 Good evening, everyone. We're so happy to be here and with this kind and loving and inspiring San Antonio poet Laureate, Andrea Vokab Sanderson. And that's who you just saw in that video. First I want to thank everyone here for supporting nowcast essays nonprofit newsroom in these really difficult times. Never has our trustworthy journalism been more important and more in demand. Here's how it's going to work tonight. For most of the evening, the only people on screen will be me and Andrea. Your video and audio are off by default, I think. I encourage you to put questions in the chat and we'll recognize you during the Q&A period. If you'd like to come on screen and pose your questions, you are welcome to, but you're not required to. We will also, at the very end, give away five of Andrea's books. And remember, it's virtual, so I won't hand you the book tonight. First they will go to Andrea to be signed and then they will be shipped. And reindeer willing, you may receive them by the 12th day of Christmas. Now for some shout outs to others in this room, I'm going to take a point of personal privilege and first recognize my mother, Holly, the librarian who read poetry to assist children and launched my lifelong love affair with words. I also want to recognize members of the Nowcast Essay Board of Directors, Chairman Chuck Andrews, Crystal Darby, Tracey Grooms, and Frances Gonzalez. And we are also delighted to have with us State Senator Inna Minhares, State Representative Barbara Hawkins, former City Councilwoman Maria Boryazabal, and we're expecting another special visitor about 20 after. So let's start at the beginning. Andrea, you're San Antonio's fifth poet laureate. What does it mean to be poet laureate? What's your job? My job is to inspire everyone to write, to read, and to celebrate poetry in all things literary, and it's a pleasure to do so. In a year when many of us are just glad to still be standing, you set the bar for firsts. This year, you published your first book, which we'll be giving away later. And you released an album, you were named poet laureate, and you gave a TEDx talk. That's truly a remarkable achievement. Let me go to the absolutely amazing TEDx talk, which started with Andrea's singing, included storytelling, and in this part concludes with a poem. Go ahead, Susan, the TEDx number two video. Do you recall how you felt when the pandemic started? Could you describe it in three words? I felt constricted, uncertain, and fearful. Anthony Mara, the author of the Tsar of Love and Techno wrote, a single whisper can be quite a disturbance when the rest of the audience is silent. Coming into quarantine, the world hushed as we vacated the streets and went inside. The stir crazy set in coupled with rising racial tensions from the killings of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Overall, it's been an intensely difficult season. Breaking ground is the first black poet laureate of San Antonio put me under a microscope. I was constantly asked to create programming that spoke to social justice issues from marginalized groups. I was in a critical position to act as a bridge between diverse demographics of people. Using my voice and poetry was a tool to connect the dots between us. Creativity builds the confidence to speak up. I decided to be a single whisper and an audience of silence. Because frankly, I was tired of feeling hopeless. Hashtags on social media are used for entertainment trends. They can act as a voice of protest and also help organize positive movements. So I created the hashtag my tongue is challenge. My instructions for the challenge with this use the sentence starter hashtag my tongue is as the first line of a poem, then write a short one to four line poem, design a digital poster of it and posted on social media. Use the hashtag my tongue is challenge. I received over 200 posters worldwide from poets as far away as Australia. Now my poem was a little longer than four lines. And I have a next up for you. My tongue is a box cutter in a bodega breaking down cardboard stereotypes. My tongue a bald eagle perched before flight that just spotted a serpent in the sand. My tongue much like your tongue has the power to bless or curse this land. An earthquake trimmer reverberating through tectonic plates, sending shivers through Sierra tinged soil and concrete alike. It interlocks with la tierra forcibly causing a cessation of mantle. My tongue lights the candle. My tongue lights the candle of intercession that brings healing to our nations. This tongue calls out proclamations, irrigates water into thirsty reservations, turning them into reservoirs summons manner to end starvation. I feel hungry mouths with heavenly bread. I speak to break the silence for those who have led from domestic violence and human trafficking in the shadows of deprivation. I speak to the innermost parts of the heart where desires form and take root. My tongue is a tambourine of testimonies quivering utterances, truth, utterances. That's truly amazing. Thank you, Andrea. Can you talk more about coming into this position as San Antonio's first black woman poet laureate with the Black Lives Matter movement taking off all over the world, including on the streets of San Antonio. And I have to say, it's personal for you, too. I mean, this vanity fair cover of Breonna Taylor, she's wearing the same blue you were wearing in that TEDx talk. Yeah. Wow. And you know what? I told myself, I was like, I got to go find that vanity fair. And do you know, I asked this nurse shout out to nurse Yolanda at my job. I was like, Hey, nurse Yolanda, I'm got to do I'm going to do a vision board party at the end of the month. And I was wondering, do you have because she always would come and bring me stacks of magazines. And at the top of that stack of magazines because she came the next day with a stack of magazines for me after I asked her form. The very first