Bring a poem, bring a friend April 6th, 2022 to Mad Poets Society, 7pm!

Elevator available, open mic and refreshments afterwards.

Repost from the Mad Poets Society of PA newsletter:

Friends and fans of poetry! Our next First Wednesday poetry reading, at 7:00 p.m. on April 6, will feature two wonderful poets: Tonita Austin, aka Toni Love, and James Feichthaler!

The reading will take place in the Ballroom, *upstairs* at the Community Arts Center, 414 Plush Mill Rd., Wallingford, PA. If anyone has questions or needs info about the CAC elevator, contact series host Sibelan Forrester at <sforres1@swarthmore.edu> or leave voicemail at (610) 328-8162.

Light refreshments will be served, and an Open Mic will follow the featured reading.

TONIGHT! Poetic Memoir Intensive with #Ursula Rucker

This intensive word/ thought/ emotion, self-truth-culling, seeks to be a journey of healing, art, therapy, and authentic conversations about life that will result in the creation of individual works/excerpts of EPIC memoir poetry. Each student is invited to perform their created works at this live-streamed event.

Check out the live streamed event on the SIFT Media 215 You Tube Channel tonight, Sunday January 30th from 6-7:30 PM. It’s a creative masterpiece to heal your soul, with the finale by Ursula Rucker!

Poetry in the Park – Come on out and enjoy some music poetry and #phillyjawns ❤

Greetings! If you’re in the neighborhood and enjoy being outdoors, please join us: Sunday, September 19 – 11:00am at Sankofa Farm in Bartram Gardens “Mother Tongue” is the final program in the series that celebrations the fortifying roots of Black Art.  The cob oven, called “The Furrow” is both a work of art and a symbol of divine womanhood, was created by Philly Jawn and award-winning multidisciplinary artist, Misty Sol.  Inspired by Toni Morrison’s book, Paradise, the oven will be lit, and fruits will be available in this gathering in remembrance of indigenous peoples and all our multicultural / multi-ethnic ancestors who made use of the land to feed loved ones.  Bring your young people, too, to express their craft-making creativity, to dance, to sing, and to introduce themselves on the open mic.  Also featuring Karen Smith and Ursula Rucker.  All are welcome! Wednesday, September 22 – Autumn Equinox at The Woodlands Philly Jawns–Aziza Kebe, Lois Moses, Kia Knight, Sherry Wilson Butler–will be performing “That Blackness: In Tribute to Nina Simone” as part of the Weez The Peoples (Karen Smith & Donna Dorman) set of the Ars Nova Workshop’s Autumn Equinox Festival.  The full schedule is below, with the Weez The People’s performance time scheduled from 6:15pm to 7:15pm.  (Philly Jawns will close the Weez portion of show at 7:00pm).  Please register in advance, don’t forget to bring a lawn chair, and don’t worry about dusk–the space will be lit and so will the stage.   Also featuring Philly Jawn, Toni Love, one of Philly’s favorite jazz vocalists, V. Shayne Frederick, and a few other Philly superstars! https://www.arsnovaworkshop.org/programs/new-grass-odean-pope-immanuel-wilkins-chad-taylor-trio-autumn-equinox-celebration-2021/ Performance Times  5:00 – 6:00 PM Spirits Up 6:15 – 7:15 PM Weez The Peoples 7:30 – 8:45 PM Odean Pope/Immanuel Wilkins/Chad Taylor Hope to see you ! ____________________  Powell-Wright http://www.phillyjawns2020.com Editor/Curator, Philly Jawns: For Women Revisited Lead Strategist, SistahWrites! Founder/Performer, For Women Collective Recipient, Leeway Foundation Art & Change Grant Recipient, Pollination Project Grant Recipient, Robert Rauschenberg Foundation Art & Travel Grant Founding Member/Performer, In The Company of Poets Guest Performer: Sistahs Laying Down Hands 

Toni Love featuring at the PA Mad Poet Society virtual reading TONIGHT. Don’t go mad, write poetry! ❤

Reposted:

MAD POETS SOCIETY . Join us tonight for the next Livin’ on Luck reading at 7 pm! We will feature Pat Kelly, Toni Love, and Francesco Pasqualino. Open mic will follow hosted by Brooke Palma. To register, use the link below. See you there! Registration Link: https://wcupa.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0udu-srzkrH9MkU0-RXt2oPzi1gB9giaND?fbclid=IwAR0S58sEyLeH2zARcRshO0mkZv0lSfzBDaXuLypAu1WDa0QYqKQLZzxsDIQ Pat Kelly is a writer from Harrisburg. He writes poetry and fiction that explores the dark fringes of humanity and its impact on time and memory. He is currently working on his first collection of poetry, Buried Litanies, which is both a means of personal therapy and a voice to his repressed experiences with childhood sexual abuse.

