SnapShot Press Release | Building The Nest [Milwaukee Film Festival 2025]
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Spring has sprung [rain, fog, blooming flowers, scorching sun, *insert any other Wisconsin weather description here*] us right into Film Fest season [Milwaukee Film Festival, that is]. With the birds asking us to rise early [chirp chirp, tweet tweet], and the cinema asking us to stay up late, we must oblige with a caffeinated drink in one hand, a bag of yeast-covered popcorn in the other, and a press pass around our necks. This year, CopyWrite decided to see films that would feed into our guilty pleasures, challenge our humanity, and have us screaming “414” all the way home.
With coverage from Lexi S. Brunson [Owner/ Active Editor-in-Chief], guest commentary from Vedale Hill, and a first-time MKE Film Fest experience from the newest memer of the /CW Fam, Desriana Gilbert [Entertainment & Social Journalist for /CW].
SECRET MALL APARTMENT [Director: Jeremy Workman]
Let me tell you… I almost broke my ankles from running to my copy of Theories and Manifestoes of Contemporary Architecture [which holds a permanent spot in my studio] after watching Secret Mall Apartment, [Twizzlers shoved into my mouth, and swigs of root beer between every bite].
Context: Before I was whatever pseudo journalist, creative writer, cultural critic, and exhausted business owner I am now, I was a young college art school student studying interior design, fascinated with spaces & places [iykyk] and inthralled with the criticism of urbanism as it appeared in post-industrial society. [Yup, been deep].
The film was reminiscent of the nuances that lay between what always appears as communal advancement, but is undoubtedly the practice of gentrification [damn you gentrifiers and your need to fondel all things sacred]. I held my book, hugged it, and thanked it for giving me the lexicon of understanding that would have me rooting for the artistic lotterers that decided to inhabit a void [crawl space] in a mall in Providence, Rhode Island [circa. 2003].
As these “empathetic artists” discussed their experience, with Michael Townsend at the lead, we uncovered the genius of thought, practice, and execution. How the hell do you go unnoticed, coming, going, and building a decoy cinderblock wall for four years? As a Black woman in America, I cackled and the “caucacity” [don’t cancel me because the artist acknowledged their white privilege], but I envied the type of exploration that I will never know as my own. The freedom and inquiry that eventually felt safe and earned was a humorous slap at capitalism, policy, and the act of noticing, most of society could use a lesson in.
However, what really did it for me was the archival footage [the documentation of the art, as art] showing us exactly what was going on as they lived it. The foresight to capture the day-to-day was ahead of its time. If this had been the peak of social media, the sirens would have sounded at the geolocation posting, descriptive caption, and hashtag [#MallApartmentEntryOffTheParkingLot].
But instead, Townsend [maybe subconsciously lol], who had long before declared, “It’s going to be a really awful day when our door opens”, got caught after bring his “friend” [don’t make me speculate what type of “friend” you would blow your cover for] to the mall apartment during the day after knowing the block was hot! And before that, during a shadowbox crafting session at Pottery Barn. It’s giving Usher Raymond confessions, my guy!
But as an artsy, stick it to the man, type of rebel I am, Secret Mall Apartment, brought me so much joy, knee slapping laughs, I mean I almost fell out of my seat onto the theater floor when they decided to carry that china cabinet up those ladder steps. . . A full-sized 200+ pound china cabinet with the glass inlay. Come on now! Y'all some BOLD, Gooney Goon Goons, and I’m here for it!
The concept of them holding space like “barnacles on a whale”, notes a symbiotic relationship that seems parasitic but is commensal, or of service. Who is harmed by these artists taking up a void versus who is harmed when a developer displaces culture?
Because let’s put it this way, if art resolves in crime, its an honor to be guilty.
Lexi for /CW
lexi & her obligatory steo & repeat pic for mke film fest 2025
A MOTHER APART [Director: Laurie Townshend]
Do you need to experience a mother’s love in order to gift it to the bloodline coming after you?
Staceyann Chinn unapologetically and actively searches for this answer throughout groundbreaking and unsharpened film, A Mother Apart, in front of our eyes. Multifaceted is an understatement when it comes to describing the Urban heroine. Juggling countless identities that seem to cause unnecessary stares, whispers, and questions [the tropes: lesbian, “underground” creative, LGBTQIA+ activist] , and Jamaican-American, creates an eventful and unknowing journey. However, only two chapters in Staceyann’s book bring fear and uncertainty; their strengths and weaknesses as a mother, but most importantly, a daughter.
Director Laurie Townshend sets the stage early for audience members to see the genuine and strong intentions Staceyann has wanting to parent her young and vibrant seed, Zuri, in a way that was never shown or gifted to her as a young child. One would expect for the voided receipt illustrating the relationship with her mother to be accessorized with resentment, hatred, lacking a longing for connection, loveless, and unfamiliar. Yet, Staceyann made it her mission for years to reenact the final scene from The Color Purple, where Celie reunites with her children from Africa with her mother, and made it her lifelong wish to create an unbreakable bond with a mother who abandoned her at birth. The talented poet was issued several chosen families throughout her performances at poetry slams and showcases, but home is a feeling she still longs for as we watch her on the screen.