magazine was that vanity fair one. So God literally answered my prayer within, you know, a couple of days of you showing me that magazine. So I was really grateful that I got it. It was extremely difficult. I have to thank a friend of mine. His name is Ricardo Espinoza. Ricardo came to me because he was like, you know, you've really been inspiring me the past few years with some of the work you've been doing. And I want to start an organization that will speak to everything that's happening in society right now. Because at that time, George had just been killed, George Floyd had just been killed. And they were airing the video and people were just talking about everything that was happening with that. And you could just build attention, rising and stuff right after we were coming into the season. And he was like, I want to start an organization. He's a universalist unitary. He's a unitarian universalist or other way around. Yeah. And you know, that that their congregate, the congregation over there, it is a mixed congregation, but it's predominantly white. And they had a Black Lives Matter working group. But they wanted to do a spin off from that. And so we came together, I came together with him. And we started Black Lives and Allies in Community, which is an organization that helps grassroots and nonprofits and people that are doing the work out there. So like the reliable revolutionaries, the Young Black Futures Collective, people of that nature here in the city, we started creating events where we could raise money and fund their efforts or creating a platform to bring them in. And it's just like constantly people were coming to me and asking me to speak to some of these issues that are going on. But at the same time, you know, I was dealing with the pain and the emotion of watching all of this happen. And it was difficult. It required me to do some sitting. When everything first started, I did a lot of sitting with myself and my thoughts. And I couldn't write it first per se. I couldn't write anything long. I could do short stuff. And during that time is when I created that hashtag that my tongue is hashtag and started getting into Canva. And I was like, let me try my hand at the digital world. I've never been able to make flyers, you would think after I started like throwing shows and creating programming in 2006. And all that time, I never really tried to learn how to make flyers really well. But I was like, this, this is it. I'm gonna start making my own flyers and making digital poetry posters, and just kind of putting them up. It's only we were gearing up for National Poetry Month and all of that. And so I just wanted to do something, anything that I thought could be helpful, you know, I have to check on something right now. There's could Mayor Nuremberg, if you are in the audience, could you change your name on your to say Mayor Nuremberg on your iPad? There's we're hoping that one of those that says iPad is you. But it could also be Jonah, of course, Nuremberg. And let's talk about one more part of this, Andrea, and that is that people are expecting you to know the answers on this, because it is about Black Lives Matter. It is about this movement. And you are a black woman who has just been put in this position. And it's kind of like, Okay, tell us what to do. Where, you know, I felt that that whenever something happens, we want people who either we see a lot in the media or or public figures, we want them to have something to say, we want to know their opinion. And the way the world is now with social media, you can directly have conversations with people. There's not any really degrees of separation between you and other people. You can speak to them directly. And you can also real time get the reaction. But real time I'm dealing with my emotions. I'm hurting. And I'm trying either to avoid seeing the footage. I still have not watched that video in its entirety. I can't do it to myself. I simply can't. I've seen portions of it. But anytime brutality has happened, or in the justice has happened against people, I can't watch those types of videos, you know, the fight videos, or the people being shot really can't watch those. I've never been able to do it. I feel that I'm an empath. And I just take it in. And it and where I where I like to stay is try to stay in a positive headspace and a clear headspace. Because if I'm thinking clearly, then I can walk in love. And sometimes you don't want to walk in love. Sometimes you don't want to be patient. Sometimes you don't want to, you know, I have a very good friend. My I have a good friend. His name is Zach. He was the guy that was drumming in that in that footage of me. Ask who that was. Yes, his name is Zach Joelle. And a lot of times when things happen in society that involve hatred or crime towards black people done possibly by white people, or they could be charged in that situation. He wants to come talk to me about it. He wants to tell me how he feels and hear how I feel. And sometimes I'm like, Zach, I can't have this conversation right now, friend. I know you want to have this conversation, especially with someone that's black. You know, but sometimes I couldn't do it. And this year, I finally said, I'm not going to shy away from those tough conversations anymore. I'm going to get in there and have those conversations. And it's going to be an act of patience. It's going to be an act of grace, because that's what really society needs. We need to have more grace with each other. And I'm going to hear and listen. And I'm also going to speak. And I'm not going to bite my tongue, you know, and it'll get uncomfortable. But we if we truly love each other, and we're truly in this to come to a better place, and a place of understanding, then no matter how uncomfortable it gets, we will find a way through that darkness to the other side. You know, I just want to absorb that for a