being artists, because it forces us to reckon with what we’re not doing with the gifts God gave us.<br /><br />As much as you fear failing and having no audience but your mom who thinks everything you make is amazing, you want the journey, the stumble, to feel the fear blowing hard against your skin. You want to lean into it and do what’s in your heart. The following are some guideposts to help get those creepy Thriller dancers with their negativity, put in their proper place so you can get your art to dancing again.<br /><br />Cultivate a Creative Place.<br />Despite the propaganda pushed by many artists, inspiration is not a spontaneous, effortless experience. Creativity is akin to discipline, a muscle that must be worked and stretched to prevent atrophy. Train your creative brain to know when and how to open up and be creative. I can find a creative space anywhere as long as I have pen, page, and John Coltrane. What are your tools of the trade? Where can you go consistently and often to find your creative place?<br /><br />Giving way to the art inside you will require solitude. Even Jesus had a place where he withdrew to be with God, alone. Prayer and creativity coexist. In the same way that you can find a solitary place to connect with your Creator, acclimating your soul to opening up to him, you can learn the rhythm of creativity straight from the Creator. Find a place to connect with God and bring your instrument of choice.<br /><br />Hone your craft. When Solomon was getting ready to build the temple he didn’t just call for people who were passionate about what they did, he called for master artisans (2 Chronicles 2:5-7). <br /><br />Stay connected with the arts scene.<br />In the book of Acts when Paul was making his case to the people of Athens about how near God was to them, about how they lived, moved, and could find their being in him, he quoted one of their poets. This is an excellent example of why it’s important to know “the poets” or influential voices in the culture where you are living life and sharing Jesus. The only way Paul was able to quote their poets was to listen to them.<br /><br />Stay current with your arts scene through social networking, blogging, and checking out artistic events in your local city. Try engaging with art that is opposite of the genre you normally work in. <br /><br />Shine is not a bling reference, nor is this about creating buzz for yourself. This is about shining a Jesus light, the kind of light that never goes out. In a room full of lamps, more light doesn’t so much matter. In a place with only shadow, light rescues. God wants art to introduce all of us to him, in whatever way he chooses to do this.<br /><br />I love how Paul says it here, “Go out into the world uncorrupted, a breath of fresh air in this squalid and polluted society. Provide people with a glimpse of good living and of the living God. Carry the light-giving Message into the night…” (Phillippians 2:14-16, The Message)<br /><br />How can you engage more with people who may not believe like you? With other artists and creative people?<br /><br />At some point this week, find your solitary place and grab a pen, paintbrush, instrument, or piece of choreography. Yes you’ll be clumsy at first. You’ll stumble around until you find your way, but eventually you’ll dance again. <br /><br />Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life. – Paul (Galatians 6:5)amena beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16248527503173305824noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081041155434683154.post-78205712153522099172010-11-27T10:10:00.006-05:002011-12-12T12:13:09.447-05:00Christmas Poem Script Available for Download!Some of you have asked if I have poems based on holiday themes. I don't have a poem for every holiday but I do have one for Christmas. The script is available for download as well as an mp3. I hope this is helpful especially for those of you planning services and events. Let me know how it goes!<br /><br />AMENA BROWN - CHRISTMAS POEM SCRIPT <form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post"><br /><input type="hidden" name="cmd" value="_s-xclick"><br /><input type="hidden" name="hosted_button_id" value="V54HPCD4KM7WC"><br /><input type="image" src="https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/btn/btn_buynowCC_LG.gif" border="0" name="submit" alt="PayPal - The safer, easier way to pay online!"><br /><img alt="" border="0" src="https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/scr/pixel.gif" width="1" height="1"><br /></form><br /><br /><br /><br />AMENA BROWN - CHRISTMAS POEM DOWNLOAD <form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post"><br /><input type="hidden" name="cmd" value="_s-xclick"><br /><input type="hidden" name="hosted_button_id" value="SFDDMLMRAGGNN"><br /><input type="image" src="https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/btn/btn_buynowCC_LG.gif" border="0" name="submit" alt="PayPal - The safer, easier way to pay online!"><br /><img alt="" border="0" src="https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/scr/pixel.gif" width="1" height="1"><br /></form>amena beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16248527503173305824noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081041155434683154.post-20015771046037999072010-05-09T10:48:00.001-04:002010-05-09T10:51:13.476-04:00Poem: God Bless Mom<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iMe0bNNIZzI/S-bLv2RsmLI/AAAAAAAAAHU/hjxZIBCc1DU/s1600/me+and+my+mommy+1982-crop.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 258px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iMe0bNNIZzI/S-bLv2RsmLI/AAAAAAAAAHU/hjxZIBCc1DU/s320/me+and+my+mommy+1982-crop.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469282820372076722" /></a><br /><br />happy mother's day to my wonderful mom, jeanne brown. thank you for your constant love, support, and encouragement. your determination, dedication and love for God inspires me! i love you!