writer's boot camp

got 3 group pieces that need editing

1 poem that needs to be memorized

4 articles due last week

and not enough: energy, filanges or time to finish them.

hulk hogan, poetry and all things holy

the mighty mighty hulk hogan
ok. so i admit it. im watching hulk's reality show -- he is kinda bitch-like! he sets up his son to get in an argument with the son's 15 year old girlfriend, all because he wants more attention... can u say HUH?

poetry
we talked about it all nite. it's a bit disheartening to see the process. but that's how it goes. i know for a fact you have to fall out of like with it to fall deeper in love with it. we'll just hope nationals saves the day with this one. that and our show: JAM ON IT -- next saturday AUG 6th. SOLD OUT. SOLD OUT. SOLD OUT. SOLD OUT. SOLD OUT. SOLD OUT. SOLD OUT. uhh - did i say this show was sold out? niiiice!

team slam
we have a going away party for central nj slam team. it's at our slammaster's house. and all i can say is where's the bbq SON?! will tell you how it all pans out in 2 and 2!

mahogany l. browne and the ladies of neo souldiers: Know13 @ Shelle.

there is bryan and aubrey the beautiful. i will be honest. bryan (miraculously) won the bowling tournament this nite. but neva again i say! nevaaaa again!

this is the view from my suite in austin's renassiance hotel. only trees like this in NY are in Central Park!

christi and matthew took me to the top of the city... seattle's finest

this is the road i walked up during my stay in seattle. yes. that's with the jacked up ankle... :(

this is the spaceship that we say in ITALY, TX -- don't ask me about the lil' green people in the front of it.

chheeeeeez sucka!

those are my pretty cousins: desi and tasha.

this is the beach in corpus christi, tx. this is where i found myself actually breathing for the first time -- in a long itme.

so here is where i crashed when in seattle. this is christa's thinking wall... can you say WHOA?

austin: substance abuse conference -- they were are. the revised sea salt & cayenne peppa! w/spin cycle as the dj!

nobody does it like AUSTIN!

so now im in austin. in my plush ass hotel room. acting bougie like a mutha -- peering at the ants below me. lol

last we talked i was in corpus christi. it was here that drove on the beach (yes DROVE) for almost 2 miles. i learned to fly a kite, stepped in the Texas gulf and prayed. it was so beautiful. will show the pics - i promise.

afterwards, i went to san antonio -- they have the closest thing to a Texan Nuyorican ever. the spot is known as house of the hecklers to natives, but as Puro Slam to us other folk. cats had me shook to even rock there. i was warned they will yell at you during your slam. talk over you. make you cry and invite you out to fight afterwards.

none of this happened...not to me anyway. it was fly as hell! beautiful people. vocab picked me up from the bus station and jo, kim and bryan met me at the spot to escort me back to austin. very flyy indeed.

next day was the conference. since i didnt get into kim's crib until 3 something (cause homegirl lives in HUTTO - i say it like puttwo with an H?) got up fresh and early like 8 and headed to the conference. i asked for specific poets to accompany me in the substance abuse conference presentation. and i must say - we ripped dat bytch apart! people were sneaking into the conference room, as they were told we were too full and they weren't allowed to sign up. puhleez!

you know me, you know i don't give a damn. so we had chairs on the makeshift stage, people sitting on the stairs and it was gorgeous! there were so supportive and happy to be there and alive, that i felt like giving them my product for free. but i didnt cmon, now?! lol

after that 3 hour session we got some grub at the cheesecake factory, then had to get in the obligatory nap. i hit ego's that night as a special guest. this is where i witnessed my first MOONING ON STAGE (courtesy of Big Poppa E's bright ass). whoa///

right after i rocked on stage, i had to young blond haired southern college frat boys come up to me and thank me til my hand went numb. i was more surprised at the color line poetry crossed - and that's some powerful shyt to swallow.

left for neo souldier's new spot Antonio's which was on fire as soon as i stepped in the door. booked for double features is hard and here i was -- rocking 4 different sets in the same day. with the limp! holla lmao - but it was so worth it. my people's kevin (who dates ms. bell's lil sista small ass world!) was in the spot - we rocked together twice in LA so it was good to see him traveling and prosperous. this white boy got more soul than a little. trust dat! and i get to hobble on stage for the last time in Austin. so i think i just poured it out on stage like water. i left hobbling after 3 poems with a standing ovation.

i love austin... it's like a warm sweatshirt that never fades and is always fitted, comfortable and in style. and i'm so very lucky that austin loves me back! i get to go bowling tonite ya'll! wish me and the ankle luck. then i'm headed back to nyc to recouperate and get ready for the nationals in new mexico (aug 9 - 14)!

love ya like cooked food -- dat's right: collard greens, sweet cornbread, candied yams and mac n cheese.

