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    • GRANNY GOOSE
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    • ANANSI TIME
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Books, Video's, Poetry & more!

Benjamin Franklin Short Story Winner

2006 Short Story Bio Is A Winner!

THE BENJAMIN FRANKLIN "AUTOBIOGRAPHY PROJECT" WAS A CHALLENGING 300 WORD CONTEST. 

ONI'S STORY ABOUT GROWING UP GOING TO THE UPTOWN THEATER WAS ONE OF THE 20 WINNERS. 

HER STORY POSTER WAS POSTED AT THE BUS STOP SHELTER AT 20TH & WALNUT ST. 

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA

Read story here

Hear Oni in this Award Winning Book!

LISTEN TO ONI SOLO RAP DUNBAR'S "WE WEAR THE MASK" ON PAGE 56,

ALSO FEATURED WITH NIKKI & VAL GRAY WARD ON PAGE. 54, GWENDOLYN BROOKS, "WE REAL COOL"  & MARTIN LUTHER KINGS SPEECH ON PAGE 64. 

Invite Oni to present a hip hop storytelling session with your students!

Nikki Giovanni introduces Oni to rap Dunbar!

PANTENE TOTAL YOU TOUR

ONI RAPS DUNBAR'S "WE WEAR THE MASK" FOR MC LYTE & AUDIENCE AT CONVENTION CENTER IN PHILADELPHIA, PA

Professor Nikki Giovanni on the making of "Hip Hop Speaks To Children" & giving Oni  props in this award winning book she created & edited.

The Best Short Stories of Philadelphia

$20.00
Pay with PayPal or a debit/credit card

Philly Scam or Paying It Forward? Is a biographical short story on the joys and dreads of a visit back to Oni's hometown, the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly affection, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

Hindsight 2020

$20.00
Pay with PayPal or a debit/credit card

Baptized By The Blues, a short story on how Oni's dream to play her bass guitar and present "Love Must Fall"  at Morgan Freeman's Juke Joint in Clarksdale, Mississippi....came true!

Story Play Shop & Poetry Workshop

Debut! with Kevin Cordi

PERMISSION 2 PLAY 

Presents DEBUT!

With Professor Storyteller Kevin Cordi

A place where stories and more, are performed for the first time! 

January 30, 2022 - Sunday - 2:00 PM EST


Watch here

You Can Do Dunbar!

Add  to your repertoire!

STORY CROSSROADS & ARTISTS STANDING STRONG TOGETHER, Inc.

A WORK/PLAY SHOP FOR ONE & ALL

Teaching Artists! Storytellers! Dunbar Fans! 

February 12, 2022 - Saturday - 9:00 MT / 11:00 EST 


Learn MOre

 "I listened to Peace & War this morning on your podcast Your telling of that moral message was incredible. What a blessing that the world is able to access and enjoy these stories for free. Thank you."   Diane Williams.co, Author, Storyteller

Oni's Podcast!

Why I Write VIDEO

Spoken word from Sister Wings, CD. A experimental collaboration video. Please excuse the low pixels in the photos...many were taken before HD. Oni wrote and delivers this mix over the groove of Samori Coles of lil drummaboy LLC, Philadelphia

I Dreamt, MLK Jr. Inside Story & Poem

Listen on "Story Story Podcast"

 Clik on CD Cover to listen to the back story on how and why this story poem was created. 

Hit the back arrow in your browser and you can return to browse website while you listen. 

Thank you & enjoy

I Dreamt, MLK Jr. The Video

 An excerpt from the spoken word tribute poem, from the independently produced CD "Sister Wings, Spoken Word Songs Bass & Beats"  

ASCAP (SR) (c) 2005  Words by Oni Lasana  - Music by Samori Coles of lil drummaboy, LLC Philadelphia. 

Please contact Oni for permission to use in classroom. 

Order CD or download track here

full lyrics are enclosed with purchase of CD. If digitally downloaded, contact Oni for the poem.  

Please excuse the photos as the pixels are not clear and were published before HD.

An acrostic poem

Create your poem with the first initials of your name!

Ladies Lunch & Soiree

SISTER WINGS & 'LIAS' MOTHER PERFORMANCE

Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Featured Poet

BIG TRIGGER'S SOUND OF JAZZ & POETRY SHOW, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Believe

A tale on teamwork.

The Party by Paul Laurence Dunbar

Mercer Museum, Pennsylvania

Keep A Pluggin' Away

A poem of encouragement by Paul L Dunbar @ Tobago Library Services 

Fred & Mabel

An adult story on perspective.

HAIKU /MYKOU / FOR YOU

Contributions to Sonia Sanchez Mural Arts Haiku project
Haiku's is a  form of Japanese verse, written in 17 syllables divided into 3 lines of 5, 7, & 5  

The following are my submissions for the project.