Chinn’s quest is to find the woman who shared the most heart-wrenching and vulnerable experience of birth, but who also abandoned her, was becoming more of a challenge and a dream that would never be reached. Townsend added the element of long-lost letters addressed to Hazel [the mother who had the nerve to leave her child], which Staceyann found to alleviate and strengthen the process of reuniting with her mother. This journey began to make marks in Brooklyn, Cologne, Montreal, and Jamaica. Scene by scene, the missing puzzle pieces to who Hazel is, why she made the choices she made, and what her story is started to reveal itself after each letter Staceyann found. While in the audience, it was painful to view, yet there was a pride in seeing the battle she fought within herself to avoid repeating the same choices her mother made. Laurie Townshend captured a cinematic montage of motherhood, the true meaning of home, breaking generational curses, and the power of how a child can change the trajectory of one’s life.
It was a tear-jerker but also an eye-opener to never take for granted the relationship you have with your mother. It’s nothing like Mama’s love. Most importantly, the film suggested never become who and what hurt you; always choose peace, happiness, and personal growth.
It was her choice to overcome pain that helped Staceyann find herself in the end, and become the mother to Zuri she always dreamed of being.
Desriana for /CW
BLACK LENS SHORTS
As I walked into the theatre, I felt a different aura and band of energies than I had before. It was almost as if everyone at the Oriental Theatre that night had a secret group chat before arriving, and we all became on one accord: FEEL, SEE, AND IDENTIFY.
I instantly fell into a motion picture trance as the screen became filled with Black stories and faces I’d never witnessed. From animated black and white depictions of civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr., to toxic black love, 1930s jazz singer escaping selling her soul to the music industry, a son imagining his deceased father, and a young director being misunderstood by his traditional African mother, each short film held its own weight. The highs and lows of what people from the African diaspora experience and pass down to one another was the foundation laid and the framework that ties each short film to one another.
Hoops, Hopes, and Dreams [Director: Glenn Kaino]
The shorts began by providing an important lesson to the audience, myself included: our heroes are more than statues and history books; they are human beings too! Hoops, Hopes and Dreams, directed by Glenn Kaino, awakened everyone within the first two minutes of the film, as it painted Martin Luther King Jr, and Barack Obama in a new light; just simply human beings. True stories of MLK and Obama playing basketball with everyone in their neighborhoods and then implementing their mission to make the world a better place for our people and culture are depicted in a raw and familial way. It made these two heroic leaders feel real and relatable. This shed a spotlight on to many other civil rights activists, Black businessmen, and leaders who have stood at the forefront of changing the Black experience and perspective in places that don’t always appreciate or understand the brilliance and magic we hold. They are more than pictures on a slideshow at a Black History Month program or the name of a street; these were walking and breathing human beings who enjoyed the same pleasures as everyone else, such as sports, brotherhood, and pure fun [& still managed to move the needle forward].
SONGBIRD [Director: Jonathan Horton]
A bird's-eye view was used throughout the entirety of Black Lens Shorts. They all honed in on the love creatives have for their work, but also the disappointment when their environment and people don’t understand or want to resonate with their art. In the words of the intelligent and talented lyricist Erykah Badu, once said, “I’m an artist and I’m sensitive about my S#@T!” The phrase should’ve been put on repeat while each film was being presented. It represents how, as Black people, we don’t usually experience fairy tale endings or the impossible miraculously happening for us. The Black community has always had to take matters into their own hands when it comes to going after what we want in this lifetime. Jonathan Horton’s Songbird accurately showed a gorgeous Black woman who could tear down any house with her voice, singing jazz medleys in the 1930s, wholeheartedly in love with music. Sounds like a golden ticket for a Black woman during that period with her community loving and supporting her, right? That would be too easy. The short film shows how the FBI and other white men in power tried to silence, threaten, and minimize her place in the world. Instead of allowing fear to overwhelm her mind, body, and soul, she continued to become a household name, but in the end, the FBI succeeded by strangling her, stealing her ability to sing with strangulation. Silencing Black voices is a common narrative in our history. We must continue to ask ourselves, “Why?”.
ABOUT TIME [Director: Donald Conley]
Donald Conley, director of About Time, said it best in his Q&A after Black Lens Shorts concluded:
“Films are not only physical manifestations of the director’s thoughts, but it is also snapshots of your everyday lives. This is why I incorporate several aspects of my life through the films I write and direct.”
Conley reimagined his own breakup with an ex-lover to light the fire for About Time, presenting an authentic yet soulful connection between two people who love each other but love replaying their toxic cycle even more. The elements of “running into one another”, making love, and drugs simmered down the thick tension which fooled the audience, making us all think in the end the two would choose each other and attempt to have a “healthy” romantic love. I felt like the mama bear friend desperately trying to tell my homegirl, “Girl don’t just walk but run away from that man; he’s wasting your time!” Have you ever felt like when you're around a certain person, it’s only you two in the entire world? Or that nobody will ever comprehend or understand you the way that person knows you? Conley did not shy away from those uncomfortable, unreserved, yet necessary conversations that needed to be had between two people who imply their hearts belong to one another. We all know love can be messy, but it is also a choice. Looking past the imperfections of your partner, actively waking up every day, and choosing to stick by their side, trying to brainstorm ways to spice up the relationship are not cakewalks. On the other hand, sometimes you can love somebody more than life itself and show them by simply walking away from the relationship.
There’s beauty in discovering things about yourself. Every day we learn things about ourselves that weren’t clear days or even weeks before. The 2025 Milwaukee Film Festival was created with not only eye-catching films but also intentional meanings whose punches landed in the screening rooms and now, in the city of Milwaukee. It’s so easy to get caught up in what’s happening around us and who's roaming the world right along with us; but self-discovery and reflection are a gift that’s always going to keep on giving as it feeds our souls as well as our physical lives. This is a reflection of being in our Black bodies.