<br /><br /><br />God Bless Mom<br /><br />My mother read books to the swollen stomach that would become me<br />Read about what to expect when you’re expecting<br />About disciples, apostles, prophets, sinners and saints<br />Until her semi-colon burst<br />Sending amniotic vowels and consonants to splitting apart<br />The time between my sentences grew less than five minutes apart<br />My paragraph had arrived <br /><br />Her margins stretched ten sonometers wide <br />So quickly that there would be no time for epidural or explanation<br />She must breathe, push, labor count to ten <br />And then count ten fingers and ten toes <br />Traced her fingers along the lines of<br />Little ears little nose little mouth little eyes <br /><br />From the light of touch lamp on nightstand<br />She read me golden books<br />Sat me down in peter’s chair<br />Kicked me rhymes from the berenstein bears<br />We put our hands together and said our prayers<br />That God would bless teddy ruxpin<br />Barbie and ken<br />That God would bless Sydney, my one-eyed stuffed animal koala bear best friend<br />That God would bless daddy and grandma, <br />Right before mom showed me where the wild things are<br /><br />She read to me until I was reading her to sleep<br />Words given to me by the number 5 and the letter a on sesame street<br />And Oh the places I would go<br />With Sam, green eggs and ham in tow<br />Searching for golden tickets in Roald Dahl’s prose<br />I wanted to float on giant peaches with James<br />Read Beverly Cleary, Ramona and Beezus until I was Amena the Brave<br />I never went through that stage of slipping my little girl feet into my mom’s heels to play dress up<br />I just wanted to read her library when I grew up<br />Hoping I could be one of Mufaro’s beautiful daughters<br />Maybe one day, turn the pages of Tar Baby<br />She took me to find my roots in the handshake of Alex Haley<br />Taught me to love the stale paper scent of the library<br />To treasure books, cards, and stationary<br /><br />Years later she joins me at kitchen table, <br />Talking womanhood over the scent of earl gray tea<br />Taking in all the mystery, life’s and Walter Mosley’s<br />Trading Baldwin and Baraka<br />Singing Songs of Solomon<br />Exchanging journals, wisdom and pens<br />She reminds me with skillful subtlety that sometimes this is where the sidewalk ends<br />That many storylines come to an end only for better ones to begin<br />Life is a page-turner and you should write your own plot twists<br />Words are written to be read even if the only reader is you<br />Many will call themselves writers, but there’s only one Author who knows the end from the beginning <br />Sometimes the hardest and best thing you’ll ever do in your life is trust him<br />Never forget to pay close attention to your character<br />Remember that people are characters, they come and go but never discount them<br />People are characters and your story won’t happen without them<br /><br />There is light in the attic, at the end of tunnels, and in her eyes<br />So, tonight before I shut off nightstand light<br />I’ll pray for God to bless mom and I’ll read myself to sleepamena beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16248527503173305824noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081041155434683154.post-51570138817822864332010-04-12T10:49:00.002-04:002010-04-12T11:02:11.824-04:00Poem: Roots & Wingsin follow-up to <a href="http://amenabrown.blogspot.com/2010/04/poem-chocolate-mista.html">"chocolate mista"</a> and in celebration of national poetry month, here is the poem "roots & wings" that chronicles my first time performing my own poetry in public. the video footage is from my performance of "roots and wings" live at java monkey coffeehouse in decatur, ga in 2008 and is also featured on the <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/live-at-java-monkey/id337539721">live at java monkey cd</a>. enjoy. :) <br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/QAP5_hYWjng&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/QAP5_hYWjng&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br />Roots & Wings<br /><br />I didn’t mean to do it<br />I mean they sold me out<br />As soon he asked were there any poets in the house<br />I was the one who got fingerpointed<br />Pushed and shoved to the center of a carpet stage<br />A tiny bookstore, Montgomery, Alabama<br />It was called Roots and Wings<br />I was probably standing somewhere between Nikki Giovanni’s love poems and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings<br />I think I recalled Nathan McCall, because it definitely made me wanna holla <br />When I looked out at the 50 some odd of my classmates faces staring back at me<br />While I nervously tried my photographic memory<br />Trying to recall the words on a page I’d written over and over again<br />But never imagined I’d say out loud in front of anyone<br /><br />I couldn’t believe that anybody was on the edge of their seat listening to me<br />I was only seventeen<br />Somewhere I found the courage and it carried me line for line until the end<br />And after all the hugs and smiles from friends<br />I was still shaking<br />That’s when I knew this was real<br />That words have wings<br />That they are kind of like birds but mostly like children<br />Who you groom and raise<br />You hope you’ve shaped them well<br />That a sky that has no limits will receive them<br />That someday somebody will take them home<br />Call them their own<br />That they will find a place to belong<br /><br />I came from a line where righteousness ran through the blood like sugar and rolling stone daddies<br />And maybe the people who were pushing me had been here long before my classmates<br />Maybe my grandparents and their preacher sisters and brothers were pushing me too<br />They fed me parables and I acquired a taste for truth<br />They stood behind pulpits and I stand behind this mic<br />Just like them I have to get on my knees and hum prayers when words don’t suffice<br />Sing the hymns that can’t be found in hymnbooks<br />Learn to lean on everlasting arms and hold fast to the words that only God can write on hearts<br />These hands never knew picking cotton<br />But the hands that did knew how to spin stories<br />Knew how to sew quilts of memory so I could read my family history in a stitch<br />Every time my grandmother speaks I realize that words have roots<br />That they are kind of