Unchain Your Mind | What a Difference a Year Makes

Never, in a million years, could I have imagined that I would be where I am today. In less than TWO months, I will be hosting my very first Poetic Action Showcase feature four of the best Spoken Word Artists in the Nation!!

September 2012

My best friend, Lyric Kantrail, and I opened our first Poetic Action show in the Northern Province of South Korea. By January 2013, we had two locations (One in the Northern and the other in the Southern Province).  Both shows came to an end in September 2013 – six months after she and I had to leave the country. We weren’t discouraged though because we didn’t think that it was going to last for one month after we left LOL.

September 2014

I had been in Hawaii for about 1 1/2yrs and had not found an open-mic that I liked. I just needed a stage, but I didn’t have my best friend. She was my “team”. We have the same work ethic, drive, and hustle. I wanted to bring Poetic Action back but didn’t know where to start. I finally met the right person to be my partner AND my DJ {{WINNING!!}}.

January 2015

Lights! Camera! POETIC ACTION! The first Poetic Action in Oahu was a complete success! People were talking about it for days. I was on cloud nine.

July 2015

My bestie comes to visit me! We come up with this bright idea to make her a feature for the upcoming Poetic Action show. Greatest idea ever!

Every show from then on out, we had a feature artist and the audience loved it (August-Kevin Sandbloom

; September-Obbie West

; October-Masterpiece

; November-HBO Def Poet Shanelle Gabriel

& a surprise appearance by 7-time HBO Def Poet SHIHAN!)

Fast forward to January 2016…
IT’S THE ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF POETIC ACTION IN OAHU!! We’ve got feature performances by:

- Grammy Listed International Spoken Word Artist QUEEN SHEBA
- World Renouned Poet and Speaker TALAAM ACEY
- Author, Activist, and National Poetry Slam Champion PAGES MATAM
- 2015 & 2015 North Texas Spoken Word Awards winner MASTERPIECE

This line up is absolutely BANANAS! Only way from here is UP! "The mind is stronger than my body. God is stronger than my mind."

Unchain Your Mind | National Poetry Month

NaPoMo #1 (Haiku for 1APR15)

I hear your voice, Lord. 

I will let you sail this ship. 

You see what I don't. 

~UnhurdChyld

Have you ever wondered if you were "doing life" right? Like if you ever really figured out how it works and what you're supposed to be doing with it?  

So many people have told me that I should really go into doing Poetry full time. Or they'll ask why haven't I done it yet. Well that answer is simple (maybe not correct, but it's simple)...

I'M AFRAID!!

I'm afraid of my poems not being as good as the poets that inspire me. I'm afraid that my words won't really be heard and understood. I'm afraid that my desire to make a change will get lost in translation. Most of all, I'm afraid that I'm ordinary and everything that I write, anybody else can too. 

A year ago I started back writing and was inspired to start an open mic in 2015. When I began writing last year, I started to get a lot of exposure. People started asked me come and do poems at luncheons and various other events. CD sales were increasing and everything! But I still felt ordinary. Until less than a week ago...

While on the phone with my best friend, we were talking about upcoming engagements that we were scheduled to perform. I told her, "You know what? I think I've performed  for practically every Greek Organization on this island. Except for the Deltas." The very next day I had an email in my inbox asking me to perform at the Delta Sigma Theta Annual step show  with a sold out audience of 630 people. 

I never thought that this is where I would be right now. I'm humbled. Am I still a bit hesitant? Yes. But I'm not in control. "The mind is stronger than my body. God is stronger than my mind."

Unchain Your Mind | Entrepreneurship Novice

Almost an entire week after the anxiety and excitement has died down, I am able to gather some of my thoughts on the Honolulu Premiere of Poetic Action. 

In a nutshell....IT WAS AWESOME!!! The turnout was great, the audience was awesome, and the poets were absolutely phenomenal! And to think, I did all of this advertising telling people, "You won't find another open mic NEARLY as good as this one is going to be on this island."  It sold well...to them. I still had my doubts. I didn't want to be the only poet for the night. I started to think about everything: What if I put too many chairs out and it's gonna look empty in here because nobody comes? What if we can't start on time? What's the plan if nobody decides to sign up and do any poetry? 

Well, people had to add chairs! The doors opened at 7pm and there were some people outside at 6:45pm. I started 15mins after the planned time because I kept trying to give people a chance to get inside, but more people just kept coming through the door! To top it off, we had JUST enough poets to be able to end the show at 10pm on the dot, as planned!!

