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April 2018 <strong>transform</strong> Issue #3
April 2018<br />
"Adversity doesn't build<br />
character, it reveals it."<br />
---John C. Maxwell<br />
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2
3<br />
April 2018
AAAAAAAAAAAAA<br />
AAAAAAAAAAAAA<br />
Ribbit Ribbit!<br />
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA<br />
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA<br />
When you think of<br />
someone <strong>transform</strong>ing their<br />
mind, body, or anything else,<br />
we tend to immediately think<br />
of a caterpillar changing into<br />
a butterfly. That<br />
<strong>transform</strong>ation represents<br />
something going from one<br />
end of the spectrum straight<br />
into something on the<br />
opposite end of that spectrum.<br />
That in fact is an absolutely<br />
beautiful <strong>transform</strong>ation,<br />
which is why most people relate themselves to it, but I like to<br />
think of my <strong>transform</strong>ation into the person I am today as<br />
resembling more of a frog metamorphosis: incredibly slow.<br />
together again. It took so much time, therapy and a speedy divorce<br />
to start down the path to recovery, but I had finally become what I<br />
really was supposed to be. It was involuntary and painful at times.<br />
I didn’t know what was coming next or if I should expect anything<br />
at all. I learned so much about survival and it all changed me.<br />
Each year of my adult life, I have gained something. I am still<br />
gaining a new bump or two on my little froggy back every now<br />
and again. Throughout the whole process, I never once looked at<br />
it like I was losing something or was unfortunate for having to<br />
adapt to how to use all these new appendages. I never looked back<br />
and wished I still had my tail or gills. I have continued moving<br />
forward. Transforming forward into my new.<br />
Besides, when have you ever seen a frog hop backwards?<br />
Ribbit Ribbit!<br />
I started out after high school as a tadpole and I thought I knew<br />
everything there was to know about being a tadpole. I knew<br />
what I wanted to be when I grew up: I was going to be an<br />
awesomely creative tadpole of course! I went to college, worked<br />
a decent job, had my own car and apartment. No one could tell<br />
me I wasn’t going to become that awesomely creative tadpole.<br />
Then out of nowhere some freaking legs start to grow! Actually,<br />
I became a mother, but it definitely took me by surprise. I<br />
couldn’t do things the way I did before. No more swimming<br />
around when and wherever I wanted; I had to think about the<br />
little person I was now in charge of keeping alive. That in itself<br />
had been one heck of a learning experience and just when I<br />
thought I had that down, my arms came in. Well actually I got<br />
divorced, but it was life changing all the same. I had to learn to<br />
live life differently and call somewhere else home. I had to adapt<br />
and it was hard to get comfortable with the new way I had to do<br />
life. I got used to it though and I was doing well.<br />
I eventually remarried, had another child and life was nice. A lot<br />
had changed about what I originally thought I was going to be<br />
when I grew up, but I was enjoying the new dream. That was<br />
until my tail completely disappeared on me! Of course, you<br />
know by now that means something completely different, but<br />
you’ll never guess what. I’ll wait. Nothing? Ok, well here it<br />
goes: my husband lost his job and found alcohol to replace it.<br />
That led to some truly traumatic emotional and sexual abuse that<br />
literally broke my mind. So I took my no-tail having behind to a<br />
family crisis unit for about a week to start putting it all back<br />
4<br />
Avian Mills<br />
Publisher<br />
Who we are<br />
Founders<br />
Avian Mills and Joi Donaldson<br />
info@evincivemag.com<br />
Evincive Magazine is a free monthly online<br />
TM<br />
publication. Evincive Magazine is a trademark of<br />
Evincive Media, LLC. Reproduction in whole or in<br />
part without written permission is prohibited.