like trees but mostly like seeds<br />Who you groom and raise<br />You hope you plant them well<br />That fertile ground will receive them<br />That they will find a place to stand and stretch their meaning<br />That someday somebody will take them home<br />Call them their own<br />That they will find a place to belong<br /><br />Words keep teaching me to dream<br />Keep reminding me that God listens when I sing<br />That’s how I know this is real<br />And I am still shaking.amena beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16248527503173305824noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081041155434683154.post-83708653385852487902010-04-05T11:13:00.003-04:002010-04-05T11:29:18.276-04:00Poem: Chocolate Mistait's national poetry month! last year i tried writing a poem a day...i only made it to day 7. lol this year i'm posting some of my favorite poetry quotes on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/amenabrown">facebook</a> and i'm posting the work of some of my favorite poets on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/amenabee">twitter</a>. i am also digging some poems out of the archives and thought it would be fitting to start with this one. i'll be posting a difference archive once a week this month so check back for more shenanigans. :) <br /><br />"chocolate mista" is the first performance poem i ever wrote. i was seventeen and had probably recently watched love jones. lol i performed this piece for the first time during spring break of my senior year in high school in a bookstore called roots & wings. wrote a poem about that too so maybe i'll post that one later this month also. :D haven't performed this piece since college so i figured it can now see the light of day. here goes... ;)<br /><br /><br />Chocolate Mista<br /><br />The crowd is alive and thrives <br />On the sound that is music to our ears and water to our souls.<br />My eyes scanned panoramically and danced dynamically <br />At the sight of so many chocolate faces.<br />I whirled and twirled<br />Like a childhood ballerina to the music that is wind to my wings<br />And I bumped into him.<br /><br />The Nubian prince I dreamed of,<br />The chocolate mista. I have seen love<br />Come and go for some, <br />But his eyes and my eyes <br />They met like the sun and the moon exchanging high fives <br />Just before it is the moon's time to shine.<br />My, my, could his beauty and mine <br />Have intertwined <br />Like held hands!<br />But I looked away.<br /><br />Avoiding the vision that just encompassed me <br />By looking too deep <br />Into the chocolate eyes <br />Of this chocolate mista <br />As chocolate mist <br />Began to fall over the heads of all of us.<br />God would solve for us,<br />The mystery of this man <br />With a plan <br />To understand me. <br />Not just romance me but have some truth to his game.<br />He caught my eyes like a wild butterfly held captive in the hand,<br />And like the band <br />The terms that flowed from his lips mingled and hobnobbed to become one voice comprised of all the parts of life <br />As he said...Hello.<br /><br />What could my reply be but the same? <br />And names exchanged <br />Made conversation easy. <br />It pleased me <br />That he was not intimidated by my dark skin <br />Nor the soft angel within.<br /><br />We could stand in the midst of the mist, <br />And if an honest answer is like being kissed <br />He kissed me gently each time he said a word.<br />I thought of so many things to say but lost my nerve.<br />My heartbeat could not be heard <br />Above the rejoicing of the people around us.<br />They may have clowned us,<br />But the mist drowned us<br />In a tingling feeling that can only be described as dejavu. <br /><br />Where were you, Boo?<br />In all my lonely moments and the happy ones, <br />So I could share your smile, <br />But my style<br />Is much too chill for that.<br />So, I strolled through the crowd as the fall of the mist ended,<br />Befriended <br />By this chocolate mista <br />Who complemented this dark sista <br />Nicely.amena beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16248527503173305824noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081041155434683154.post-5327516502684214842010-02-01T12:39:00.002-05:002010-02-01T12:49:56.272-05:00Good Man Month 2010Today is the first day of Good Man Month. This month also marks Black History Month and Valentine’s Day. As with any celebration that’s worthwhile, whether it’s love, history, culture, or celebrating the people that have made an impact on your life, it’s something that should be celebrated more than just one particular day or month. But the celebration is a start at remembering and reminding ourselves of what's important. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Black History Month<br /></span>So this month if you’re short on black history facts…say, have no idea who Gordon Parks is, have never read the Crispus Attucks story, or don’t know much about King Tut outside of the pyramids (and this is just to name a few)…get your google on and send links on what you learned. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Every Day is The 14th – Andre Benjamin<br /></span>As far as Valentine’s Day goes, if you have someone in your life that love or at least like a whole lot…spend time with them, do something special. I really have a closed ear to that whole this-is-just-a-hallmark-holiday argument, and girl-you-know-I-care-about-you-what-does-it-matter-if-I-show-it-to-you-on-Valentine’s-Day or if-he-doesn’t buy-me-_____-I’m-through-with-him. Stop that. If you really care about someone any day is a perfect excuse to express that to them. So stop making excuses, stop focusing only on yourself, and show and tell them how you feel…hallmark holiday or not. End of soapbox.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Good Man Month Challenge<br /></span>Now…onto my feature celebration…this marks the fourth annual celebration of Good Man Month and this year I’m celebrating facebook and twitter style. Each day I will be highlighting just <a href="http://www.youtube.com/menabee#p/u/5/Adi0FcLG4-E">a few of the good men</a> who have impacted my life personally, there are honestly too many to highlight them all. My challenge to you is to highlight the good men you know. Write them a letter, leave them a voicemail, send them a text, shout them out on twitter or facebook. Let them know they are appreciated.