Today we’d like to introduce you to Felicia Cade.
So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I started writing eight years ago in a poetry writing class held by Linda Delmar. After hearing my first few writings Ms. Delmar took me under her wing and got me into performing. After a few months, the poems started to pour out. I hit an internal well that opened my soul in a way nothing else had. After my second performance a woman walked up to me and told me about how one of my pieces of finding freedom from an unhealthy relationship touched her and encouraged her to find freedom for herself. That night I realized that my writings gave me the opportunity to empower women to stand in their power and find their purpose.
A year later, I founded P.O.W Open Mic .which was a monthly community platform and open mic to empower the youth to use their voice and to just give them a space to create and express themselves artistically to escape the violence in the surrounding neighborhood.
In 2017, I wrote and published my first book ”Collected Pieces and shed Skin” which was a collection of poems and short stories that I also turned into a full-length play that pieced together my childhood and neighborhood experiences. It sold out the first night and had such an impact that it encouraged me to not only continue writing but to also find a way to get more minority women to tell their stories.
In 2018, I was encouraged and sponsored by my then supervisor at Homeland Cultural Center ”Jose Martinez ” to go forward and start an intimate women’s writing worship. The workshop was a great success and became a healing space and launching pad for women writers.
In 2019, I decided to tour Europe. I traveled and performed there for six months and ended up with some amazing opportunities in London that opened the door for me to tour Africa. I performed, Taught and toured in Africa (Ghana) for five months. And was received so well that I was asked to speak at many of the local schools and universities.
I have been back in LA for a month now and I am set to release two new books and will be launching a series of workshops for women in shelters, prisons, and inner-city community centers in hopes of using the art of poetry to encourage, heal and equip women to walk in their power and into their purpose.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been easy. As many writers in America know. You have to find a balance with finding time to write and working a full-time job. The financial opportunities for Poetry in America is very slow. Especially compared to Europe.
Poetry is one of, if not the most powerful form of writing known to man as It draws the reader and the writer into new depths and it challenges us to see the world around us with new eyes.
America is behind in its appreciation but the art in itself is beginning to gain a lot of traction and attention. Which is opening new doors and opportunities for us as writers.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I am a Poet / Author/ Speaker/ Activist.
I write and perform poetry/Spoken Word.
I teach writing workshops for women and children.
I am an international speaker. I speak about the transformative power of writing and performing arts.
I am an activist and speaker for Women’s Rights & Racial Relations.
What makes me stand out from others is a few things. First being my perspective, few writers have escaped the human experience enough to understand it outside of personal bias. Second I have a very powerful and distinctive voice that commands attention and lastly to be very simple and honest, I am myself. I don’t try to be anything or anyone I’m not. As simple as that sounds, it is not easy to find and maintain a healthy identity as a black woman in America without losing yourself in an image.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My mother is a singer. When I was young, she would sing in the kitchen as she cooked and cleaned. She looked free when she sang. Till this day, I remember that freedom and it encourages me to continue to pursue the things that set me free.
Pricing:
- 15$ (Book)
Contact Info:
- Address: 8317 Avalon Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90003 - Phone: 5627531729
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @Risefelicia_Speak
- Facebook: Felicia Cade
Image Credit:
Vanessa Martinez, KennethPhoto
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