April 2018<br />
14<br />
Features<br />
14 On Display Feature<br />
24 Center Stage Feature<br />
Departments<br />
06 Editor's Note<br />
08 On Display<br />
24 Center Stage<br />
28<br />
28 Community<br />
08 15 24<br />
5
Time to Emerge<br />
Here you are in a dark place feeling like your time<br />
to break through is near. It's an instinctual feeling;<br />
the idea that you're here for a reason. Your new<br />
wings begin tearing through. You don't recognize<br />
yourself. And after a bit of a fight, you emerge<br />
beautifully. This month, take the time to allow<br />
yourself to <strong>transform</strong>. You've been couped up long<br />
enough. It's time to soar<br />
Joi Donaldson<br />
Editor-in-Chief<br />
Advertise with us!<br />
info@evincivemag.com<br />
Visit www.evincivemag.com<br />
for more information!<br />
6
7<br />
April 2018
Kathryn Sullivan<br />
"Solidity". Kathryn Sullivan. Handmade cotton and abaca paper, walnut dye, plant matter.<br />
2.5' x 2.5' x 1.5<br />
I became intrigued by the idea of forming and molding paper into 3 dimensional sculptures.<br />
The use of organic materials inspired me to <strong>transform</strong> the paper from its standard rectangular<br />
shape into a large naturalistic form.<br />
Visual<br />
8
April 2018<br />
(Buildings)<br />
"Growth". Kathryn Sullivan. Dyed, screen printed cotton and silk organza. 2' x 1.5' x 3"<br />
This piece demonstrates the industrial growth in modern society, and how we continue to<br />
take over and <strong>transform</strong> nature.<br />
9
Visual<br />
Dawn Kate Carr<br />
In a Week: This<br />
illustration is based on the<br />
song "In a Week" by the<br />
Irish artist Hozier that tells<br />
the story of two lovers<br />
going into the forest<br />
together to "do what lovers<br />
do". The forest in both Irish<br />
and Japanese culture, is<br />
also often where people do<br />
to die. The ballad speaks of<br />
the lovers going in to the<br />
forest and never coming<br />
out, becoming a part of it. I<br />
loved the juxtaposition of<br />
the beauty of being in love<br />
and the morbidity of dying<br />
and becoming part of the<br />
ground, so I made this<br />
piece as a homage to that<br />
concept.<br />
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April 2018<br />
Drow: This portrait is of an older character<br />
of mine, who is a Drow warrior. This was<br />
the first D&D portrait I did, I really wanted<br />
to make a sick looking Drow lady after<br />
reading up on the Drow mythos. Drows are<br />
kind of like dark elves who live<br />
underground, some of them worship the<br />
spider goddess Lolth. For the most part<br />
they're evil and ruthless, but many of their<br />
groups are run by matriarch, which I love!<br />
Fawn: This is a decorative fawn digital painting, I love animals and florals so I was<br />
experimenting with doing a portrait-type drawing within a wreathed frame. I love drawing<br />
anything that involves flora and fauna, and I've always had a particular love for deers. I<br />
also, ironically, grew up on Fawn Street.<br />
11
THE KOCEN OPTION<br />
Transformers:<br />
Humans in Disguise<br />
By: BJ Kocen<br />
Literary<br />
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Fear. Anxiety. Self Doubt. Y’all three can Kiss My Ass. It’s a<br />
stifling trinity that leads you to nowheresville.<br />
Many of us are afraid if we pursue our dreams and fail, then living a<br />
fulfilled life is just not possible. The safe play becomes something<br />
we settle for because there’s security there even if it’s ultimately<br />
unsatisfying. I say nothing worth doing is easy and why fail at<br />
something you hate as opposed to something you love?<br />
The struggle is real; mouths to feed, bills to pay and that persistent<br />
trinity lending itself to a robotic lifestyle. Instead of allowing that<br />
type of thinking to rule you and letting precious time slip away, I<br />
challenge you to <strong>transform</strong> your life from monotony to bliss. To do<br />
so however, you have to make conscious decisions. May these jump<br />
starters help your cup runneth over so you can live more passionately<br />
and inspire others to do the same!<br />
Spirituality- I mean take some time for yourself (and yes you do<br />
have time) even five minutes daily to get quiet, take some deep<br />
breaths, clear your mind and count your blessings. Once you have<br />
found that solace, ask yourself what you want in your life and what<br />
you don’t.<br />
Write it down-Journaling is a great source of comfort and clarity.<br />
Studies have proven when you write down your thoughts and read<br />
the written word, it’s more impactful and you retain that knowledge<br />
