Motivational Speaker and Poet Dr. Melody Ivory to Deliver Inspirational Performance about Celebrating Life and Overcoming Adversity

SEATTLE, WA, November 11, 2010

On Saturday, November 20th, 2010, highly acclaimed motivational speaker and poet, Dr. Melody Ivory, will host 40 by 40, an inspirational performance that will help raise funds to support poetry healing workshops for greater Seattle area women who have experienced violence and abuse. The evening event will be held at the Richard Hugo House at 1634 11th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122, from 7:00 p.m. to 10:05 p.m. Dr. Ivory's poetry will explore how to thrive, express uniqueness, make dreams come true, stand in truth and embrace the future.
This fundraiser and poetic healing journey will also be a personal testament from Dr. Ivory as she celebrates her 40th birthday. As part of the performance, she will debut 39 memorized poems written over the past year and an improvised final poem that officially marks her birthday. These intimate verses share her past experiences and ability to overcome her own adversity, including a history of abuse and abandonment at the age of seven by both parents, a maze of foster homes and struggles with attention deficit disorder. Despite those circumstances, she not only became the valedictorian of her high school class, but also went on to become the first African American woman to graduate from the University of California at Berkeley with a Ph.D. in computer science. She also served as a computer and information science professor at the University of Washington.
"The purpose of this performance is to uplift and empower the audience and to inspire them about their own life journeys," said Dr. Ivory. "It is to share life lessons I've learned along the way in a soft and artistic way that others may be able to relate to."
In addition to the 40th and final poem, many of the verses performed that evening will involve audience participation or music. Audience members will contribute by clapping their hands, stomping their feet and becoming part of the chorus. Several poems also involve collaborations with local artist such as jazz vocalist Stacey Israel who will perform with Dr. Ivory.
This performance is a fundraiser to support Dr. Ivory's series of upcoming free workshops: Unleashing Your Inner Poet to Heal Your Heart, Mind and Body: Breaking the Silence on Violence Against Women Through Performance Poetry. The experiential workshop enables women survivors of violence to learn how to use performance poetry to promote healing and to share their own stories in a safe and supportive environment. All net proceeds from the show will support these life-changing workshops for 100 women in the greater Seattle area. There are currently two separate workshops scheduled, December 11 and January 8, as the holidays are often very difficult times for women who have experienced abuse. Organizations that will be partnering with Dr. Ivory to identify participants include non-profits such as the YWCA.
"My objective is to invite people to explore poetry as a tool to help in the healing process and to experience it as another way to interpret and acknowledge life lessons," said Dr. Ivory. "It's a call to action to take control of our lives and our destinies."
"She is a visionary. In today's world where so many of us do not feel heard, it is wonderful to be in the presence of someone who really hears what's in our hearts and what we are trying to express," said Awilda Verdejo, who has participated in another workshop led by Dr. Ivory. "She has helped me to really look at the big picture, to really see the infinite possibilities that are available to me."
"Domestic violence still lives with me every day," said Bettina Carey, founder of Women in Small Biz Shows and Events, and a previous participant. "I had the opportunity to attend a poetry workshop put on by Dr. Melody Ivory, and I got a chance to not only write poetry that I didn't know was inside me . . . but also the opportunity came up to perform in front of others and to share my story. It was a place of healing to address core issues, and was long overdue."
For more information about the workshop or Dr. Ivory, please visit http://www.MelodyIvory.com or her Blog at http://www.MelodyIvory.com/blog/melody.
Tickets for the 40 by 40 performance are $35 and are available at http://www.BrownPaperTickets.com.
About Dr. Melody Ivory
Over the past 20 years, Dr. Melody Ivory has combined her work as a performance poet with her computer science Ph.D. and her own life experience to be a passionate champion of women. Her mission is to help women connect mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually with their essential selves through inspirational poetry, as she has found this to be a successful and life-altering experience for herself and others. Dr. Ivory's immersive programs feature a distinctive mix of performance poetry, inspirational talks and her handcrafted natural care products delivered as part of The Dr. Melody Ivory ExperienceTM. The Experience makes a lasting impression by engaging all the senses into the process unlike any other speaker's presentation.
Dr. Ivory is the author of six books, including the recent series—Composing Your Masterpiece Self Symphony and the poetry collection—The Road M Traveled: Rising Above the Rubble of Trauma, Healing a Tortured Soul and Being the Masterpiece I'm Meant to Be. She has also co-hosted a radio interview series titled Step Into Your Full Greatness for the popular Dr. Pat a.m. radio show. For inquiries about The Dr. Melody Ivory ExperienceTM, please visit her website at http://www.MelodyIvory.com.

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