Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays from the renaissance negresse!

Dear One,

Hello! How are you? I mean, really, stop, take a moment, and check in with your breath. How’s your inner chestal reggione feeling? Are the shoulders relaxed? Take a few deep breaths. Maybe stretch like a cool cat. If you’ve been seated for a long time, take this time to stand up for a little while, and reach to the ceiling, filling your lungs and cells with fresh, new oxygen. This is the time to de-stress.
I’m writing to you because although I’ve been so overwhelmed, I’ve been very appreciative of the gifts of grace I’ve been given from time to time. One of the sweetnesses has been holiday wishes.
From electronic greeting cards and forwarded emails to heartfelt Facebook status updates, and even the occasional paper-mailed card (can you imagine?!) it’s just nice sometimes to be remembered.
So I’m taking a moment from my writing schedule, from checking off my “Things to Do List” one by one (very fulfilling!) and stopping to let you know that I know you’re there either running around like crazy, doing a bunch of errands back to back, or putzing about kinda slow and depressed-like, or maybe a little bit of both.
You’re either diggin’, shovelin’, or playin’ in the snow. You’re either home alone or with a partner or with your family. Which ever singular or combined thing, I hope you’re enjoying yourself. Whether glorious solitude or the mixed blessing of friends and family, I wish you a safe, warm, and happy holiday season, however you observe it.

Be well all ways,

Cassendre Xavier (aka Amethyste Rah, aka Amrita Waterfalls)
renaissance negresse (musician, author, visual artist, actress)
http://cassEndrExavier.com

Source: http://cassendrexavier.blogspot.com/2009/12/happy-holidays.html

Snow in NY/Erotic Literary Salon 12/15

Greetings, Friends!

Firstly, you know I’m really excited about my participation on Rupert Wates’ recording & live performance project “Joe’s Café”, which is a collection of songs he wrote based on true stories he found in anthologies and news clippings. My song is “Snow in New York”, and after months of rehearsal, Rupert Wates and Friends had our first live concert of “Joe’s Café” in Manhattan on 122 at the esteemed venue the Metropolitan Room. The show was videotaped and here is my part of it – me singing “Snow in New York” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSrQbulyIx4. You can watch the whole rest of the show by visiting http://www.youtube.com/user/daveturnermusic and finding all the “Rupert Wates and Friends” links on that channel.

Secondly, I’ll be working the door at the Erotic Literary Salon tomorrow, Tues 12/15. It’s an absolutely lovely and very special event I’m so pleased to be a part of. I’ll be featuring in January (on the 19th – it’s always the 3rd Tuesday), and really enjoy the atmosphere there. Details: http://theeroticsalon.com/press-release/december-press-release-feature-erotic-tantra-poetics/

Hope you’re doing well, and look for my next ME! ME! ME! which will be called “Apology Included” and hopefully both make nice with, and open the eyes of the folks I offended with my last newsletter. If not, well, hey, it won’t be new to me!

Happy holidays,

Cassendre Xavier (aka Amethyste Rah, aka Amrita Waterfalls)
renaissance negresse (musician/author/visual artist/actress)
http://cassEndrExavier.com

Founder & Executive Director of the Black Women’s Arts Festival (Est 2003)
http://BWAFphilly.org (Early Bird Discounted Submissions Ends January 15th!)