Don’t be Mad, Poet

I’m thrilled and honored that The Mad Poets Society of PA chose me as their 2023 Poet of the year! I’m looking forward to sharing insight into my poems and new work on their blog starting in April (Poetry Month). ❤️

Check out their Facebook post https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0wn2vUGRamdhjkRKQdFh7H1VYxrzndJsaZkuxxCwSzokYQAgD2mKXwnr415FYeP7tl&id=100064588273257&mibextid=Nif5oz

Starting in April, I’ll be posting a poem each month along with insight into the poem. Some will be old favorites and some will be unpublished. I hope you subscribe to their blog and share with another poetry lover.

#loveistheanswer ❤️

Love, Toni

May 18th Moonstone Arts #livepoetry Zoom Link !

Hey I hope you’re coming out on May 18th to check me out. I’ll be reading from my book Toni’s Room along with these fabulous poets at Fergie’s pub. But if you cannot then click the link below to get all the information you need to register for the virtual zoom reading. I hope you can join either way, but if you come out, you can get on the open mic. ♥️All my love, Toni

#loveistheanswer

https://us8.campaign-archive.com/?e=__test_email__&u=424f917e249b50a5495a507ba&id=8a0f2fceed

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!

A look inside Toni’s Room – Harlem Event Photos

We’re shipping out more orders of autographed copies of “Toni’s Room” today! Thank you for your support!

I have to thank you once again for the love and support I was shown in New York City 2 weeks ago. I am still floating on that cloud and really received a wonderful response to sharing a look inside of my poetry book Toni’s Room. Everyone who attended said how inspired they were. There were tears and laughter and they loved being able to see the poetry come to life during my reading. Thanks again to the amazing Karen Smith, percussionist extraordinaire who accompanied me on my visit to Harlem. We had a great time and it was a fabulous homecoming for both. A donation was made to the Lung Cancer Foundation of America in memory of my mother Ethel Connor who transitioned from the disease. All purchases through the end of this month will contribute to another donation. 💙

Photo credit : Patrick Mcmullan

I hope you will consider purchasing a book as a gift and there are still a limited number of CDs left to add to your purchase.

A few have already purchased books as holiday gifts.
Order a copy for the poet or aspiring writer in your life. My youngest fan is 8 years old, my oldest is 72! 💓

There are two options: Direct purchase from
Amazon
or order from my website with shipping if you would like an autographed copy.

Wishing you love!💓

Toni

#loveistheanswer

Wednesday June 19. Toni Love at the World Cafe Live, Philly💓

Honored to share the stage with some of the best artists in Philadelphia as one of the poets performing a tribute to Ursula Rucker Wednesday, June 19th 7pm at World Cafe Live in Philadelphia! 💓

My friend and musician extraordinaire Richard Tucker will also be honored. The lineup is amazing I hope you will come out! 🎶🎤

You can message me to purchase tickets from me and avoid the box office fees, or click the link below to order them from the venue (see below) :https://www.worldcafelive.com/event/1858241-comeback-philly-style-philadelphia/

The Fall/Winter issue of the Philadelphia Art and Urban Literary Magazine is here and I’m the featured poet!

PAUL IS HERE!!
In this distinguished issue of the Philadelphia Art & Urban Literary Review are artists:
M. Tonita Austin, Tamara Diaz, James Dupree, Tim Okamura, Petronia Paley, Eva Preston, Danny Simmons and Richard Watson. Artist, Kathleen Spicer sits down with me to remember her late husband, renown painter, sculptor, Mr. Charles Searles who was also my great mentor and teacher. Read additional, compelling interviews with Artists: James Dupree, Tim Okamura, actress and visual artist, Petronia Paley, Danny Simmons and Richard Watson. Click the link to go inside. Stand by for details on how to collect this beautiful edition in print. Cover Art by Tim Okamura.

I am honored to be the featured poet with two poems gracing this beautiful body of work! Click the link below to look inside and let me know what you think. 💜

PAUL MAGAZINE

Toni Love is on Hear Now.com FREE OFFER!

