Wanda's Picks

This is a poem I wrote to document the end of my first two semesters in the Women's Spirituality Program at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) in San Francisco. I am working on a doctorate. I am supposed to complete the rest of my coursework in the next year. I have learned a lot. This semester we looked at Radical Birthing and Revolutionary Mothering. What a concept! I also took a Gender, Sacred Sex and Healing class and Critical Thinking.   

We speak to Marcus Anthony Shelby about Zaccho Dance Theatre & Dancers' Group Co-Presentation of "The People's Palace" (World Premiere), a site-specific performance installation and artistic intervention inside San Francisco's City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, in San Francisco. Performances are Thursday & Friday, May 9, 10 and Sunday, May 12, 8-10:30 PM. It's free. On Friday, May 10, 7 PM there is a Haptic Tour and Audio Description.  Free, however, reservations are required: https://dancersgroup.org/onsite-joanna-haigood/ For more information: https://www.zaccho.org/?event_the-peoples-palace Marcus Shelby is a composer, bassist, bandleader, and educator who currently lives in San Francisco, California. His work focuses on the history, present, and future of African American lives social movements, and music education. In 1990,  Shelby received the Charles Mingus Scholarship to attend Cal Arts and study composition with James Newton and bass with Charlie Haden. Currently, Shelby is

We are hosting a series of conversations with women about their motherlines. We began in March this year and continue through March 2025. In these conversations over the next year, we will speak to Black women about their motherlines. Our guest today is Makeda Esi Ohemaa aka Sandra Hooper Mayfield. She is the youngest daughter of Ruby Mae, granddaughter of Evie, great-grandaughter of Hester, and great-great-granddaughter of Mary Magdalen. Ruby Mae passed away when she was 36 years old Makeda was 9.  Makeda fell in Love with words when her first-grade teacher read a poem. She is grateful to report, that she is still in Love.  Makeda is a retired mental/behavioral health counselor. At 50 years Makeda returned to academia and earned a BA in business management. Makeda is the former Editor of the South County Post Newspaper, Curator of Sugar Water (An artist support group for girls and women), and the "Third Saturday Open Mic."   Makeda's work is published in three anthologies with the West Oakland Seni

We are hosting a series of conversations with women about their motherlines. Join us monthly. We began in March and continue through March 2025.  We speak with Stephanie JT Russell, poet and visual artist, Poet Laureate for Dutchess County, New York.  Poet,interdisciplinary artist, and cultural worker Stephanie JT Russell’s most recent creative nonfiction book is One Flash of Lightning, a poetic treatment of the classical Samurai Code (Andrews McMeel). Her poetry, essays, and visual art are anthologized in books and journals including Colossus: Body, Xavier Review, The Winter Anthology, Sequestrum, Lightwood, and ArLiJo. She has performed and exhibited at venues such as The New Museum, The Griffin Museum of Photography, The Albright Knox, Bowery Poetry Club, and The Berkeley Museum. A visiting teaching artist at New York University, Vassar College, The West Africa Network for Peacebuilding, and other noted institutions, Russell received the Overall Winner Award from the 2022 Wirral Poetry Festival, UK.  As

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay! This afternoon we speak with playwright, Larry Americ Allen and director of the current production, James Brooks. Americ's current play is, "The Shadows of Love and Light, A Mother has dinner with the son she aborted 30 years ago." Directed by James Brooks, Americ joins us to talk about a reading this weekend in Richmond, CA, at the Corbiz Center, 1503 MacDonald Avenue, 2 p.m., $5. For information call: 510-309-7107.  Americ is the autho

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay! My Cancer Journey Part 1  

