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It's Me Again

We’re Moving!

11/05/2012
It's Me Again, News
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Hey all! Just a quick update about where I’ve been and what I’ve been doing (writing, interviewing, editing, revamping the blog a bit).

So, I started this blog back in 2009 when I finally got tired of waiting for the “right time” to really start my magazine. The blog was supposed to work as a complement of sorts- I wanted to write about the issues that teen girls in NYC faced, of course, and highlight parts of the stories that I wasn’t able to include in the print edition because of space, but I also wanted to write about local events, contests, opportunities, resources,  including local/national/global news stories about other teens.

It was very good practice and reading over past blog posts, I think I did a decent job even if I was a bit broad in scope. Along the way, I got a bit frustrated with the lack of traffic, feedback, comments, and (of course) success, so I took a few breaks here and there. But no matter how frustrated I got (at one point, I was even considering shuttering the print magazine), I realized that there is nothing else in this world that I want to do more than the work I am doing now with this blog and magazine. So I always ended up back where I started.

Earlier this year, I started a new blog, http://www.girls-like-us.com, because I wanted to expand my coverage to include the awesome things girls were doing who didn’t happen to live in NY, but, predictably, running two (somewhat similar) blogs at the same time was time consuming and draining. So, I recently combined the two blogs into one. The main blog is going to be  at the http://www.girls-like-us.com location, but I have transferred all of the homegirlnyc.com posts there as well, and you can find a link to Homegirl NYC in the menu bar of the new blog. This way, I can center my focus on “the awesomeness of all girls,” while still focusing regionally on the Homegirl NYC audience. I hope you all will join me over there, read up on some of the newer blog posts and “like” our Facebook page. I have a really great interview with Olympic Boxing Gold Medalist Claressa Shields coming up soon and I’m really looking forward I can’t wait to see what’s next for us.

Thanks for sticking with me.

Why This EIC Went MIA

09/25/2012
It's Me Again, Letter from the Editor, Motivation, My Story
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Hey all,

I know it’s been a while, but I’m back (I know, again). Truth is, starting this magazine (and trying to make it pop) has been a lot of hard work, even harder than I anticipated. Truth moment? I thought that having a good  great idea was enough. That all I had to do was to get the magazine finished (which took long enough), printed, and the world would recognize its awesomeness and praise/award me appropriately. Yeah. Welp, the world got me good. And for a minute there I got caught up in comparing my struggle to other people’s “successes” and I got bummed out. I doubted myself and I wondered if it was even worth it. I’m here, so what changed? Well, a few things. First, I met an amazing group of young women (Girls for Gender Equity, how y’all doin) and got excited about the mission of this magazine again. Like, I really got excited again. Then, I took a moment to honestly re-evaluate what I had done and why it didn’t work. And when I say I took a moment, I mean I read and researched and thought critically about what I was trying to do versus what I was actually doing. I switched up my game plan and recommitted myself to doing this work. So, I’m here. And I’m back to basics. That means, I’ve stopped focusing on all the awards I think I deserve and  all the great things to come and I’m working on reaching these girls, right now.

“Please help us find a home. We’re really good magazines. Honest.”

That said, I have a lot of copies of the first issue left. I’m not really concerned with making a profit selling them, as that ship has sailed. But I would like to get the issues out to some young women who might enjoy them. So, I’d you know of any groups, schools, programs, homes, centers, etc. where I can send a packet of magazines, please let me know.

Also, stay tuned. Because I’m going to be blogging about the process of getting this issue of the magazine out and, well, I plan to do so honestly, so you might not want to miss it.

~Until next time

I’m baaaaack…

12/11/2011
It's Me Again
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I know, right? Finally. So, where in the world have I been? Well, taking some time ( a lot of time) to be completely honest. I published the magazine back in May and while I was elated with how it turned out, I can’t say that it “popped” like I thought it would (or should). The people who saw it, liked it (loved it, even) but getting the word out didn’t happen as organically as I had hoped. So I stepped back a bit. Got frustrated with blogging and feeling like I was talking to myself, so I stopped. Bad idea, I know, but that’s what happened. And maybe it needed to happen.