Tonita Austin also known as “Toni Love” is a gifted poet, singer, activist, and writer born in West Philadelphia. While attending Columbia University, Tonita was a student of Amiri Baraka and performed in Ntozake Shange’s “For Colored Girls” as the Lady in Orange. Her writing is influenced by both experiences. She is a contributor to the anthology The Black Body and featured poet in the 2018 and 2020 Winter/Fall edition of the Philadelphia Arts and Urban Literary magazine. The Restoration EP is her first published recording; Toni’s Room is her first published book. Toni currently resides in Media,PA

Francesco Pasqualino is a restauranteur and writer living in Pittsburgh, PA. Francesco has supported many artistic groups including The International Poetry Forum, The Hillman Center for Performing Arts, and The Mad Poets Society, He has had the honor of studying with Ted Kooser and Mary Karr. His writing appears in Voices in Italian Americana, Mad Poets Review, Main Street Rag, and The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. You’ll find his culinary insights on Attenzione! A Writer’s Journal on his restaurant’s website, pasqualinos.com. He has also shared his family recipes as an invited guest on WQED public television. Mad Poets Society · P.O. Box 1248 · Media, Pa 19063 · USA

Finally Over

Original poetry from my book “Toni’s Room”

Photo Credit: Cheyenne Gil Photography

Finally Over


When I lost you
I found myself
Oh but it hurt
It pained for so long
Thinking of how foolish I had been
To believe in you
But my hurt turned into poetry
And dance
And I wrote
And danced
Until I filled up the emptiness in side of me
The void that set inside my soul when you were no longer there
Poetry about you and for myself
Flowed from my fingertips like golden run at carnival time in Trinidad
I loved until I stopped hurting
And found not only myself
But someone to love me for real
And yes I admit there were times I wished that he were you
Until constant caresses and truthful signs
Showed me that true love accepts me for what I am
Oh yes
It is finally over
Real love has rescued my weary soul
And you are but a faded memory
Because I am no longer afraid to receive the love
That I have been given

(c) Toni Love

Give yourself the gift of poetry on #Valentinesday

Available on Amazon.com or click below to order directly from me!

Purchase Autographed Copy

Thank you in advance for the love ❤ Stay well!

Not One – Original poetry

Not One

(For the Million Mothers March)


Not mine son
Not mine
Not my son
Not my brother nephew or current lover
Not my neighbor cousin or future husband
Not mine
Not hers
Not anybody’s
Son
I am not saying no more
I am saying not ONE


We with the millions of ancestors behind us
Forge a force you will feel into centuries
Your generations will not be safe
Your land will not be prosperous
Your wealth will not sustain you
Your privilege will not save you
We are millions today plus millions from centuries before u
Far more than your eyes can see
We gather together seen and unseen
When mothers pray it goes straight to heaven
Rest assured and be forewarned
There will be a price for your descendants to pay
If you ever look at my son in a disrespectful, condescending or threatening way
We collectively are not playing with you today
No more

Not one

Not

One

Son

~ From “Toni’s Room

(c) Toni Love Publishing

Remembering Mommy. A poem for Mother’s Day ❤

Ethel Vaughn Connor

I Remember You (For Mommy)

With every embrace

I remember you

In every poem I write

I honor you

Each boo-boo I kiss

Every time I drop everything to respond to a call from the school

I invoke glimpses of your face

I remember you

Prayers tucked into wrinkles of your hands

Wisdom in the tight grey coils that framed a crown of compassion on your forehead