Everyone had so many positive things to say and expressed how glad they were that I did such an event like that. They can't wait until next month and they said that they're definitely going to be spreading the word and bringing more friends out.

And to those that said they were coming out to support but couldn't make it, you missed a fantastic show! Catch us next month.

My first event as a small business owner, and it was a success! Poetic Action is here!!

LIGHTS! CAMERA! POETIC ACTION!!

Like our FB Page: http://www.facebook.com/PoeticActionLLC 

Instagram & Twitter: PoeticActionLLC

Look for some clips from the show posted there as well!

Unchain Your Mind | New Year, New Poems

Procrastination always gets the best of me. I wrote this blog 30 DEC 2014:


2015 is right around the corner and I am ending this year with a bang! Everything has fallen into place and God has put some amazing people in my path to help me on this journey. But first….I STILL haven’t written any new poetry yet! I’ve had a poem brewing for five months and have yet to let those words meet paper. School, motherhood, and work has been keeping me busy quite a bit, but that’s no excuse.  I need to release and just let it flow.

But on to the good news:

Army – I GOT PROMOTED!! 1 October, 2014 I officially became a Staff Sergeant in the United States Army. So many folks thought that I would never be here. Hell, for a minute, I even questioned if I would ever make it. But I did it for my son. I needed to provide more for him and nobody else was going to do it but me. Thank you JESUS!

Personally – I loved and lost…what’s new. No need to give the whole, “Men ain’t $h!t” schpeel. It happens. But God sure does work in mysterious way. Let’s just say I’m pretty happy with the one He has brought into my life now J

And now the big news…Poetically:

IT’S SUPER OFFICIAL!!

It’s been a lot of hard work and the time is finally drawing near. I am Sole Proprietor of UnhurdChyld. That’s right! I’m a small business owner honey. Working on securing an LLC for another company as well. I’m so anxious for Poetic Action to happen. It’s just so many people out here that have said that they have been looking for something like it. 

So if you’re reading this and you’re in Hawaii, Poetic Action is where you should be on January 15^th!

Now all I need to do is write some new material… :-/. New Year, New Pieces 

“The mind is stronger than the body. God is stronger than my mind.”

Unchain Your Mind | Lights, Camera, Poetic Action

I can't sleep. That can only be due to two things: 1. The Taco Bell that I had earlier 2. I need to write...let's just say that it's the latter.

I always try and keep this updated and I seem to fail miserably when my schedule picks up just a little bit. So much has (and has not) transpired in the last year:

I haven't written a new poem. I'm full of ideas and can't find the words. That's half of the reason why I haven't posted. It's hard to focus on your passion when you have to focus on surviving. Dreams don't pay the bills or fill my son's belly. I don't care what anybody says. I haven't given up on writing, I never will. I've been performing all over the island at different events and I only have one person to thank for that. God brought a woman into my life that has so many connections in Hawaii that she truly lit that fire in me to at least perform and attempt to start writing again. Because of this, I have big news,

Poetic Action is coming to Hawaii January 2015! My best friend and I co-founded Poetic Action September 2012 in Camp Casey, South Korea. We eventually expanded it to two locations in Korea (Camp Casey and Camp Humphries) and it became the largest open mic for Soldiers on the entire peninsula. Poetic Action ran for over a year and a half, although we had both left Korea. I am now proud to say that I will be starting it here on the great island of Oahu in the beginning of 2015.

I've got to write something soon though. I need to get these words out. I have way more supporters than I ever thought. My poems are getting streamed online and my fan base is increasing. I'm taking advantage of all of the opportunities that God is blessing me with. I never even thought that I would be here...I can't stop. I won't stop.

Cam wouldn't stop...RIP

"The mind is stronger than my body. God is stronger than my mind."

Unchain Your Mind | I'll Keep My Shoes On...Thank You

I foresee some upset people if they ever read this post. But it is what it is.

I recently posted a broad, yet slightly lengthy, status on Facebook about my experience and view on friends and friendship.

Bottom line: Everybody is not meant to be your friend for a lifetime!!

People define friendship differently, so I’m not knocking them. Out of my entire toddler and adolescent years, I have only remained in constant contact with one person. We’re not best friends, we don’t talk every day, and I probably can’t even tell you the latest current events in her life. But when we pick up the phone and chat, it’s like nothing ever happened. We catch each other up, laugh at our old inside jokes, reminisce, and enjoy conversation. This is basically how it goes with the six people that I consider true friends.

