Penn State-Harrisburg Welcomes HairStory: Reclaiming Our Crown to Campus!

On Tuesday, April 21st, Reclaim Arts brought HairStory to the stage once again, this time at the Kulkarni Theatre at Penn State - Harrisburg. We teamed up with Yanni Williams, owner of PowerChoice Productions, and director Janet Bixler. The actors were a mix of old and new - one of those new faces, was ME, the playwright, Maria James-Thiaw.

Maria James-Thiaw is the Chief Creative Officer of Reclaim Arts LLC, a poet and playwright.

This week, Nathaniel Gadsden's Writer's Wordshop is naming me "Central Pennsylvania Poet Laureate," a title that celebrates my contribution to our poetry community. I've performed my poems from Pittsburgh to Philly and all the small towns in between. I've won poetry slams and organized them too. I've been 'spitting' poetry since 1994. (OMG! 32 years?!) This is part of my being and my purpose. So when one of my beloved actors was unwell and couldn't perform with us, it should have been natural for me to step into the role.... but I was so nervous!

What was going on with me? Back in the day, I would memorize and perform an hour's worth of poetry without a second thought. I still know some of my signature pieces like the back of my hand:

"My name is Maria, and I am.... A WORDAHOLIC..."

"Sista, I smile, but you roll your eyes at me!"

"I GET in your face and rub the sleep from your eyes..."

The poems that make up HairStory: Reclaiming Our Crown came from my heart and mind, but I started realizing that 30 years doesn't just make your knees creak. You have to approach everything differently - make sure you're hydrated, breathing right, sleeping right, and managing pain. (Whew! I could write a whole book on managing pain!)

The thing about being a Spirit-led artist is, you don't just make stuff to be making stuff. You've been given a job to do, and you've got to run with it. My loved ones on the other side will visit me until I do what I've been told - the Ancestors don't play about me!

So, I pushed self-doubt aside, prioritized self-care, had my team's support, and sure enough, we did the dang thang again!

Amber Woman, Vanessa Codorniu, Tour Manager, Yanni Williams, Ebony Woman 3, Zari McCullers, Ebony Woman 4, Maria James-Thiaw, Ebony Woman 1, Kalayah Stroud, Ebony Man, Aaron Bomar, Director, Janet Bixler, Amber Man, Ari DeLeo, Ebony Woman 2 (Aleyah), Alana Cornish.

HairStory: Reclaiming Our Crown celebrates our ancestors, our identity, and frees us to see and express the beauty in us. It opens doors to conscious conversations about identity, professionalism, public health, and it invites allies to explore these issues with us.

This time we were blessed to have the dynamic and talented Vanessa Codorniu, the creator of Harrisburg's first Latino improv group, Los Complicados, as Amber Woman. She helped me incorporate more Spanish into "Who Can Say That," a poem that illustrates the stories of Dominican women I interviewed. She also gave an incredible performance of "The Gift," a poem about a woman whose Native American mother cares for her Afro as a child.

I never thought I'd make a show that used poetry, music, dance, and multimedia tools to share the story of us in a way that touches audiences regardless of race, gender, or background, but that's what HairStory is. I am so proud of our cast and crew, and I am reaching out to other colleges and schools to share this powerful message.

Next time we perform HairStory, the actor I replaced may return, and I may be able to sit back and produce, but I don't HAVE to do that. Maria C. James is still inside me, fierce and fiery as ever, and I'm open to whatever task Spirit puts in front of me.

HairStory Merch