easier. You’ll recognize patterns in your life, good and bad, which<br />
will inform you to make better decisions. You’ll be proud as a<br />
witness to your own progress.<br />
Jump start your jump start - Self Help books or on line bloggers/<br />
podcasters all can be catalysts to help you find your way. I wouldn’t<br />
Inspired words<br />
We understand that sometimes<br />
it's hard to get your creative<br />
juices flowing, so here's a<br />
couple of prompts you can use<br />
to get your wheels turning. Use<br />
either of the prompts below to<br />
craft some genre of creative<br />
writing and submit it to us to be<br />
included in a future issue. Make<br />
sure to indicate the prompt<br />
number in which you are writing<br />
from.<br />
Prompt #1:<br />
Everyone daydreams, what do<br />
yours look like?<br />
Prompt #2:<br />
Do you believe in miracles? Tell<br />
about something miraculous.<br />
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April 2018<br />
take it all to heart though, only what truly resonates. I<br />
take bits of wisdom from here and there and don’t<br />
subscribe to any one person’s secrets to success. The<br />
truth is we’re all just making it up as we go along<br />
including me so take what you need and leave the rest.<br />
Who’s your buddy- Hanging out with people you can<br />
learn from and be inspired by is a must. Surround<br />
yourself with people that lift you up. Seriously, friends<br />
that are negative, cynical and demanding won’t help<br />
you grow. I’m not saying fire all your friends but<br />
demote the ones that rob you of your energy. I’ve never<br />
regretted this decision not once whether it be a friend, a<br />
colleague or a client.<br />
Change Lanes- Sure, take a different route to work or<br />
sign up for that proverbial cooking class, but that’s not<br />
bulls eye to what I mean. I mean switch it all up! Be a<br />
tourist in your own town, write a poem, ride a unicycle,<br />
do anything to break up your routine. My favorite Steve<br />
Bassett quote is,” We’re not here for a long time, we’re<br />
here for a good time.” You deserve the best that life has<br />
to offer.<br />
You are here for a reason and your heart knows it. If<br />
you get anything out of this column please just check in<br />
with yourself and make sure you’re not living<br />
anybody’s dream but your own. If there’s any doubt,<br />
you have the power to be a <strong>transform</strong>er and you can<br />
remove the disguise right now...<br />
BJ Kocen is a singer songwriter and co owner of the<br />
glave kocen gallery with his wife Jennifer Glave.<br />
A locally owned home-based travel agency. We<br />
are an Authorized Disney Planner and also<br />
specialize in cruises, quick getaways and family<br />
fun.<br />
Let us help you get to where you'd rather be<br />
right now!<br />
www.facebook.com/elitetraveldestinationsrva<br />
Elite Travel Destinations<br />
13
Four strangers move in together and<br />
shortly come into conflict. This is natural.<br />
Each one is an alien and believes their<br />
other three roommates to be humans.<br />
This is somewhat less natural.<br />
Featuring Dixon Cashwell, Jess Rawls,<br />
Matt Riley, Rachel Hindman<br />
Fri, April 20 @ 7:30pm (preview)<br />
Sat April 21 @ 7:30pm (press opening)<br />
Sun April 22 @ 4pm and 7:30pm<br />
Thu, April 26 @ 7:30pm<br />
Fri, April 27 @ 7:30pm<br />
Sat, April 28 @ 7:30pm<br />
Running time: 60 minutes<br />
14
April 2018<br />
SWEET SPOT<br />
BOOK OF THE MONTH<br />
FROM THE MIXED-UP FILES OF<br />
MRS. BASIL E FRANKWEILER<br />
BY: E. L. KONIGSBURG<br />
Claudia and Jamie Kincaid run away from their safe<br />
Connecticut suburban home and hide out in the<br />
Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Can<br />
they remain undiscovered? How can they manage to<br />
live on their own? What happens when they<br />
discover a mystery involving a visiting statue of<br />
Michaelangelo? These are the elements that have<br />
charmed and fascinated readers for over 50 years.<br />
Claudia and Jamie manage to survive using Jamie’s<br />
poker winnings. He’s not only a cardsharp, he’s also<br />
careful and prudent and stingy with their money,<br />
which makes From the Mixed-Up Files a perfect<br />
vehicle for financial literacy.<br />
Read to Them® is a 501 C (3) non-profit organization promoting<br />
family literacy. Our mission is to create a culture of literacy in every<br />
home.<br />
We do this by helping schools implement our One School, One Book®<br />
and One District, One Book® programs. Our programs encourage and<br />
enable reading together at home by providing every school with tools,<br />
resources, guidance, and support.<br />
