92YTribeca (be sure to check out their scene photo exhibit featuring Urbanites). Book release fiesta co-sponsored by Nuyorican Poets Café. Sat at table beside Vanessa's Momeleh and fam, to my left. Comfy spine chairs, flexible. Diverse crowd. Overheard: "This is so not gonna start on time. I'm so gonna get work done." About 15 minutes of Fame delay. Old-Shul setlist courtesy of DJ DRES, including Beastie Boys, MC Lyte, Stevie Wonder, Inspector Gadget remix. Mahogany L. Browne, founder of Penmanship Books, opens show by describing publishing process with The Hebrew Mamita aka The Princess of Persia: "It was like childbirth. I have stretch marks," then introduces Maya Azucena (her duet with Stephen Marley helped the album win the 2008 Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album), opening song accompanied by djembe percussionist and acoustic guitarist (no unsolicited docu-footage or photographing permitted):
Vanessa appears fashionably late, clad in a stunning sleeveless black dress, Hamsa necklance with sandals, backdropped by red velvet curtain and approaches blue shaded mic-tails. Subtle simplicity, classy and gorgeous, as usual. Opens with an excerpt from her one-woman show, Culture Bandit (artistic directors of original off-broadway production: Oscar winner, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and John Ortiz), chronicling a high school crush and maturation proces, dancing hilariously to old-school hip hop joints (soundtrack specs provided by DJ Dres): "Edomite sounds like termite." Ms. Hidary takes a swig of bottled water, then provides shout-outs/acknowledgements, before introducing 2010 Nuyorican Youth Poet of the Year and J.O.C. (Jew Of Color) from what I can glean, Ka'Mone Felix, whom she serendipitously discovered performing at the Apollo Theater and envisioned performing at her book release party, before she even penned her debut collection (the second time I've heard Ka'Mone recite the following Passover poem live):
Was surprised to find out Vanessa also likes to write short stories, where she shares a snippet about her foray into JDate. Closes with an invitation to celebrate uptown. My energy was sapped (getting old), so didn't visit cousin, who was tucking Puerto Rican/Irish Mestizo kids into bed just a few blocks away on Hudson (who're holding my rainbow djembe as collateral), either and just went home. No parking ticket, B"H
"When I stumbled across Vanessa's 'Ph.D. In Him' poem, I had to track this woman down. She puts to words, what so many of us women have experienced and want to scream from the rooftops!" ~ Kristin Chenoweth, Tony & Grammy award winner
