Mike Molina

2012-02-10T10:58:00.001-08:00

Digital DAP to this youngster

2012-02-10T08:46:00.000-08:00

Please watch this if you feel discouraged about the next generation. Digital DAP to Deonte.

My next book cover is done!

2012-02-04T16:00:00.000-08:00

So here is the next book cover. Here is the story... Rita, the raggedy city bus and patron saint of lost causes, carries a cast of misfits who speak and sing everything from the vulgar to the divine against the decadent backdrop of the Big Easy. Hilarity, heartbreak and hope frame this poetic portrait of a place in the midst of tumultuous change. The rhymed and rhythmic prose

Blowout Consciousness lives!

2012-01-30T14:17:00.000-08:00

Youth organizers from the Fyre Youth Squad enjoy the fruits of their labor at a Blowout Consciousness event Blowout Consciousness Blowout Consciousness was a 2009-10 bi-monthly series of multi-media political education, community organizing, and cultural events in New Orleans that brought activists, organizers, local culture producers, and community members together to confront

I'm playing John Proctor in The Crucible!

2012-01-18T21:02:00.000-08:00

My journey into acting has taken a stunning turn... I'm playing John Proctor in a production of The Crucible at The Chappel of Trinity Presbyterian Church on Thursday - Saturday February 23rd - 25th. A small deal to most of the world. However, considering that this role is rarely played by a Black man... I'm pretty excited. The role is a serious challenge as I must balance guilt,

Cover for my next book?

2012-01-18T19:22:00.001-08:00

In Memory of Daniel Price

2011-12-19T19:30:00.000-08:00

In memory of a very special human being and a tremendous artist who died 8 years ago today. This was put together by his high school sweetheart. RIP.Daniel Price Memorial - Slideshow from Cr aY on Vimeo.

PASSAGE

2011-10-31T09:53:00.000-07:00

So if you could read things written backwards you'd see that this letter states:This is to certify that Michael Otieno Molina has satisfied all requirements of the Rules Governing Admission to the Practice of Law and is eligible for admission to the practice of law in this state.In other words, I PASSED THE GEORGIA BAR EXAM!!!Its not often that I can toot my horn unabashedly. Now I can. I was

Promo for All Blues - 40 Acres and a Mule

2011-09-11T20:27:00.000-07:00

Press for All Blues, the play I'm acting in come October

2011-08-13T17:56:00.000-07:00

7 Stages Presents the World Premiere of All Blues (click link for original article)7 Stages is pleased to partner with Washington College in Chestertown, MD to present the World Premiere of Robert Earl Price’s All Blues.This new work is based on the story of a white newspaper reporter from Pittsburgh who traveled through the South in 1948 as black man. All Blues, named for the 1959 Miles Davis

One of my greatest inspirations

2011-07-22T22:10:00.001-07:00

Heart A Cappella Abstract

2011-06-19T14:25:00.001-07:00

Rally The Troops

2011-06-06T14:23:00.001-07:00

I shot and cut this video for hip hop artist Fiyah... and it is fire!

Video audition for the upcoming Tupac biopic

2011-05-18T09:35:00.000-07:00

Potential covers for the e-book

2011-04-09T11:17:00.000-07:00

Where the Blues was BornThe book is an epic poem of rhymed and metered prose that tells the story of a surreal bus ride through the city, history and culture of New Orleans. Its also an audio book and a smartphone mapping app for tourists. I'm looking for a cover that expresses the blues, paradox, beauty, mystery, hope, and rhythm that is New Orleans. Which of these do you like better? Do you

Who is Mike Molina?

2011-04-04T14:43:00.001-07:00

Sneak Peak tracks off Heart here

2011-03-25T09:18:00.000-07:00

Better Than Radio -First Video off of Heart - Extended Version

2011-03-24T06:02:00.001-07:00

New Roots back in effect soon!

2011-02-21T22:36:00.001-08:00

New Roots is a youth arts program of 5D Stories. New Roots provides arts enrichment for youth age 10-20, produces youth music, film, and writings, builds youth entrepreneurial and communication skills, and serves as a community of young visionaries and the adults who support them. We have been on hiatus for a while, raising funds to run the programming and will be back in effect soon. Young

Audio of recent performance/talk in San Antonio

2010-11-26T09:34:00.000-08:00

I was recently blessed to participate as a performer and panelist in an American Studies Association event at the Esperanza Center for Peace and Justice in West San Antonio. On the panel were Angela Davis (yes, the Angela Davis), Professors and authors Kevin Gaines (Michigan) and Michael Meranze (UCLA), and Esperanza Center director Graciela Sanchez. Many thanks to Adam Bush and Catherine

Katrina Commemoration March

2010-08-27T16:01:00.000-07:00

Shot by the youth of New Roots... this captures the indestructible spirit of New Orleans... from the 2009 Katrina Commemoration Second Line March. Make sure you get out there this year!

Performed "Be Encouraged" and "Looking Up" at Neyo's Benefit Event

2010-05-09T17:53:00.000-07:00

Just got back from performing at Neyo's Compound Foundation Mother's Day benefit at Opera in Downtown Atlanta. Raheem Devine performed as well and I got to introduce and watch my sister Ayanna Fiyah Molina (in the pic below with Neyo and myself) do her thing. I performed "Looking Up" in honor of my mom and "Be Encouraged" in honor of the foster mothers who take on what no one else will. Much

Heart

2010-05-05T18:27:00.000-07:00

A Story Map of Crossroad Cab

2010-01-07T08:23:00.000-08:00

Click the Crossroad Cab for a story...

