Cake Tales

GENERAL BIO - I was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri and have been writing poetry since the age of 10 (recently expanding my writing portfolio to include novels, essays, plays, and children's stories), and speaking/performing since the age of 18. A very versatile writer/speaker/performer, I am able to articulate on a variety of life's experiences from different cultural viewpoints. When giving a performance, I seek to educate, entertain, motivate, and empower through a combination of speech, poetry, song, and movement. To date, I have given a total of sixty-one (61) performances. Some of my performance credits include: Opened for Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee (Otelia Cromwell Day, Smith College); Media One Talent Showcase; The Department of Justice Martin Luther King Day Celebration; "Poetry in Black" (PBS television program); National Black Arts Festival; Uptown Comedy Corner; Sweet Auburn Festival; Culture Center; Patti Hut; Have a Heart Benefit; Harlem Renaissance (Amherst College); Black History Celebration Event (Southern Polytechnic State University); Images of Sound (Augustus Savage Art Gallery at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst). Although writing and speaking/performing are my primary artistic endeavors, my talents also include acting, singing, doll-making, drawing, comedy, cooking, and dancing. A recipient of the 1990 National Council for Black Studies Creative Writing Competition award (third-place), "Cake Tales: 10 Deliriously Delicious Stories of the Surreal" is my first book. Two additional books, not yet titled, are scheduled for publication in 2007-2008.

WRITING AND ACTING My forte is crafting fantasy-based love/romance stories that rhyme such as those contained within "Cake Tales: 10 Deliriously Delicious Stories of the Surreal," where I personify roses, a glass of wine, rain, chocolate candy, a jazz song, the sun, spices, drinks, the wind, the moon, etc. You name it, I can personify and/or compose a story around it; the language I use, very colorful and vibrant. As it pertains to acting, I am both a comedic and dramatic actor who has participated in both independent films and stage productions including "Mary Proud" an excellent film produced by Cool People Entertainment and "Don't Make Me Lose My Religion" a stage play produced by JC Hunter Entertainment Group. The actors and actresses I admire most include: Halle Berry, Denzel Washington, Joyce White, Robert Weems, Matt Damon, Morgan Freeman, Cate Blanchett, Danny Glover, etc. My other artistic endeavors include singing, doll-making, drawing, cooking, and dancing.