So, fast forward to now and I’m excited all over again. Planning issue number two (more on that soon) and a much better business model. Stay tuned…and I promise, it won’t take nearly as long ; )

That New New

01/12/2010
Giving Back, It's Me Again, Making a Difference
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Happy New Year, girlies! (I know, I know…said as I hang my head in shame). But new year, new things, right? So…we’re back…AGAIN! Enough with the old, on to the new.

So, did you know that January is National Mentoring Month? Well, neither did I. But, I’m glad that it is. And I’m glad that I am a (new) mentor and that I have a mentee (hey, you!) that I adore. Yesterday we FINALLY went to go see Precious. I know, I know. But I read Precious way back in the day (I have an original hardcover copy of the book), so I had to mentally prepare myself to see the film.

Original Hardcover Edition

New, movie-based, paperback

And I wanted to see it with my mentee. She mentioned to me that she had read the book (!) as well, and she wondered how different the movie would be, so I thought it would be a great idea for us to see it together.

Afterwards, we didn’t speak for at least 15 minutes. And that was as it should have been. The movie was a lot to process. I don’t think that I still have, completely. So I don’t want to give a critique of the movie, that’s been done, ad nauseum. If you haven’t read the book, read it. If you haven’t seen the movie, do so. And if you don’t know about the star, Gabby Sidibe, find out. What I really wanted to talk about is the larger message of literacy and the need for all of us to get involved…in some (what we think is small) way. If you are reading this, you can read. And that is one skill that you have that many others don’t. It’s one thing you know how to do that you can teach to someone else. Or one way that you can help somebody else.

One thing that struck me, as I sat in the movie theater on Sunday afternoon was how packed the place was…still. And this movie came out last year. And it’s not a “feel good” movie, or date-night romantic or action-packed. It’s gritty and raw and uncomfortable to watch. So I was glad to see so many people, so many different kinds of people (seriously, it was like the United Nations and the Special Olympics in there) coing out to support the film. And I thought, if just a fraction of everyone who went to see the movie decided, instead of say analyzing the film to death or comparing it to the book to the point of tears, to DO something (like volunteer to read to school children or to teach literacy to functioning illiterate adults) we could might actually change some lives. And that, after all, is the point, right?

And if teaching is not your thing, or literacy isn’t either, that’s okay, too. But figure out what you can do, and do it. If you would make a good peer mentor/counselor (do they still have those?), or coach, or math tutor, or assistant or volunteer of any kind, do that. If your contribution is just to not be a part of the crowd making fun of another student for not knowing how to read well, or because she doesn’t dress well enough, or smell nice, or look a certain way, or stand up for herself, be that better person. Be that friend, or at least that voice of reason who stands up for someone who really needs it.

In case you want to volunteer, but are unsure of where to start, here are a few links to help you out:

DoSomething.org is exactly what is sounds like…it provides resources to help you do something, even if you don’t know what that something it. So, go do it.

GrooveJob.com is a website that allows students and teens to search for internships and volunteer work by city or zip code. Here’s the link for volunteer opportunities.

Also, check out NYC Service. You can look for volunteer opportunities or even pledge a “Day of Service.” F.Y.I, there’s a “Day of Service” project coming up for the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.

If you are 17 or older, check out the year-long projects available at City Year.

And here is an article on the variety of opportunities around the city, from acting as a guide a Prospect Park Zoo, to volunteering at the ASPCA (you know, the organization with the sad-eyed animal commercials that make you go awwww…yeah. them. well, they protect animals and need clerical help), to helping out at a botanical garden, museum, library, tutoring younger kids, or helping elders.

Happy hunting!

That is all. For now.

Guess Who’s Bizzack?

12/09/2009
It's Me Again
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Girls, girls, girls…It’s been a long time…I know, right? I shouldn’t have left you…but, sometimes (like this time) it is very necessary. And yes, believe it or not, I did miss you. But I’m back! And ready to get, get, get (back at) it.