Read to Them educates families and schools on the benefits and<br />
importance of reading aloud at home. A growing body of research<br />
describes the complex and permanent effects of reading aloud. Children<br />
who are read to learn to read more easily and become better readers.<br />
Literacy skills provide the basis for a lifetime of learning and<br />
productivity.<br />
Like them on Facebook!<br />
Visit them!<br />
Students and their families will empathize with<br />
Claudia when she wants a nice lunch. And marvel<br />
and learn from Jamie when he shows her how to<br />
save money – and how to discover schemes to find<br />
or make a little more.<br />
From the Mixed-Up Files will charm families when<br />
Claudia and Jamie finally meet the mysterious Mrs.<br />
Basil E. Frankweiler. And students and families will<br />
reap financial lessons as they re-live Claudia and<br />
Jamie’s every-day decisions on how to ride the train,<br />
where to eat lunch, how to mail a package – and how<br />
to husband their limited resources.<br />
15
Keith Ramsey<br />
Spotlight<br />
16
April 2018<br />
If I didn’t already know what this brilliant man<br />
does to make a living before I asked to write about<br />
him, pulling into his driveway would have definitely<br />
given me a tiny bit of a hint as to the level of love he<br />
has for creating. Keith Ramsey, artist and designer,<br />
raised in Williamsburg, VA, now a Richmond staple<br />
in the arts community, studied fine arts at our very<br />
own VCU. After pretty much teaching himself the<br />
skills needed to become a graphic designer, he<br />
dedicated a large portion of his last decade behind a<br />
desk, digitally producing work for others.<br />
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Though he chose to pursue a career as a graphic<br />
designer, his now obvious calling as a full-time<br />
artist, refused to go unfulfilled. In 2016, Ramsey<br />
was let go from his position as a graphic designer,<br />
"Sunflower"<br />
Collaboration with Carren Clarke<br />
17
along with quite a few others, forcing him to take a<br />
long hard look at fine arts as a career path. They<br />
“just threw me out,” Ramsey said, throwing up his<br />
hands. Going through that was difficult to adjust to<br />
and it took a while to accept.<br />
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A<br />
Now looking back, he feels that if that wouldn’t<br />
have happened, he would have never made the<br />
move to depend on his love of creating as a means<br />
to support himself financially. “This is my nine to<br />
five ,” he says with a smile. There were very<br />
intentional changes he had to undergo in order to<br />
“trust himself” enough to allow an honest shot at<br />
being successful as a full-time artist. He explained<br />
that simply figuring out how to fill his days was a<br />
challenge sometimes. There was an ethical, mental<br />
and financial shift that resulted from this jarring<br />
career change. “My wings were ready to fly<br />
though,” he said insightfully, after comparing this<br />
shove into entrepreneurship to a baby bird taking<br />
flight for the first time. Now, Ramsey couldn’t<br />
imagine the desk life being a part of his every day,<br />
and says, “even when I’m goofing off, I’m<br />
working,” which is an amazingly refreshing feeling<br />
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April 2018<br />
after spending years in a traditional work setting.<br />
He spends a great deal of his time in his outside<br />
workshop area, when the weather will allow, while<br />
simultaneously mentoring a group of neighborhood<br />
teens who enjoy hanging out and doing odd jobs for<br />
him from time to time. “I’m just trying to keep<br />
them out of trouble,” Ramsey shrugs.<br />
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Following his education in fine arts, Ramsey has<br />
been painting his signature “CITYSCAPES IN<br />
NOIR” since the 1990’s and continues to build on<br />
that legacy. Though Ramsey is also an amazing<br />
painter, his magicianery with metals is particularly<br />
fascinating. Ramsey's welding skills, acquired from<br />
the teachings of John Meola, have continued to<br />
grow over the years. His work is inspired by the<br />
“steampunk” movement, a style of design and<br />
fashion that intertwines historical or antique<br />
elements with outdated technological or mechanical<br />
features. After slowly evolving into more of its own<br />
genre, which Ramsey refers to as “FOUNDPUNK”,<br />
RAMSEY Art Works, LLC has consistently yielded<br />
countless unique, but practical, everyday use type<br />
items such as swanky wine storage cabinets and<br />