<br /><br />Why celebrate good men? Because good men don’t get enough press. Because you hear enough stories about cheating men, lying men, trifling men and not enough headlines about men who love their wives, take care of their children, serve their community, carry themselves with respect, open doors, pull out chairs, and live their lives for something bigger than themselves. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Homework Assignment<br /></span>Ladies…find at least 10 good men you know and tell them you appreciate them. <br /><br />Fellas…commit at least 10 random acts of goodness.<br /><br />Follow Good Man Month developments on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/amenabee">twitter</a> with this hashtag #goodmanmonth.<br /><br />Now get to celebrating! ☺amena beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16248527503173305824noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081041155434683154.post-42130638821448435662009-11-02T23:35:00.003-05:002009-11-02T23:40:48.132-05:00Scouting the Divine: A Personal Review<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iMe0bNNIZzI/Su-0ORcm0pI/AAAAAAAAAHI/sXiH9KQNcu8/s1600-h/Scouting_the_Div_4ac1dd98ef7e9.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 129px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iMe0bNNIZzI/Su-0ORcm0pI/AAAAAAAAAHI/sXiH9KQNcu8/s320/Scouting_the_Div_4ac1dd98ef7e9.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399732635535069842" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iMe0bNNIZzI/Su-ztBXQ3RI/AAAAAAAAAHA/wjwJpmpeTUc/s1600-h/IMG_0799.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 170px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iMe0bNNIZzI/Su-ztBXQ3RI/AAAAAAAAAHA/wjwJpmpeTUc/s320/IMG_0799.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399732064282008850" /></a><br />Imagine Jesus, crowd full of listeners who did not have the luxury of googling him, tweeting his quotables, or posting on their facebook status that they were chillin’ at the Mount of Olives listening to this dude from Nazareth. No, they weren’t the most high-tech of crowds, but like many of us they were soul weary, tired, longing for something, someone true and real. <br /><br />Enter what looked like an ordinary man. Born in a small town like theirs, went to school, learned a trade just like they had, but something was different. Something about this man made you want to follow him, listen to him, probe him with questions about this life and the one after. He always had a story in his pocket, a sensory metaphor with the intent to enlighten; a truth teller who could literally close his message with “seewhatimsayin’” and mean it. <br /><br />I’ve read his stories, listened to them retold and re-spun. At some points truthfully felt like I heard it all, but I was approaching his and the other stories in the bible as if they were museum artifacts. Meant to be viewed and admired but never touched. <a href="http://www.margaretfeinberg.com">Margaret Feinberg</a>’s book <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://http://www.margaretfeinberg.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=1&category_id=9&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=8">Scouting the Divine</a></span>, will not allow such distance. Choosing three metaphors from the Bible: wool, wine, and honey, Margaret gets up close, dirty and personal in an effort to unfold the reality behind these truths. Interviewing and walking the land with a shepherd, a vintner, and a beekeeper, Margaret brings to life this ancient world that people in the Bible knew that is so unfamiliar to our hyperlink connected world. God’s role as shepherd and vintner, and the land of milk and honey are just a few references that Margaret unpacks here along with her own questions and moments of understanding.<br /><br />The vintner reference hit home most for me. I literally had to close the book and think about it after reading through a few of the passages. How God, in an effort to want me to grow, would cut and prune (in essence allow me to be in pain) so that when the time comes to be fruitful I can withstand, I can have what it takes. That God doesn’t view me as some work of art that he looks on and keeps in some dusty room that no one ever visits like that frozen living room my aunt’s kept in their houses. Reading about these roles of God from this perspective helped me to see that God is involved in my world every moment, more than I can imagine. <br /><br />Maybe now when life pinches and prunes, when I feel led down a path and I can’t see the way, I’ll remember as Margaret explored here, that scouting the divine is a journey that never ends and that the dude from Nazareth is worth following.amena beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16248527503173305824noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081041155434683154.post-15840159681880569342009-06-14T22:19:00.003-04:002009-06-14T22:32:53.132-04:00Featured on Raising Poetry Blog!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iMe0bNNIZzI/SjWyLy5ZYoI/AAAAAAAAAG4/wCDPmMYBpZY/s1600-h/LX1I9003.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iMe0bNNIZzI/SjWyLy5ZYoI/AAAAAAAAAG4/wCDPmMYBpZY/s320/LX1I9003.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347376048283148930" /></a><br />A month ago I was featured on the <a href="http://www.raisingpoetry.org">Raising Poetry</a> blog in a profile written by Ty Scott of hip hop group <a href="http://www.platinumsoulsinc.com">Platinum Souls</a>. Check it out!<br /><br />Amena Brown: The Voice of the People<br /><br />by: Ty Scott<br /><br />“Born a seed in the south,” with the stature of a God’s Top Model, a humble air of confidence, and a smile that lights up the darkest environments; Amena Brown has blessed audiences across the country with her polished poetic prose. For years, she’s successfully juggled a schedule full of: blazing open mics, ministering at churches such as: New Birth (GA), Buckhead Church (GA), Lakewood Community Church (TX), and Irving Bible Church (TX), and as of last year, competing nationally as a member of the 2008 Java Monkey Poetry Slam Team. Simply put- Amena Brown is a modern day rock star. And I for one wanted to re-connect with this Renaissance woman to pick her brain, and her soul, for some spiritual insight.