Desriana for /CW
ONE MINUTE REMAINING [Director: Colin Sytsma]
I have never seen the act of rehabilitation as a proponent of the justice system performing well. It has always been presented to me in “legal terms” as a control mechanism for nuisance in society, a social method of keeping outcasts isolated, and essentially a way to break humanity. I don’t want to get on my soap box [because I’m heavy & it will break], but it seems as though the compassion standard for others goes out the window as soon as they get locked in a box, chained, or shackled.
It's MASTER manipulation at its finest [clock it].
One Minute Remaining, with its exploration of incarceration through the lens of, “women and families across the United States managing their loved ones incarceration while searching to articulate their frustrations,” is a reminder that doing time burdens more than the human who did the “crime”.
The Partner.
The Children.
The Parents.
The Siblings.
*Fill in the blank*
While they may not be bound by bars and fences, they face the sentence through payment penalty on the incarcerated's behalf, time navigating a system that does not prioritize the human needs of the incarcerated, and the mental/emotional exhaustion that comes with supporting your family member or loved one in that predicament.
It is a conversation that I have had repeatedly with my partner, who, as a Black man, is 5.5 times more likely to be incarcerated than his white counterparts [innocent or not], that if he ever does something that would cause him to be taken away from his family, our children, or I, my stamina for “holding him down” would be limited. It is a warning, not because I think he is a menace to society, but because I have seen the volatility of the Black body, the mistreatment of the incarcerated, and the pain we all will inevitably face in that predicament. Why would I not plant a seed of avoidance as protection?
You could feel the anxiety come through the screen as family members told the story of their incarcerated loved ones. Julie Magers ' son's emotional navigation was unnerving, with his uncertainty of what would happen to his father while locked up with Multiple Sclerosis. Is he not a victim of the situation? That child's resilience is not a badge of honor but a sign of distress. His mother, chain-smoking her nerves as she fights for the rights of not just her husband, but also navigates a career of advocacy for others in similar positions, was also unsettling [coping vices are not our friends].
The digitized voice of “one minute remaining”, sounding as the end of each documented call fastly approaches, prompts us with the fact that time is limited, fleeting, and unstoppable. How we use it can help or harm, give or take, champion or corrupt. The documentary style shows us unprecedented wins, but can not uncover the core of the issue, and maybe that's a good thing. Maybe the uncomfortable feeling is meant to keep us grounded in the reality that this is not resolved, but ongoing.
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Also, shout out to producer Justin Gordon, whose work on The Stigma of The Durag has had us thrilled to see his contributions to projects with social & cultural narratives, like this one.
Lexi for /CW
BRADY STREET: A PORTRAIT OF A NEIGHBORHOOD [Director: Sean Kafer]
As a Milwaukee “Eastsider”, Brady Street is a part of my origin story, my familial odyssey, and my foundation of independence. From my grandma taking me to Peter Sciortino Bakery for a cookie as she recounts her adventures of crossing over the Holton Street/Van Buren bridge [then a slated timber frame death trap] to get home from school after picking up supplies for her mother at Glorioso’s, or my walk of distress after a cathartic heartbreak with a garbage bag filled with my things swinging over my shoulder as I tiptoed past Rochambo and the High Hat craving a coffee and a stiff drink on my way to Walgreens to get a Tylenol for the hangover and a life line. It is a place of familiarity, history, with a mystique that is welcomed by us creative types, vagabonds, and spirited hippies.
Soooo if I’m critical, it's because I really love this little slice of convergence.
I’m just going to say it. . . Where are all the Black people? Did you forget to include us in localized history? Or just didn’t have enough screen time, so we were edited out? In the joy it brought me to see the acknowledgement of Indigenous people as the originators of the area [hey cousins!], I could not shake the idea that Brady Street culture, where dominated by Polish and then Italian settlers [a fascinating history], is void of Blackness outside of crime, and attendance of the Brady Street festival? Nahhhhhhhhhhhh! We have to put that part back in.
lexi about to watch the brady street film with trying to stay warm [blanket any one]
The entrepreneurial history of Brady Street is beautiful. Starting these small bar, shops, and restaurants, growing them into communal staples, reimagining them for future generations, and repurposing building shells that house souls of courage, community, and “classy” capitalism, is absolutely the narrative I was looking for when deciding to see the film. However, the economic sustainability of the area is threaded with Black contributers that were never noted.
In the hysteria of white flight, those who had established roots on Brady Street fled as an insurgence of melanated faces appeared in Milwaukee during the Great Migration. These property owners [some of whose family had been squatters in previous years, but I won't hold you on that], while domesticating suburbia, had tenants renting their flats, lofts, and storefronts. And guess what those payments did? It allowed for the property tax and mortgages to be paid, keeping the area afloat, and tanneries to be manned [until that was no longer a viable practice in the city proper]. And guess what else, many of those tenants were BLACK.
“My father was there”, Vedale commented after the film concluded. “Pulaski Park, Peter Sciortino, that neighborhood bar right on the corner, where he would linger sometimes. . . We know Brady, but this is not our Brady, but we still honor it. The sidewalk art by Pamela Scesniak is iconic, and as an artist, I value that labor. Its deterioration and green application look like the patina of ancient ruins, meant to document a rich history and culture that is still alive today. We know this story. We don't have to watch a documentary to get that truth. Now, let's go to Zaffiro's. I have a sudden craving for pizza.”
