This is a page for me to add notes about my other areas of interest.

CREATIVE WRITING

When I first moved to DC, I discovered the world of slam poetry. Not long after, I started a DC Creative group for artists in any medium to come together for a weekly workshop. The group included creative, graphic and poetry writers as well as painters, musicians and photographers. We inspired and encouraged each other and worked on an online arts magazine, called Verge, together. We went on photography field trips some weekends. I wallpapered my apartment with charcoal drawings. Three of us even co-hosted a successful poetry open mic in Adams Morgan. Many of the group members have moved on to incredible things.

Some of the other DCCC alumni:

Alan King also has a blog: http://alanwking.com/

You can see some of Meana Kasi’s photography here: http://meanakasi.com/

PHOTOGRAPHY

I have caught the amateur photography bug! Both of my grandfathers had their own darkrooms. Don Langer wrote books and newspaper columns on photography. He specialized in dance photography and portraits in the days before digital photography made things so much easier. Bayard Michael would stalk a location for days in order to catch the right lighting and test lenses. I do none of that. In fact, most of my work is done by impulse using my phone.

http://instagram.com/treespaintedgreen

BYTE BACK

Byte Back is one of the best nonprofits I’ve ever had the privilege of volunteering for. They free or reduced cost computer classes, from absolute beginner through expert levels, to people in DC. I taught an introductory class at the Gospel Rescue Mission in Chinatown. I saw people who were staying at the mission come upstairs to receive expert computer training, gain excellent skills, fix a variety of machines in all kinds of conditions, and even find great tech jobs. And I learned that I love to teach!

FUN FACT:

In 2001-02, I was working intensely toward a doula, or birth assistant, certification from DONA.