<br /><br />I’ve always been told that if you want the whole story, you must of course start at the beginning; which for Amena, poetically speaking, was at the age of 13. At a time when most of her peers were probably doodling boy’s names in their notebooks, she was discovering her own “power to excite, ignite, and inspire.” So when she hit the stage at 17, she blew audiences away. And, her refusal to be just another act is what continues to set Amena apart. She has made a commitment to bare her soul and use her words to ignite a fire for Christ amongst her generation. <br /><br />“Every struggle I’ve had has turned into something I can share with other people that will hopefully help them. When I was in college my pastor used to say that God never wastes an experience and I have found that to be true. Pretty much any struggle I’ve had shows up in a poem, in a conversation, or in a talk or breakout session at some point.” Amena openly admits “one thing I really struggled with was breaking away from being so religious. I grew up in church most of my life and church was what I knew. In my 20s I’ve learned a lot of who God really is and had to unlearn being so afraid of messing up, doing things to keep up appearances, or doing all the right things for all the wrong reasons. That’s a journey I’m still on, but God has really changed my perspective on who he is and what it really means to be a believer.”<br /><br />Another of Amena’s issues is one that is common to a vast majority of people around the globe- insecurities about her appearance. “When I was younger I didn’t feel like I was beautiful and I hid behind my glasses, my hair, my baggy clothes. As I grew older, I met people that saw behind all my hiding and encouraged me to not be afraid to be myself and love myself just like I was. Over time that love and learning how beautiful God thinks I am and how much time and detail he put into making me, helped me to realize I was beautiful and that I didn’t have to hide behind anything, especially not my outward appearance, religion, or trying to impress other people. I still deal with insecurities today, but the more I mature the more I am learning to accept myself as I am and other people as they are.” <br /><br />Through it all, Amena’s innate ability to take personal observations and experiences, and weave them into tales that paint vivid pictures and captivate the hearts of her listeners, has placed her on platforms to spread the truth of the gospel across racial, cultural, and religious lines. Her words remind us that we are not alone in our struggles. Amena stands in the gap for many, showing us that just like she’s been through those rough places, and come out of it all more alive, we too can do the same.<br /><br />To the naked eye, it would seem that she has a full plate before her. But, as a woman of great faith, Amena’s spiritual eyes see much more on the horizon. For starters, she has taken her skills to yet another level, and outlet, by establishing herself as a contributing writer for several well-respected publications. As a female freelance writer, Amena is seizing the opportunity to show other women that you can “carry yourself as a professional and as a classy woman in situations where the industry you’re working with needs to see that. I also really enjoy meeting and talking with other women who are in my similar life situation or industry. Meeting other women who are walking the same path as you is so encouraging, because we can help to keep each other’s heads up.”<br /><br />Obviously, Amena’s favorite childhood hobby of reading has served her well. And now, God is writing an extraordinary story through her. She is an inspiration to women, and men alike. Having stepped out of boxes of complacency, tradition, religion, and gender stereotypes, Amena is carving a path all her own. <br /><br />“I think my major ah-ha moment came in my mid-twenties. That’s when I realized I didn’t know who I was if I wasn’t busy doing ministry and that a lot of the reason I was praying, spending time with God, doing “spiritual” things was because other people were looking at me. At that point, God started me on a journey of unearthing the motivations of my heart, stripping me of pleasing people, and bringing me to a place where I want to please him above all. I’m still learning and growing, and I hope I’m learning and growing the rest of my life.” <br /><br />Her experiences of being raised in the church, attending & graduating college away from home, discovering her “voice” through poetry, and traveling to spread the good news, are building a powerful testimony. When she’s gone from this world, Amena wants to “leave a legacy of living my life to the fullest, leaving no dreams unturned, being real and downright honest, while living my life for God. I would like those things to permeate everything I do.” At least that was her answer at the time of this interview, because as she said: “that’s a big question, and I’m sure my answer will change as I live.”<br /><br />You can keep up with the globe-trotting, Proverbs 31 woman, and download some of her master-pieces, by visiting her at:<br /><br />http://www.amenabrown.com<br /><br />www.myspace.com/amenabrownamena beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16248527503173305824noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081041155434683154.post-19948163159451596682009-06-05T13:34:00.004-04:002009-06-05T13:52:17.954-04:00Scotty Barnhart CD Release: Saying it Plain<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iMe0bNNIZzI/SilZc8OJteI/AAAAAAAAAGo/Cj7rEoQEY3M/s1600-h/SBarnhart_JDavisCallandResponse.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iMe0bNNIZzI/SilZc8OJteI/AAAAAAAAAGo/Cj7rEoQEY3M/s320/SBarnhart_JDavisCallandResponse.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343900786588497378" /></a><br />*Thanks to guest blogger, Wayne James for covering this show for me and to Fiona Bloom for the media pass!