That’s when it hit me, the missing piece of the Brady Street narrative did not remove the history from existence. It just showcases a limiting perspective that can’t be found in a history book, news clippings, or archives. It’s anecdotal and personal, passed through breaking bread or toasting spirits, remembered in practice with purpose. Walking the ground, feeling the cement under your feet, leaning against a facade as you people watch the neighborhood and recollect.
A flash of a photo of my daughter walking down Brady Street with her class on their daily adventure confirmed it all.
The legacy of Brady Street continues.
Lexi for /CW
THE MILWAUKEE SHOW I
#SupportTheLocal #414 #MKE #WeLoveMilwaukee
If it’s made by local links, you know we can't resist. This year's Milwaukee Show shorts sent us mixed emotions. Some we loved, others we were just not in season for, and others we just really appreciated for their craft and technique. In a community where the creative economy is not valued as it should be, we will always support those who make because their is a force inside of them that must come out and be shared with the world.
Here is my hit list:
DAG Camera Repair [Director: Atesh Atici]
There are few master Leica camera repair technicians left in the world, and Don Goldberg is one of them. That’s it. That’s the plot.
To be the last of anything is a weird accomplishment, but to be so sick of answering the phone because it is ringing off the hook, and you are literally one out of 5 people in the world that can actually do the job is wild! And Millennials are out here millennialing, stressing the poor man for their quirky nostalgia of film photography [geeeeeeeezzzzzzzzzz artsy are we? Lol]
Atesh's take on this story is comically nuanced. His subject [Don] is a star, hidden in the back room of Leica parts, little screw drivers, and inbox of unanswered emails. But it was the breakout scene with the miniatures that threw me every way but straight, and that's the art of it. You don’t know what genius lives in everyday people. And even geniuses get sick of doing what they are good at too..
Legacy In Motion [Director: Brandon Stearns, Brema Brema]
They SNAPPPPEEEEEDDDDDDDDDD!
I really love it when creative talent converges. Film, choreography, fashion, lifestyle... the combo is always going to be a win for me. But the real bliss is knowing the magic is being made by people you know. Here I am screaming & jigging in the theater when I saw Brandon [shotbysterns] name come across the screen, with Brema Brema at the helm of Unfinished Legacy, and my recollection of his stint in agency media production behind the lens. I have had the pleasure of collaborating with Sterns as a freelancer on some /CW projects and interviewed Brema for a Sneex sofa session, so I know how serious each of them takes their craft and how committed they are to their work in documenting the creative community [#WeSeeYou].
But its the skill, the lighting, the ability to capture a vibe with no words, every pop lock, leg bend, and toe twitch glided through the frame. A music video-esk lifestyle art display captured in time? Yea, lets go with that. Its so beautifully Urban. Make it a downloadable wall paper so I can let it loop on the screen in the studio, K? Byeeeeee.
Zastava Brothers [Director: Pep Stojanovic]
Once upon a time, Pep let the /CW fashion department host a Streetwear runway show in his space. Cars lined the runway, old school with unique profiles and retro color ways. Come to find out, these are the Yugos.
To see the story behind Pep’s love of these distinct cars, matched with eagerness to share this love and joy with his daughter, resulting in an automobilic [Did I just make a word?] brotherhood, was not on my MKE Film Fest playing card. However, just like that, I’m pouting at the found family, and the camaraderie over car culture that could easily be a story of pain, hate, and a tow home.
But here we have joy, an “extra wire”, and a “keep the camera rolling” moment that brought us this pièce de résistance in a cinematic hug, I hope stands the test of time. It’s hard to make friends that you actually bond with at a big age, and here we see that what was coined “the worst car ever made”, could do just that.
It feels that this year's filmic experience culminates in an instinctual urge to prepare spaces to share with the people, culture, and community one resonates with. This form of nesting [see what we did there] is crucial for survival, but it's a cascading thread of intimacy really binds each film, each narrative, each plot, to be about something bigger than itself.
We are all a part of something bigger – hopefully, we can continue to build this nest together.
Love & All Things Urban,
/CW Fam
Creative’s Making Impact By Lifting Other Creatives w/ The Creative Collab | Bronzeville Artist-in-Residency Mentor Program
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Creative’s Making Impact By Lifting Other Creatives w/ The Creative Collab | Bronzeville Artist-in-Residency Mentor Program
[A mentoring-focused Artist-in-Residency program that connects youth with a professional creative]
Creativity is best cultivated through collaboration. However, opportunities for creative collaboration can be sparse depending on age, locality, and personal network. Statistically, we know that “28% of surveyed Milwaukee-based creatives are strongly considering relocating to another city due to a lack of creative opportunities, jobs, and support here” [Imagine MKE, 2023]. Retention of talent [cultivated locally] will always be a problem unless we address it intentionally, constantly, & economically supported.
Under the leadership of Jazale’s Art Studio, Vedales Art Studio [Vedale Hill], and /CW Creative Studios + Shop [Owned by CopyWrite, Magazine, Media & Design, Lexi S. Brunson] we have cultivated the collaborative means to propel many creative career paths while navigating Milwaukee’s economic & opportunity disparities in the creative sector. From fine arts to media, fashion to performance, and all the intersectional practices of creative entrepreneurship in between, we have found a methodology that can help creatives excel in their personal and professional goals.
Today, we launch THE CREATIVE COLLAB | BRONZEVILLE ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCY MENTOR PROGRAM is a mentoring-focused Artist-in-Residency program that connects youth with a professional creative. Each youth participant will have access to mentors across the creative spectrum in their area of interest. Participants will be immersed in a diverse creative environment, where they will witness everyday practices of creative professionalism, methods of creative production, problem-solving, the proper methods of documentation, and how best to utilize their specific skill sets. This program will provide mentors & mentees stipends to emphasize the value of creative practice while navigating the economic necessities of a quality & sustainable practice.