So here goes, a belated Happy Thanksgiving! to all my Homegirls! I hope you ate well, enjoyed time with the family (or friends) and that you have a lot to be thankful for. I know that I certainly do. It’s been a rough year, and over the course of the past few months, I’ve lost several  family members. So this year, I was most thankful for the ones that I have (and for the real love that we have for one another) and for the time that I still have here on Earth. And I’m even more determined to do something(s) with my talent, and make every moment (or decision) count, because as Ms. Badu sang, “Time’s a wastin…”

Now, normally, I would’ve spent Thanksgiving down south with my grandmother and my family. Mmmm…Good company, great food, and really good times. But this year, I spent Thanksgiving in Cancun, yes, as in Mexico. And I’ve got to tell you, I had a blast, which is why I did not think of even touching a computer with any seriousness.

I’m really not a braggart, but here are a few pics from my trip:

The resort

The ocean view

The water

Mayan ruins in Ek Balam

The city of Ek Balam

Cemetery; possibly morbid, but really fascinating

Ah yes, Thanksgiving dinner. The salad.

The soup

Lemon sorbet (to clean the palate)- yummy!

Turkey dinner…eh…I prefer the real thing

Option 2: Filet Mignon (What I should have chosen) SO good!

And for dessert- some type of apple strudel business

The parting view...adios Cancun

Ok. So now that we’ve caught up, let’s get back to work. I have a lot planned for the upcoming weeks and I hope you enjoy it!

Until then!

It’s Fall, Y’all!

11/01/2009
It's Me Again
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And there are certain things that I just LOVE about the fall! (Clearly, I’ve been meaning to write this for a month, now, but there is no time like the present.)

Candy Corn

If you’ve ever eaten any (and how could you not have), this needs no further explanation.

candycorn

Pumpkin Seeds

Not the kind in the bag you buy at the store, but the kind you bake, from an actual pumpkin. We did this one year in home ec. and I LOVED it! Yummy!

images

Pumpkins

Carved or not, I just like the look of them.

images-1

The Charlie Brown Great Pumpkin Movie!

Fall Leaves

Now that I don’t have to rake any, they are just SO pretty! And, let’s face it, New York needs every bit of natural color it can get. The wearing of the blacks and greys all-year-round-but-especially-in-the-winter-time gets a little dreary.

ph03642i

Hayrides

In theory…and yes, I have been on one. Sitting in a truck filled with hay isn’t as comfy or as fun as it seems. Still, I like it.

hayride

Fresh Air

No explanation needed. Not that the air in NYC is any “fresher” in the fall, but the brisk fall air makes it circulate more and seem a little fresher.

Patterned Tights w/ Funky Prints

Either you get it, or you don’t. It’s just a personality thing.

printed_tights_make_a_bold_statemenKnee High Socks

So cute!

images-6

Leg Warmers

So toasty!

images-7

Sitting in front of a roaring fire

images-12

in my mind, as I have no fireplace here in NYC. But someone near me does and I love that wood-burning smell, even if I’m huddled in front of a heater…or two

images-10

Hot Cocoa and Marshmallows

Although I do enjoy this year ’round.

hot cocoa

Lentil Soup

Although I do enjoy this year ’round, as well. I wish I knew how to make it for myself. Yummy!

images

Warm Blankets

If you can’t tell, I’m cold-natured, so I LOVE any and everything warm- especially blankets.

images-1

SETTING BACK THE CLOCK!!!

I know, it happens when you’re sleeping so do you really FEEL any difference when the clocks fall back? Probably not, but I’d like to think that I do. Besides, when it springs forward an hour, I KNOW I feel that…

WTC-14-World-Time-Clock350

Don’t forget to set your clocks back an hour tonight chicas!

And tell me, what are you fall favs?

What’s in a Name?

09/29/2009
It's Me Again, Letter from the Editor, Magazines
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When I first decided to do the whole magazine thing, followed by the whole blog thing, the first thing I knew I needed (besides a kick ass idea) was a really great name. And that was a lot harder than it may seem.