minute. Wow. Let me ask you because you're you're giving us all so much here. We many of us have can recall a person who made a huge impact on our lives when when we were adolescents, right? For you, I think there was a middle school art teacher who taught you how to breathe and to focus, right? Yeah, Linda rolling. And but for what many people don't know about you is that, you know, you're doing all these other things. And at the same time as you're doing your night job, right? So for this generation of young people who have passed through the Bear County Juvenile Detention Center, that person has been you. Talk to me about how you help those young people. I think the phrase is detangle feelings and pour them into words is what I said. Well, when I am hired by Jim and I ink, which if you if you were in in the listening vicinity, and you don't know who Jim and I ink is, they are in a nonprofit literary organization that help people tell their human stories and their narratives, they offer workshops, they have sent teaching artists out into the community. And then they provide programming and galas and extra extravaganza and wonderful things. Charlotte Charlotte knows Jim and I ink very well. They've been in partnership and Jim and I ink's been in partnership with a lot of corporations and entities here in San Antonio, but they're also one of my employers. In addition to Juvenile Detention Center, which I've been at 18 years and one month. So I started like November 2002, I think. But anyways, so where was I going? Oh yeah, how do you hire me? Yeah, so they hire me. The first thing I usually do after I sit down to create my curriculum, you know, and then I go into the the the facility. And usually the first thing I do is sing, much like I did in that video, I sing. And I rap to them. And that usually breaks down the walls because, you know, what I call human currency, which is when you come into a setting in someone's there, they approach you to perform or speak to you. The offering that you have to them is your attention, you pay them attention. And it's literally something that cost you because your time is valuable. You pay them attention. I need to take your attention, convert it into some energy and shoot it back to you. And with my performance, if I'm up there just sounding like a robot and talking like this, you're not going to get anything out of it. And I'm not going to get anything out of it. So I'm tasked with engaging you. And I engage by giving some of my spark and some of my energy back with the singing or the poetry, and the rhyme and the rhythm. And we all have a rhythm to us. Nature has a rhythm, which I talk about on one of my other poems, there's a vibration to it. 432 megahertz is the tuning of vibration of nature. And since we all have these frequencies, you know, we're giving our frequencies to each other. And there's some people you vibe with their frequency very well, you know, whatever they're whatever they're buzzing with on the inside. I don't know that's a science, right? But, you know, somewhere in there, some magic happens, some spirit happens. And the kids just they they light up. And then I kind of issue a challenge. I single certain people out and notice things because kids just want to be noticed. Everybody wants to be noticed, right? So I notice them, I speak directly to them. And somewhere in there, I challenge something within them. And then next thing you know, the kids that didn't want to speak, didn't want to write, didn't want to talk to me had their arms folded, they're engaged, they're in it. And then they get up and they start sharing their own stuff. And it just you try to create that safe space with with with people when you engage them. No, that's pretty amazing. Well, we have been joined by the person who put you in your poet laureate position. Mayor Nuremberg, thank you so much for stopping by. Hey, hey, it's good to see you. So great to see you. I wish I could take credit for how vocab is is now the voice of San Antonio. But she earned it on her own. And it was on me to recognize that, I suppose. But I'm so proud of her career. And from the moment I first heard her recite her poetry, I mean, it was it was was incredible. It was otherworldly. And and I think it was the first time we met was at the mayor's ball. Many years ago, you're very moving experience. At any rate, thank you for having me say I know we're here to celebrate now cast and talk about the importance of non profit civic journalism, which is a passion of mine. So thank you for having me. Well, thank you for thank you for for supporting us in so many different ways. And and and your timing on on putting her in that position was pretty much impeccable. I mean, I guess she is she is exactly who we need now. And I think that's that sounds you did right. Well, you know, I happen to believe that people don't pick moments moments, pick people and and vocab is here at the right place at the right time for our community and and good on the city of San Antonio, our community here for recognizing what an incredible international talent we have here in San Antonio and a one of a of a growing list of international talented artists here in San Antonio. But at the moment that she is being recognized with all the different intersections of challenge that are going on in our in our world right now, I can't think of a more appropriate voice to represent the future. Thank you, Andrea. