Every New Year in lieu of resolutions, I choose a word of intention to use as a theme. In 2020 I chose the word vision. I’ve dreamt for a long time of starting my own art business and quitting my “real job,” but the time never seemed right. Frankly, I was also stymied by fear …
I am an ARTIST! I DANCE! I CREATE! No more excuses, no more hiding. Anna Librada Teaching & Performing Artist and Producer is going public. I founded and produce the Hudson Valley Flamenco Festival. I perform. I teach workshops. I organize events where we make paella over an open fire and then feast while watching …
I can’t believe it’s already been a year. it never ceases to amaze me how much can change and what seems like the blink of an eye. Just last month it was no big deal to go to the movies or shopping at the mall or getting to go and teach my kids at school …
“There is something that you are born to do. You can feel it. Maybe you forgot what it was because of where life has taken you, but it’s there…” I wrote those words two years ago. Feeling stuck on where to begin my ‘what-have-I’ve-been-up-to’ post, I found myself going back to when I was last …
Well, a lot has happened since MilspoFAN interviewed me two years ago. I’ve had two new books come out: American Samizdat (Diode, 2019), a collection of poetry about our current political moment, and throughsmoke (New Rivers Press, 2019), a book-length essay about how I came to fall in love with perfume. I also have another …
IHello from Camp Humphreys, South Korea!! Last year, at this time, I was planning my “Coastal” art show, from MacDill AFB, in Tampa, Florida. The show took place last March and was a huge success! The paintings were inspired by the tropical beach environment of the gulf coast. It was a wonderful opportunity to gather one last time, …
Happy 2020 to all of you MilspoFAN artists! I hope you had a chance to step back and relax a little over the holidays (as I had to make the conscious decision to do). Now that it’s back to the mid-January grind, it’s also that time to reflect on the past year and plans for …
I just got back from a month-long residency at Jentel Arts Foundation in Banner, Wyoming in November. Artist residencies are kind of like art camp for adults. Usually you get paid (a little), they put you up, give you studio space to create and sometimes even feed you. Jentel is an artist residency on a …
Wow, 3 years; I can’t believe it’s been that long since my first post for my MilspoFan interview. It has been a crazy interesting 3 years to say the least. This past year has been nothing short of challenging, fun, full of adventure, scary and wonderful at the same time. I have continued singing at church …
This year has been a fun and wild ride! We found out last December that we were expecting! Shortly after, I began suffering from EXTREME morning sickness and by March was formally diagnosed with Hyperemisis. I thankfully was able to continue teaching, thanks to my sweet, patient and understanding students and coworkers. The Army kept …