<br /><br />by <a href="http://misterjamesonbass.wordpress.com/">Wayne James</a>, blogger and bass player for <a href="http://www.myspace.com/gritzandjellybutter">Gritz and Jelly Butter</a><br /><br />I have to admit that I am guilty of a certain kind of elitism when it comes to distinguishing the traditional art form of jazz from the newest variations. Not that variations are bad, but I suppose I want to separate the unmistakable sound that my father’s jazz represented from...well, everything else. So when I got the opportunity to cover the release of solo CD Saying it Plain, by one of Atlanta’s jazz greats, trumpeter <a href="http://www.scottybarnhart.com">Scotty Barnhart</a>, I jumped at the chance to be reminded of the original beauty and passion of this distinctly American art form. <br /><br />Barnhart has toured the world with definitive jazz institutions such as the Count Basie Orchestra, and has recorded with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Cab Calloway, Joe Williams, Ray Charles and Tito Puentes. Say It Plain includes musical contributions from Eddie & Wynton Marsalis, Clark Terry, and Marcus Roberts among others, standing as a testament to Barnhart’s high regard among his peers. <br /><br />Barnhart played trumpet as a young boy at Ebenezer Baptist Church, and was christened by Martin Luther King Jr., and baptized by Martin Luther King Sr. Barnhart’s performance at the historic Martin Luther King, Jr. Center was double billed as both a CD release and an honorable tribute to an era and a people that were at the heart of the civil rights revolution and heavily influenced his early life. <br /><br />I was taken immediately by the simplicity, humility, and effortless nature of Barnhart’s sound especially when compared with the backdrop of today’s entertainment-oriented music scene. With Bill Peterson on piano, Kevin Smith on bass, and Leon Anderson on drums, Barnhart walked on stage, cordially greeted the audience, and began to make beautiful music. The album’s title track, “Say It Plain,” eased us into his world with an infectious, finger-snapping groove, peppered with Barnhart’s growling trumpet. His set grew adventurous as he plunged the audience head first into “Burning Sands,” an exhilarating and up-tempo display of his technical prowess wrought with rapid tempo and mood changes. <br /><br />The night included guest appearances from a number of talented artists/musicians: saxophonist Ricardo Pascal, jazz guitarist Rik Waller, and vocalist Jamie Davis who joined Barnhart for the classic ballad, “Young at Heart.” Davis’ warm, husky baritone, reminiscent of Lou Rawls, combined with Barnhart’s muted trumpet had me grimacing with appreciation.<br /><br />By the time we got to “Haley’s Passage,” a soft & contemplative stroll that successfully highlights Barnhart’s well-known soloist ability, I was a committed fan. Barnhart and his band closed out the night with an all out jam session during which any musician in the audience was invited to participate.<br /><br />After the concert, I asked Scotty what he’d say to younger musicians trying to find their way in this new era of music. He paused for a moment and said, “Pay attention to what you’ve been given”. Now that is saying it plain.amena beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16248527503173305824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081041155434683154.post-18892945118501815932009-05-21T12:53:00.004-04:002009-05-22T13:33:43.281-04:00Atlanta Intown Article: Creative Community<span style="font-weight:bold;">Creative Community</span><br /><a href="http://www.atlantaintownpaper.com/issue2/index.php?issue=2009_05#">Atlanta INtown Newspaper May Issue<br /></a><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Westside Arts District emerges as gallery destination<br /></span><br />Atlanta's Westside, between Howell Mill Road and Means Street, has become a burgeoning locale for contemporary art. Long a gathering place for creative people, the area has become home to a collective of nine gallery spaces now known as the <a href="http://www.wadatlanta.org">Westside Arts District</a>.<br /><br />Westside Arts District is a mix of commercial galleries, nonprofit spaces, and a coffeehouse: Atlanta Contemporary Arts Center, Bobbe Gillis Gallery, Emily Amy Gallery, Get This! Gallery, Kiang Gallery, Octane Coffee Bar, SALTWORKS, the Robert C. Williams Paper Museum and Sandler Hudson Gallery. Created in January, the district's monthly "Westside Art Walks" are already creating a buzz among artists and art lovers.<br /><br />"I sent out a blanket e-mail to all the galleries I knew that existed in the area and said I think we should try to get together and collaborate on something," said Emily Amy, owner of Emily Amy Gallery. "I didn't know any of the gallery owners at the time. I was almost shocked at how quickly everyone responded. We talked about forming the organization during our first meeting."<br /><br />Although the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, Octane and Sandler Hudson Gallery have been established in the area for more than four years, other galleries migrated to the area in the last two years from Castleberry Hills and the Old Fourth Ward, citing location and lower rents. <br /><br />"Castleberry has stalled as a visual arts area and become more of a center for nightlife," said Ben Roosevelt, an artist whose work whose work has been shown at Get This! Gallery and will be featured at the Robert C. Williams Paper Museum. "The challenge of Atlanta, with everything spread so far apart, is that there's not really one arts district. The Westside is a great location because it's more accessible to the greater population of Atlanta."<br /><br />Every Third Saturday, Westside Arts District hosts the Art Walk, encouraging the Atlanta community to engage in a fresh way with contemporary art. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. families, students, and art enthusiasts take their sneakers to the streets, touring the art gallery spaces and attending educational talks. The art spaces are all within one mile of each other and two or three lectures or artist talks are included each month.