Jammin with Juice | /CW Fam Carrie "Noni Juice" has her own radio show with Ben "Jammin" on 101.7 the Truth

"WE KNOW IT’S GOING TO BE JUICY!!!

If you haven’t heard the news yet, grab your juice pouch and get ready because we have a /CW Fam alert.

Our long-time Entertainment Journalist, Carrie “Noni Juice” Mahone, is now the co-host of Good Karma Brands station 101.7 The Truth show, “Jammin with Juice” with co-host Ben “Jammin” Hooks.

Knowing Carrie, we know this has always been the move [& she is beyond ready]. In their press announcement for the new show, Carrie mentioned, “Fans will embrace our show because we are The Truth for the youth. This show is the birth of a new era of media in the city, and we hope to bridge the gap between generations through entertaining yet honest dialogue”. That NEW era in media is fast-paced, social media driven, and very influencer-conscious [all things Carrie has noted over her time in the game.

So can you catch that vibe? Check out the first episode to see for yourself.

[It’s the tag intro for us! LOL]

The first instalment dropped May 20, 2024 and they have been going hard since lol [2 days baby].

So say congratulations to our girl Carrie & a our new homie Ben.

Let’s work media fam!

/CW

the Not-So-Accidental Conviction of Eleven Milwaukee "Anarchists" - SnapShot Press Release

photos by Michael Brosilow

“LET’S JUST BLOW THE WHOLE THING UP!”

Ahht, Ahht, Ahht! Don’t you dare snark at the thought. 

We all have said it. If not out loud, it has definitely crossed your mind. And if it hasn’t, are you even human?

The true question is what is the “thing” that would actually make you do it?

The Not-So-Accidental Conviction of Eleven Milwaukee "Anarchists" defines that moment by taking a comedic aside into history, local history, in a Milwaukee that seems so distant from our present society but is in fact, the foundation of what we now bear witness to. The trial of “The Milwaukee Eleven” and the police station bombing of 1917 is dismantled through planned improv [if it's not a term I'm coining it now], a black box theatre with a trunk full of doodads, and a chair [Yup, just one chair]. 

Why? Because many of us have forgotten that empathy is civility. . . but just hold that thought. We will get there. 

Saturday's [May 4th, 2024] 4:00 pm production was quite interesting. It's not just because playwright Martín Zimmerman intended it to be [as he allowed his burning questions of the story to reveal themselves on the stage. Questions like, How do you make sense of people about whom we have such fragmented, contradictory information?] but also because the longing to wrap ideas [in the form of art] in a nice shiny bow, instead, creating a knot of complexities with tattered ends is uncomfortable. In the opening scene it seemed like we were all slated for 90 minutes of a four-person recall of historical facts [I mean cool I guess if you're into that]. But then the bomb exploded, the butter was squashed, and chaos ensued. 

That chaos took the form of two-syllable curse words, catty disagreements, and a baby blow horn. What part of the story should come next and what is the best way to depict it? Actors Elyse Edelman, King Hang, Dimonte Henning, and Kelsey Elyse Rodriguez were charged with playing several roles, embodying the people and the police, the righteous and the ridiculed, the holy and the sinful [& these characters are not juxtaposing beings but multiplicities of humanity]. 

That’s where it gets tough. 

It was strategically unhinged and while much of the audience laughed, there were many who winced at the potty language but did not bat an eye at the reminder of people's lives, livelihoods, and freedom being taken from them. Who made the bomb? There is no one name or evidence to support one intended target. Why did they make it? If it was indeed an act of anarchy then it must be an act against the systems that were “ruling” Milwaukee at the time which allowed for bad working conditions, bigotry, discrimination [ethnic is a loaded term around these parts], and poverty to persist.  If it's an act against religion then what god allows for a 4-year-old child to be taken into custody by the police? This little midwest town in the free world is starting to look tragic but it's not like 1917 was an isolated occurrence. Just last week students calling for a ceasefire in Gaza were met with police batons and monkey noises [but y'all ain't hearing me though]. 

And that for me was more disturbing. 

That type of discomfort reverberates through every life choice and decision made [or avoided]. It sets the tone for the future and the narratives we uphold from the past. Zimmerman was smart to let us grapple with analysis as the actors analyzed. The actors were bold in allowing us to see their range as they unpacked and then reboxed how to approach historical narrative in its grandiose and in its pretentious posturing of justice.