MAGE BY COPYWRITE MAGAZINE VIA /CW SUMMER HIGH SCOOL INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE | VISITING MILWAUKEE ART MUSEUM -DERICK ADAMS, OUR TIME TOGETHER EXIBIT
“We have to understand that creative success directly correlates with access to resources & a creative network. A big piece of that narrative is funding. An artist should no longer be asked to starve. I know I don’t starve well! If we can help young creatives understand their value to society, while giving them the professional tools to navigate this industry, then as a community we all will reap the reward”, said Vedale Hill.
“Collectively, we have sat in rooms that have had the social capital and funding force that could fortify the creative industry in Milwaukee. However, time & time again, some people refuse to educate themselves on how creative talent enhances a communities cultural identity, promotes economic growth, and improves overall quality of life. If we take creatives out of the equation, there is no success in any industry. We want the next generation to have better opportunities than we have. So here we are attempting to do the right thing for all the right reasons. We hope that our community can support that in an active way”. - noted Lexi S. Brunson.
IMAGE BY COPYWRITE MAGAZINE VIA /CW SUMMER HIGH SCOOL INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE | BEQUEST YOUTH LED FASHION EXPERIENCE AT /CW CREATIVE STUDIOS
As of today, May 16th, 2025, THE CREATIVE COLLAB | BRONZEVILLE ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCY MENTOR PROGRAM applications are now live. Qualified applicants include Creatives 13-25, who are Milwaukee County residents, are enrolled in middle school, high school, or a post-secondary educational institution, with proof of exemplary creative skill sets. Financial needs are highly considered. Spring/Summer 2025 Cohort pre-screened participants will be notified of their acceptance via email by May 20th, 2025. Other applicants will be notified if they are accepted to a cohort on a rolling basis.
Special thanks to The Brewers Community Foundation for helping us pilot the program with their sponsorship contribution. We are still looking for additional funding sponsors for 2025 cohorts to further THE CREATIVE COLLAB's capacity, mentoring opportunities, and communal impact. [All sponsorships are tax deductible through Jazale's Art Studio's 501C Status]. If you are interested, please contact us at jazalesartstudio.org@gmail.com | copywrite.mke@gmail.com, Attn: The Creative Collab
Want to be a part of our communal impact? Please consider donating at:
For Press inquiries, interviews, and other media-related requests, please contact Lexi S. Brunson, Editor-in-Chief of CopyWrite Magazine, at: Copywrite.mke@gmail.com
/CW
IN THE CUT | EPISODE 4 "Happy Mother's Day Yall!"
/CHECK OUT OR LATEST EPISODE OF “IN THE CUT”
[Happy Mother's Day Yall! Catch these highlights from our Mommy's That Werk Panel. Featuring: Lexi S. Brunson, Symphony Swan, Jamie Robarge, and Haley King. ]
From The Page To The People: Celebrating One Year of Opposite Of A Suicide Note
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Controversy. What is its origin? Is it caused by differences in thought and opinion? Does the sensitivity of each topic’s complex layers define the foundation? My theory is that only one perspective of each topic is subconsciously designated by large communities as the poster child, while all alternative sides are buried away and slowly erased from all media and communication outlets. Whoever shares the knowledge of the hidden corridor to alternative sides of topics is labeled as the opposite of America’s sweetheart: controversial. Since feathered ink pens and instinctive pigeons spread news and knowledge, there has always been a divide between the two types of people who are born from controversy. Those who run from it like a thief in the night, and leaders who embrace it with open arms, like getting a hug from big mama. While thousands of people accessorize themselves with blinders and disregard, daring and courageous leaders such as Mikey Cody Apollo transform into keys that unlock all testimonies and evidence to the well-kept perspectives.
Did that name ring a bell? Milwaukee School of the Arts Alum, Mikey Cody Apollo, has contributed not only education, sex-positivity, jaw-dropping reads, and thought-provoking films to both the youth and her very own mentors, most importantly her voice. She’s sitting at the head of the table to celebrate the uncomfortable conversations often turned into white noise by cities, and immersing her community in spaces that have never been depicted to them so colorfully. The author of Black Girls, Silence, and Other Things Made of Gold gifted her audience forms of black love: romantic, self-love, and love for what art gives to souls internally. The 70-piece collection of poems is a literary collage of Apollo’s resilience as well as authenticity, which is rooted in love. The gate-flooding success of the 2017 Cody masterpiece stamped the need for Mikey’s value and presence in the city of Milwaukee on a vital level, which brought a plethora of kinfolk rooting for the creative with excitement and hunger. However, the exposure and achievement of Black Girls, Silence, and Other Things Made of Gold created fear inside the artist, specifically the sophomore slump{fear of not replicating or surpassing the success of one’s debut creation}. One topic ignited a fire inside Mikey that quickly minimized the fear of a sophomore slump: suicide. Her pen began to write with such admiration, grace, and marriages of pain bound with apologies you’d think only Maya Angelou deserved.