While I was in high school, I hung out with the same ten girls. We had a “clique” (even though we hated that term) name and everything. They were my friends…in high school. We still communicate from time to time, but they knew the teenage me, not the adult me. I’ve grown, matured, experienced some things that they haven’t and may never have to experience, and probably developed a completely different lifestyle than what they may be used to. Who knows... My love for them hasn’t changed, but I can’t call them my friend because they don’t know me.

I would honestly risk my life for each and every one of my friends and not think twice about it because I feel like they would do the same for me. They’ve either seen me grow into the adult that I am (and lived through it with me because I’m sure I blew up their phone!), or met me after I accepted me for who I finally found myself to be and still loved me.  Don’t get it twisted, I didn’t find myself to be anything ungodly or outrageous. Life’s situations just have a way of maturing you differently, and sometimes faster, than others.

Just because you were a friend for a moment, doesn’t make you a friend forever. I outgrow people very quickly. Without judging them, I see that we just aren’t on the same page in life and I don’t feel like putting on a different hat just to talk to you everytime because I’m afraid of what you might think of me if a curse word slips out or I tell you that my best friend is gay. I don’t need someone to tell me that my love life is moving too fast, non-existent, or in need of a little spice. I love you, but I gotta love you from a distance because I can’t let the foolery and childishness get to me.

So with that being said, some people will find themselves just like they assume my love life is…non-existent. You won’t understand my life until you walk a day in my shoes. And I don’t plan on taking them off to prove anything to you.

Unchain Your Mind | The Fork...

Sometimes I wonder if this journey is for me. My inner fighter tells me to keep pushing but my flesh tells me to just focus on something else. What am I referring to? My journey as a poet.

I’m not disappointed in album sales, I’m disappointed in the amount of people that I desire to reach that aren’t being reached. Maybe I should switch the genre in which is right about. Maybe I should think of profound inspirational relationship quotes like Rob Hill Sr. Perhaps I should focus on making people laugh. I’ve got a good sense of humor. Everyone has an opinion about the government…that could be an option……nah. That’s not who I am, as an artist or person. I can’t expect people to connect with unauthentic content.

People buy, but don’t share. Is it not powerful enough?

I was made to do this. I was made to help, heal, connect, and change. I just don’t know how to do it to its full effect. But I won’t stop until I do. This fork in the road…

A Thankful Heart...

"The unthankful heart...discovers no mercies; but let the thankful heart sweep through the day and, as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings!" ~Henry Ward Beecher

So many thing I'm thankful for!But let me first start by saying that none of this would be possible without the grace of God. Wanna hear about my experience at the @ttic NC?! Once again, I'm a week late, but I didn't forget about y'all!

I didn't think that I was going to be performing...so I only went to hear some great poets. Well, it certainly was a nice surprise to find out that I was and guess who was the feature poet that night?! Rebecca Dupas!! If you don't know about her, www.myspace.com/rebeccadupas check her out. The girl is SICK! But I digress...lol

I was the first poet in the line up,so I was EXTRA nervous.Thank God I had a chance to get some of my jitters out the week prior.But guess why the video was recorded this time!!*looks down at toes shamefully*...:I went to the even straight from work and forgot to pack my camera the night prior. I KNOW!What a loser! But I'm trying to get better. I did have a friend there that took some piccz for me though!

After I did my piece, I got more compliments and kudos than I did the last time. This was probably because I felt a little more comfortable and owned the stage and was confident in what I was saying. Believe it or not, the audience can sense your nervousness, you have to be mentally prepared to do poetry.It's practically a monologue.Pull your audience into what you're talking about and make them feel the way you felt when you wrote the piece.

As I took a seat at my table, along with another friend/poet, a lady came to me during intermission and said, "I loved your poem! You should really get a CD cuz I would buy it girl." I smiled, from ear to ear, and gave her an earful of thank yous. But the best compliment came from Ms. Rebecca Dupas. She came up to me and placed her hand on my back and said, "You did a great job on your piece. I loved it."....Now let's be real...my head got big for about 2.5 seconds before I quickly said a "Thank you Lord" in my head. Even when I receive a compliment like that, I have to remain humble because as I stated in the beginning, none of this would be possible without Him.

