Month: April 2016

The Bridge Between Writing and Yoga Workshop

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Love writing and yoga? Do both this weekend, May 1st, with Elissa Lewis and me at our Writing and Yoga Workshop! The workshop will be held the first Sunday of every month at the beautiful Sacred Sounds Yoga studio in Greenwich Village, NYC. We’ll guide you through yoga postures and writing exercises to relax and open your mind and body. All genres, styles, and levels are welcome. To register and for more information, you can go here. And if you feel so inclined, take a look at our Facebook Invite and feel free to spread the word. Thank you!

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Photo by my favorite photographer, Viktor Pachas

#RomaAreEqual

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In solidarity with Mitko, a 17 year old boy who was severely beaten in Bulgaria for saying that Roma are equal to non-Roma, Romani people and non-Roma alike are sharing pictures with the #RomaAreEqual. Let’s show Mitko that he’s not alone, and show the haters that Roma Rise Up. Opre Roma!

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Photo by Oscar Fuertes. P.S.– I don’t really smoke

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Esme Redzepova

For those of you in NYC this weekend, be sure to come to the Romani Arts Conference at NYU! It’s free to the public! And at the end, there will be a concert by one of the world’s best Romani singers, Esme Redzepova! If you’re not in the city, never fear. It will be live streamed.

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Romani Flag

NYU Romani Arts Conference and Concert, 4/23-4/24

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Esme Redzepova

If you’re in New York, be sure to head to “Opre Khetanes IV Concert and Conference
on Romani (Gypsy) Musics and Cultures” at NYU. April 23rd and 24th will be packed with presenters on Romani dance, music, art, writing, and culture, and on the evening of the 24th, the legendary Romani singer, Esme Redzepova, will give a concert. The conference is free to the public, and you can buy tickets to the concert here. I’ll be presenting my essay “Esmeralda Declines an Interview”, first published on The Missouri Review blog, and discussing the importance of Romani artists claiming their story and rallying against the ‘Gypsy as Muse’ trope. There are so many wonderful activists, musicians, dancers, scholars, and artists presenting their work and ideas– I’m so excited to hear all of these powerful Roma speak!

If you feel so moved, please spread the word with the Facebook invite. And if you can’t make it, never fear, for it will be live-streamed.

*featured photo first appeared in Quail Bell Magazine,“Romanipen: Real Gypsy Looks“

Natural (‘Gypsy’) Cures Backed by Science

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In honor of International Romani Day (April 8th), I wrote this piece on Romani folk medicine that’s really backed by science for Thrillist. 

Folk medicine — touted by grandmas all over the world — sometimes offers good advice, just like your grandma. My grandma, a sweet and salty Romani woman, says things like, “Girl, get it while you’re young,” and, “You only get one body, so keep it healthy and fine.”

I listen because she has serious survivor cred. This woman, born in Germany, lived through the Holocaust as a persecuted minority, and came to the States alone at 19. In honor of grandmas everywhere, here are a few traditional medicine practices that are backed by science. As always, check with a doctor if you’re having serious problems, and keep your body fine. Grandma says.

Read  about the cures here: https://www.thrillist.com/health/nation/natural-cures-that-are-backed-by-science

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Image Source: soikkoratamo

Ladies, the 79% Work Clock Reminds You When Your Paid Work Ends

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“A daily reminder that the wage gap is real.” We know that women, statistically, only make 79 cents to a man’s dollar, and that percentage drops if you’re a mother, transwoman, and/or a woman of color. This 79% work clock is part of a fantastically clever campaign to make this inequality more salient. What would it be like if, at the 79% mark of our workdays, we just walked out? Keep this beauty on your desk. Remind everyone that the gender wage gap must end.

 

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Watch the video here

International Romani Day and the Necessary Integration of Romani Feminism, RomArchive

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RomArchive, one of my favorite orgs, asked me to write a post for International Romani Day, April 8th. So here is my piece– International Romani Day and the Necessary Integration of Romani Feminism! Very inspired by Carmen Gheorghe and her work with E-Romnja, supporting survivors of domestic violence. So here it is! International Romani Day and the Necessary Integration of Romani Feminism. Many thanks to everyone!

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GAMBAZine Reading & International Romani Day, 4/8!

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I am so jazzed to be reading with GAMBAZine at Hell Phone speakeasy! There will be music, art, writing, food, and refreshments, and who doesn’t love all that? GAMBAZine is all about art and writing that’s edgy and raw, and I’m honored to be part of this event. If you’re in or around Brooklyn, join us. It will also be International Romani Day, so I’ll be getting my Gypsy Pride on, y’all.

Here’s the Facebook event— please share if you’re so inclined. Thanks!