<br /><br />"There are people out there who are curious buyers, but they would rather get on a plane and go to New York because they don't know what's available here," said Christina Caudill, co-owner of SALTWORKS. "We want to make people aware, both the buyer and the general public, of what we're doing here."<br /><br />Octane, the only arts space in the collective that doubles as a coffeehouse, has its art curated by owner Tony Riffel and is a place where people gather to discuss arts before and after the monthly arts walk.<br /><br />Said Riffel, "Art has been a big part of what we have been doing from day one. Our walls are great for different exhibits. We rotate every month, and we only focus on local art. We're really trying to capture the artists that aren't getting attention from other galleries. It's been great to see the creative community grow around us. To see it come to life now is really exciting."amena beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16248527503173305824noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081041155434683154.post-60772540865728948732009-05-11T13:41:00.003-04:002009-05-11T14:12:46.665-04:00Music Moments Blog 2: What Was Your Musical First?May is Mena’s Music Month and as many of you know I have a habit of coining random celebrations. lol Blogging about musical moments and memories is not only a great way to celebrate May but it’s also alliteration. Everyone needs alliteration! This week I solicited some quotes from a few cool people about their musical firsts. The amazing thing about music is that it holds memories for all of us across generation, culture, and gender. So read on for some nostalgic musical firsts and feel free to share some of your own.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">FIRST ROCK SONG<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"></span>Amena Brown, writer/talker/spoons player<br /></span>Sixth grade. I had just moved from Silver Spring, MD to San Antonio, TX and was highly unhappy about it. Felt like I went from really cool place to live to really slow, cowboy boots, flatland place to live. (no offense to my Texas peeps! lol) I was having a hard time fitting in, but somehow found a friend in a tall freckle-faced, brown haired boy named Daniel. Daniel was always in trouble, so when our class went to do fun stuff like play on the computer or have recess, he was typically leaning against some wall at the teacher’s behest for his bad behavior. I would stop and talk to him sometimes since we kind of had something in common. He couldn’t have fun with the class and I frankly didn’t want to. lol He told me about the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Asked me if I’d ever heard a song called “Under the Bridge.” I hadn’t so he sang me the words and told me to check it out. I caught the video on MTV and loved it! After that I’d always check on Daniel during his times of detention and sing a few of the lines with him. I still know all the words to that song.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">FIRST LIVE SHOW<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"></span><a href="http://www.myspace.com/leafsmusic ">Leaf</a>, Singer/Songwriter<br /></span>I think my first live show was Goapele. I actually went to go see another artist that night at the temple bar in Los Angeles and stayed around to see the other artists. And I must tell you that watching her with her band inspired my brother to encourage me to put my own band together which I did soon after. It was really a great show but my most favorite live show was AMEL @ Sugar Hill in ATL. There was just something about the magnitude of energy and love reciprocated in the room between Amel and us fans that I have yet to experience again. Hopefully it will be one of my own shows.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">FIRST INSTRUMENT I LEARNED<br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/leafsmusic">Leaf</a>, Singer/Songwriter</span><br />The first instrument I learned was the guitar. At four years old while living in Los Angeles, 54th and Venice in South Central, a friend of my parents brought over an old beat up guitar with holes in it and just two strings. And my dad used to tell the story that I just walked over and started playing and I've been playing ever since.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">FIRST HIP HOP MOMENT <br />Marc McCartney, <a href="http://faithpluslife.blogspot.com">Blogger</a> <br />Director of Events, <a href="http://www.RightNow.org">www.RightNow.org</a> </span><br />My Dad was a football coach and I loved being around him. So as a little kid, I spent a ton of hours on the practice field and in the locker room. Music was always the pulse of the locker room. I could walk into the locker room and just by listening to the music I would know what was going on. <br /><br />Before games you hear something with lots of bass to get the juices flowing. Before practice you might hear something a little more upbeat, but not too intense. After practice is going to be something mellow and lazy. After a loss – no music! But after a win – that’s when you get the hip hop. Everyone was excited and juiced up and ready to let it all out. The team would sing the songs aloud – practically shouting the music – it was a party in that locker room and it was so much fun! Run DMC, Sir Mix A Lot, Public Enemy, Biz Markie, Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock, and the list goes on… those were the days!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">FIRST LIVE SHOW AND FIRST 45<br />Chuck Woo, Managing Director, Woo Media Works<br />Blogger/Marketing Consultant, <a href="http://www.chuckwoo.com">www.chuckwoo.com</a> </span><br />As a 6 year old being able to witness the hardest working man in show business and the smooth Temptations gave me a soulful appreciation of music and entertainment. James Brown was the best entertainer and could move the crowd just dancing.<br /><br />Don't know if I remember my first music store experience, however the first 45 that I bought for 67 cents was James Brown, which I think I still have somewhere.