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"Comet Passing Between the<br />
Earth And The Moon"<br />
" A Conversation With The<br />
Universe"<br />
20
April 2018<br />
benches that are sure to be conversation starters<br />
for their owners.<br />
These <strong>transform</strong>ations from something old to<br />
something completely new and different, have<br />
become Ramsey’s bread and butter. Ramsey says<br />
he likes the moment when someone he knows can<br />
say, “So I know this guy,” and sends someone his<br />
way with a truly out of the box project idea that<br />
they aren’t even sure can actually be done. He<br />
enjoys solving problems and taking something like<br />
an old water heater and turning it into a beautiful<br />
bench for his patrons. Most of the items that he<br />
has acquired over the years have been donated or<br />
he just happened to stumble across them on the<br />
side of the road. He throws them in his truck and<br />
hauls them to his workshop, where all the magic<br />
happens!<br />
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Richmond artists to tell their story. He is currently<br />
seeking funding to be able to continue the impact of<br />
this project to bridge the gap between the<br />
community and its creatives. You can check out<br />
these awesome interviews, visit the website: https://<br />
vimeo.com/theknowdown or for more information<br />
about donating, contact Ramsey at:<br />
ramsey@ramseyartworks.com.<br />
For other ways to connect with Ramsey:<br />
ramseyartworks.com<br />
facebook.com/artistkeithmramsey<br />
instagram.com/foundpunkrva<br />
https://www.facebook.com/theknowdown/<br />
Ramsey is currently working on a project called,<br />
“The Knowdown" which is a community outreach<br />
initiative where he conducts studio interviews with<br />
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23<br />
April 2018
Richmond Is for DJs<br />
Hip Hop Henry and DJ Mentos<br />
Interviewed by: Nia Simone McLeod<br />
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AAA<br />
on the wave. DJs are what lie in the core of<br />
Richmond’s hip-hop scene and are the first to break<br />
the glass ceiling between being locally grown artists<br />
and gaining national recognition.<br />
Performance<br />
DJs are the unsung heroes of music. They<br />
meticulously curate mashups and melodies to<br />
manifest an emotion in a moment. With a flick of<br />
the wrist, their minds churn and flourish to cut<br />
and paste yesterday and today’s greatest hits into<br />
tomorrow’s bangers. Music helps most major<br />
cities thrive artistically, and Richmond is no<br />
different.<br />
Richmond is on fire, and the national music scene<br />
is just noticing its warmth. With artists like rapper<br />
Michael Millions getting shout outs from XXL<br />
and local DJs like Cam Cooper getting played all<br />
across the nation, now is the perfect time to hop<br />
Hip Hop Henry, a dedicated curator of WRIR’s<br />
Nighttime Maneuvers and DJ extraordinaire, has<br />
always been in love with music ever since he was a<br />
child. Henry says, “As a kid, my parents only<br />
allowed me and my sister an hour of television time.<br />
But, I was allowed to have a radio. So, I always had<br />
a radio in the room and I was always listening to<br />
music.” Mixtapes from legendary mix masters like<br />
DJ SNS inspired him at the beginning of his DJing<br />
journey. While exploring the art of sampling, he<br />
began to buy records of his favorite tunes and make<br />
blend tapes for his friends.<br />
Early on, he was inspired by the classic serenade of<br />
Kool & The Gang’s “Summer Madness.” The<br />
interlude became the instrumental to many of his<br />
mixes early on. While attending Virginia State<br />
University, he secured his first pair of turntables and<br />
began seriously pursuing DJing. He fell into radio by<br />
taking a couple of communications classes in college<br />
during his senior year and ran into an opportunity of<br />
doing an internet radio show after graduation. It<br />
wasn’t exactly the smoothest start, Henry explained,<br />
“My first radio show was terrible. Nobody talked;<br />
everyone was trying to sound too cool for school.<br />
But now, no matter where I’m at, once I’m there and<br />
the music’s playing those hours fly by.”<br />
Hip Hop Henry<br />
24<br />
After many opportunities within the radio industry,<br />
Hip Hop Henry was introduced to an opening at<br />
WRIR through connections within the station. Then,<br />
Nighttime Maneuvers was born. WRIR’s Nighttime<br />
Maneuvers has become a celebration of hip-hop<br />
culture that only the most loyal night owls are able to<br />
witness since the show starts at 3 AM Sunday<br />
morning.
