2011 Faculty
 |
 |
 |
 |
Kimberly Dark is a writer, mother, performer and professor. She is the author of five award-winning solo performance scripts and her poetry and prose appear in a number of publications. For more than ten years, Kimberly has inspired audiences in fancy theatres, esteemed universities and fabulous festivals. She tours widely in North America and Europe— anywhere an audience loves a well-told story. Kimberly's shows have twice been named on Curve magazine's top-ten performances of the year and in 2010, Campus Pride named her as one of 25 "Best of the Best" speakers and performers on college campuses.
More than a poet, more than a singer, more than an emcee--it's not just what she says, it's how she says it. Emerging from the musical womb that is New Orleans, artist and visionary Sunni Patterson combines the heritage and tradition of her Native town with an enlightened modern world view to create music and poetry that is timeless in its groove.
Sunni has been a featured performer at many premier spoken word venues, including HBO's Def Poetry Jam. She has also had the privilege of speaking at the Panafest in Ghana, West Africa. She has worked with several well known artists and performers including Hannibal Lokumbe- singing lead vocals for his score, “King and the Crescent City Moon," Kalamu Ya Salaam, Sonia Sanchez, Wanda Coleman, Amiri Baraka, Laini Kuumba Afrikan Dance Company, and many more.
An Aborisha (Omo Oshun) and advocate of Holistic Health, Sunni has trained under such greats as Oluwo Afolabi Epega, Dr. Ndugu Khan (Babalawo Ifa Kayode,) Queen Malikah Sabah (Iyanifa Faadisi Olaolu Olabisi,) Dr.Morris F.X.Jeff,Jr., Nana Anoa Nantambo, Mama Jean Taiwo, Nana Kwabena Faheem Ashanti, Ph.D, and several others. She is a certified instructor of Chi Kung (Qi Gong) and Tai Chi for Health.
There is so much more to say about her, but words just cannot describe her way, her Spirit, her grace, or gift of healing. In every word/sound she utters, you hear the grit and grime, hope and love, problem and solution, optimism and faith. She is a mouth piece for the Ancestors, a vessel used to promote goodness in a world where oppression and injustice seems the order of the day. What a blessing it is to feel her warm and nourishing rays shine light on your soul!
Sonya Renee is easily one of the most distinguished, accomplished and recognizable females in the world of Performance Poetry and rightly so. She has redefined the role and impact of women in poetry slam since her whirlwind arrival on the scene in 2004, consistently ranking at the top of every major national and international poetry slam she has competed in. In addition to having her work appear in numerous journals and anthologies, she has just released her first collection of poetry entitled A Little Truth on Your Shirt published under GirlChild Press. Her poetry has been translated into Dutch and German, used as curriculum in college and university courses across the country and abroad, and as an HIV education resource with HIV Campus Education. Sonya continues to put her socially conscious words into action; even performing in front of over 1 million spectators in Washington D.C. alongside Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton at the historic March for Women’s Lives. She was selected as an Artist for Choice with Choice USA, the reproductive rights organization started by Gloria Steinem. She also serves on the National Board of Directors for the arts and activism organization, Blackout Arts Collective. Sonya’s poetry is blunt, raw, and poignant. She is fearless in her reflections on the challenges of her own family history, transforming the legacy of addiction, mental illness, & homelessness into a triumphant call to action and compassion. Sonya Renee is a voice from and for humanity.
Jonida Beqo a.k.a. Gypsee Yo is a native of Tirana, Albania, currently residing in Atlanta, Ga. She received her B.A. in Theatre from the University of Alabama in Birmingham, where she founded Lighthouse Productions, an independent theatre company dedicated to original works that educate about and empower communities in crisis. In 2003 the American College Theatre Festival and the Kennedy Center for the Arts recognized Jonida’s one-woman show “The Women I Know” with the Dell’Arte Diversity Award. She has been published in magazines and anthologies such as Mehr Licht!, Java Monkey Speaks Anthology, Her Circle Ezine , Estrology, as well as in a series of periodicals in Albanian. Jonida is the author of three poetry collections in her native tongue, and of four audio CD collections in English, including Kitchensinkdrama, and Firstborn Daughters. As Gypsee Yo , she performs internationally as a spoken word artist, and has competed in slams worldwide, including National Poetry Slam 2006 and 2007, Individual World Poetry Slam 2006, and the first ever Women of the World Poetry Slam 2008. Jonida is a devoted wife, a doting mother, and a passionate teacher.
For more information, click here to email us or here to visit our contact page