Sunday, March 30th, 2025, La Gente Art Gallery {2478 N Murray Ave, Milwaukee, WI} became a live mural of beautiful black, brown, and other minority faces smiling from ear to ear as if it were the annual family reunion and all the cousins were getting together. The unique celebration was posed as the one anniversary for Apollo’s latest literary sensation, The Opposite of A Suicide Note. This masterpiece was created by Apollo diving into a road of darkness, violence, depression, and mental check-outs. The book is a three-piece combo of poetry, prose, and visual art that is reviving themes of grief, healing, and love with a side of mental wellness. With one of our very own attending and moderating, Jamai Fisher, alongside host Mikey Cody Apollo, /CW had a golden ticket to the front row of this tranquil and Erykah Badu coded experience. The communal gathering began with a writing workshop that ran from 2 pm to 3:15 pm. The poetic samurai gave an expansive number of prompts to the audience. Vulnerable truths, fresh as well as scarred wounds, and the importance of a village are just the surface of all the prompts that were given.
“The writing workshop felt like art therapy. It applied to everyone, no matter the different varying levels of writing we all came from. The event was not only targeted at academic writers and scholars of poetry. The prompts led writers to get emotionally raw, whether they were ready for it or not. There’s power you can derive from sharing what you’ve survived.”- Kip
“Mikey’s event got my creativity back in gear. It was a safe place for expression and reflection. I was gloriously envious of their connections and the way they support and feed into each other’s souls in so many ways.”- Sheena C.
All who were in attendance quickly and sincerely resonated with who Apollo is and the lens they wrote The Opposite of A Suicide Note in. I became fascinated when listening to poets, teachers, Cody’s friends, and those who showed up a few hours later after hearing about the celebration that same day through social media and word of mouth. If I were to put everyone’s names in a bowl, duplicate responses would be given when describing feedback on the event. Mikey made everyone feel appreciated, prioritized, and valued.
“The space was founded in consideration for Mikey’s audience. It was an honor being a receiver and participant to the love of poetry, being that I am a teacher of the beloved language. From the natural light provided to us when writing, the room felt breathable for all the writers. We were able to see the rain fall down the panes of the windows and feel everything in the moment.”-Shalina
“Mikey is showing people that even from the darkest days that life is a beautiful thing.”- Amber
The authentic exchange of empathy, artistic expression, and support did not stop after the writing workshop. From 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm, the grand finale was in motion, and the discussion regarding Apollo’s book, The Opposite of A Suicide Note, came into effect. Although the author was heavily raised and brought up in church with a Christian worldview, her family did not follow the traditional framework and mindset of approaching the world. Their mother would be sitting in the front pews effortlessly knowing every lyric to each hymn, but still believed and applauded science.
“We were the family that wore jeans to church. My mom believed in science. My mom was very quick to put me on birth control once I had expressed interest in sex. So we held all these things simultaneously.”- Mikey Cody Apollo
It was embedded into Apollo from the early stages of life that there are always multiple perspectives of topics and how to voice how those topics make you feel, which influenced the different styles of writing Mikey uses now as an author. As a result, they hit their audience with a distinctive pair of frames to capture the new perspective Cody was introducing in this second book of theirs. Platonic love was used not only as the lens of story but also as the element of surprise. Cody expressed how the idea of love is popularly condensed to sex, flowers, candy, and romantic love, alienating the significance of love’s other forms. Friendships are often overshadowed by the power, resilience and strength one establishes within self-love and in the words of Ella Mai; when they get boo’d up. Mikey is advocating that your friends deserve unapologetic love, upliftment, growth, and admiration as well. A friend doesn’t only deserve a hangout because you are in the mood for some drinks, hot wings, and a dance floor. Friendship should be prioritized throughout every season in life, no matter if life is lifeing or you’re simply living in your best one yet. Mikey’s own friends, Genesis Renji, Olivia, and Yessica, influenced and aided the creation of the bold and brilliant masterpiece the audience discussed. Conversations, poetry slams, and even Apollo’s own suicide attempt do nothing but strengthen and solidify just how vital and connected the three friends are. G. Renji asked Cody, “What’s the opposite of a suicide note?” Answering himself, he blurted,” An affirmation.” Before you knew it, the title was born, and Rodney J & Yessica Jimenez began working on the artwork for the book as the illustrator!
Menstruation, depression, violence, and assault are emphasized as battles inherently faced by all individuals at some point in time throughout the read. Mikey wanted to create an affirmation in book form to more than suicide-attempt survivors, but for any human being who feels immense waves of sorrow, guilt, sadness, and numbness, to unveil the beauty of pain as well as healing. Apollo has made it known that their writing is not for everybody, but one thing that will remain constant is that their writing is for themselves and internally heals pieces of self. Suicide was not the only trial and tribulation Cody shared as one of their battles throughout the courageous pages. Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder, also known as PMDD, often characterized by significant emotional and physical symptoms that disrupt daily life, such as work, relationships, and social activities. This is another emotionally raw scene Cody shared with readers and her tangible audience at the celebration of their book. PMDD affects lives by causing suicidal thoughts, anxiety, mental illness, and depression, but there are multitudes of information that communities, including the 414, does not know about the struggle. Mikey wanted their one-year anniversary of the book as well as the literary ensemble, to bring awareness to Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder and how to properly adjust to it.
“The Opposite of A Suicide Note is conversation-driven. The purpose of the book is for people to start pouring back into themselves how they do men, women, and materialism. I want our people to go just as hard for ourselves as we do for one another.” -Mikey Cody Apollo
Now my question to you is: Who are you in the midst of controversy? Are your friends prioritized just like your boo is? Go cop Apollo’s groundbreaking read now & follow their work:
Snap a finger or two at the next poetry slam you see them at.