April 2018<br />
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AAA<br />
“Growing up in the 90s, I was inspired by Stretch<br />
and Bobbito. They had their show from 1 a.m. to 5<br />
a.m. During high school, in Richmond, I used to<br />
listen to a show called Underground Tremors on<br />
Power 92 from 1 AM to 2 AM. There’s a freedom to<br />
being on that late at night. That’s the type of feeling<br />
I’m trying to give; if you stay up late enough you<br />
might run into something amazing,” Henry explains<br />
as to why he loves the time slot. Being a DJ isn’t his<br />
only strong suit. Transforming from a blogger to a<br />
beat writer for RVA Mag, he covers the cultural<br />
underbelly of Richmond and has written a multitude<br />
of incredible stories.<br />
As a self-proclaimed “obsessed hip-hop fan” DJ<br />
Mentos first approached the musical genre as a fan.<br />
His DJ inspirations include legends like DJ Premier,<br />
RZA, and Dr. Dre, but one of his biggest musical<br />
inspirations was his father. His father was a musician<br />
and an avid vinyl collector, so that creative spirit<br />
inevitably floated down to him through his natural<br />
DJ talent and craving for eclectic vinyl. That same<br />
record collection from his father was one of the first<br />
things that sparked his creative process and yearning<br />
for mixing, and sampling.<br />
“As a young person, I wasn’t really into jazz, but, as<br />
I got older and learned where all these great hip-hop<br />
songs got their beats; I realized that a lot of those<br />
samples were a part of my dad’s record collection,”<br />
Mentos says about his interest in music. After he<br />
graduated from Randolph Macon College and<br />
moved on up, to the Big Apple, he began to dip his<br />
toes into DJing seriously. “Once you start making<br />
beats, you’re actively looking for obscure samples.<br />
All the James Brown records have been sampled and<br />
all the Stevie Wonder stuff has too. Everything great<br />
has already been used. For me, I always wanted to<br />
try and find samples that are off the radar. I can’t<br />
play piano or guitar or anything like that. Sampling<br />
After connecting with stable Richmond journalist,<br />
and hip-hop historian Marc Cheatham, they<br />
discussed a possible podcast within Cheatham’s,<br />
The Cheats Movement. As one of the masterminds<br />
behind the aforementioned podcast, he began to<br />
expand throughout the scene and make substantial<br />
connections rooted in the cap city. One of the people<br />
that he was introduced to through The Cheats<br />
Movement podcast was New York-bred, Richmondstaple<br />
producer DJ Mentos.<br />
25<br />
DJ Mentos
APRIL 2018<br />
804.355.2001<br />
1609 W. Broad St, Richmond, VA 23220<br />
AN OAK TREE<br />
April 07, 2018 7:30 PM - April 14, 2018 7:30 PM<br />
by Tim Crouch<br />
[View Event]<br />
__________________________________________________________________________________________<br />
Burlesque Right Meow - I Swear I'm An Adult!<br />
April 15, 2018 7:30 PM<br />
A sassy, silly, and sexy burlesque tribute to the tribulations of adulting<br />
[View Event]<br />
__________________________________________________________________________________________<br />
A SEASON OF POSSIBILITIES<br />
April 15, 2018 8:00 PM<br />
Midseason Membership<br />
[View Event]<br />
__________________________________________________________________________________________<br />
ONE IN FOUR<br />
April 20, 2018 7:30 PM - April 28, 2018 7:30 PM<br />
An extra-terrestrial comedy<br />
[View Event]<br />
__________________________________________________________________________________________<br />
MATT VENUTI IN CONCERT<br />
April 24, 2018 7:30 PM<br />
A night of rare and captivating acoustic and electronic music<br />
[View Event]<br />
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Firehouse Radio Players<br />
May 01, 2018 7:30 PM<br />
[View Event]<br />
__________________________________________________________________________________________<br />
Edward Albee's AT HOME AT THE ZOO<br />
May 05, 2018 7:30 PM - May 06, 2018 4:00 PM<br />
by Edward Albee<br />
[View Event]<br />
Click here for the full calendar of events!<br />
