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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 />

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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 />

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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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AAA<br />

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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AAA<br />

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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AAAA<br />

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 />

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA<br />

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 />

__________________________________________________________________________________________<br />

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 />

28


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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