TURN THE PAGE, A Literary Force - On November 25, 2012 The Roots and Wings Project unites Inside OUT Writers Alumni and established writers in sharing stories and exploring juvenile justice. 

The Roots and Wings Project will be guests on THE QUMRAN REPORT Radio Show, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2012. Founder Jesse Bliss will be discussing the upcoming production of THE TREE OF FIRE at Inner City Arts.

On April 28th, ART AS A WEAPON celebrated the transcendent power of art and the limitless possibility of the human spirit, dispelling stereotypes and advancing media literacy through the spoken word.

Some of Los Angeles' most powerful poets unite again in the glow our sold-out Occupy This! event in January in Boyle Heights at Casa 0101 produced and hosted by Jesse Bliss and Josefina Lopez.

This gathering of artists features poets such as Mike "The Poet" Sonksen and Sean Hill, was produced by The Roots and Wings Project as a busking fundraiser for our upcoming program - Guerrilla Camp: Art as a Weapon, a 2 day media literacy workshop for Skid Row teenagers including visual art, theater, music and writing components.

Casa 0101, The Roots and Wings Project & Salon De La Plaza proudly presents
POETRY SLAM 2012
on Friday, April 6, 2012. Jesse Bliss and Josefina Lopez hosted Los Angeles' most heavy hitting poets who united with up-and-comers to ignite truth and provoke transformation through spoken word in the spirit of solidarity in the heart of Boyle Heights. 

Members of the 99% picked up the mic and layed down the law in this live-streamed poetry event hosted by RAW's Jesse Bliss and Writer-Activist Josefina Lopez of Casa 0101.

“We declare ourselves to be free. There is no debt, no cage, no jail cell that can contain us because we are already free.” –Josefina Lopez

 A RECORD OF LIGHT

written and directed by
RAW founder Jesse Bliss

with music by
Pitch Like Masses

produced by
Peter Woods (Quality Collective) and Jesse Bliss (The Roots and Wings Project)
with
The Last Bookstore.

The complete sacred knowledge of all human experience is being housed in secret, in a downtown Los Angeles bookstore. Orelia Key, a woman whose spirit moves faster than her body can any longer handle, is determined to access it. On this mission, she encounters denizens of the bookstore, analog people, who in a world of technology, discover the link between body and the substance of the soul.

Promo for A RECORD OF LIGHT

IGNITE was an evening of music, spoken word and art bringing together the talents of visual artists, actors, spoken word performers, musicians and DJs in support of Tree of Fire, a play written by The Roots and Wings Project founder Jesse Bliss. The evening featured artists such as Mike the Poet, Heriberto Luna, Miriam Glover, Jacques C. Smith, DJ's Sloe POke and Cee Brown and live music from the Tree of Fire score performed by GG of Dakah Hip-Hop Orchestra and, Audio Angel of San Francisco and Fanny Franklin. RAW were honored to hold this event at SPARC (Old Venice Jail): a community-based public art center that has produced, presented and preserved sites of public memory since 1976.  

IGNITE: AN EVENING OF MUSIC, ART, POETRY, THEATER AND MORE - Saturday, April 2, 2011

IGNITE was an evening of music, spoken word and art bringing together the talents of visual artists, actors, spoken word performers, musicians and DJs in support of Tree of Fire, a play written by The Roots and Wings Project founder Jesse Bliss.  RAW were honored to hold this event at SPARC (Old Venice Jail): a community-based public art center that has produced, presented and preserved sites of public memory since 1976. 

The proceeds from IGNITE will go towards launching a touring production of TREE OF FIRE.

KPFK was the media sponsor for IGNITE. 

TREE OF FIRE - A STAGED READING @ THE LINCOLN HEIGHTS JAIL - December 6, 2009

When a Magnolia tree catches fire in an aged and ominous women’s prison, three female inmates forgotten and left to perish are jolted as their lives are threatened, into memories of their past that inform the truth of their souls and the urgent need to expose the inhumanity of the prison to the world.

DIAMONDS - UCLA'S GLORIA KAUFMAN DANCE THEATER - APRIL 28 &29, 2006

From the UCLA News Release:

"'DIAMONDS'" is the story of two b-girls who struggle to find their truth. A collaboration between Campion (Catfox) and Bliss (Miss Bliss), it is an evolving work that will be further developed for future performances. Directed by Harris, the legendary hip-hop choreographer and Laurence Olivier Award nominee, the work features an original musical score by Devin Williams of Breakestra, Plant Life and Orgone; Romanowski; Crush Delight; and Kelvin Parker of Infant Records. Tony Award nominee Mary Joan Negro served as script and theatrical adviser.

'The journey of "DIAMONDS" begins when Miss Bliss, a teaching artist haunted by the suffering of her disadvantaged students and feeling helpless to save them, returns to her old neighborhood looking for solace. She runs into Catfox, her childhood friend, who is hardened by years of struggle. Miss Bliss and Catfox share stories of their experiences through a combination of hip-hop dance, poetry, theater, music and images. Residents of MacArthur Park, where this work was inspired and created, Bliss and Campion bring to light experience with youth incarceration, homelessness, inner city schools and violence against women.

'Bliss based "DIAMONDS" on her real-life experiences working with disadvantaged youth as a teacher of theater, poetry and creative writing in San Francisco, New York City and Los Angeles. She blends her skills as an actress, writer, singer and emcee, delivering a performance rich with emotional truth, harsh reality and soul.'"

 "You don’t come out of this life alive…to know your life’s purpose is to dare go where it leads…"