Me and poet Rebecca Dupas

I thank God for this gift and the opportunities he's given me to meet some great poets.Oh! Did I mention that we had a male feature poet too?Yes, Rebecca Dupas was the first female feature we've had at the @ttic but Soulful Jones also came!That boy RIPPED it! I had to get both of their CD's and of course, I don't regret it not one bit. With that said, I've been inspired and motivated to continue writing and letting my voice be heard. I love my gift :-). Toodles!!

Me and Soulful Jones

Wanna see more piccz?! http://www.myspace.com/unhurdchyld

You Never Know...Who Knows You

After an ABUNDANCE of procrastination, I am finally writing this blog and entire week later. I should have just done it the night that it happened. In the last entry, I mentioned that I met a guy that said he wanted to hear one of pieces and I expressed how I needed to memorize a piece soon. Well, I DID! But let me start from the beginning first.

The guy that I met at the @ttic was Cardiair Geezus, CEO of Real Life Muzic. Of course, I didn't know this at the time, and I most certainly didn't know that the next event where I'd be doing my first memorized piece was going to be one of the events he owned and was going to be attending!

I was soo nervous, but it was really nice to see a few poets there that I knew. So when they called my name, I went up on stage and did my thing. I was hoping I didn't appear too nervous and I didn't stumble over a single word. I did, however, forever about eight lines, lol. But nobody knew because the piece still flowed perfectly. The only thing that I was hoping for was that I was good enough.*sidenote* {{I had ALL intentions of recording this very first performance so I could show y'all and when I got there, apparently my camera battery was dead when I thought I was charging at home the entire time!!...UGH!!}}

After the entire event was over, I was mingling with some other poets when Cardiair came up to me(not knowing it was my first time reciting a piece) and told me that was poem was really nice and gave me some very constructive criticism. When I told him it was my first time, he was like, "Well then A+ for your performance tonight! You did a great job!".He also invited by his studio, which I will soon be checking out!

Nobody seemed to know that it was my first time unless I told them. A few other poems gave me compliments also and it made me feel so good and so much better about my work!Now I'm writing and memorizing like crazy! I'm hoping that I'll get a slot on the roster for the @ttic next week. We shall see and I'll definitely let y'all know. I already know there will be a long story behind it if I don't get a slot because I have spoken with the host and he "said" that he'd put me on the roster. Let's just say that the poetry world can sometimes resemble the music industry...lots of wannabe's that think CEO along with their name just looks nice, but aren't really willing to put in the work......but that's a whole 'nother story. Toodles!!

Me & Cardiair Geezus CEO/Producer/Songwriter/Artist/Poet

http://www.reallifemuzic.com/

It's A Family Affair

,

I'm a couple of days late because I'm STILL on a high! I had an awesome night on Thursday! As you all know, I'm stationed at Ft. Bragg. A friend of mine told me about a lil poetry session that would be going on here and said that she thought I should go. When I looked more into it, BETJ Lyricist Beny Blaq and Komplex were hosting the @ttic here at Ft. Bragg!

Now, if you don't what the @ttic is, it's only like one of THE largest poetry spots in D.C. Look it up if you're ever in the area. So when I got there, there was a small lil social from 7pm-8pm and I asked if they were going to have an open mic or if there were just featured poets. He told me that I could go ahead and sign my name on the list(basically, the answer was no, but he gave me a chance). I guess there was some previous sign up list before the show and I didn't know about it.

Unfortunately, I didn't have my poem memorized, but I got up there and did my poem, "Taxi Cab Girl" and the audience loved it! So of course, this is only my second time behind the mic...but it felt GREAT! Now I just can't wait to memorize my stuff. I'm working on it now! But to make a long story short, listening to all of those poets made me feel like I was at HOME. I felt like I found my family! I mean the energy in the building was just so unreal that I honestly could have cried. If you don't have a TRUE passion for something, then you wouldn't know what I'm talking about.

So during intermission, I was approached by another female, while I was leaving the restroom and she said, "You're Unhurd Chyld...Taxi Cab Girl right?" I told her, "Yes." She said, "You did an AWESOME job! I'm Prosperous Soul. I really liked your poem." I remembered her and her poem and she said that she'd talk to me after the show. I had to opportunity to meet Komplex,Beny Blaq, and a few others after the show and then Prosperous Soul and I talked for a while. She introduced me to this poet named Solow. He is also the CEO of Solow Ent. They travel all around NC and a few other places.

