Honoring Hip Hop Legends at the 2020 Elements of Hip Hop Awards

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It was a full house at Beatstro last night as Windows of Hip Hop in conjunction with the Borough President’s Office honored hip hop legends and pioneers Londell McMillian, Sal Abbatiello, Ralph McDaniels, and Slick Rick. It was amazing to see all these legends in one room and hear them tell their stories. DJ Red Alert and 2019 Elements of Hip Hop honoree, Fat Joe, stopped by to pay homage to Ralph McDaniels. It truly is amazing how this genre that was started right here in the Bronx had gone global and has evolved in so many different ways. When Sal Abbatiello did a call and response to a few different hip hop faves, the crowd did not hesitate in chiming in (myself included!)

Martell Cognac sponsored an open bar and kept the specialty cocktails flowing all night. To be totally transparent, I never ever drink cognac and the Martell Punch, I think is easily one of my new favorite drinks. Going to have to find out the recipe! And! the food!  The wings, rice balls, and shrimp were all sooo good. Everything was so flavorful, I think my favorite was definitely the rice balls. Oh god, I will have to make a separate trip to Beatstro so I can do a whole post dedicated to the food.

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My Novella is Now Available!

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A couple months back, I hinted at some cool news I’d announce soon and now is that time! My novella, Cooties & Other Kindergarten Quandaries is now available in Running Wild Press’ Novella Anthology, Vol. 3, Book 3.

Despite the title and the fact that the four protagonists are in kindergarten, this is not a children’s book. Unless your kid likes satire and and political humor thrown in every so often.

It’s an episodic novella, consisting of 11 chapters, each tackling another obstacle – the boogeyman, an evil substitute teacher, tattletales, etc.

This novella was about five years in the making. I wrote the very first chapter back in 2010 when I was a senior at Baruch for one of my assignments. I didn’t do much with it afterward, maybe sent it out to a few lit mags, but it wasn’t until 2014 when I picked it back up and continued the characters’ misadventures trying to navigate kindergarten as these super geniuses. It was just a lot of fun to write, to be honest.

Novellas are kind of a weird in between genre, so I was really glad it found a home at Running Wild Press, an independent press based in California. Cooties… shares the pages with about eight other talented authors, and I’m excited to be able to share this news with you finally.

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You can purchase Book 3 from Powells, Mysterious Galaxy, Indiebound, or Amazon. (Please support independent bookstores!)

If you’d like to keep up with my writing life and endeavors, check out my author site here.

 

Taste of the Bronx at The Bronx Museum of Art – Sat. Oct. 26

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This month’s Taste of the Bronx pop-up market will be held at the Bronx Museum of Art this Saturday from 1-6 pm. Over 25 Bronx-based vendors will be their selling apparel, jewelry, food, and more. They’ll also be launching the fall edition of Taste of the Bronx quarterly subscription box which features specially selected items from Bronx businesses.

Visitors will also get a chance to check out two new exhibits at the museum, Henry
Chalfant: Art vs. Transit, 1977-1987 and The Life and Times of Alvin Baltrop.

Remember that admission to both the museum and market is free!

Gracie Book Club Comes to the Bronx Museum of Art – Wed. Oct. 23

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As you may know, some of First Lady of NYC Chirlane McCray’s projects have been her mental health awareness campaign and the creation of the city-wide Gracie Book Club in conjunction with the Gracie Mansion Conservancy.  Reading to Thrive—Great Books Exploring Mental Health melds the two together. This month’s pick is I’m Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez. A discussion will be held at the Bronx Museum of  the Arts on Wednesday, October 23. Doors open at 5:30 pm and the event is from 6pm – 7pm. Tickets are free, you can reserve them here.

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In Heaven at the 2nd Annual NY Pizza Festival

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I didn’t have enough time to eat breakfast before attending the Second Annual NY Pizza Festival in Little Italy on Sunday, and this turned out to be a good thing. Armed with a VIP pass and stalls from over 20 master pizzaioli, I got to sample 8 different slices, pasta, and check out the beer and wine garden.  Plus there was live painting! Is there a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon?

I’m very simple when it comes to pizza, in the rare event I get a topping, it’s probably mushroom, so at the festival I wanted to try some new things. I sampled slices from Le Figlie di Iorio, Brooklyn Pizza Crew, Di Fara Pizzeria, Harry’s Pizzeria, Levante, Antica Pizza Da Gennaro, Il Pizzaialo, and the Bronx’s own Pugsley Pizza. I also got to sample pasta from Ponti Rossi. All of it was delicious, but I’d say my top three faves were:

1. Levante – The Levante (mozzarella, burrata, roasted wild mushrooms, truffle pate, and prosciutto) The flavors in this came together so well. Sooo good.

2. Le Figlie di Iorio – Aside from being one of the most festive stalls, complete with singing and dancing, the fresh lemon, prosciutto, and pistachios on this slice made this Napels-based stall worth the stop!

3. Brooklyn Pizza Crew – Chicken Tandoori. I usually am not a fan of mixing cuisines like this, but I’m so glad we gave it a chance. Such a unique mash up.

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Second Annual New York Pizza Festival Returns to Little Italy This Weekend!

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The second annual New York Pizza Festival makes its return to Little Italy this weekend, October 5 and 6, 12:00 pm- 5:00 pm.  The festival will feature pizza from 25 different restaurants across the country, including local spots like the Bronx’s own, Pugsley Pizza.  Click here to purchase tickets. Nicole from Bronxmama and I got to check out the preview a couple months back and I’m so excited to see what’s in store!

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