Jonida Beqo
February 3, 2008
About the Author
Jonida Beqo, a.k.a. Gypsee Yo, is a native of Tirana, Albania, currently residing in Atlanta, Georgia. She received her B.A. in Theatre from the University of Alabama in Birmingham, where she founded Lighthouse Productions, an independent theatre company dedicated to original works that educate about and empower communities in crisis. In 2003 the American College Theatre Festival and the Kennedy Center for the Arts recognized Jonida’s one-woman show “The Women I Know” with the Dell’Arte Diversity Award. She has published in magazines and anthologies such as Mehr Licht! Java Monkey Speaks Anthology, Pedestal Magazine, as well as in a series of periodicals in Albanian. Jonida is the author of three poetry collections in her native tongue, and of four audio CD collections in English, including her bestsellers Kitchensinkdrama, and Firstborn Daughters.
As Gypsee Yo , she performs internationally as a spoken word artist, and has competed in slams worldwide, including National Poetry Slam 2006 and 2007, Individual World Poetry Slam 2006, and the first ever Women of the World Poetry Slam 2008. Jonida is a devoted wife, a doting mother, and a passionate teacher. www.gypseeyo.com
Here is the Music Player. You need to installl flash player to show this cool thing!
After listening to Jonida Beqo earlier today on this site, I went to her website and left her a message. I want to support her on this forum as well, so I will share my note here:
“I just listened to you on Her Circle Ezine’s Virtual International Women’s Festival and wanted to say that I was deeply moved and inspired by your poetry. Thank you for communicating all that can be in the mind of someone who cares. The last piece about the poem on your heels and the stay-at-home Mom and wanting to write and thinking and caring about the planet and the people here on it…beautiful! Thank
you.”