Speak On It!

April 21, 2026 marks the 10th anniversary of Prince's passing. It hardly seems like it's been so long since he was here making music. He is certainly missed, but remembering the music he left for us to enjoy helps. Here's a look at a few of the works he penned and their twin themes or sister songs that have similar themes or arrangements. There are even a few songs with the same nam...

Since 2009, fine art photographer Charise Isis has been taking topless portraits of women  who have had mastectomies for breast cancer as part of The Grace Project . The goal? Photographing 800 women, which represents the number of American women diagnosed with the disease each day. The images are inspired by sculptures like the Venus de Milo, and like it, the women are celebrated as beautiful and...

For public relations specialist and event planner Kimberly Hodges, producing live events and award shows for DC-area businesses, government entities and non-profit organizations is a norm, but a different  calling led her to put pen to paper and create her latest project "99 Things to Do With Your Pants Up!: A Faith-Filled Girls' Guide to Things to Do Instead of Doing 'The Do'&...

After a stint with dance that left her off of the competition and performance teams, Sensei Katie began a karate class in grade school and never stopped. She has been learning, training in and teaching Goju-Ryu, Kyokushin, Shotokan, Judo and other martial arts for 30 years, adding Krav Maga classes and coaching and training youth students for weapons and kata competitions on the NASKA and NY Tourn...

After being laid-off from his job in Corporate America, Tyrone Griffin started Evil Bunny Consulting, LLC, an individual and corporate job transition consulting firm. Speeches on motivation and dealing with career changes lead to the Bunny Slippers Are Evil podcast for those in job transition. He talks about how his weekly Internet radio call-in show for job seekers morphed into a podcast, the pai...

Music makers  Dan McCollum and Doug Ramsay - collectively known as After 6 Productions - met in the 80s and have been making music for themselves and others ever since. In the second part of their interview, they discuss how they transitioned from making music for themselves to producing for others, why they both have careers outside of the music industry and the impetus behind the production of t...

The music production duo of Dan McCollum and Doug Ramsay - collectively known as After 6 Productions - met in college and have been making music for themselves and other artists since.  Here, they chat about their individual musical beginnings, their first - and second - demo, and the  lessons learned from their studio collaborations with others. (Our theme music, "Please Irene" by Lynn...

A retired psychotherapist who has studied a variety of Karate styles and other traditional martial arts for over 50 years, he is the author of "Black Belt Healing: A Marital Artist's Guide to Pain Management and Injury Recovery" (Tuttle Publishing) and two poetry collections: "Strong Coffee, Burnt Toast: Awkward Poetry of a Lost Monk" and "Bushido: Verses of Considera...

David "Shinzen" Nelson  is a retired psychotherapist who has studied a variety of Karate styles and other traditional martial arts for over 50 years. In part one of our chat, he talks about balancing training and family, being lazy, the freedom inside the structure of kata and Zen meditation, the joys of being a Dhaoist wandered, writing poetry, and his book “Black Belt Healing: A Martia...

An holistic nutrition and certified yoga educator who has been teaching the benefits of yoga and eating a whole-food diet for over 25 years, Saeeda Hafiz is the author of The Healing: One Woman's Journey from Poverty to Inner Riches, a memoir detailing her journey and the hard work that really goes into finding oneself. Get 40% off an autographed copy using the discount code TIGERLILY at the...

Well-versed in a bevy of genres, he teaches dance to children and  young adults, passing on the phrases in the footwork he learned from his professors at both Dutchess Community and Queens College. He sat down with his mom on Mother's Day to talk about how gymnastics, track and martial arts helped him prep for his dance career,  the importance of self-confidence, the struggles of teaching dan...

Two-time poet laureate of Dutchess County (NY), Bettina "Poet Gold" Wilkerson is a self-described creative spirt has graced stages around the country introducing poetry - and other spoken word artists - to a wide range of audiences. Here, she chats about artistic pursuits as a youngster that led to organically "finding" poetry, battling stage fright, her hope for what we will a...

