Call to Empowerment

When I was in Peace Corps back in the day I worked in Morocco, North Africa. It was a wonderful, stressful and life changing experience. One of my vivid memories from the experience is the Call to Prayer that blasted throughout the streets on a loud speaker. Aside from the beautiful Arabic singing, I also loved how it mobilized entire communities to stop any activity to pray and meditate.

I think it would be a great idea to have a "call to empowerment" in communities all over the country. Maybe a poem, positive quotation or meditation could be read or sang from rooftops on loud speakers all over the hood. Five times a day we could use sound and words to heal ourselves and to empower and uplift.

My work as lady Terror is one of creative empowerment and an experiment in guerilla art, spectacle and performance art. My latest stunt was the releasing of balloons with a poem tied to it. My hope is that someone will find the balloon, untie the poem, read it and be inspired. It's also symbolic of a lesson that I re-learn daily: You must let things go in order to receive. The more you give with purpose, the closer you get to living out your life's purpose. Life is beautiful but also rough sometimes. I believe deeply that poetry and words are therapy.

Enjoy the footage from the stunt filmed last week and my original poem "The Cubicle Project," whch was written at a call center, cubicle job that attempted to kill my creative joy. Pain can bring art sometimes. What poem or quotation would you want to release into the air as a gift or have blasted on loud speakers in your hood?



If you enjoy my mission please think about bringing me to your school or organization for a Creative Empowerment Workshop or to create a theater project. Lets build!

Lady Terror Re - Imagined

I have been in a re- invention period in my artistic life since I created the character "Lady Terror." Almost three years ago, while attempting to write through a huge case of writer's block, Lady Terror came through. I believe it was a culmination of years of rage and a super pissed off attitude about injustice and oppression that molded Lady Terror. Soon, I was ranting and screaming poetry through a real bullhorn and on a soapbox built just for me. Ranting became the means to solve social problems. The bullhorn became the desperate symbol of voice and empowerment.

I have been writing and performing poetry for over 10 years in the traditional sense. Write poem on paper. Read it on a mic. Sit down. Repeat. I love the simplicity of poetry and pride myself on my ability to express myself through words. But, as I grew as an artist the above ritual became to neat, clean and predictable. I longed for messy and surprising. I really longed for performance, spectacle and theater. I wanted to shake up the day and shine a bright light onto the issues truly destroying my community. To date I have installed the following art spectacles into the community:

1. Poetry reading marathon at Chicago's Largest Parade, Bud Biliken. I read the poetry of Gwendolyn Brooks on a bullhorn for hundreds of passerby's. The lady Terror mission believes that reading and writing poetry is a healing tool that can spark imagination and change. Check some video footage:

2. Created a one night only poetry show i front of liquor stores all over the South Side of Chicago. The South Side, like other inner city communities, are lacking in creative resources. I brought the art to us by setting up small performance venues outside on sidewalks.

3. As part of damali ayo's project "National Day of Panhandling for Reparations" I begged for change for reparations downtown Chicago on State Street. For an entire afternoon I begged for the money due us after 400 years of slavery.

4. Yoga in the hood was one of my favorite stunts. As a protest against the inequalities that exist between white and black communities, I created mini yoga studios in the lobby of fast food establishments.

As I move into the New Year. I am excited about the opportunities for Lady Terror. I'm planning a stunt in honor on MLK, Jr. Birthday Celebration, developing my current one woman show "I Will Not Calm Down" and writing a new one, participating in a Experimental Puppetry Festival, submitting a proposal for a Street Festival with Flux Projects and creating volunteer opportunities to start back collaborating with young people. More soapboxes will be built and more bullhorns screamed through. I'm ranting in 2011. What about you? What are your creative and artistic hopes for the New Year?

Booking for Lady Terror!

Hey Ranters:

I am organizing my calendar and booking shows for the remainder of the summer and def for the fall. The "Lady Terror Experience." I offer the following:

Workshops
I specialize in facilitating, interactive workshops that revolve around writing. I have taught fiction, poetry and essay for children as young as 6 all the way thru adults in their 70's. Any topic or theme can be developed into a workshop.

Performance
Previous gigs:
Guest Artist for the class "Performing on stage solo" at DePaul University School of Theatre, Chicago, IL
Guest Artist and performance for class "Reviewing the Arts" at Columbia College Chicago
National Day of Reparations Day www.damaliayo.com
Guerilla Art Spectacles and protests

Spoken Word
Over 15 years experience performing as a spoken word artist
Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Award Winner
Ensemble member of Guild Complex's poetry performance incubator


Email me at: Ladyterroreducation@gmail.com for bookings, prices and more information

I LOVE colleges, universities, public schools (all ages), community centers, not for profits, alternative schools, all places of worship, street corners, barber/beauty shops..EVERYONE loves LADY TERROR! Lets rant, build soapboxes, plot on oppression, write manifestos and read poetry.

Tree Pose in the Hood

Last Friday, I was able to go out with Ashley from Blame it on Ashley Productions and Aaron, from One Shot Photography to began filming for the "Lady Terror Show." The show will be footage from the spectacles I perform in the community, poetry and social commentary. Lady Terror deals with very serious issues in her work but the concept of her character is meant to be comedic and ironic. What better way to really get attention and encourage involvement but to create a character that loves to rant and believes the best way to solve social issues is to scream like a fucking lunatic until someone listens? She is a reaction to the apathy and disconnection in our communities. A desperate but empowered woman that doesn't want to calm down because she already tried that and it didn't work. Poverty is still killing her people. People usually pay attention to someone causing a scene. Someone who likes to curse and be out of control. The unexpected. There is nothing more dangerous than a person who gives a damn. When you get in touch with your rage you can make space for joy.

The guerilla art spectacles include:
Yoga classes in fried food spots
Turning liquor stores into performance spaces
Poetry therapy marathons at parades, on off ramps of expressways, on street corners, etc.