(C) 2012 All Rights Reserved

Music

Travel

Travel

 Make me dance all day
See me reach out to the light
Know me in a song 

Travel

Travel

Travel

Travel unravels
Stereotypes fall apart
Releasing our fears

Family

Travel

Family

More than blood thru veins
Family tears joys and pains
Connect in one love

Peace

Murals

Family

Peace, silent words heard
Inside our mind space in time 
Whispers unknown ...ssssh

Money

Murals

Murals

People make money
Money makes people mo' friends
Money goes friends end

Murals

Murals

Murals

Old houses light up
Walls reflecting our history
Murals tell stories 

Oni's Diary ~ Muse : considering something thoughtfully

All Posts

America Is Sick

February 1, 2020|I-Muse

 December 2015-2025

I have come to the conclusion the TV world is an illusion to entice sick and poor (not only in $) folks into spending money, being ill, (not the cool ill as in chill) but the real one as in illness and in getting us very, very ill. 

Lately, I managed to avoid watching the degenerate reality and non-reality TV shows. However, it is our dinner time ritual to stop for 30 minutes and watch the national American news. It is making me sick.


Last night it occurred to me that Americans are suffering from a political dis-ease name Trump, societal poisonings of police abuse, prophetical last days of unnatural disasters; El Nino warming, tornadoes, flooding, fires and an overall sense of doom for USA, NORTHERN AFRICA, ISIS, JEWS, ISLAM, CHRISTIANS, MUSLIMS, CHINA etc. fill in the blank__________.

I take a deep breath, transfixed with hopeful relief for a commercial break. During the western world's season of hoLIEdays, I gaze in amazement at the American state of health. Advertisers who cater to viewers who must be very sick, as in ill, as in plain old old school sick.

Millions spent to place ads during what should be the most factual and informative 30 minutes on TV. Millions spent to convince you to see Star Wars, escaping the reality of Human Wars on this planet. One most recently being the dire possibility of getting caught in a hail of police bullets while showing concern and "looking out" for your upstairs neighbor.

AMERICA IS SICK. I have proof, a list of commercial ailments "as seen on TV" so it must be true. I list the ailments in caps, then the cause (as I see it) = suggested TV remedies at the end in caps.

WARNING: If you are suffering from any of these ailments, consult your primary (insurance controlled) doctor before purchasing any of the commercial remedies. or better yet, IF you can afford it...consult your nearest natural healer, chiropractor for an alignment/adjustment or certified herbalist.
In order of commercial appearance here’s the diagnosis;
(please read phonetically, some products ain’t in the spell check)

ACID INDIGESTION - enjoying red mystery meat at McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell, Chipotle, or any place where bare hands other than your own, handles the food. = TUMS

HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE - screaming at your kids, husband, neighbor, slavery syndrome, police paranoia, anger issues over reports of cops getting off the hook after killing blacks, or any folks by any means they find necessary = PRILOSEC

VITAMIN DEFICIENCY - eating white bread, white rice, white potatoes, white pasta, & NO raw fresh veggies or fresh fruit. (one night it was plain gummy’s, the next night it was mint blowin' up in some guys face. So BIG kids please take your vitamins! You wouldn't need them if you exercised and eat non-GMO, organic or REAL food. Gummy/mint chew vitamins? Check with your dentist while you're at it. = CENTRUM

HEMORRHOIDS - from sitting on your butt watching TV all day, at the office or any job in front of a computer, birthing children, or a male x rated activity = PREPARATION H

NUTRITIONAL DEFICIENCY - same reasons as vitamin deficiency + boiling + frying vegetable + fruit to death = BOOST

ACCIDENT PRONE - suffering from ALL ailments above while texting or talking on your cell phone + driving = PROGRESSIVE INSURANCE COMPANY

COLDS & FLU - swapping spit kissing a stranger, breathing on the plane, bus or train, around sneezing, runny nose kids = NYQUIL

DRY MOUTH & BAD BREATH - smoking cigarettes, weed, taking antihistamines for allergies to chemtrails, artificial ingredients in food, dust, not brushing your teeth before you go to bed at night, (Listerine toothpaste or non-flouride herbal toothpaste may help, my ad;-) = BIOTENE

ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION - only YOU MEN know WHY you have this problem (hope the skinny slinky girl gazing at you in the ads helps you at least think about satisfying your wife during the four hours of toting around a hardy, for a change) = VIAGARA

NEW CAR - with the outrageous cost of rent/mortgage...you'll need a place to sleep one day = NISSAN

NEW CLOTHES - a closet full of clothes - not a thing to wear? Notice you rarely see ads for upscale stores, Lord & Taylor or Saks, save $ while supporting a family in china = ROSS

UPSCALE CAR - after you total the Nissan, get paid from Progressive, time to front = LEXUS, CADILLAC...SUV is my personal choice.

TV STILL ON? - 30 minutes of dreadful national news = TURN IT OFF
Inside Hollywood is where you gape at live blond Barbie & Ken dolls and get to see how interesting they are....NOT.

COMMERCIALS with your NEWS? Don't worry...it won't go away...turn on your phone, your computer, buy a newspaper and you can still read all about it and maybe even “come down with something”

PS: If you find any of this humorous its cool. Like Smokey sang..."laugh to keep from crying". It’s a personal motto "Humor Reveals Truths" the title of the only A+ paper I received while attending Laney College in Oakland, Cali...before I dropped out to live.

 I know, I should have stayed + lived off popcorn (like I did in between jobs in LA) & got that degree. I'd be VERY impressive...maybe I'd be a better poet & writer...or not.
In any case...skip the commercials...

America is sick and whatever it is... it's going around.

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