Born in a town just outside of Albany, NY,  she fell in love with the written word while watching her siblings write when she could barely hold a pencil. Here, she talks about understanding creative control, discovering poetry through Langston Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance, hearing spoken word for the first time and the effects of the pandemic on the love, unity and creative experience that is...

Born and raised about an hour north of New York City, Courtney Allen spent her childhood prepping for a career in entertainment. But after graduating from college, her  path took an unexpected turn that fueled her passion for filmmaking and led to writing and producing  her "At Risk" web series in 2016. Here, she talks about her self-diagnosed ADHD, the superpower of creativity, hiring s...

Starting musically with French Horn because her father played the instrument, Lynn eventually switched to saxophone, flute and clarinet, learning and playing music all over the world. She talks here about how she would describe jazz to non-aficionados, and how the ability to touch listeners musically is something she doesn't take for granted. And yes, that's her - Lynn Riley + the World...

The NCPP teaches photography and related media to 16-24 year olds that allows them to explore critical social justice issues directly related to their communities and their lives. Founder/director Vincent Cianni discusses the program's beginnings, the Covid-19 pivot and how it benefits both the participants and the community at large. (Our theme music, "Please Irene" by Lynn Riley a...

Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay area, he can't remember when he first began drawing, but his creative forays drifted towards drumming when he fooled around on his church's kit after service. Here, he talks about his sheltered childhood, the challenges of making music during a pandemic, the politics of worship, social justice issues and the realities of being Black in America. He...

His love of art began, he says, after a visit to a King Tut exhibit. Having always been the "artistic student" in class, the Seattle-based, self-taught artist talks about his many muses, his love of all things Prince, his Le Petit Prince (LPP) project (and what the actual inspiration for LPP was), his design work, his hometown art scene and the one  result from the world-wide pandemic th...

Via his company, Rub-A-Groov Music and Publishing , the Philadelphia-based musician has composed and arranged for an array of artists in many genres - including jazz, indie, pop and rock - as well as producing voiceovers for radio spots and other musical projects. He is also the bassist and music director for Lynn Riley and the World-Mix, producing songs from their "Say What" release (li...

Musician Tammy Mitchell-Woods has been drumming for churches and bands since she was a teen but only recently decided to ditch her day job and dive into her passion full-time.  She talks about the decision to go full-steam ahead with her music career in her 50's as well as the Facebook community for female drummers she helped create and life with Lupus. (The opening theme music "Please I...

Through his company, entrepreneur and security and protection expert Samuel Griffin has worked with presidential candidates, heads of state and A-list celebrities. He recently wrote "Rent-A-Cop Reboot" with Theresa M. Caldwell - a guide for security professionals and anyone interested in a career in the industry. He talks about witnessing domestic violence as a child, guarding clients fr...

Jasmine Hudson, J'Aaron Merchant and Madia Willis - co-founders of Black Paper Party - share their thoughts about starting a company aimed at filling the void created by the lack of Black imagery during the holiday season, as well as the importance of honing an entrepreneurial spirit and finding community in Northwest Arkansas. Learn more about their ornaments and gift-wrapping paper collecti...

Author Dana Wuwwakkil's "The Anxiety Diaries - A Diary and a Memoir" began as an experiment to write every day. She talks about living with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD),  identifying as a writer, the isolation associated with being a stay-at-home parent and the importance of exercise, meditation and a strong support system for anyone suffering with anxiety and their loved ones...

A college English major who went to law school after realizing a writer's life can be a financial struggle, S. Lee Manning sat down to finish her first novel, "Trojan Horse" shortly after she retired from practicing. The espionage thriller was published by Encircle Publications in mid October 2020. She talked with us about writing, family, her breast cancer and A.D.D. diagnoses, the...

Welcome to Speak On It! - the podcast where the creatives tell their stories about what they do and how they do it. For more information, log onto www.tigerlilycommunications.com