Desriana Gilbert | Entertainment & Social Journalist for /CW
MOVE LIKE MALCOLM [CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS] | RUN BLACK & GREEN
/*Info provided by Alea McHatten
A Stage for Life: A Unique Collaboration Between Versiti Blood Center and Milwaukee Ballet: Where Art Represents The Community’s Heart
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It’s often assumed that basketball games, open houses, and theatrical school productions are the nights that fill schools from top to bottom; however, donation events are the true cool kidz. According to the Pew Research Center, over 500,000 children participate and lead these informative, interactive and unifying events. The block parties, bake sales, and scholastic book fairs financially uplift the half-empty pockets of education systems, but a greater reward is gifted to all of the Whoopi Goldberg classrooms around the universe in the franchise movie, Sister Act [The kiddos}. Heart, soul, and kindness that lasts more than a week before their birthdays. As youngins, a broken record becomes the headshot of our audio library, spewing out the following constantly:
Sharing is caring
Treat others how you want to be treated
If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all
Authoritative figures surrounding kids, such as encouraging teachers, relatable coaches, and proud parents, become the ocean they absorb like sponges ready to tackle the next clean-up. Although the phrases are constantly demonstrated to us and sung into each ear, only 50% of children choose to be kind-hearted and incorporate leadership and inspiration in their adolescence and adulthood. Hence why donation events produce an immense impact because kids gravitate towards the interpersonal playground and tangible incentives that make them feel as confident as student of the month, Milwaukee Ballet student, Sydney, also known as the daughter of Gretchen Jameson, Wisconsin Chief Marketing Officer at Versiti Blood Center, is one of those children intrigued and motivated by donation events as well as becoming a vessel of help. A powerful representation of this naturally occurred right here in the city streets of Milwaukee. She planted the seed for innovative and impactful change with just a single question.
After witnessing countless collegiate and athletic competitions to strengthen blood donation awareness and the number of donors attached to it deemed as successful, Sydney’s eyebrows raised instantly and asked WI Chief Marketing Officer Gretchen Jameson, who she calls mom:
“Why have we never held one as Ballet being the driving force?”
If the saying “Like mother, like daughter” were a face, it’d be these two. Little did Sydney know that her mom and the rest of Versiti’s team birthed a new campaign titled A Stage for Life, which is a physical manifestation of local artistic organizations and innovative extraordinare, Versiti joining forces to increase and maintain a more diverse, promising and larger support system from the community when it comes to blood donation.
On Friday, March 21st, 2025, Sydney’s seed had grown into the first A Stage for Life event presented by partners Versiti Blood Center and Milwaukee Ballet named as The Inaugral Sleeping Beauty Blood Drive taking place at the Baumgartner Center for Dance from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The themed blood drive caught many by surpise and intriguingly had their eyes. Blood drives and related events get mistaken for dull, quiet, and dreadful events only held in hospitals or schools that will have the same outcome whether one person decides to attend or not. The inaugural Sleeping Beauty Blood Drive showcased a creative, daring, and inviting ambience pertaining to how blood drives look and feel.
“As part of the Stage for Life campaign, this initiative highlights the shared values of arts patrons and blood donors—community, compassion, and connection. With a goal to inspire first-time donors and encourage ongoing support, Stage for Life transforms blood donation into an act of generosity, much like the performing arts.”- Gretchen Jameson
Versiti and Milwaukee Ballet incorporated elements from the Sleeping Beauty fairytale such as home is where help begins, fate vs. free will, and the color story. Everyone in attendance also hit the lotto by receiving a buy-one-get-one-free ticket to the highly anticipated and exciting production of Sleeping Beauty presented by Milwaukee Ballet, which will run April 11th-13th at the Marcus Performing Arts Center. There’s no doubt that this event became visually appealing and was rooted heavily with the arts at the forefront but shockingly, it shared more knowledge and information that was heard and received for the first time by the communities in Milwaukee.
“With this partnership, we’re creating new ways for the community to engage and make a real difference for those in need. The arts and blood donation both reflect the belief that people need people.” -Gretchen Jameson
The three percent of blood donors who annually stamp their mark is only a raindrop in a bucket compared to the percentage of community members who are able to donate–30%. After speaking with some of them I was surprised at how frequently I was hearing the reasons why they never were willing to donate blood before.
“I thought my blood wouldn’t transmit easily into someone else.”
“I have many health problems like diabetes and high blood pressure.”
“I never knew where to find out when the blood drives were held.”
“I honestly didn’t think little old me would make a difference.”
It amazed me how once people received the correct information and a unique spin on how blood donation events are decorated and tied into other community interests, the response rate and blood donors increased drastically! I’m here to set the record straight /CW fam. As long as you are 17 years old you can donate blood every 2 months. Remember to drink mountains of water, have a balanced diet, and don’t drink any alcohol or put in work at the gym after donating to celebrate. You will make a difference because as soon as Versiti’s blood drives are over, they immediately transport all blood collected to nearby hospitals and community centers in need. “Blood cannot be designed, manufactured, or replicated. Your neighbors, family members and children need you.” -Gretchen Jameson
Fairytales aren’t always about a man and woman falling in love and driving off into the sunset. Most of the time, the message illustrates how it takes a village to establish tremendous health, connection, community, and compassion.
Couldn’t make this event? No worries. This is only the very beginning for Versiti to partner up with other art organizations in the city to create an electrifying movement bringing music, visual arts, theatre, dance, and blood donation to center stage!