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you. The the next thing we were going to show was was the how she painted a poem on a city street. I mean, talk about this and with the support of the city, I mean, with the support of Centro. And I don't know that other cities had quite that kind of support behind them when people were painting large yellow letters on the streets. This is pretty remarkable. Well, I think maybe they did. But I don't think any city recognize the authenticity of having a voice on the street as we did. I mean, this is not what what was painted on the street in San Antonio was unlike anything you saw anywhere else in the country, but was of the same spirit and in movement. But it was an authentic voice. And I don't know if you if you get that other places. I think that's one of the magical parts of San Antonio is that the authenticity here is is constant. Absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. It looks like you're in outer space, C.A. Oh, yes. Sort of disembodied, you know, she's floating ethereally. Well, I want to I want to also compliment you and and the team at Nowcast. I don't even know how many I don't even know how many years now, but the importance of nonprofit journalism and it's at a time when journalism and media and the press are under attack, having having a a source of journalism that is purely buying from the people of our community is so incredibly important. And and I want to thank you for your persistence because I know it's not easy. Thank you for also sticking cameras where normally they don't they don't they aren't always welcome. Well, well, I'm glad that that I mean, one of the the parts of this pandemic has been that the city has now is now live streaming everything. So it's not necessary for us to be at all of those blessed planning and zoning meetings until all of the morning. So I'm really glad that that we can we can also pick our pick some other moments. You were you were doing it before the pandemic, my darling. You were doing it. You were you set the pace. That's right. I'm I'm glad that you got at the city's the city's picking up there. There's there's a level of purity. I think that journalism aspires to that seldom achieved when you have corporations and advertising and all that stuff. It's just not possible, but you're able to to provide that purity that I think other journalism and outlets aspire to. And I think it's important that you remain present in that way. Thank you. Thank you. This this year, the the thing that we've done that I consider our most important thing was when schools were closed because of COVID and so many children, 94 percent of the kids in SAISD are eligible for free lunch. So many children depended on schools for their meals. We put together a map of 319 different locations where kids could pick up free meals when schools were closed. And we had the capacity to do that. And I'm very glad we did. So yeah, that's that's this year. So so I hope I'd love to know your sense of the future and your level of relative optimism about 2021 and beyond. Mine, I mean, I'm I'm my level of optimism is great because of the level of engagement that we saw in the election when I saw so many people and I saw so many young people, so many young people come out in such extraordinary numbers that gives me great hope that the very young. I mean, you know, 29 and under crowd is making me have great hope for the future. I mean, I I was one of them once and I mean, we kind of still are, we raised a little hell. Yeah, and and I'm hoping that that like I was when I was their age, that they vote in every single election from here to Kingdom come and then it's going to be OK. It was it was. I mean, that's in our mission statements of engagement. And and, you know, Annenberg Center is at your core as well. But but if they stay engaged, then we're good. Yeah. And I always do. You think? Absolutely. I put up several posts during that time. And I think really it's about being present in general. And you have to learn even in this season where we feel extremely disconnected from each other to be present to not zone out. And when you have devices, this makes you zone out a lot of times. And you have to tap in, check on people physically, call physically, you know, show up as much as you can think about. Can I can I zoom? Can I have a meeting where I'm zooming somebody? Or should I talk to them on the phone? Do I should I just text, you know, like show up for each other and we had a lot of time to just sit and look and observe and nothing to distract us from these observations. And so that it puts it directly in your lap. It puts the puts the responsibility back in our in our in our lap to do. And I feel like in the city, like San Antonio, we have some great leadership. You didn't ever to say that this man gets on television night by night and lets you know the statistics, the numbers, where we are, where we stand to know that when there are drive by and drive through centers where you can pick up supplies, our mayor is out there handing those supplies out. He's not sitting at home with his legs up, chilling. Like you're literally out there with us. You roll up your sleeves and you do the work. And when you have that type of leadership, then we're a city of workers. The city has always been a city of working people. And and knowing that it takes the blood, sweat and tears and that something that can affects a small portion of us affects all of us. And it's really great to see that we've we've stood up together. We've come together and we've done those things. It's so important that you and Judge Wolfe, are there every single night taking questions on the fly? Nobody's there's I've seen in questions. I know the questions just go through. Even even sometimes if you've already answered the questions. But I mean, taking those questions, that's not that's that's exceptional in this country. And that's that stands out to all of us. And it also, I think, gives people a sense of a better reason to trust their government when it's just completely transparent. Thank you, C.A. Well, you know, I have the heart of a journalist because that was my dream job growing up. So transparency is something I aspire to. And I think it's it's probably the currency of public trust at this point. So we still have a lot of work to do. But I think in San Antonio, we're