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">FIRST ALBUM<br />Dan Kimball, author/speaker, <a href="http://www.dankimball.com">www.dankimball.com</a> </span><br />I think the first full album I ever bought was KISS's "Destroyer" album. I was fascinated with KISS as a kid. I think it was the whole stage show, lighting, smoke machines, the drums that rose in the air during the drum solo and all the theatrics that they did that no one else was doing like that back then. I am quite embarrassed to say but I saw KISS 3 times live in concert while in high school.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">FIRST DEEJAY EXPERIENCE<br />Matthew “Opie” Owen, DJ and Saxophone player</span><br />The first time I was on my turntables in front of a crowd, a large youth group had hired me to come and make it hot that night. I was kind of panicking because I wasn't exactly sure how to hook everything up, but I didn't want to let them know that. Even though my right table was coming out of my left on the mixer and my left was coming out of the right, the crowd was moving and I've been in love ever since. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">FIRST CASSETTE TAPE<br />AJ Joiner, <a href="http://www.TheASpot.com">www.TheASpot.com</a> </span><br />“It’s not bippety-bop mama.” I pleaded sincerely as I tried to convince my Mama to cough up $7.99 so I could buy UTFO. I’d heard ‘Roxanne, Roxanne’ and ‘The Real Roxanne’ at friends’ houses, but Grandma wasn’t allowing that ‘bee-bop mess’ in her house, and Mama wasn’t either. Shortly thereafter I scammed my Uncle into buying the tape and it. Was. On. <br /><br />We spent weeks with the tape deck locked, loaded and on record/pause. I wrote lyrics in my ‘Rap notebook’ and was ready at a moment’s notice for a ‘battle’ with my brother and friends to rap the lyrics to anything by UTFO. “Calling Her a Crab, Roxanne, Roxanne, Bite It, The Real Roxanne” are all classics in their own right. Dr. Ice, Kangol Kid, Mixmaster Ice, and the Educated Rapper pioneered the early 80’s version of what we call ‘diss’ and reply albums. No true hip hop head can stroll down Hip Hop memory lane without touching the Untouchable Force Organization better known as UTFO. <br /><br />What were some of your musical firsts?amena beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16248527503173305824noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081041155434683154.post-43965987671415059692009-05-04T12:11:00.002-04:002009-05-04T12:33:19.619-04:00Music Moments Blog 1: Theme Songs<span style="font-weight:bold;">theme song</span>: \ˈthēm\ \ˈsoŋ\ noun 1 a musical composition that inspires and motivates<br /><br />I’ve learned that the only time dreams just happen to you is in your sleep. In real life, the achieving of dreams takes work, risking failure and rejection, and refusing to settle for what is comfortable or convenient. A theme song can be a great way to keep yourself focused and motivated. These tunes keep me encouraged to be myself, to keep going even when it would seem easier to call it quits, to sing really loud, to dance, and to believe.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1M3KX1QyJZ8">Off the Wall</a> – Michael Jackson<br /></span>Yes, this song is about the boogie, but let’s dig a little deeper. Michael is singing a metaphor here, something Pink picked up on in “God is a Deejay.” Life -- the dance floor. God – the deejay. You – hopefully are not leaning against the wall scared to dance. Not only does this song rock, but also it reminds me to not get too comfortable leaning against the wall in life. <br /><br />“Life ain’t so bad at all if you’re living off the wall.” – Michael Jackson<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5x4w42hv7k">Strength, Courage and Wisdom</a> – India.Arie<br /></span>India.Arie is one of my FAVORITE artists. She writes the songs that say what I want to say, and this one is closest to my heart out of all of them. I love this song because it communicates the balance of living your dream: I do my part and God does his. There are times to make a move and times to let it be. This is also a great workout song! (Shout out to the treadmill!)<br /><br />“I close my eyes and I think of all the things that I wanna see…” – India.Arie<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8j9hj-_GtrI">Breakaway</a> – Kelly Clarkson<br /></span>I’ll admit it. I LOVED Kelly Clarkson’s first album (shout out to dr. hoch who hipped me to it!) When I first heard the song “Breakaway,” Andy Stanley was doing a series of messages with the same title at Buckhead Church. I cried at all of them because I knew that breaking away from what was comfortable is what I would have to do if I was going to live my life to the fullest. At the time that was a tall order because it meant a serious interruption in my routine and perspective. Looking back on that moment I’m glad I took the risk of leaving my convenience and comfort to pursue something new. <br /><br />“Make a wish, take a chance, make a change, and breakaway.” – Kelly Clarkson<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxRscNRC8m4">Pretty Girl</a> – Eric Roberson<br /></span>I believe God can speak to us through many things and I realized after listening to this on repeat 20 zillion times lol that I love this song because it sounds like something God would say. I can imagine him watching this girl, the same way a dad marvels at, loves, and protects his daughter. Telling her that she doesn’t have to settle for less than what she’s worth. That there is more to her than her physical appearance. That he sees beauty in her beyond her smile. This song, reminds me of how big God’s love is and that thankfully his love doesn’t depend on how good we are or how much we have it together. <br /><br />“Open your eyes and realize you’re worth much more. Oh so much more.” – Eric Roberson<br /><br /><br />“That’s my theme music. Every good hero should have some.” – John Slade, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iumPHqIC5jY&feature=channel_page">I’m Gonna Git You Sucka</a> (check the video around 7:50...really watch all of it, it's hilarious! lol)<br /><br /><br />Your turn. What are some of your theme songs?amena beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16248527503173305824noreply@blogger.com1