I looked at the names of some other teen publications that I read- from the most basic, like Teen (is that still around?) and Seventeen; to the junior women’s mags, like CosmoGIRL! (r.i.p), Elle Girl (r.i.p), and Teen Vogue; including the “niche” (read: ethnic) mags like, Young Sisters and Brothers (r.i.p.) and QuinceGirl (which, admittedly, I’ve never read).

Teen Magazine (still around, who knew?)

Teen Magazine (still around, who knew?)

CosmoGIRL! (r.i.p.)

CosmoGIRL! (r.i.p.)

Elle Girl (r.i.p.)

Elle Girl (r.i.p.)

YSB (r.i.p.)

YSB (r.i.p.)

And I thought, eh…nothing really snazzy about any of them. They get the point across that they are magazines for teens, but that’s about it. Since I was starting from scratch, on my own, and quite unknown, I needed a really good name. One word that just says it all. Like  Sassy and Fierce (not for teens, but still, young adults).

Sassy (r.i.p)

Sassy (r.i.p)

Fierce Magazine (r.i.p.)

Fierce Magazine (r.i.p.)

So I wanted the name to be jazzy enough that it would draw people’s attention (and make them want to pick it up and read or at least browse through it) but not too edgy that it would turn people off; a name that would speak to teen girls, but didn’t sound too cutesy; a name that was fresh, but not too gritty- in a way, I wanted something perfect, without playing it too safe.  I  wanted a name that would reflect what the magazine stands for and speak to the girls I’m trying to reach, the girls I’m writing about and the girls I’m writing for.

I wanted that. So I thought and looked words up in both the dictionary and the thesaurus until I found it. It was perfect! But it was taken. So I found another. Perfect! But there were too many incarnations of it online. I wanted something that was unique. And then it came to me- homegirl.

I knew what it meant. I used it to refer to a certain group of girls I knew from college who were from my hometown. We weren’t the closest of friends, but being from the same place was something that connected us, that endeared us to one another and set us apart from everyone else, from every place else. So I looked it up in the dictionary to make sure. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a homegirl is:

1 : a girl or woman from one’s neighborhood, hometown, or region

2: a girl or woman who is a member of one’s peer group

3: an inner-city girl or woman

Right. Right. Kind of perfect, no? The only thing was, I wondered if it would it only appeal to a certain kind of girl. You know, the ones for whom urban, hip-hop, and at-risk are synonymous. So I thought about it and here’s the deal.  1) Yes, the name homegirl does bring up images of fly girls in their b-girl stances and I’m cool with that because I am writing for them. 2) But I’m also writing for girls who have no idea what a b-girl stance looks like and 3) I think the content of what and whom I write about will reflect the diversity of what it means to be a homegirl, and a Tri-state homegirl at that.

So, whether you’re from Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, Harlem, Manhattan, Staten Island, Jersey, or Connecticut, come on in and get familiar. There’s something here for everyone. And if you don’t see something for you, email me (homegirl.nyc@gmail.com) and let me know so I can get right on top of that.

I’m here for you.

I’m In a “Get Right” State of Mind

09/22/2009
It's Me Again, Letter from the Editor
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Hey Homegirls!

I almost forgot to my weekly “Letter from the Editor.” Forgive me for my lateness, but it’s been a busy week. So let me rewind for a momentito, last week I had a moment. I think there were four days in there where I didn’t post anything. Not.a.thing. Troubling, since I had all sorts of things all lined up- a post on the start of Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15-October 15); a post on Stepfamily Day (September 16; did you know there was such a thing?); mentioning that it was Citizenship Day (September 17); I really wanted to get a post up about Ramadan (the last day was September 19); a post on this really compelling documentary about this teen hip-hop project here in NYC;  and I thought that a post on Georgia O’Keefe was be ideal. But I fell short.