Visit their resource center located inside the ThriveOn King organization at 2153 N Dr.MLK Drive in Milwaukee, WI [right across the street from our studio /CW Creative Studios + Shop]. Drop a heart or clapping hands under their posts from the inaugural Sleeping Beauty Blood Drive on their Instagram @versitiblood
Desriana Gilbert | Entertainment & Social Journalist for /CW
SUMMER STUDENT MEMBERSHIP SALE | GET 4 MONTHS OF /CW STUDIO ACCESS FOR A FLAT FEE OF $75
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A membership to /CW Creative Studios is an access to creatively nuanced space. This Membership includes access to shared work space, but not just desking and conferencing but active workshop space for several different types of creative individuals and organizations. Whether you need space to work on a design, produce a fine art piece, or plan an event. This membership provides a space for that.
GET 4 MONTHS OF /CW STUDIO ACCESS FOR A FLAT FEE OF $75
DETAILS:
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USE THE STUDIO DURING OUR HOURS OF OPERATION FROM MAY 1ST, 2025 TO AUGUST 31ST, 2025 [4 MONTHS]
GET 50% DISCOUNTS ON ALL /CW CREATIVE STUDIO RENTALS
1 COMPLEMENTARY CREATIVE PORTFOLIO REVIEW FROM /CW TEAM
SnapShot Press Release | Topdog/Underdog [& a special invite to Legacy Night at the Milwaukee Chamber theater]
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Modern-day digitization of “parlor games” will have you responding in the comments of a random social media post that asks, “name a dynamic duo”, with answers like…
Batman & Robin
Bonnie & Clyde
Peanut butter & Jelly
Bert & Ernie
Mac….AND….CHEESE
The foolery warrants a good knee-slapping chuckle [because why are we like this? Lol] but somewhere in the ether there lives another dynamic combination that is destined to teach us all something about our own humanistic bonds; Lincoln & Booth.
Now, for those of you who are history buffs, don’t start jumping down my throat. I'm not talking about Abraham [Lincoln] and John Wilkes [Booth]. I’m talking about the brothers [& I mean brothers who are BROTHERS in the biological & melanated sense] from playwright Suzan-Lori Parks’ Topdog/Underdog.
Let’s make it clear:
I am always baffled, yet mesmerized, by the execution of an obvious hustle.
I’m talking about a three-card monte on a flooding table and being a Black Man in America.
[If you can’t find the correlation, then it's already too late.]
On Wednesday, April 2nd, 2025, I was invited to experience a sneak peek scene reading from the play from the Milwaukee Chamber Theater, who will be ending their 50th-anniversary season with the Topdog/Underdog productions directed by Gavin Dillon Lawrence. This Here2Play event was hosted at Running Rebels [whose mission is to guide Milwaukee youth into adulthood through mentoring, positive programming, and community connection] and included a panel of esteemed Black Men from Milwaukee, making an impact in their community.
image by /CW
We witnessed actors Dimonte Henning [Booth] and Anthony Fleming III [Lincoln] capture the complexities of brothers in an unyielding predicament that is the Black experience, preparing for the April 25th to May 11th, 2025, show dates with vigor, humility, and humor. There scripted banter seemed natural and reflective of the insight panelist Vedale Hill [Milwaukee Fine Artist, Arts Educator, and Community Advocate], Nate Deans, Jr [Director of Black and Latino Male Achievement, Milwaukee Public Schools], Damon Shoates [Community Organizer, Running Rebels], and Lafayette L Crump, JD (Moderator) [City of Milwaukee Commissioner of City Development] transparently discussed.
They untangled questions that directly acknowledged their existence [as a collective and as individuals] that have historically been snubbed in the public arena.
What does it mean to be a Black Man?
“Actualizing the dreams of my ancestors”. - Nate
“I get to have audacity”. - Vedale
“To be responsible for the history of my people - immediate & past history”. - Damon
They lovingly gave us their intimate thoughts, recalibrating the toxic tropes of masculinity into reflections of who they are as men…
Evolving
Committed to uplifting
Partners of accountability
They each noted how they navigate the world they exist in with a sense of obligation that reaches far beyond their gain as stewards of a community that still needs help changing the narrative of the plight that has been unjustly cast upon it.
image by /cw
“These young men are innovators and understand the literacy of social media. . .How do we as people who run systems, integrate young people and vulnerable groups into [that work]?”Nate stated as he discussed culturally competent pedagogy.
“Your perspective is important. All historical documents and archives are some kind of art form: written, sculptural, or visual. Art is the treasure box of what happened. If you don’t say what happened, your story, your position, and your perspective can be untold. . . I try to get young people to approach art in that type of honest and philosophical way”, Vedale preached.
But it is in this conversation that we are directed back to the art of Topdog/Underdog and what awaits us on the stage as art holds a mirror to our existence.
It's a space that I want us to hold together…Let me clear my throat *hmmmm hmmm*... It’s a space I invite all of my BLACK community to hold together for Legacy Night.
Milwaukee Chamber Theatre & CopyWrite Magazine [as a community partner] invites Black and African American community members to join us for Legacy Night on April 30 at 7:00 pm, a special performance of TOPDOG/UNDERDOG by Suzan-Lori Parks dedicated to and celebrating the Black community. Join us beginning at 5:00pm for a special pre-show reception! Tickets are $30 (plus tax and ticket fees) with special code LEGACY.
To be in community with each other gives us more opportunity to build bonds with each other that exemplify brotherhood, triumph over adversity, and unadulterated joy.
Let’s show our city what it feels like to win together.
See you at the theater!
Lexi S. Brunson | Editor-in-Chief /CW
