Awards

Arts KC Inspiration Award Winner 2009

Charlotte Street Foundation Exhibiting Artist 2009, 2010

Creative Capital Professional Development Alumnus

Donations for respectful, revealing, responsible, revved-up, revolutionaries

My Recent Twitter Feed

How I met my fiance

I was riding along one day doing my normal fall Saturday routine picking up apples at City Market. I was headed toward my friends to meet for the 3:00 bike ride and this dude asked me, “Do you know where the Heart of America Bridge is?”

I said, “Yes, I’ll show you.” I thought he . . . → Read More: How I met my fiance

We need artists to build a social change movement

Art is essential to build a social change movement. How do we grow and expand? Those of us who are artists, athletes, mental health civil rights activists, and people working for change need to use our strengths. We have our numbers, our honest information, our creativity, and our passionate art and stories. Here is a . . . → Read More: We need artists to build a social change movement

Does anyone even know that I’m a Christian poet?

My testimony and public spiritual declaration.

I found this video and thought I would go ahead and make this claim publicly. Yes, I’m a Christian poet. No, I don’t believe your spiritual tradition is wrong.  This statement has the potential to irk both my Christian friends and my non-Christian friends, but I’ll claim it. I . . . → Read More: Does anyone even know that I’m a Christian poet?

I like to fight – evolution of an advocate

Mixing advocacy approaches give me fresh insight.

“I am young, involved and in control of my destiny. I am free, powerful, hopeful, and people like me…. there are many. Sixty pushups, a six mile run, or sixty miles to Lees Summit. I can get there with no gas – I’ll watch OPEC plummet. Setbacks I . . . → Read More: I like to fight – evolution of an advocate

Key Life Decisions

Moving beyond the subconscious: Key Life Decisions I made very early in life

There are significant moments in each person’s life, not neccessarily the high and low points, but the factors that led up to those moments. These can become unconscious or automatic once the thinking is ingrained. This is an accounting of the key . . . → Read More: Key Life Decisions

Digital Storytelling – I made my first edit!

Stories and examples of my first exposures to digital storyellting. How I made the Olympic Combat KC video. . . . → Read More: Digital Storytelling – I made my first edit!

How I Became A Performance Artist

One of my first presentations, at Air Capital Judo Club in Wichita. Photo by Kevin Dean

When I was between jobs about four years ago after my two year dog grooming career, I thought I might want to go into mental health. I had been facilitating a support group one day a week and . . . → Read More: How I Became A Performance Artist

Wellness Wordworks Launch Party Press Release

Kansas City Based Business Uses Arts and Advocacy to Address Massive Mental Health Budget Cuts in Missouri and Kansas

U.S. Olympic Team Member Corinna West is founding an advocacy business to tackle the rapidly diminishing funding in the mental health system. Wellness Wordworks offers motivational speaking, spoken word poetry, and innovative programs that enable people to . . . → Read More: Wellness Wordworks Launch Party Press Release

The Exit Project for Homeless Youth

One day on First Friday I was riding around through the art galleries and saw clay figures of homeless youth out on the streets. I started riding around to see how many of the sculptures there were. I found quite a few of them, just sitting in street corners and doorwells.  It was a moving . . . → Read More: The Exit Project for Homeless Youth