doing a little bit better than most. I think yeah, I think it's about to come in with this transparency conversation, two things that I that I kind of keep in my heart at all times is that knowing that I came into this position, I think of it and if you're not a Christian, I don't say this to offend anyone here. But when I think of Christ, he came to the earth knowing that he was a servant. And when I came into this position, I said, I'm coming to serve. And I didn't even want to try to apply to be poet laureate. I didn't want people to really recommend me because I still had to finish. I'm still working at juvenile right now. And so I was like, should I try to do it because I have a full time job and I want to be able to dedicate as many hours as I can to this poet laureate thing. But it's like Mayor Nuremberg understands that he's a he's a public. He's here to serve. I know that I'm here to serve and many other council people, they know that that's what they are, their servants. And we, yes, we have to draw boundaries, healthy boundaries so that we can have balance and not go crazy. But ultimately, that's what we need to do. We need to think about what are the needs of our community, assess that accurately and then come up with a strategy and then execute. You know, and I think that that is that is also what the best journalists do is is to serve the people in the community. I mean, it's not about it's about me behind the camera most of the time. Well, I mean, giving people what they need. Yeah, and life is a series of inflection points. And this is certainly one. I always I always think about the the quote that is most often attributed to Dr. Martin Luther King about the moral universe, the arc of the moral universe is long, but it's bent towards justice. And it is it is the people of the community that live through these moments that do the bending of that arc. And so let us all be those that bend the arc. Absolutely. Thank you. Thank you for putting that overlay on today. That is so important. Thank you. Well, I'm honored to join you. I have some good news, family good news. And that is my nephew who enlisted in the Marines literally two weeks before the pandemic started, surprised us with a trip home. And so he's here right now. So I really appreciate the opportunity to have fellowship with you guys for a little bit. I'm going to go see him before he heads off and my love to you all. Thank you. And and please give give Erica a hug and tell tell Jonah. I missed him at the May or summer reading program this year, but I know he'll be back. He will. He's ready to hand it up at all times. OK, thank you. It's great to see you all. Great to see you. Great to see you. Merry Christmas. Thank you. Happy holidays. Nice to see you. Bye bye. Bye. That was pretty special. Yes. He makes me very proud. Often. Yeah. Yeah, I'm a man. And, you know, my birthday was at the beginning of the month. I woke up to a text from I'm saying happy birthday. And I was like, man, I didn't think I didn't realize, you know, that's one of those moments where I was like, I have some impact. I've got the mayor, the mayor is texting me happy birthday. That's that's crazy. I just like I just had to lay there for a minute and be like, God is good. Well, Susan, can you can you pull up that wonderful video of Andrea's poem? And it is and it is very different than other cities, as the mayor was saying, other cities, many of them had had, you know, the important words, black lives matter on the on the street. But in San Antonio, we had Andrea's poem on the street. We've been experiencing a series of tensions building up. There aren't enough poster boards or hashtags to comfort us or. Yeah, so. That was pretty amazing. Can you can you talk about the power of art as activism? I mean, that's. Sure. So, you know, we got to figure out what our expression is. We all have an expression. Some of us dance, some of us write, some of us paint, some of us sculpt and get an image or a thought or phrase in your mind. For me, when I came up with jubilant and exuberant is the melanin of our skin from despair, we have arisen. When I came up with that, that came after three days of fasting. Just drink water. I prayed, I reflected and I asked God, what should I say to my city to let them know that I love them and that we can overcome? To me, the fact that it's a political statement to say that black people matter is kind of ludicrous, I think trying to tell someone that human beings matter is not a matter of politics and it shouldn't ever be a medical. It shouldn't be radical. It shouldn't be a revolutionary thought. This is just plain and simple. Human decency to know that we all matter. And whether you say a black person matters or a Mexican person matters or a a white person, whoever you say matters, it's true. We just do and it shouldn't be argued and it shouldn't be fought against. You know, and I know that's been said a lot, but I wanted to think about the posturing words have powers you can have a can do. You can have a will do. You could have a should do. You could have a can't do attitude. And I wanted to put this in the perspective of we've already overcome. We've already ascended. We are already doing good and everybody minus our our our albino friends are melanin deficient friends. All of us have melanin in our skin. So you can see yourself somewhere in this in this poem if you want to. If your heart is open to it. And that's why I wrote what I wrote. But there's there's activism within all of us. There's action we can all do, whether it be playing an instrument, singing a song, sculpting something or something you can do. Sometimes knocking on your neighbor's door with a basket of food is activism. It's about meeting needs according to your ability. And we have resources at our fingertips. Sometimes all you need to do is make a phone call and you can solve somebody else's problem or you