I had the PRIVILEGE of going out to eat with some absolutely awesome poets: Beny Blaq,Solow,Prosperous Soul, and Soul Secure. I feel like I have found a whole new family and it feels great to be welcomed with open arms. Solow is now my mentor and I can't WAIT to see where this journey is taking me. God is just so awesome. More stories of poetry slams and open mics will be coming soon! I will have this stuff memorized in NO TIME!

Me and Beny Blaq

Not A Virgin...Anymore

I wasn't too sure on what I was going to do this Sunday evening after church. This was the last day of my three day weekend and I didn't really want to spend it at home on the couch napping and later regretting not going anywhere. I hopped on the internet(where I always seem to be) and tried to tweek my new poetry page on myspace --> http://www.myspace.com/unhurdchyld <-- sorry...I digressed. LOL

So since I had poetry on my mind, I went to a website I found a couple of days ago to see if there were any open mike sessions in my area on Sundays. There was one less that 5mins. from my place. "I'll go check it out since I've never been to one." Is what I told myself.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find a SINGLE soul to go with me! I wanted someone to go with me cuz I knew I wasn't going to know anyone there and what if I actually got up the guts to do one of my own poems? Who would even say that they were there to hear it? I didn't have anyone to record me either; just in case I wanted to put it on YouTube or something. People are going to get tired of me sitting on my living room floor reading from my book.LOL.

Since all of my friends were busy, I decided to go alone. I was REALLY nervous and had NO intention of getting up there. But I made sure I tucked my journal in my purse "just in case"...hehehe. It started off a little awkward to me cuz there were some really interesting people there and I heard pieces that matched the same description. But who am I to judge? I just expected more spoken word. I won't bash anyone and their feelings, interpretations, or writing styles.

A lady came and sat at the table with me and asked if I was reading. I told her no because I would be too nervous and I haven't read my poetry in front of a crowd before. "Go ahead and sign up! You're going to be nervous at first, but you'll be fine and it's fun!", is what she told me. So I put my name on the list. I was halfway down the second column on the list of people. I had time to get my nerves and things together.

As it got closer to time for me to get on the stage, my stomach began to slowly rise. It finally reached it's destination of my THROAT when the host said, "Let's welcome our virgin, Unhurd Chyld." Virgin, of course, meaning first time reader LOL. I did "I Wanna Write A Poem" (If you haven't heard it, check my YouTube but I'll be posting it on here soon.)and the people LOVED it! I was so excited to know that they laughed when I said something funny...my husband will tell you that I'm not the best when it's comes to telling jokes. I got lots of compliments when I was done.

Before I left, the lady that was sitting at my table gave me her card and told me to give her a call because she wanted me to come to her open mike. Her name is Lady S and she hosts one at a different spot on Thursday nights! I was mad excited and told her thank you and I would definitely be there.

So, my poetry cherry was popped and I feel sooo much more confident about my poetry now! I can't wait for the poetry slam on Tuesday night and another open mike on Thursday!My journey has JUST begun!

Head & Heart Conflictions

Hey! I'm finally uploading my second youtube video, in case you haven't seen it. Make sure you comment, comment, comment and subscribe k?! I'm in the process of editing my next video but I'm taking my time because I want these other two videos to get just a lil bit more attention so make sure you tell your friends and stuff k?!

I've had so much going on that I haven't written anything new but there are just so many things running through my mind that I wanna write about. I'm taking a trip to D.C. next weekend and I'm excited cuz I'm quite sure that'll get my creative juices flowing. I'm looking forward to this D.C. trip because since my husband has been gone, I haven't really gotten out of the house. I mean, I stay right here in Fayetteville. Yes, I've taken leave and stuff to go to Dallas and I even went to Vegas, but I haven't taken a road trip to visit anyone. I feel like I don't really get out so I'm glad I'm going to go see an old friend and a new friend. It's going to be nice.

Besides that, I've had a couple of thoughts running through my mind about what I wanna be when I grow up (yes, I said when I grow up :-)). Because I'm in the medical field in the military, and because of my daughter, I really want to become a speech pathologist. But at the same time, I absolutely LOVE the arts! You know how people tell you to go with your gut feeling and follow your heart? Well, what if your heart is being pulled in two different directions? What if you can't decipher because you already know whats guaranteed in life for you to succeed even though it may not grant you true happieness? I just don't know which way I wanna go right now...any suggestions?HELP!