denver to dallas & back down...to corpus christi

it's been a long time - i shouldn't have left you -- without a funky blog to step to! give it up for RAKIM! even when im trying to be corny with a side of cool - his lyrics bring me thru. :)
whassup web fam. i feel like it's been a minute. my bad. just didn't have internet access during the weekend. let me 'xplain

sat:
after we checked into the embassy suites (crazy beautiful, crazy expensive)
after jive and fish walked through the doors and my world is so much better
after i realized how much i missed j walking in all shaved and beautiful...
after we head to the theatre just in time to rock an impromptu "dress rehearsal"
after we grab a bucket of hot wings (about 50) and movies from blockbuster
after breakfast (for free) i'm talking freshly made mushroom and cheese omelette
with a crazy buffet - that i just couldn't eat (unlike fish and jive)
after we have a poetry workshop - with a turnout of a WHOPPING 8 (love to the seattle slam team & who's this?)
after all dat -- we head to the theatre for our show
about 10 minutes late
why: because fish is starving -- so chipotle for everyone!
it's this mexican grill that is the truth, yo!
fish gets pork, chicken and steak something or other
jive gets some steak and chicken joint
i rock a chicken burrito - jessica eats something while driving
(crazily) to the theatre - now 25 minutes late
we sit and listen to a funky ass band call VEGAS WITCHCRAFT
niiiice

my girl, catherine from the spot, is there and the show
is a blast
i get a standing ovation
and leave the stage - prepared for jive to trump me
it's our ritual. we feed off each other's energy

there is a much better crowd than the night before.
and we rip it so hard - that we are ready for the reggae club
no such luck. jive and i head back to braid him up before he heads back to NYC
and i pack for dallas

sun:
i fell asleep on the plane before it even took off
tired as hell
can't feel my ankle so well
this life is serious
i finally make it to dallas
my phone has been on the blitz since seattle
now -- it can't hold a phone call for more than 5 minutes
if im lucky enough to get the call
mr guinn hits me to let me know he is 20 minutes away
i'm like -- whatever. sleep still crowds my space
but i trek over to the baggage claim
damn near dragging my bag of product - which has yet to lighten enough for me to walk
semi-normal
i make it to grab one piece of luggage, just to find out they lost the other
it's a box full of my books, sent from the publisher
it's a slight glitch in my matrix as i have a show in less than 5 hours
and only about 30 books.
i'm over it already
make my claim, head to meet mr guinn and meet the texas sun

ick. its so hot i forgot my damn name!
i try to buy a pair of slip ons for the benefit of rocking on stage
without the ankle brace, as in that beautifully lost bag -- is my new pair
of black leather slip on sandals. that doesn't work out... whateva

decide on eating and just sleepin' until the show
mr. guinn takes me to the motel 6
it is one of the wackest rooms i've ever seen:
-- the bathroom smells like old mop water
-- the bedspread has cigaretter burns all through it
-- the remote is missing
-- and the damn HBO channel is NOT working
i don't have the strength to call mr. guinn back and tell him the deal
so i lay - with my scarf and jacket under me
and sleep until 7
waking up to espn's poker tournament - my new fav -
i "wash" up get dressed and wait for my ride
a fellow Buckie (she taught me that ya'll) as she loves starbucks too!

we make it to 5th Ave and it's so beautiful
the two men running it are young brothers
with incredbible hospitality and the room is packed
after an extended open mic
i sit on the chair and try to evoke something
from my still fatigued body
it works. the crowd is electric with laughter
and i walk away with another standing ovation

afterwards, we head to downtown dallas
to catch the regional slam for Texas
just in time to say goodbye, i get to hug:
marcell murphy - houston, joaquin - dallas, rock baby - dallas, aj of ft worth, janene of ft worth and camisole is in the house! nice. stefan is also there, he is my ride and host for the next city

before long we are heading back to my rank motel where mr. guinn refuses to settle for just anything. he rushes to the front desk and explains to them with such conviction - i got shivers.
he argued "sir, do you know who this is? how can we as Texans offer anything below standard to such greatness?"

ok maybe not all dat - but he got me another room! lol and it was clean. and had a remote. and i watched my girl LADY LUCK aka ANNIE DUKE win 2 million dolla's while whopping those men'ses ass on the poker table
way to end an incredible evening

mon:
my lost luggage arrived in my sleep. yea! then stefan, gwynne and emily (corpus christi slam team) scoop me by noon and we are off on our 6 hour journey to CC. it takes us almost 7 and a half hours, as we took the scenic route. filled with the most beautiful lakes i've ever seen - i let my body fall in and out of consciousness as stefan plays his jazz collection. we eat dairy queen burgers - which are like BANGING with a blizzard ice cream and later - some junk food to finish the trip. i take pictures (like a tourist) of an alien spaceship burger stand -- will surely post later -- and before long we drive into the surprisingly big beach city of CC. we make it to the venue @ 730pm. the sign up list started at 7pm, so we are just in time. i open the set (odd) and hope the starbucks that stefan treated me to won't wear off. it feels like the most draining experience ever - next to childbirth, but not as painful. but its so fufilling. the audience is beautiful. and very energetic. after the slam, which i am a judge -- nice!, i follow with a closing set and soon sell out of books. during the course of the evening Tammi (fellow mother and teacher) and i giggle like girls as we sit and listen to Chuck, a slammer, read his Tweeter piece. it goes: my girl has a tweeter and i really love to eat her. i give him a 9.5 outta respect! lol
we retire after stefan has won (with a jazz poem, dedicated to me, which turns to some ice cream/sex/freak poem YOWSER!) and head back to his crib. tammi offers to bring breakfast and wine and i lean against the window watching the houses and stars blend again.

here i am!