can get up and physically do it yourself. Right. We all have our ability to do something. Some of it can be a small act. Some of it is big like raising thousands of dollars. You know, you know, it's just about what we can all do in our own space. And it's challenging during this season when we can't freely walk outside unmasked and go and come as we please. But with a little vigilance and making a plan, there's something we can do. Thank you. Thank you. OK, I want to I want to skip to the another thing that I'm very curious about. And it's part of part of it is talk to me about the healing power of poetry. But also talk to me about your personal experience with COVID and and how you beat the odds. I mean, talk about healing. Sure. So words have power and we have to believe that. If you don't believe it, I'm sorry, but it's true. You can create things with the things that you say you can take away and diminish things with the things you say. And so if we take our intentions of whatever is in our heart and then we find the words that we associate with that, we can create poems or songs or stories fiction or nonfiction by autobiographical or not. And we can create, you know, a sequence of things even when you spell stuff out. It's magic and it's why it's called spelling, right? When you can you do a broadcast, it's like casting a spell. Literally, your words have power magic life in them. And so we I believe that very strongly. I'm convicted as something that leads my life knowing that when I speak, my words have the power to create something. And as long as I keep my heart in a good place and I'm doing good, you know? So I try to come from a place of love. I talk about it even in that in that Ted talk, I talk about love being my center and knowing that when I create stuff, I'm creating it with that intention. And so, you know, I teach other people that when I do creative writing, I'm like, think about what your center is. Think about the message that you're trying to portray. And we have a responsibility as writers, as journalists to use the accurate words to say exactly what we mean. And I have friends that I read my poems to and they help me edit or I edit myself. I say them out loud, see how the words sit with me. And that's what I do to create and teaching people is really I I don't know if you can quantify or really put into words what inspiration is. I mean, they've defined inspiration, you know, Webster's dictionary, but there's something about it. You can't really put your rap, your words around what inspiration will do for you. And we some of us have our different gifts. And I feel like one of my gifts is inspiration, inspiration inspiring people. And some of it is having your heart open to receive the inspiration when it comes from someone, you know? Yeah. Well, the second part of that was covid. I mean, you you and you covid covid came to my doorstep. You you live to keep on singing. Yeah, it was crazy because the Sunday there's the Sunday night that I started caught the moment I started coughing, I was like, I think I have covid and I went and got tested that following I went to work that night. And then after that night, I did not. But I wasn't coughing really when I went to work. But when I got there, I started coughing because I work overnight. And usually when you go to bed, you would wake up sick, you know, like we've all gone to bed with feeling just about fine and then woke up the next day and the sickness has hit us. I'm usually I'm usually awake during those hours when my body should be sleeping. And so I'll be awake when symptoms start hitting me. So anyway, it's the next day. I didn't go. I didn't go to work. And I got tested on a Tuesday. It came back negative and I was confused because I was like, I know how I feel. But my test is negative. So I still didn't really go to work. I went to work for four hours on a Thursday. But during that time, that first week, I was still teaching, but I was so tired. My body was so tired, the aches and the coughing. And then by that weekend, I started to lose my sense of taste and smell. I went and got tested again and I came back positive on that Sunday, the next Sunday. So like a week later, I came back positive and, you know, started doing my paperwork for work. But I had to I had to cancel like two performances because that next week I just I couldn't talk because that disease it really attacks your respiratory and it takes so much air to speak. And during that time, you know, I sat quiet, you know, I would post things here and there, but, you know, I just took a lot of supplements, the vitamin D, the vitamin C, the echinacea, a spragilus and olive oil. Yeah, those are the things I took from my immunity. And then as God has led me to tell certain people about the things I took within three to four days, they come back and tell me that they have it. And it's crazy. But I just listened to my spirit and I just start talking to people whenever I feel and then they're like, I'm sick. A few days later, they tell me they're sick. And I'm like, well, I'm glad that I gave you these things that you can take and anybody who wants to know, I'll tell you what I took. But it was based on this doctor that my sister spoke to during that time. But yeah, it was rough. Very hard. Well, I'm really, I'm really, really, really glad that you beat it. Thank you. And and I think the the the supplements that you took to are things that are most of them, all of them are things that that have go way, way, way back, way back in terms of people knowing that they're good for you and that they will help you fight off viruses specifically, but this and, of course, vitamin D is one of our best friends in the world anyway, because it's also an anti-depressant. So and at this point when we're stuck so much inside, we need a lot of anti-depressants. So yeah, and we got to walk around and it hurts and it it scares you