Back in 1997, a twenty-four year old Staceyann Chin moved from Kingston to Canarsie to escape persecution for being a lesbian who refused to conceal her sexuality. Once here, she became a performance poet and political activist, and over the years she has won many slam poetry competitions, has appeared in Off-Broadway one-woman shows, and was co-writer and performer in the Tony Award-winning Russell Simmons’ Def Poetry Jam on Broadway. Staceyann recently published her critically acclaimed and incredibly moving memoir, The Other Side of Paradise. Rafael Pi Roman spoke with Staceyann at her home in Crown Heights about her life and her work.
2 comments WOW!!!Just Listening to StacyAnn was an explosion of honesty and forthrightness and beauty. She is unafraid of being who she is. I as a sister am outspoken but it seems to only come about through an anger fulled confrontation. I now look at Stacyann Chin as an inspiration.
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Eden R. Bentley Says:
What a discovery this is for me. She is a beautiful human being with the magical way with words. everything that came off her is precise, to the point, true, honest. i hope she touches other lives and be a good role model for the young people who will be so lucky to know her.