Baby oil in the bathtub and Vaseline on your feet

Callouses from walking your journey with no shoes

Allowing the earth as a cushion beneath

Fourteen years, 5,110 days, 112640 hours and 7,358,400 minutes

The time lapse does not stop tears and memories from flooding my heart

I remember you

Homemade cigarettes in the basement

We watched not knowing you found comfort exhaling

You inhaled concoctions of joy, sadness, loss and grief

Both liberating and toxic

I speak of you to your grandchildren

Chance meetings as souls passed in transition

They remember you though never met you here on earth

I hear you in the deep vibrato of Nina Simone and Lou Rawls

I smell you in the cinnamon nutmeg infused sweet potato pie I can’t quiet get to taste the same way

I see you in the eyes of my son you ushered onto this plane

My children speak of past lives with you

I cry for you

I laugh with you

I speak to you

I still need you

I wait

To hear you

I call, and you still answer

I remember you

And thank you

For remembering me too

From “Toni’s Room, a poetic journey to restoration”

(c) Toni Love Publishing

Order Books and Merch

March 7th Toni’s Room is coming to BusBoys and Poets Washington D.C. !

The show has been rescheduled to March 7th! Tickets from January’s show will be honored ❣

bit.ly/tonilovemerch

After successful book launches in Philadelphia and New York, Toni Love is bringing her new poetry book Toni’s Room alive in Washington D.C. at the famed BusBoys and Poets on 14th and V Street, Northwest Washington D.C.
Toni will take you on a journey inside her book, sharing the emotion and inspiration behind her poems accompanied by accomplished percussionist Ronin Ali. Tickets to this intimate event include light fare and VIP packages are available. PRICES INCREASE at the door, so get your tickets today. Show is 5-7pm.
You will leave feeling inspired, entertained and loved! 💜

Master percussionist Ronin Ali

URGENT NOTICE ABOUT Tonight’s DC Event

Beloved friends, 

My sincere apologies but the DC Book Launch of Toni’s Room has been postponed. Toni is sick with the flu and is unable to perform this Saturday. 


We are working now with the venue for a new date which we will have in a few days. All tickets will be honored when the event is rescheduled along with a  special gift. If at any time you choose to receive a full refund, please respond to your confirmation email. All ticket holders were notified by email yesterday.

Thank you for the love and support and are deeply sorry for the inconvenience. 


– Toni Love 

#loveistheanswer 💓

Toni’s Room is coming to DC! January 25th 2020 at BusBoys and Poets 14th and V Street location, 5-7 pm. 💓

img_20200107_233433_4966028548871032855020.jpg

The Toni Love DC book launch is confirmed!! After a successful book launch in Philadelphia and New York, I am excited to bring the tour to Washington D.C.

Come for a look inside Toni’s Room Saturday, January 25th, 2020 5-7pm at Busboys and Poets, 14th and V N.W Washington D.C.

I’m excited to have the percussionist extraordinaire Karen Smith join me in bringing my poems to life!

Karen Smith

Light fare is included and so much more!

Event Ticket Only

Your ticket to the January 25th Toni Love Book Signing at Bus Boys and Poets, 14th and V location, NW Washington DC. includes entry to the reading of "Toni's Room", beverages and light fare. Books and CD's will be available for purchase at the event while supplies last.

$20.00

Event + Pre Ordered Book

Your ticket to the January 25th Toni Love Book Signing at Bus Boys and Poets, 14th and V location, NW Washington DC. includes entry to the reading of "Toni's Room" an autographed copy of "Toni's Room", beverages and light fare. If you are purchasing for someone else and would like it autographed, please put the name of the person in the note section, otherwise your name will be used.

$30.00

VIP Package

Your VIP ticket to the January 25th Toni Love Book Signing at Bus Boys and Poets, 14th and V location, NW Washington DC. Your VIP experience includes priority check-in, VIP seating, ticket for one signature “Poet Mojito”, other beverages and light fare. You will also receive the Toni Love fan kit including an autographed copy of the book “Toni’s Room”, bookmark, debut CD “The Restoration” and a Large Toni Love T shirt. Thank you for the love!

$75.00

VIP tickets include the full Toni Love fan kit, priority access and seating and a complimentary ‘Love Poet Mojito’!

Visit bit.ly/tonilovemerch

to choose your experience 🎤

I can’t wait to see you!

#loveistheanswer ❤

 

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