because at first you can't breathe and then you can't you start having a panic attack because you can't breathe and that makes it worse. And then you're hyperventilating. And I had many spells of hyperventilation during those few days of being sick. And it was weird because that was right when the video started to air. And I'm like up there, do it for you. But I'm like at home, like I'm like, I felt like such a hippocrat. And I was it was funny because I was in a city council meeting with with the mayor and council people and they're asking me questions and I was sitting there with COVID-19 in the middle of a council meeting at my house in a zoom. And, you know, at that time I hadn't been gotten the diagnosis, but it was it was crazy that I was sitting up there and then I had to go on Fox News and interview and they told me that they were going to ask me if COVID had personally affected my life. And I was like, I'm just going to tell the truth. And I think the hardest part for me wasn't the fact that I was battling it. It was the fact that my sister, I know I gave it to my sister because we live in a house together, you know, my sister's my roommate. And, you know, I didn't have enough time to quarantine and isolate because within two days of me starting to cough and stuff, she started coughing and stuff like that and exhibiting the symptoms. And so it was really rough because I was still testing negative at the time that I passed it to her, you know, so how would I know? And, you know, you don't want to see anyone that you love, let alone yourself go through this. And it really takes a lot of prayer. It takes a lot of prayer and faith and hope and, you know, doing what you can, staying on top of because you're just tired. And all you want to do is sleep. So all you want to do when there's that, how is she? She's good. We're both good. You know, we got over it in November. We tested negative. We've been good. You know, I don't know how long our little antibodies are going to work. But, you know, now with the conversation that we're all having with each other is, are we taking the vaccine or not? Right. And they say Moderna is better for people who have had it already. But, you know, all of us, it's it's just kind of like looking to see watching the people who, you know, may have gotten and watching, you know, those who say they've gotten it or have gotten it on television or whatever and figuring out what we're going to do. Yeah, for real. Well, that brings us to one of the one of the questions from Crystal Darby in the Q&A is what's next for our poet Laureate? Well, I'm in the process of working on an album. It's it's it's centered around what I did with the mural with Painting the Street. It's called the Elevated EP. It'll be a mixture of spoken word, hip hop and music. I'm gearing up for the Bad Mama Jamma remix, which will be at the Carver Community Center called Carver Cultural Arts Center. It'll be March 20th of next year. I'm in the process of getting ready for Dream Week in the MLK March. Unfortunately, that stuff has to be pre-recorded because the season that we're in. So I've been doing shooting videos and footage for some of those things. And some of the stuff I can't say because it hasn't been. They haven't made the announcement in the media, but I'm a part of a public arts celebration and artwork that that's about to be announced. And I'm not the only poet involved in that. But there's several great poets that are part of that public arts thing. So it's a lot of things coming. Yeah, it is. Oh, that's awesome. That's awesome. Well, well, we're coming right up on the on the witching hour here. And so I can't believe it. This is just flown right by it's flown right by. And we have five of your wonderful books to give away. And Susan, if you can pull Amanda in, this is going to be kind of fun. Amanda's got a Wheel of Names and she's going to spin the Wheel of Names. And we're going to figure out who is getting those books. And when they come into the twig bookstore, I will bring them to you. And have you autographed them? We should meet down at the Pearl because it's beautiful down there. That's true. That's give me the outside. Yeah, absolutely. That would be great. That would be great. Crystal just said thanks for the answer. She's she's going to be watching, you know, she will and she's one of one of my wonderful board members. OK, thank you. Susan, can you bring Amanda in for the wheel spinning of the wheel? Yes, the wheel of fortune. We need a heart player. No, she's got it. She's got it. It's really cool. Why do you see this thing? It's totally cool. Apologize, I changed my name and it confused her. So we're getting getting the screen share. Amanda, when incognito here, when she's back, Amanda, Amanda is was a now cast development director for many years, and even though she moved into different time zones and. Susan, I need the screen share option. No one wants to look at me right now, I promise. You're beautiful. What are you talking about? Araleo Montamayor, you asked, is it harder to write poetry than prose? I would say, depending on the form that you pick, like something like haiku, super duper easy. Limerick's a little bit harder. You know, it just depends on the form that you choose, because some form is based on iambic pentameter and syllable counts and stress on syllables. And those forms are not as easy to write as a prose to me. That comes easy, smidgey, you know. OK, Amanda, look at this wheel. Is Sarah Grace. Numero uno down. Sarah, congratulations, Sarah Grace. Crystal. Linda, Linda, Linda, Linda, Linda, Linda, Tracy. Another board member, Crystal. It did with Crystal. Hey, Crystal. Last but not least, and Jim Askin. Yay. Hey, I was about to think that wheel was sexist. Thank you. Thank you so much for your time and the treasure of your time and and your words. It has been such a delightful night. I am very grateful. Thank