At the end of it, I couldn't care less who Clarence Darrow or Augusto Giuliani was. All I wanted to know is why we keep letting others write and archive our history. When will we realize that the archive does not have to be documented through the lens of our oppressors? When will we realize that the most vulnerable populations have always been bastardized by the systems that self-assign themselves as protectors?

It's ugly and society is a mirror of that ugliness. 

The Not-So-Accidental Conviction of Eleven Milwaukee "Anarchists" is rhetoric for self-assessment. If you are not terrified of the possibilities of what can happen when we disregard the needs of our fellow human [as terrified as I was to watch that slow-mo fight scene where unarmed cops were in a shoot-out with civilians] or if you don’t question your sanity when you become desensitized to violence [physical, mental, or emotional] then wtf are we actually doing here?

I don’t know if I liked what I saw but I do know that more people need to be confronted with narratives that make them cringe. If you know someone who needs to light a fire under their complacent a**, then send them to see this Milwaukee Chamber Theater production. 

Something has got to change.

Lexi S. Brunson 

Editor-in-Chief /CW

CopyWrite Magazine is a PROUD Community Partner of Milwaukee Film Fest 2024

It’s about that time!

We are gearing up to indulge in visual narratives on the big screen [& you know we love a good film at /CW]! This years for MFF we chose to be a community partner for screenings that touched on some of our core interest as media makers/lovers, BIPOC representation, and creative flyness. We kept it short & sweet [but you know we won’t be leaving any crumbs].

Check out the films on CopyWrite Magazine hit list [& follow us on Instagram @copywritemag for a chance to win tickets to watch the films with us!]:

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4/13/2024 | 3:45:00 PM | Avalon

OUT OF THE PICTURE | DIR: MARY LOUISE SCHUMACKER

OUT OF THE PICTURE takes us inside the lives of some of the most relevant writers on art today, thinkers who are making sense of a period of unprecedented change to art, media, and society. Director Mary Louise Schumacher led a national survey of more than 300 arts writers across the country, unearthing revelations that are poised to prompt a national conversation about the nature of art, modern life, and how meaning gets made in the 21st century.

PREVIEW

4/22/2024 | 5:00 PM | Downer

SEEKING MAVIS BEACON | DIR: JAZMIN RENEE JONES

One of the most influential Black women in technology is a figment of our collective imagination. Mavis Beacon was invented by the co-founder of Myspace to sell the world’s most popular typing software, but the real woman she was modeled after disappeared in 1995. SEEKING MAVIS BEACON poses critical questions regarding anthropomorphism and the consumption of marginalized bodies in the tech industry, while reimagining the afro-futurist legacy of a missing historical figure.

4/16/2024 | 3:30:00 PM | ORIENTAL THEATRE (Lubar)

YOUNG. WILD. FREE. | DIR: THEMBI L. BANKS

Being a teenager is rough, and Brandon (Algee Smith, 2017 African-American Film Critics Association Best Ensemble Cast winner for Kathryn Bigelow’s Detroit) is no different. Between struggling in school, caring for his two younger siblings, and having just been let go from his job, Brandon often uses his art as an escape from the confines of his subdued day-to-day life. Enter Cassidy (Sierra Capri, On My Block), a bedazzled bad girl dripping in confidence, freedom, and danger. Lured in by her whimsy, Brandon teams up with Cassidy, seamlessly slipping into the role of Clyde to her Bonnie as they make their way down an increasingly perilous path.

Carvd N Stone Loren Martin Hintz Travel Writing Scholarship Continues for Third Year to Award $1,000

*Info provided by Carvd N Stone

Carvd N Stone (CNS), a positive news company and marketing agency, announces the third annual CNS Loren Martin Hintz Travel Writing Scholarship. CNS will award $1,000 to a Milwaukee writer based on the 2024 essay theme: “What lessons have you learned while traveling that you’ve implemented in your everyday life and why?”

Applications open on April 17, 2024, at 9 a.m. CST and will close on May 17, 2024, at noon CST.

To apply, applicants must fit all requirements:

● Reside in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

● 17-29 years old.

● Submit an 800-word essay that fits the 2024 theme.