Why, you ask? Well, to be honest, I got discouraged. See, I’ve been planning this magazine for a long time and even planning what I want to do in and with this blog long before I started it (I have an editorial calendar and everything. yes, I do.) But when things started to fall through (like the Muslim teen who I was going to interview about Ramadan or the interview I had with Miss Teen New York), I went through what I will call my four stages of pissivity, which lead to inactivity. That is : 1) I got annoyed. I had a plan, I did everything I could to make it happen and people were messing me up. I don’t like that. So 2) I got pissed. Especially since it was beyond my control. That made me 3) frustrated and feeling like the devil was trying to bring me (and my idea) down- blast him! Which made me 4) sad. I doubted myself, my idea and fell into a mini-sleepression. Which meant no blog, no posts, no anything really. I wasn’t eating right and just couldn’t get myself right side up again. What, you ask? What brought me out of it? Don’t laugh, but it was actually the Jay-Z/Alicia Keys song, “Empire State of Mind.” Really. I had never heard the song, as I don’t listen to the radio (shocking, isn’t it?) and didn’t watch the VMAs. But after reading so much about the much ballyho0-ed performance (and song. and tragic error that was Lil” Mama’s involvement), I decided to watch it. And I got SO inspired! So I went through the four stages of “get right.” That is I 1) Got inspired! which made me 2) remember my purpose, my reason for doing all of this- the youth! the girls! creating change! doing something I love! so I 3) re-focused my energy and remembered what my mom always says (hi mom!) why get upset and stress yourself out about something you can’t do anything about? You need to focus on what you can control. Which I did, and in doing so I 4) got off my ass and went to work. I mean all that thinking and being excited and inspired is all great. But at the end of the day, it’s really about the work. you have to do.the.work. full stop. So I went out to the Bronx Native American Festival, came back, passed out from fatigue, got back up and went to work.

And yes, I’m still bumping the song on my ipod. Thanks, Mr. Carter!

You can look up the VMA performance with Alicia Keys if you want to, but I’m definitely feeling this Bridget Kelly chick on the hook way more! Now doesn’t that make you want to “get out your dreams,” as Kanye would say? Bright lights, skyscrapers, concrete…doesn’t the incredible challenge make you want it more? I know I do.

I’m back

It’s Me, Again

09/14/2009
It's Me Again
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Hey homegirlies!

Well, it hasn’t been quite a week yet since I started the blog, but it sure feels like it. Things haven’t gone quite as I planned or expected, but, welcome to my life. That’s to be expected, no? In any case, here’s a quick update on what’s been up.

I’ve settled on a design theme (finally)  and I like it (thanks wordpress!). That’s not to say it won’t be something different in a week or so, but for now, I’m feeling this. What do you think? Initially, I had the logo up, but I felt a little creative and thought it would look hot to do the name in a “ransom note” kind of way. Btw, selecting and cutting out letters for that is a lot tougher than it looks. My table looks like (what I imagine) a serial killer’s might (minus the creepy latex gloves and such).

Ok, now a question for you, and be honest, please. Have the blogs seemed a bit…oh, I don’t know, aimless? confusing? random? Am I rambling? My goal was to write something everyday, but I never wanted to just write anything for the sake of writing something. Since one of the central focuses here is on promoting healthy body image and self-esteem, that’s always my default. But I didn’t want to sound too preachy or lame. So, there is a point to all of this (even if it hasn’t exactly seemed like it) and this week, I should start putting up some of the articles I’ve been working on to give you a better feel of what we’re doing over here. I figure I can show you, better than I can tell you. So stay tuned for that.

What else? I finally posted “The Homegirl NYC Manifesto” in the “about” section, so check that out and tell me what you think. Too long? Too faux rhymey? It’s been a long time since I’ve written anything poetic (or anything that rhymes) and I wanted to get the message of who we’re doing this for (you, me and she) across, without getting too Love Jones/snap your fingers if you feel me/soul sista/poetess/let me burn some incense to show you just how deep I am with it. That was my first crack as it, so feel free to comment or add your own verse.

With that said, I’m right back at it.