you very much. It's been a pleasure to be with you all. And this time it really did was by like, have we been here an hour? What are you talking about? But I love you all. And if you need me, hopefully you all have access to Facebook or or Gmail, because my email is vocab81 at gmail.com. That's vocab81. The year I was born at gmail.com. You can email me. I want to be accessible to you and I will try to respond within a reasonable amount of days to anything that you might have for me. I love you all and have a best, safe, safe holiday experience. Hi, I see you guys up there. Hey, I want to see everybody. Can we cut on? Can we turn on our can we turn on the get we feel comfortable to share your screen so I can look at your places? That would be great. I see my fee. I see Mimi. I see Barbara Gerben Hawkins. I see Beth and Tracy and Crystal and Anne Larmie. No. And who have I missed Rebecca Espinoza and and who else? Editor Wilshire Wilshire. That's my sweet husband. Oh, hello, sweet husband. And Susan Smiley has been driving your Susan. I'm Miriam Miriam. Susan has been driving this whole time and made those wonderful videos come in. Hi, Miss Barbara. How are you? You look so pretty over there. Is that a piano behind you? Oh, my God. It is. Yeah. Oh, if I would have known, I would have been like, we could have some piano earlier. Thank you, beautiful people. Thank you for letting me see your faces. It's so good to connect. Thank you. Thank you. All right. If anybody wants to stay on for a second, I'll read you guys in the poem because I did not marry a poem. Oh, you didn't marry another. OK, OK. We will have a call if y'all want to stick around for it. I'm sticking around some poetry because I'm a ham. Unfortunately, my mama birthed a ham and I own up to it. I fess up to it, you know what I'm saying? But I consider it a privilege and an honor to be here with you all and to share my poetry. So this poem is a oldie but goodie. It's called Jazz That I Am. It is based on the Harlem Renaissance era of American history because black history is American history and it's about so many jazz artists that I happen to love and I know that bebop and funk are two different types of jazz, but I say funk in the sense of style, not in the sense of funk jazz just so because I've had people argue me down. Why do you say funk? It's not funk. It's bebop. I know what's bebop, honey. I'm talking about funkiness. It's funky. All right. I don't know if y'all can hear my snap or not. Got it. I'll be that saxophone. I'll be that trombone. I'll be that jazz song. My voice is a microphone phone. I am piano keys. My walk is a symphony. My heels click like a tambourine. Yeah, music is my everything. So give me jazz, jazz that I am. Give me jazz, jazz that I am. Give me jazz, jazz that I am. I am jazz, yeah. Give me a Thelonious Munk kind of funk to smooth my wrinkled morning blues. Cruise down my memory banks with subdued bebop blues melodies rain down my soul from the heavenlies. Fat cold drops of precipitation. I think my flesh was awaiting its creation through cold train stained saxophone notes chained to clay and Adam's missing rib. And as Dizzy Gillespie caressed me, molded and shaped me to the sound of supple trumpet toots, the bravado of my heart began to shoot through the roof of my mouth and a jazzy, fat, nasty sound came spouting out. I let the pitch of its shout over Kenny Clark drum taps, having a musical spat with the rainbow in my smile. And for a while I drowned my mind in the lines of an old Louis Armstrong song. The breath from his cheeks pushed me along. And from then on, I knew I belonged with Dexter Gordon. Great soul found me among the ranks with Charlie Parker and Johnny Hodges as their instrumental music massages my temples, changing the tempo of my thoughts. Because lately I've been dwelling on Duke Ellington keystrokes. Mental images float off his elegance and with relevance. Promote my thought patterns to linger in limbo with Nina Simone as Cab Calloway echoes his resonance of a hidey, hidey, hidey ho. Twirling in a yellow pinstripe, zoop, zoop with matching hat to boot. I tell you I am a recruit for a jazzy. Dream team, so stream me through Dot Perry's piano pounding. Glee me in a montage of cool and big band swing. Whirl me on the surface of a melodic color scheme. Harlem Mahogany's in Dutch DC. Chocolate Browns catch me in this movement of symphonic sound. And I will never come down from the very high found in my blood as a pump. So give me a Thelonious Munk kind of funk of smooth black. Billie Holiday grew by luscious. Lena Horntuna, croon from Cerevon to spawn a midmorning press for my bunchy blues, because I want to be smooth. So smooth as jazz is jazz, a renovated soul and innovative from old and inundated with cold drops of rain just as inflamed as they carnivorously drunk with this neoclassic Thelonious Munk kind of funk. So give it to me, live it through me, say it to me, play it through me. I am a vessel, a significant infant, adolescent to imminent woman, projecting and expressing this air inspired art form. My body performs it every minute of every passing day for decades. You can hear me jazz would win percussion, stirring with discussion brass like is. Baby, I am containing, becoming and being pizzazz. And I have as much as with such class of Thelonious Munk. Kind of funk, jazz, jazz, jazz that I am that you are. Thank you. Can you hear the applause? Yes, and I love you all. Thank you so much. Thank you. That was extra minutes. Thank you for taking them yet. That is so kind of you, so kind of you. Thank you. You are giving me great hope. We're in this together. We are amazing. Yeah, thank you. Thank you so much. Y'all be blessed and let's keep checking in on each other, checking with each other and keep ourselves community minded. Thank you. My compliments to your mama. I'll tell her. Thank you. Good night, everyone. Good night.