Loren Martin Hintz was an award-winning journalist for the Milwaukee Sentinel. Throughout his career, Hintz traveled around the world capturing unique people and moments in words and photographs. The CNS Travel Writing Scholarship promotes and encourages the next generation of writers. Whether you're an aspiring journalist or just have a passion for travel and writing, the Loren Martin Hintz Scholarship is an amazing opportunity to showcase your skills, thoughts, and dreams with the chance of winning.

ZenSation by Queen Lifestyle

Wellness is Black Excellence!! How can you tell? Because of ZenSation, that's how! During the last weekend of Black History Month, We Got Flavors and our very own Fashion Editor, Sydnie Beason of Queen Lifestyle, curated this occasion to display our community’s strength and knowledge of health through a holistic lens. The lower level of the North Avenue Market was occupied wall to wall by some of the best that the wellness community has to offer. The atmosphere was so loving and was topped off by the soothing background acoustic cover songs of Tlalok Rodriguez who was centered in the room with his guitar, a perfect choice for the ambiance by the curators. Walking around I saw turmeric soaps and other skincare items from Nakedd Skin Studio by Licensed esthetician CiCe, gemmed up energy cleansing jewelry and oils from Freequensee by JB, and Healing IVY brought teas, beads, and more beads. Queen Lifestyle herself brought in several jars of her own herbal juices. That Fire Cider Tonic? You don’t know spice till you've had that one. Cough where?? 

These ladies were artists of different talents and niches who had found themselves convicted with the responsibility of bringing their skills and resources to the community- to step back from the vanity of it all and bring attention to the actual quality of living which starts with the health of the body, mind, and keeping some smell goods in the house.

 While recovering from my first few sips of that Fire Cider (seriously I was taken aback…in a good way!), I began to gather something after admiring the visual of this excellence; the real truth. This pop up was not only of course a great marketing strategy for the vendors or just a sign that health and wellness is becoming more and more of a conscious consideration amongst our people, but that despite what has been economically decided, healthcare truly is accessible and affordable when we open our minds to where the solution might be. Your remedy for an ailment, an ache, or just needing a kick start of good energy for the day could literally be on your nail tech’s counter or in your stylist’s blender. Your cure for oily or dry skin is a 15min drive away at a local studio spot, not 3-7 business days ahead. Black health and wellness is simply the gift that keeps on giving and it's more within our reach than we think. 

/CW Naomi-Re’a

You are invited to LEGACY NIGHT @ The Milwaukee Chamber Theater | Hosted by CopyWrite Mag

BLACK PEOPLE IT IS TIME TO TAKE UP SPACE!

INFO FROM OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS AT MCT

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We invite Black and African American community members to join us for Legacy Night on March 22 at 7:30 pm, a special performance of THE MOUNTAINTOP by Katori Hall hosted by CopyWrite Magazine [THATS US!] dedicated to and celebrating the Black community.

What is Legacy Night?

The intention behind this event is to purposefully create an environment in which a Black audience can experience and discuss this play about a Black leader, created and performed by Black artists, in a space that celebrates the Black Community and centers their perspectives.

Legacy Night is inspired by a similar event created in 2019 by actor and playwright Jeremy O. Harris, where for the first time ever, every seat in Broadway’s Golden Theatre was occupied by Black audience members. We're calling this special performance Legacy Night not only because legacy is one of the major themes within THE MOUNTAINTOP but also to honor and celebrate our Black and African American community and the legacy we hope to create together in Milwaukee. 

What if I'm not Black or African American?

We encourage our non-Black audience members to join us in honoring this initiative by choosing to experience the play at another performance.

We thank you in advance for supporting these artists and MCT as we facilitate an opportunity for a community to come together to enjoy this special event. 

Ticket Options

Legacy Night Tickets are $20 (plus sales tax and box office fees).

Purchase Online

You can purchase tickets online by clicking the button below and using the code LEGACY. You will need to enter the code in the "Promo Code" box at the top right corner of the Broadway Theatre Center ticketing page and click submit before you try to select the date. The Legacy Night performance will not show up until you have submitted code LEGACY.

What Vaule We Share: MKE Film Back History Month Programming | Shorts: TREASURED HEIRLOOMS

Happy Black History Month!

Happy being Black, living in Black bodies, and living Black truths!