At the Say Word Poetry & Theatre Festival in Denver, Colorado

Jive and Fish Vargas (both bloggers) are on their way to meet me. i cam a day early so that i could do a workshop with my favorite Catherine Thornhill. the theme was changing the perception that people have of you into the perception that you have of yourself. very emotional. and guess what -- i did my fist painting! lol

j knows, i bought paints and a canvas almost 2 years ago -- but i was so afraid that i would mess it up that i refused to paint anything. and now, i think i am ready! so i will create my first painting and post it. but remember -- i am a writer for a reason, dammit! :)

so we went to a spot called brussards last nite -- which was wierd. lol seriously, i think being up since 6am that morning and trying to work off of coffee alone was a bad idea. but we had to promote for the festival, so sometimes you just gotta shake it off - nahmeen?

i was lucky though - i got to see my sis Basheba Earth (emcee, fashion designer, mother -- www.urbanearth.net ) and as usually she knows exactly what i'm going thru. she is my couture designer for when i tour -- so when i jump on stage i am always rocking something original! :) we sat and just absorbed each other while the babies ate vegatarian dinner and her man Drew, supportive as hell, maintained the peace. she is the most calming woman ever -- i can't wait to get her back up to NYC (where she cultivated her artistry) for an exclusive gig.

anyway. that's enough gushing. im headed to an interview at denver's radio station. i promise ya'll this is so healthy! this feelin' of light and love and positive energy. after my argument with amari's father (which i try to steer clear of) -- i need it. and i though about writing about it right here. but the negativity is so wack -- i'm thinking what for? ya know?

loving you with smiles and stanzas
(cali-bklyn girl somewhere in aurora, colorado)

10 things to do in seattle before you die in Denver

1 -- watch constatine with seattle slam team (it is the absolute BOMB)

2 -- eat the hottest, spicest and most tastiest homemade chicken enchiladas (from scratch) courtesy of seattle's slammaster better half (this burning tongue is thanks to you init!)

3 -- listen to Christa Bell sing all of Stevie Wonder's songs -- yup. every last one of them!

4 -- talk to daemond about the intake of milk (about half a gallon a day -- WHOA!)

5 -- fall in love with the most comfortable bean bag

6 -- watch the seattle slam team gush over the cherry, chocolate chip and oatmeal cookies (again, init with the save ya'll!)

7 -- realize daemond is right. trader joe's peanut butter cups are SO much better than Reese's

8 -- walk into the Seattle Airport and greet the 200 hundred people waiting in the same airline ticket counter as you

9 -- talk to Christa on the phone once she realizes you are really gone! and she can't tell you the following phrases without the same impact: "Im a writer I need space. Go get a life/ Give me my keys back!/ Walk up and down these hills on a broke ankle/ We can watch Princess Bride -- or Vanity Fair. Everything else sucks/ I am so humble"

10 -- figure out 10 more things to do so you can go back and be so inspired in Seattle

seattle rocks!

last nite at the mirabua room over 80 people came to the slam.
and i, mahogany l. browne, tried to rock a hole in that stage - ya heard?!
it was ssoooooooo fun!
they were full of energy (and liquor) which made my set electric! lol
afterwards i got nothing but love and book sales to prove it. i received the most
beautiful compliments that i had to pinch myself to assure it was i
that wasn't dreaming! even the offer to suck my toes (awkward) made me gasp
before i offered my cd to take home with them instead... lol

poetry has these phenomenal nights that just make you realize there is NOTHING
more profound or important than making someone's skin goosebump in anticipation for the truth. it's nights like last night that keep poets scrounging for the next fix -- the next hit.
it's addictive! and the poetry from the slammers were breathtaking! christa killed it and the young man that came in second (rylie (sp)) was damn near perfection! matthew ripped and roberto came with the most intense perspective of love -beginner's love - through a young man's eyes.

afterwards, the slam team took me to eat the best appetizers ever! we shared plates of beef ribs, hot wings, salmon quesidillas, chicken strips and fries. i even got to ride on back of the butch scooter (will show you a pix of that experience soon! LOL). overall -- seattle rocks.

next stop denver

loving this penned life
mahogany (from an incredible view of the pier on Bell & 1st in Belltown @ Christa Bell's house)

nextel sucks

second new phone in less than a year! i hate next nextel

seattle #2

talking to j. went to the bank. beautiful show at seattle center. limo ride back to christa's studio. fell for starbucks all over again. chilled at the beach with piece and akira -- got a suntan. show tonite at wallingford... must rest a bit.

in a minute