One Man Gang (Video)

Here is the video for my latest performance of "One Man Gang," live at Columbia University's "Food For Thought." The event was a joint effort, put on by the Columbia University Society for Hip-Hop (CUSH) & the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF).

As an educator and a poet who didn't find the performance side of the art until graduate school, it is great to see college students putting events like this together. A big thank you to all of the talented people who performed and supported the event.  I had a great time rocking out for the crowd as one of two featured performers!

Thank you to Catherine Curtis for filming the performance.

Shout-out to Fab4Music Blog for the t-shirt.

"Yo Kickstarter!"

As many of you know, I launched a project on Kickstarter. The goal of the project is to raise funding to publish my first collection of poetry, "One Man Gang." Hitting my target goal would cover the costs associated with designing, editing and printing 200 copies of the book.

For those of you who don't know, kickstarter is the largest funding platform for creative projects in the world. It works on an all-or-nothing system, in which 100% of an artist's goal must be met for them to collect any funding. It also works on a reward-based system, in which donors receive rewards for funding projects.

Over the past seven weeks, I have worked tirelessly on this project. I have spent the majority of my days--and many nights--preparing for this launch. I am happy and proud to say, that the time has finally come.

When I first moved to New York two years ago, it was to attend graduate school, in the hopes of finding a high school teaching job. While I was unable to find my own classroom to teach in this past Spring, I have spent the past year working as a poet and a teaching artist, teaching in classrooms across the state. Although I was initially disappointed by not having my own classroom, I was able to combine the stage and the internet to teach and reach people across the globe. I have used my performances and videos from poetry slams and creative writing workshops across the country to reach live and digital audiences alike. With your continued support, I hope to replicate this success and reach as many people as possible with this project.

As I mentioned above, I have put my heart, soul and everything tangible I had to give, into this book. All I ask of you, is your support, in any form possible. Spread the word, donate to the cause if you can. Just know that together we will make a difference. I have invested too much of myself to stop reaching people across the country. My goal for this project is far more than success, it is education of the masses. I hope this is a common goal we share and one we can work together to reach and achieve.

The most basic goal of the project is to raise enough money to fund the printing of 200 copies of my debut collection of poetry. The real goal of the project is to reach and teach as many people as possible.

I hope to see you all at my book release party, as soon as possible!