As a Community Partner for Milwaukee Films 2024 Black History Month Programming, the /CW Fam selected screenings that we thought would speak to our audience and our specific cultural nuances. 

My experience watching the collection of Treasured Heirlooms shorts, was one that absolutely filled my culture cup reminding me that what we value in the Black community [with all its intersectionality] should be shared and celebrated. I note this as I am in the infancy of producing one of my own art installations that discuss culture as a proponent of space, thus creating a place [stay tuned]. Marquese May's curation of six short films of treasures, was dynamic and telling of voices we may know but reluctantly share outside of our community. I applaud programming like this because it allows the African diaspora to be seen in the light it deserves. Here are the values I would like to share from each film.

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WILD MAGNOLIAS |  Dir. Alexandra Kern

We don't get to talk about culture that has been cultivated in appreciation and in proximity to other cultures. Wild Magnolias shows an appreciation between Native American practices and African Americans in Louisiana. The link of these people is due to colonization and enslavement but it is a link that is vital to the survival of both peoples heritage and history. The bead work and visual storytelling in the garbs the Wild Magnolia Men [and young men] created were breathtaking, showed true skill, and showed historical narratives that the white gaze [don’t try to tussle with me] has tried to erase. Not only have the bloodlines mixed genetically [I would know from my own lineage] but also the archive of survival can not be told without mentioning the other.

This is the value of ancestry we share.

MORE THAN HAIR | Dir. Fitch Jean

Hair is sacred. How we manage our crown is how we manage the world. I have never been able to truly describe why or how but the complexity of Black hair [All Black hair] should be considered a world wonder. More Than Hair, is a heart moving peace because it pulls at the fragility of the Black hair experience. Not knowing, experimentation, acceptance, and revelation. I teared up when he sat down in that barber shop with his adopted mother [blessings to her for seeking the help he needed]. When he turned the pages of the hair catalog I smiled with excitement for the endless possibilities. When he picked cornrows I knew he had discovered that his hair was worth keeping.

This is the value of hair we share. 

GLITTER AIN'T GOLD | Dirs. Christian Nolan Jones and Dominick Cormier

Ornamentation is our birthright! The value that the Black community places on aesthetics should be looked at as an obligatory reflection of existence. From historical narratives, we know that our adornments were stripped from us during the conquest of our land and the enslavement of our people. Our markings, garb, and emblems were always signs of our identity and status. So when baby boy worked hard to get that money for that chain to impress that little girl I was proud of him. But when he discovered that material things won't always suffice I empathize with his longing to be seen and admired by those he admires. We carry our worth. We want to be recognized for our worth. 

This is the value of adornment we share. 

Other films shown during the screening included, QUILTED EDUCATION  [Dir. Kayla Robinson], OVER THE WALL [ Dir. Krystal Tingle] and AMPE: LEAP INTO THE SKY, BLACK GIRL [Dirs. Ife Oluwamuyide and Claudia Owusu]. These films too showed the value of archiving our history, representation in spaces less traveled for our community, and how the practices of our youth may help build the skills needed for strong futures. 

I value my Blackness in its performance, its lineage, and its legacy. 

Thank you for the reminder that it is all to be treasured and shared. 

Lexi S. Brunson | Editor-in-Chief /CW

/CW is a Proud Community Partner of Milwaukee Film's Black History Month Programming

Art by liv burks

We are going “BLACK to BLACK” with Black History Month Celebrations. /CW is a Proud Community Partner of Milwaukee Film's Black History Month Programming. Check out the last of films we cant wait to see!

FOLLOW US ON INSTIGRAM FOR YOU CHANCE TO WIN 2 TICKETS TO SEE ONE OF OUR COMMUNITY PARTNER FILM SCREENINGS.

@copywritemag

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GAINING GROUND: THE FIGHT FOR BLACK LAND | 2/29/24 | THUR. 7:00PM

In just a few decades after the end of enslavement, Black Americans were able to amass millions of acres of farmland. Today approximately 90% of that land is no longer in Black hands. Various factors have been employed to take Black land, including violence, eminent domain and government discrimination. But it is a little-known issue — heirs’ property — that has had a devastating effect on Black land ownership. Gaining Ground: The Fight for Black Land is a timely and stirring documentary from Emmy-nominated producer/director Eternal Polk and Al Roker Entertainment that examines the causes, effects what is being done to fight the exploitation of these issues, and how landowners are reclaiming their agricultural legacy and creating paths to generational wealth.