Be Encouraged at the Social Justice Institute

2009-12-14T15:13:00.001-08:00

2009-11-24T04:38:00.000-08:00

mike being encouraged after sharing 'be encouraged' at the advancement project 10th anniversary galamayflower hotel ballroomwashington d.c.november 2009

2009-11-23T10:46:00.000-08:00

MOMOLINA Poetry, Performance and Public SpeakingIf your event, classroom, program, or project is missing something, Momolina can provide a spark that sets your work apart. Momolina spoken word poetry is vibrant with themes of love and politics, spirituality and history. Performances can be simultaneously humorous and edgy, raw and worldly, peppered with hip-hop rhythms and colored with jazz

2009-10-27T17:28:00.001-07:00

be encouragedtoday I am encouraged Just look at what we have done we have filled this world with a harvest of freedom each one of us, a dream realized every moment of our lives an instance of oppression defied every breath and utterance a reflection of the resilience of life despite being terrorized brutalized and denied opportunity to thrive our ancestors

Crescent City Cab - Home

2009-09-01T15:05:00.000-07:00

Home...

BLACK MAMA

2009-07-14T11:13:00.001-07:00

A music video Momolina Media produced for conscious hip hop artist Fiyah! Check her out at www.truelovemovement.com

Tryin Hard

2009-03-06T07:13:00.001-08:00

Crescent City Cab Episode 1

Good Favor Excerpt: Valerie and a man's attention...

2009-03-05T09:37:00.000-08:00

“Where Valerie Michaux at?” Somebody yelled from the bar. “Bruh, you ever heard her sing? You know she done had her some deep blues. I know I got some deep black for her fine ass! unh, unh, unh.” The man stared at Val. His eyes devoured her ravenously. From across the room, she could feel the hot breeze of his stare creeping up her thighs. When she caught eyes with the culprit and realized

Crescent City Cab Trailer

2009-02-14T13:11:00.001-08:00

Watch the trailer for the a short film based upon characters and stories from The SEcond Line. Its called Crescent City Cab and is a web based series...

Poem published on The Root.com!

2008-03-23T10:29:00.000-07:00

A poem from The Second Line was published this Friday, March 21st on TheRoot.com...Check out the link to see it.TheRoot.com features commentary, analysis and news from a diverse collection of writers, as well as interactive tools for ancestry research. AND NOW TheRoot.com INCLUDES POETRY!Much more to come soon!

Praise for The Second Line.

2008-01-29T17:32:00.000-08:00

I finished reading the book in four days and I loved it! The way the prose was written and how the poems were mixed in was beautifully done. The part about NY was right on point, and the way you talked about New Orleans made me want to visit to see the city and experience the culture for myself. You did an amazing job. You got real talent, so keep on showing it to the world!Jamie Fernandez--

Second LIne Feedback!

2008-01-03T09:09:00.000-08:00

"The Second Line is Molina's masterfully executed love story to his hometown -- and the best way to understand New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina. I've never been there, but the city's uniqueness sings to anyone who has cried for their hometown, its beauty and twisted history. Dredging up the dreams, nightmares, and horror tales of Katrina's victims and survivors, this is American Magical

Young Musicians Soundscape The Second Line

2007-12-26T09:59:00.001-08:00

Derrick and Xavier Molina, 14 and 11 years old, are the young musicians who provide the soundscape for the performance reading of The Second Line. Young New Orleans native musicians, Derrick plays classical, acoustic, and bass guitar while Xavier plays trumpet, drums, and acoustic guitar. Derrick had attended New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA--which produced the likes of Wynton,

The Second Line... Now Available!

2007-10-08T17:55:00.000-07:00

The Second Line, "full of pathos and humor"-- The San Francisco ChronicleIt is the year 2020 and New Orleans is swinging again. The last second line street parade before the start of hurricane season is just simmering down. An eclectic cast of only in New Orleans characters, regulars of the Good Favor Social Aid and Pleasure Club, gather to call on the spirit of Papa Fat, the griot ghost. Papa

Excerpt--Spoken Word Storytelling

2007-10-08T17:44:00.000-07:00

The Second Line features spoken word storytelling. When read aloud, it at times sounds like it rides a beat as in hip hop or spoken word, yet the rhymes are as irregular and syncopated as in jazz. Sometimes it doesn't rhyme at all. The style is a reflection of the rhythm and music found in the accents and dialects of the people of New Orleans. Can you hear the rhythm in the following excerpt

Excerpt--Good Favor Social Aid and Pleasure Club

2007-10-08T17:37:00.001-07:00

The Second Line moves back and forth between New Orleans in the year 2020 and the timeless narrative poem of Papa Fat. Here is an excerpt of one of the scenes from the year 2020.…Meanwhile, back at the Good Favor Social Aid and Pleasure ClubThe yams, jambalaya, panee squash, and vegan zav had arrived courtesy of Big Mama Ayanna Anne. People stampeded towards the long table where she’d had her

Excerpt--Spoken Word Prose

2007-10-08T17:36:00.000-07:00

The Second Line is also a performance piece in development as a one man show combining excerpts from The Second Line with Shakespearean monologue. The book also provides the basis for an upcoming musical theatrical production featuring the members of the Hot 8 Brass Band. In this excerpt you can hear how easily the words might transfer to the stage...‘The folk of my city are some strange’ I

The Glossary of N.O. Terms to Know

2007-10-08T17:33:00.000-07:00

The Glossary of New Orleans Terms to Know appears at the end of The Second Line. It features 250 only in New Orleans facts, people, places, and terms. Check out a few entries...7th Ward: Wards are New Orleans city sections that have remained unchanged since 1880. Because most of the people of New Orleans stay close to social and familial roots, some wards have developed particular cultural