REWIND: Liberated Muse Getting In The Halloween Spirit

Last year this time, Liberated Muse had partnered with Authentic Art Consulting for FreeSoul @ ArtSpring. We had fun offering face painting and kids' activities and, of course, lots of candy! Reminisce with us by checking out the video below. Performers included Liberated Members Quineice, and Gary Young, with Lyle Link and Sadie Flick and a special appearance by Ne'a Posey. Enjoy!

We Vote SoulBounce. You Should, Too

The nominees for the 2010 Soul Train Awards have been dominating the internet. What is new this year are nominees for the   BEST SOUL SITES // Soul Train Award 2010. Yay! Well, first, let's get it out there-- Liberated Muse did not get nominated. Booo. Not this year at least...but some really great sites were nominated, including SoulBounce.com which Liberated Muse's co-founder, Moon (me) is contributing editor for. Many Liberated Muse members have been featured on Soulbounce over the years, including Kenny Wesley, Teisha Marie, Substantial, Quineice, and Dionne. Soulbounce even covered the Capital Hip Hop Soul Fest during our inaugural year (before I became a writer/editor for the site), so our loyalty stands strong with Soulbounce!

The winning site will recieve two VIP tickets to the taping of the 2010 award show in Atlanta GA on November 10th, airfare and accomodations, a special Soul Train Award during the on-air pre-show, access to the gifting suite and of course: Bragging rights! The Runner-up site will receive two Kodak z18 Flip Cams. So who wins? Well thats up to you the readers. VOTING STARTS TODAY and end November 3rd at Noon. Visit HERE to vote.

Let's Play Your Music-- Singers, Rappers, Spoken Word Artists, We're Talking to You

A message to all members of Liberated Muse

Serena Wills, poet Musicians, Singers, Rappers, Poets-- Do you have a Reverbnation Music Player? If so, we would love to feature your music on our main page. Here's what you do-- let us know you are interested in having your music featured on the main page by: (1) Pasting your music player's embed code in our comment section HERE, making sure that it is NOT on automatic play when you copy and paste and (2) Adding a mini bio about who you are and your work-- no longer than five sentences and that's it! Mahoganee, Singer If you aren't a singer/musician, etc. but have an artist in mind who is part of our community and who you would like us to feature on the main page and they have a Reverbnation music widget, follow the steps above! Only Liberated Muse members or former performers in the Capital Hip Hop Soul Fest will be considered. Becoming a member is easy, just create a FREE profile today. (Photos above of Liberated Muse members Serena Wills, poet & Mahoganee, singer-- both performing at the 2010 RWA Author's Pavillion in Richmond, VA, produced by the Readers With Attitude book club & co-sponsored by Liberated Muse)

Visit Liberated Muse at: http://www.liberatedmuse.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network

Kanye West's New Vid Best Exemplifies Liberating One's Muse

What do you think about Kanye West's latest video which is actually a 30-minute short film? Featuring model Selita Banks, Kanye presents an artistic rendering of his past year's struggle with ego, social etiquette, loss and self-esteem. Do you love it or hate it? Are you over Kanye West after last year's shenanigans with Taylor Swift or is that old news? Share your comments below.

Liberated Muse in Chicago for the Black Age of Comics

Liberated Muse member Turtel Onli is founder of the annual Black Age of Comics Convention that celebrated its 13th year this year last week, Oct. 15-16. Maceo and I traveled to Chicago to support Turtel and to represent Liberated Muse at this annual event. Turtel had invited me to perform and share readings from the Liberated Muse publication Liberated Muse Volume I: How I Freed My Soul and Maceo was asked to facilitate an artist meeting that was held after the convention with illustrators who were at the convention displaying their work. We both arrived before the convention and got a chance to check out the city before the convention began.

For starters, Chicago is an arts town. However, you probably wouldn't know that because it hasn't received the attention that places like New York and LA receive as being art meccas. However, Chicago epitomizes an arts town. Everywhere you turn, there is a splendid example of artistry- from the architecture in the downtown area, to the sculptures sprinkled throughout the city from folks like Picasso, there is art everywhere. Performance art is abundant as well, as it should be. The Blues grew out of Chicago. Here are some shots I snapped while on a tour of the city.

On the 15th when I performed readings and my original tune "All of Me", I was part of the Bronzeville Art Trolley tour which took folks to different art galleries in the Bronzeville community in Chicago. The venue I performed at, Little Black Pearl, was part of the tour and folks got off the trolley car to come in and view art on the walls by illustrators from the Black Age of Comics. Little Black Pearl does amazing things in the community, providing after-school programming for youth in addition to showcasing art. Check them out here. I got to introduce these visitors to the Liberated Muse book and represent DC while I was at it. It was a blast. I performed with a Chicago-based keyboardist, Aki Antonia, who actually hails from Bronzeville. Regina Brown, a vocalist who tours as a support vocalist for artists like Gladys Knight, shared the stage with me prior to her amazing performance the next day at the Black Age of Comics Convention. Check out some of the photos below that Aki's son Atiba took of us performing. Also, be sure to visit Aki's blog here. She blogs about arts happenings in her community.

Me (Moon) and Aki Antonia at Little Black Pearl performing

Turtel describes the convention as a group exhibitions, lectures, vendors, signings, and workshops. The year's convention was amazing, featuring well-known author LA Banks and Black illustrators from across the country, including artists Eric Battle, Arie Monroe and Afua Richardson.