INVISIBLE BEAUTY | 2/17/24 | SAT. 12:00PM

Fashion revolutionary Bethann Hardison looks back on her journey as a pioneering Black model, modeling agent, and activist, shining a light on an untold chapter in the fight for racial diversity. From walking runway shows alongside Iman to discovering supermodels like Tyson Beckford and mentoring icons like Naomi Campbell, Hardison has been at the epicenter of major representational shifts in fashion. Catalyzing change requires continuous championing, and as the next generation takes the reins, Hardison reflects on her personal journey and the cost of being a pioneer.

In tandem with Frédéric Tcheng (Halston, Dior and I), Bethann Hardison and her co-director trace her impact on fashion from runway shows in New York and Paris in the ’70s to roundtables about lack of racial diversity in the early 2000s. Interviews with industry players speak to the state of fashion, while friends and family attest to Hardison’s rebellious and ambitious spirit. The film is an absorbing record of Hardison’s accomplishments and a rare contemplation on the life of a radical thinker.

TREASURED HEIRLOOMS - Black Lens Shorts Program | 2/10/24  | SAT. 12:00PM

From the tingling sensation of the alcohol spray following a haircut to the quick-paced hand games of our youth that occupied us for hours, the essence of Blackness has continuously worked as a dynamic archive of rites of passage and traditions that hold a special place in defining who we are. "TREASURED HEIRLOOMS" is a short film program delving into how Black folks globally are actively engaged in preserving, archiving, and creating approaches to ensure the endurance of our cherished traditions. This reflective cinematic offering aims to encourage us to embrace our traditions intimately, connecting us with both our past and future selves. - Marquise Mays, Black Lens Programmer

Shorts: Treasured Heirlooms featuring:

WILD MAGNOLIAS Dir. Alexandra Kern

MORE THAN HAIR Dir. Fitch Jean

GLITTER AIN'T GOLD Dirs. Christian Nolan Jones and Dominick Cormier

QUILTED EDUCATION Dir. Kayla Robinson

OVER THE WALL Dir. Krystal Tingle

AMPE: LEAP INTO THE SKY, BLACK GIRL Dirs. Ife Oluwamuyide and Claudia Owusu

The Mountaintop Legacy Award | Honoring Milwaukee Change-Makers

Art by Mikal Floyd-Pruitt

Milwaukee Chamber Theatre is thrilled to share with its community Pulitzer Prize-winner Katori Hall’s celebrated stage play THE MOUNTAINTOP, an inspiring reimagining of the final night of the life of legendary Civil Rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. On April 3rd, 1968, after delivering one of his most memorable speeches, Dr. King retires to his room at the Lorraine Motel, where a mysterious stranger forces him to confront his destiny and legacy. A classic of the modern theater that in humanizing Dr. King suggests that we all have within us the power to be the change we wish to see in the world, THE MOUNTAINTOP will be directed by acclaimed Milwaukee theater artist Dimonte Henning. 

In keeping with its larger mission of bringing its community closer together while celebrating what makes Milwaukee great, and in partnership with CopyWrite Magazine, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center, and Zao MKE Church, MCT will highlight Black excellence in Milwaukee during the run of THE MOUNTAINTOP through the Mountaintop Legacy Award. MCT will recognize at each MOUNTAINTOP performance one Milwaukee difference-maker who exemplifies the ideals of unity, equity, and locally led movements highlighted by Dr. King in his final speech, commonly referred to as “The Mountaintop Speech.”

Mountaintop Legacy Award recipients will be selected by a panel of MCT artists and community partners from nominations by the public of individuals who best exemplify Dr. King’s ideals across sectors including but not limited to political, nonprofit, business, educational, art, and tech.  

[INFO PROVIDED BY /CW COMMUNITY PARTNERS AT MCT]

Happy Black History [everyday] Month from your /CW Fam!

History is made daily.

Active practice is true performance.

Advocacy should be ambitious.

Challenges should never stop progressive change.

We are Black.

We are proud.

& you know why it matters.

Happy Black History Month from your /CW Fam