As the series kickoff, I start with my own Motherline Story. Here is a brief bio:  Ms. Wanda Sabir, is a poet, essayist, arts editor and retired professor. Wanda’s Picks column, podcast and YouTube channel are a local and national staple. Her interest is in Art for Social Change. A depth psychologist, Ms. Sabir’s area of research is on trauma and its impact on memory. Ms. Sabir served as board member for Legal Services for Prisoners with Children.  An advocate of Diaspora Citizenship for descendants of formerly enslaved Africans, Ms. Sabir is also co-founder and CEO of the San Francisco Bay Area Maafa Commemoration in its 28th year this October 2023. Her recent initiative is Wombfulness Gatherings (March 2021-present). Summer 2022 she launched “Souljourning for Truth Project,” a wombful pilgrimage from California to New York, MA and MI, inspired by the life and work of Sojourner Truth, formerly enslaved Black woman, preacher, womanist, abolitionist, suffragette. Here is a link to the film and interview.  Pre

In these conversations over the next year, we will speak to Black women about their motherlines. Our guest today is Kathryn Waddell Takara, Ph.D., who taught and developed the first Black Studies in the Ethnic Studies Department beginning in 1971. She transferred to Interdisciplinary Studies where she continued to develop new courses including Africana Studies. Her primary research was African American history, politics and culture. A winner of the (BCF) 2010 American Book Award, Kathryn Waddell Takara, PhD, poet, has published over 300 poems, 11 books of poetry and numerous academic articles. She is currently a writer and traveling performance poet since retiring from the University of Hawai’i (2007) after 31 years of teaching. She is recognized as a widely traveled professor, public scholar of ethnic and Africana Studies. She has travelled, taught and performed her poetry within the USA as well as in W. Europe, West and South Africa, and Eastern China. She was born and raised in Tuskegee, Alabama, educate

1. We are joined by the erudite playwright, musician, and scholar Ishmael Reed, Carla Blank, director, and an illustrious cast tospeak about The Shine Challenge online at The Nuyorican Poetry Cafe in New York. Reservations and further information can be found at www.nuyorican.org Reed says:  "In my grandmother’s brother’s house, the only painting on the wall was that of the Titanic. The sinking of the Titanic challenged the boasts of white supremacy. From the collective imagination of the Negro streets came the “toast” of “Shine,” who delivers a warning to the first- class passengers that the ship, thought to be invincible, was taking water. One might consider Shine to be the grassroots nomination for a member of the Black prophetic tradition." Ishmael Reed has lengthened the 40 or so lines of the typical Shine rap into a 100-page script in which he expands on the issues addressed in the original toast: race, class, immigration, engineering, and Edwardian morality by putting Shine on trial, in which h

Part I proceeds Part III  In querying the text, Sacred Pleasure: Sex, Myth and the Politics of the Body (1995) by Riane Eisler, Ph.D., I spend too much time wading through Western dominator theories. The land is too far from the shore for safety. I do not swim. I respect water, and its power to interrupt and separate my spiritual home from me. If I board the ship, I am stuck, so I keep my body safe and stay away from floating ideas (with muscles). Eventually, they--these ways predicated on fallacy or untruth, will all evaporate and I will walk free again.  I didn't know until looking at the copyright information that Eisler and David Loye did create The Partnership Way, a workbook, which might answer some of my questions here.   

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay! Today we speak to Dr. Cathy "Iyabeji" Royal about the annual Ancestral Souls Rising, Dec. 21, 2023.  Visit https://www.eventcreate.com/e/c4gar-asr  To learn more about the council, see the brochure. We end the program with the song: "Hum" by Ayla Nereo.     

