An invitation to the Facebook group Expat Writers for bloggers, authors, editors, memoirists and anyone else who puts fingers to keyboard about their experiences living away from home, even if it’s simply write emails to their friends. Continue reading Calling Expat Writers
As a natural health practitioner, or ‘emotional health coach’, Theresa taps into this personal experience to help others going through change. She understands that transitions involve a grieving process and has seen how important it is to be adaptable and to step outside your comfort zone when assimilating to a new environment. Continue reading Theresa Commadeur on Dealing With Change
A week to write, cast and rehearse a show was a big ask, but was it impossible? Not for a director who’s been pitching for three years to secure the opportunity to produce a show. And not for a writer with a script in the wings that she was longing to push onto stage. Continue reading Gbenga Yusuf and The Perfect Dance
During my Lagos years, working with Buddy Agedah, I became the staff writer for Dance & Art Alive under the name Jo Demmer. Continue reading Long Distance Staff Writer
Ever suffered from expat loneliness? At some point, most of us go through it. This was my turn. In the most recent blog about my expat journey, A Week in Lagos, I’d reached the end of my time in Lagos and moved to Houston. You might think that after four years in Nigeria, living in the … Continue reading How to be an Unhappy Expat
This Winding Narrative interview is with my friend and collaborator, Whitney Van Nuis. A lawyer by training, she gave up her profession when she became an expat spouse. Instead, she took up painting. She is now a successful artist who specializes in pet portraits, but also does family portraits, abstracts and illustrated Sam and the … Continue reading Whitney Van Nuis, From Lawyer to Artist
Part four of four in the Music & Dance on the Lagoon series, after Blame It On The Tango and Countdown to Show Day. After months of preparation, weeks of rehearsals and days of tearing my hair out, show day for Music & Dance on the Lagoon finally arrived. Tables and chairs were decorated, the bar was charged and security … Continue reading Show Day, Music & Dance on the Lagoon
Part three of four in the Music & Dance on the Lagoon series. Continued from part two, Blame It On The Tango. Music & Dance on the Lagoon was set for Saturday February 2, 2008. Most of my Lagos friends planned to be there. If it flopped, I’d have to go into hiding. Or skip the country. One … Continue reading Countdown to Show Day
(Part two of four in the Music & Dance on the Lagoon story. Photo: Ice Nweke and Andrea Barton.) In my last blog, I wrote about the myriad of problems we encountered setting up Music & Dance on the Lagoon. Many of those difficulties were beyond our control, but some were self-imposed. A more sensible person … Continue reading Blame It On The Tango
Part one of four in the Music & Dance on the Lagoon story. They say it never rains but it pours. Using this adage, Music & Dance on the Lagoon was a veritable tempest. After the buzz of Nigerian Gems, I combined my new love of salsa with my passion for storytelling and wrote a … Continue reading Music & Dance on the Lagoon
Brightside Story Studio 