You can now go to one site to choose how you want to experience Toni Love’s EP “The Restoration”. You can purchase the limited edition EP with graphic cover and artistry on the actual CD, or you can download one track or the entire body of soul-stirring poetry online. If you email me at tonitalove2@gmail.com with proof of purchase, I will mail you a Toni Love t-shirt for FREE! Wishing you a fabulous summer and days full of joy and LOVE!

https://tonilove.hearnow.com/

~ Toni

#loveistheanswer

Rewriting my story and owning it!

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I was clearing out my “drafts” folder and realized this post was never published. Two years ago, just eight months before the release of my debut EP “The Restoration”, I was given the opportunity to share the stage with two Maryland-based poets which was my first time as a paid feature. For me that was a milestone. I don’t get asked in my own city, maybe because I’m new on the scene, maybe my age and maybe because I don’t fall easily into any type of spoken word category but I am learning to sit comfortably with being not popular. I am okay with being different because it’s about the process of creating art for me and the energy I get when I know the audience is responding and feeling my written word. Ironically a month from now I will be featuring for the same poetic prowess Simply Sherri in Baltimore for her Heard it Through the Grapevine and I am looking forward to the experience. It’s a treat to be surrounded by the energy of the artists in the DMV and I can’t wait to see them again, they always give me so much love in return!

Anywhoo…just thought I’d post this and I hope that I will see you in October! Visit my  Facebook page for updates and more information or CD Baby to hear samples and download my debut EP titled “The Restoration”.  I truly appreciate the love!

I’m starting to understand how this life journey works. Half way into writing my story, just a few months from reaching what is supposed to be my golden year and I am finally giving myself permission to rewrite my story. Every few years I get to the end of a chapter, look back, reflect, revise, and restate my vision for my life before I move on to the next. This past Saturday night was one of those times when thoughtful contemplation met up with years of unconscious manifestation and moved me towards a new chapter in my life. When Sherri of Simply Poetic Entertainment contacted me to see if I would be interested in co-featuring at her first Philadelphia edition of Heard it Through the Grapevine, I was pleasantly surprised! I met her once as the spotlight artist (opening up for her and the other feature) last August so when she contacted me I had to make sure feature meant what I thought it meant before I got really excited. As she expanded on the details I knew I had to say yes. An evening of wine and love poems; that had Toni Love written all over it!  I started to think about the poems that I would recite. The flyers and event page went all over social media and I promoted the show with the same reserved passion that I always do but I was still nervous about making sure I carried my weight as a performer. 

I arrived early, asked them to save me a glass of Sangria from the wine tasting (I can never eat or drink before a performance, it makes my stomach uneasy!) and sat down to calm myself. What many don’t know is that I almost always completely blank out before a poetry reading. I can’t remember anything I’ve written and I often grab a book or start printing out poems so that I’ll have them in written form just in case. My biggest fear is that I’ll stand up and forget everything.  I panic, I pace and then I remember to sit down and breathe. As I sat I saw faces of love walk into the small gallery one by one. Friends who lived on the block I grew up on, a sorority sister who drove a few hours to get there, fellow poets, my Italian mother (that’s my nickname for her), and my brothers. I watched them add chairs as the room filled and the walls expanded. By the time I took to the mic it was standing room only. I was still nervous but excited and overwhelmingly grateful at the same time. Sherri said “you have a lot of support here..I’ve been asking who they are here to see..”  It was a vision that I didn’t know would be replicated seven months later at my EP release party. There’s nothing like looking out into a room full of faces that reflect genuine love. Nothing. 

I recited four poems and sang a bit too. It was an exciting night! The quote below is a comment sent to me the next day from the host of the event. I hope to see you at a performance venue soon. I will always return the love.  #loveistheanswer

Toni Love: I knew when I met you last year you were a dynamic performer and would wow that crowd. Your energy is incredible and your words were amazing. Let me know when you get that CD done, so I can get one.

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