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay!  The poem, "Untitled," came in a dream this morning. When I heard, “Returning” by Jennifer Berezan recorded in the underground oracle temple in the Hypogeum in Hal Saflieni, Malta a 6000-year-old Goddess site for healing, I recited a poem I wrote to it. In the YouTube video, the song is sung against a visual landscape with works of art by Nicholas Roerich. It is stunning. I then went to Berezan's website and bought the song which is 52 minutes

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay! We speak to Ms. Deborah Vaughn, Dimensions Dance Theater, co-founder, Artistic Director, and Ms. Latanya d.Tigner, Dimensions Extensions, co-director, about this celebratory conclusion to an amazing year, Sat., Oct. 21 at 7:30 PM PT and Sunday, Oct. 22 at 4 PM PT at the Malonga Casquelourd Center, 1428 Alice Street, in Oakland, CA. The internationally acclaimed company closes its 50th anniversary year with performances of select signature work

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay!  Today we speak to Michael Gene Sullivan (he/him) (Head Writer, SFMT Collective), SF Mime Troupe about its current production, "Breakdown," July 1-Sept. 4. MGS has performed with all four of the Bay Area’s Tony award-winning theaters: American Conservatory Theater, Berkeley Repertory Theater, TheatreWorks, and the San Francisco Mime Troupe (where he is also a Collective Member, director, and as Resident Playwright has written or co-written ove

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay!   We speak to Ayodele Nzinga, Ph.D., Artistic Director, Lower Bottom Playaz about its 24th Season opening this weekend, with August Wilson's Radio Golf. August 10 is a preview. Say you are Dr. Nzinga's guest and you get in free. Performances August 11-27, Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:00 pm and Sunday at 2 pm. Tickets can be purchased at  https://our.show/radiogolf/66875. All performances are at BAM House (1540 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94612

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay!  Today we speak to Charles Curtis Blackwell, playwright, artist, poet, about his new work, “When Struggle Gave Improvisation the Blues” in two locations, Sat., August 12, 3-5 PM at the Tenderloin Museum, 398 Eddy Street, SF and Sun., August 13, 3-5 PM at Joyce Gordon Gallery in Oakland.  Featuring Shavonne Allen, Howard Jennings Jr., Greg Pond, Sylvester Guard Jr., Sawyer Arkilic, Barbara Saunders, and Charles Curtis Blackwell. Made possible wi

Zaccho Dance Theatre and Bayview Opera House Inc. present:Flying to Freedom: Celebrating Juneteenth through Aerial Dance, Music, and Theater, a collective reflection on liberation created and performed by Bay Area music, theater, dance and aerial artists and curated by Joanna Haigood. Performances are at 8 pm on Friday, June 16 and Saturday, June 17.  Tickets are $10-$35.  To purchase tickets, go https://flyingtofreedom.eventbrite.com We speak to Joanna Haigood, Veronica Blair and Steven Anthony Jones.   Juneteenth is a national holiday that celebrates the day (June 19, 1865) that the last enslaved people in Texas were informed of their emancipation, two years after Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.  It became a national holiday in 2021.   Each artists’ contribution is unique.  For example, theater artist Steven Anthony Jones’ work Flying to Freedom examines the accounts of African Americans who were told stories of Black People who literally flew away to freedom. He explains, “I'll look at

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay!  We are joined this afternoon by Jovelyn Richards and Damu Sudi Alii to talk about Mz. Pat's House, a performance this Monday in Oakland at the New Parkway Theatre. Tickets are available at Eventbrite. Jovelyn Richards, writer/performance artist and community theater/film director. Damu Sudi Alii is a musician, composer, educator, scholar, activist. Recent work: Serenity (2023); with Kamau Seitu: Blessings, Umoja, Dance of the Kalahari. 

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay!  Professor Ampim has taken educational tours to North Africa and Central America. In addition, he has conducted an extensive 13-country research tour to all of the major museums, institutes and libraries throughout America, Europe and Canada, which house ancient Egyptian and Nubian artifacts. Since the 1990s, he has completed several field research projects in Egypt, Nubia, and the Sudan to continue his primary research at dozens of field sites

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay! We speak to Donna Chang, L.Ac. (MSOM), founder, Alameda Community Acupuncture. She is a Licensed Acupuncturist and Herbalist, BodyIntuitive Practitioner, Holistic Nutrition & Lifestyle Counsellor, Transformational coach.  This is the third conversation in a series on wellness practices.