I got video of LA Banks giving an author's talk during one of the lectures and was inspired by her testimony of why no one should give up on their talents. Here is one video out of the four that I was able to get. Visit our site at http://www.liberatedmuse.com to view all four (each is less than 10 minutes)to hear her hilarious personal stories.




The world's first Black Age of Comics Convention was given in Chicago IL Feb. 1993. The term, "The Black Age of Comics", meaning creators & products derived from the Urbane, indie, or cosmic experience and independent creativity. It welcomes all positive creative professionals, innovators, students and fans.Turtel should be proud of his event-- Maceo and I had an incredible time. Here are some photos from the event. Make sure you plan to attend next year!

Me (Moon) and Maceo representing Liberated Muse in Chicago

Illustrators and Artists of the Black Age (photo by Maceo Thomas)

Artist Arie Monroe

Me (Moon) with artist Ken Ray

The Fringe by Steven Harris. Love this comic. Bought this t-shirt.

Read more about the Black Age of Comics here

We're Back. The Liberated Muse Artist Network Is Up & Running

Greetings Liberated Muse members!

Due to popular demand, the Liberated Muse network is back up on Ning and available for you to get your network on and broadcast your upcoming performance opportunities, shows, visual art, and relevant news. The mission of Liberated Muse Productions is to engage audiences through
interactive media, and day & evening programming in ways that
promote, encourage, and facilitate a forum for art exploration and
enjoyment. Our hope is that art is used as a tool for community
engagement and support.  Most importantly, on the site, you can stay connected to each other and the arts goings-on around you. Here are some ways to become involved on the site:

Guest Bloggers
We are still accepting emails of interest from those who want to blog with us. You got news about arts happenings, new artists or news on our favorite artists? We'd love to have you write for us. Visit here for submission guidelines.

We Blast News for You
You have news you want us to share with everyone on our network here on Ning, Facebook and Twitter? Well, shoot our way. We are currently offering media support to Liberated Muse members for only $10 per blast. We offer other services as well.Liberated Muse Productions provides services to artists, small businesses,
nonprofits, corporations and public institutions that utilize online
platforms and current technology. Past clients have included the Washington National Opera, the Potter's House, the Adinkra Group, and others. Services include: 

• Online content management (Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, Websites, etc.)
• Artist Writing services (Bios, EPKs, Press Releases, etc.)
• PR and Audience Outreach Services
• Event Concept Development 
• Arts Workshops
• Online Webinars

For more info, contact us at LiberatedMuseProductions@gmail.com.

Upcoming Liberated Muse Productions on the Horizon
As always, we will be having events coming up that will provide opportunities for performance, visual and literary artists. Stay tuned to the events calendar and to emails from us regarding those opportunities. Interested in being part of our production crew? Shoot us an email at LiberatedMuseProductions@gmail.com for more info.


www.LiberatedMuse.com is an online community for artists of all realms. Created in 2008 by writer and performance artist Khadijah "Moon" Ali-Coleman, www.LiberatedMuse.com became the online home base for Liberated Muse Productions which formed shortly after between Khadijah and Maceo Thomas to produce the Capital Hip Hop Soul Fest (CHHSF). Since 2008, Liberated Muse Productions has produced events promoting quality artists and community venues.

This Weekend: Broaden Your Kids' Horizons-- Look-In @ the Kennedy Center

Liberated Muse is a proud supporter of the Washington National Opera. We are thrilled to help promote the  event they are having this weekend that will be a wonderful experience for families new to the genre of opera. Children and their families will experience the magic of the performing arts when Washington National Opera presents the Opera Look-In at the Kennedy Center Opera House, October 14 and 16, 2010. The one-hour performance features story telling, familiar opera tunes and interactive demonstrations in a seamless program designed to entertain and educate children ages 6 to 12. 

The Opera Look-In is an all-new, original production that tells the story of four young people who unexpectedly find themselves in an opera house. As the children try to make sense of their surroundings, they meet famous opera characters such as Figaro and Madama Butterfly, and learn about the myriad elements of the opera stage, such as lighting, the orchestra and the conductor. Woven into the narrative are musical excerpts from The Barber of Seville, The Magic Flute, Madama Butterfly and more.

The Opera Look-In features student-actors, professional singers from WNO’s Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program, the Washington National Opera Orchestra led by Steve Gathman, a special guest appearance by WJLA/ABC 7’s Maureen Bunyan, and others.

Developed by WNO’s award-winning Education and Community Programs department, the Opera Look-In is designed to engage children while meeting several learning goals. Like other WNO Education programs, the Opera Look-In is aligned with the frameworks of the Partnership for 21^st Century Skills as well as the Common Core State Standards: children in the audience will practice skills such as observation, drawing inferences, critical analysis and visualizing on the basis of text, and will learn music fundamentals, such as the ways in which music conveys emotions.

“Stories, dress-up and songs: They’re childhood staples, but they’re also the building blocks of opera, so the Opera Look-In is immediately accessible to kids. Because opera is a multidisciplinary, multicultural art form, it allows for infinite learning opportunities,” commented Bruce Taylor, Director of Education for Washington National Opera. “Opera is not only a beautiful art form, it’s an incredibly rich and engaging teaching tool. We want our youngest audiences to come away curious—curious about language, about music, about the characters’ relationships, about the meaning of the stories. If, in the process, the kids find out that they like opera, it’s a bonus.”

View the flyer above for ticket information and the special code to get discount tickets!