QUEEN - (... for NPM)

When the world echoes sounds
that would keep us down
Poetry sends back refrains that say
Let me lift you
Let me give you insight to light your way
Unravel mysteries
Cope with life's inconsistencies
Comprehend that uncertainty paves the road we all travel
Let me share truths from ancestors
With youth and elder alike--
Share with true seekers answers that empower
Let not the fear of this hour
rob the world this cherished light
or deny tomorrow it's victory
This is the charge of poetry
For this she shall ever reign supreme
as Queen! 
 
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SOJOURN WITH WORDS CABLE TV PROGRAM 

Friends in the DC/MD/VA area are invited to join me each week for Sojourn With Words, the award-winning cable television program I co-produce and host.  The program features poets (interviews and performance/readings) and poetry news.  Sojourn with Words, which is now in its sixth year, and has won national awards for excellence in cultural programming, airs on CTV, (Comcast Ch. 76 and Verizon FiOS Ch. 42).  Our current schedule is:

Tuesday,          12:30-1:00 PM
and
Saturday            6:30 - 7:00 PM

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POETRY OPEN MIC NIGHT at ANNIE'S ART GALLERY

 JOIN US EACH 3RD THURSDAY  at Annie's Art Gallery (5814 Allentown Way, Camp Springs, MD 20748) for our monthly Open Mic Poetry Night which takes place from 6 to 9 PM.  This is a family-friendly, free-to-the-commmunity event.  We welcome poets & aspiring poets, youth and elder, adult and teen, and everyone in-between!  At Annie's we are serious about promoting artists and art (of all kinds), so all are welcome.  Additional information about this and other community events at Annie's Art Gallery can be viewed at www.Anniesartgallery.net.   

INSPIRATION STATEMENT 
As a poet, I seek to uplift, empower and offer paths to peace through poetry.  I believe that taking poetry to the community is a means to that end. Life and God (not necessarily in that order) are my sources of inspiration. Influences include Gwendolyn Brooks, Haki Madhubuti, Sonia Sanchez, Rev. & Mrs. Benjamin H. Craig, my immediate and extended families, my Collective Voices family, as well as my Anointed P.E.N.S. (Ebenezer A.M.E.) and Annie's Art Gallery families. 

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           To view archival photos from past events visit  http://www.sistahjoy.com/Gallery.htm
*(Click to enlarge photos and read overhead captions)

            Please email me your response to or reviews of my poetry, events and articles posted here.  I'm always interested in hearing feedback and ideas that my work inspires.  Thank you!
  J. Joy Matthews Alford - Sistah Joy

LISTEN TO:

Sistah Joy's interview with April Sims and Poetry Man on BlogTalkRadio at:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/hostpage.aspx?show_id=27940

Sistah Joy's interview with Jonathan Holley on Give God The Glory on BlogTalkRadio at:

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