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April 2018<br />
to me is my instrument; that’s my voice musically,”<br />
Mentos says.<br />
Eventually, making it back down to Richmond in<br />
2014, he became involved with The Cheats<br />
Movement and kept creating beats and sets in the<br />
Commonwealth for those near and far. Recently,<br />
he's developed his own podcast within The Cheats<br />
Movement entitled, I Know You Got Soul, where he<br />
shares the most eclectic pieces of his vinyl<br />
collection.<br />
Inspired by the dark, gritty instrumentals of hip-hop<br />
groups like Mobb Deep, he desires to make his beats<br />
provide an emotional experience for the listener.<br />
He’s made multiple instrumental albums, including<br />
the newly released, The Ill Collins Sessions and<br />
consistently collaborates with prominent local artists<br />
like Noah-O on the album, The Rain. At the end of<br />
the day, DJ Mentos just wants to share the music<br />
that he loves. “I make DJ mixes because I want<br />
people to hear what I’ve found. I make beats<br />
because I want to create something new in my<br />
vision, but I even make Spotify playlists and share<br />
that with people. I send my friend’s 80-year-old<br />
mom music that she would like. That’s just how my<br />
brain works. For me, I get a rush off of sharing<br />
music with people,” Mentos says.<br />
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA<br />
AAA<br />
His incredibly unique musical taste and DJ sets have<br />
put him in the same lineup as artists such as<br />
Raekwon, GZA, and Black Thought. His music has<br />
even reached past America’s borders through<br />
projects like the tribute album, Jazz Jousters and a<br />
musical collaboration with a French filmmaker, but<br />
at the end of the day, Richmond’s the place he lays<br />
his turntables at night.<br />
Both of these influential DJs believe that<br />
Richmond’s hip-hop scene is in the best place it’s<br />
ever been. In turn, they dedicate themselves to not<br />
only being teachers of the game, but also constantly<br />
being students to the musical greats of the past and<br />
present.<br />
“There are eyes on Richmond, and it’s gone<br />
beyond just the rappers and the crews. It’s just time<br />
for everyone else to start paying attention. It’s cool<br />
to be locally respected, but sometimes you’ve got<br />
to break through the ceiling. That’s exactly what<br />
people are starting to do.” Henry says on<br />
Richmond’s current hip-hop scene.<br />
If there is a glass ceiling on top of Richmond, then<br />
it’s DJs like Hip Hop Henry and DJ Mentos that are<br />
some of the first to crack through so others can<br />
follow. Whether it’s producers like DJ Mentos<br />
introducing their beats overseas or radio DJs like<br />
Hip Hop Henry opening up the listeners to the next<br />
great locally grown hit, DJs keep Richmond’s rap<br />
game as lively as possible and always welcome<br />
those who are up next whether they’re a novice or<br />
an expert.<br />
Connect with them!<br />
Hip Hop Henry DJ Mentos!<br />
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Young Word Wielder of the Month<br />
I Remember<br />
by Keyko Regalado<br />
Empower<br />
I remember sand mountains.<br />
I remember the pain of a soccer ball<br />
launched at my five-year-old head.<br />
I remember hating vegetables.<br />
I remember my hair in one big braid.<br />
I remember sharing a chocolate with my big brother.<br />
I remember the stiff feeling of uniforms.<br />
I remember my father before he died.<br />
I remember cats, lots and lots of cats.<br />
I remember the color pink, my childhood obsession.<br />
I remember always being different.<br />
Richmond Young Writers introduces kids ages 9-17 to the joy of<br />
creative writing through workshops taught by professional writers in<br />
the community.<br />
Like them on Facebook! Visit them!<br />
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April 2018<br />
THE ALLGOOD<br />
Literacy Engaging Communities<br />
Review: The Automatic<br />
Millionaire Book<br />
by Andre Bowens Jr., The Allgood Trade Foundation<br />
What is the first thing you do with your paycheck? If<br />
you are like the majority of Americans, you pay your<br />
bills immediately. To most, including myself, this<br />
seems like a normal practice but there is a mistake in<br />
this transaction, one that over time could cost us<br />
millions.<br />
According to David Bach, financial expert and author,<br />
we should be paying ourselves first. This is just one<br />
of a few fundamental concepts Bach shares in his<br />
book “The Automatic Millionaire”. With only eight<br />
chapters, about 250 pages, this is a relatively quick<br />
read. Bach says the book can be finished in a couple<br />
hours but if you do not have three to four hours to<br />
dedicate to reading the book there is no need to worry.<br />
I was able to finish the book in about two weeks<br />
focusing on one chapter a day and allowing myself a<br />
six-day cushion to procrastinate and review notes<br />
from each chapter. This is definitely a book that you<br />
will want to actively read since most chapters provide<br />
graphics, resources and actions for the reader to take<br />
on their journey to become an Automatic Millionaire.<br />
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA<br />
AA<br />
Throughout the book you will find yourself engaged,<br />
intrigued and sometimes surprised by the simplicity<br />
of the advice Bach provides. Each chapter ends with<br />
things that you should do, all mentioned in the<br />
chapter and none too difficult to accomplish. Every<br />
step Bach mentions is supported by a resource,<br />
graphic or example that the reader can leverage in<br />
order to grasp and apply the step. In my opinion, the<br />
most impactful element of the book are the<br />
affirmations. He maintains a motivational tone similar<br />
to a coach guiding his players through a week of<br />
practice before a big game. These affirmations are<br />
spaced out and appear periodically throughout the<br />
book. They prompt you to stop reading and fill-in the<br />
blanks with information relative to your financial<br />
information. This is only one component of the<br />
engagement the book offers. One thing to keep in<br />
mind if you choose to read this book is that it is not a<br />
get-rich-quick cure all to financial problems. Instead,<br />
it serves as a guide to creating automatic systems that<br />
are key to building wealth.<br />
I cannot predict what you will walk away with after<br />
reading “The Automatic Millionaire” but I can tell<br />
you what stuck with me. I realized the importance of<br />
considering the long term effects of consistently<br />
spending small amounts of money - things add up.<br />
This same thought applies to SAVING, putting away<br />
small amounts of money consistently will lead to<br />
financial increase. While savings accounts are cool I<br />
have also realized that it is important to invest my<br />
money into vehicles that will allow it to work for me.<br />
There are investment opportunities available to those<br />
of us who are not yet wealthy but wish to build. With<br />
investment companies like Fidelity and Charles<br />
Schwab, we can begin to invest our money and watch<br />
it grow faster than it would in a savings account.<br />
Finally, I have decided to purchase a home in the next<br />
2 years. Homeownership is one of the staples of<br />
wealth building because of the investment opportunity<br />
presented. Instead of paying rent to fulfill a short term<br />
need, I will be paying a mortgage that is going<br />
towards my home. With this opportunity come others<br />
that will allow me to profit in the short term or begin<br />
to generate passive income. Either option creates an<br />
avenue for building wealth which is something that is<br />
harder to do when renting an apartment. It was so<br />
important for me to share this book with you because<br />
of the value it adds to my financial future through the<br />
information it provides, and I hope it does the same<br />
for you.<br />
Connect with them!<br />
www.allgoodtrade.org Instagram: @allgoodtrade<br />
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April 2018
BOOK YOUR CONSULTATION TODAY!<br />
Henrico, VA 804-477-1819<br />
organize@closetsandkids.com<br />
www.closetsandkids.com<br />
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