Heidi Blakeslee’s interview of Thasia Anne Lunger, Producer of the WOMEN OF WORD: WITH A FEW MAN-MADE WORDS, Poetry, Dance, and Music Show

In March 2021, Thasia and her gang of faithful WOW-iers took the stage for year ten at Erie, Pa’s Blasco Library.

Heidi: Where did you get the inspiration for WOW?

Thasia:  It was autumn of 2009.  I was recovering from my fall and subsequent brain injury and had begun hanging out on Friday nights at a local book store. Such a cool atmosphere with a fireplace and welcoming poets.  I had produced a chapbook about domestic violence in the early nineties and used it to help heal other survivors. I was sitting in the bookstore and a tall warrior type gorgeous red haired woman went to the mic and read a poem on domestic violence. I was immediately struck with how her poem spoke to one of mine. 

A couple weeks later someone read a poem on the loss of a child. I have an unpublished collection of poems about the loss of my 26 year old son. Again I was struck with the thought her poem spoke to mine. That was the seed of using poetry to talk about difficult situations. Over the years we have tackled many difficult and upsetting subjects in a calm respectful way that allows the audience to contemplate both sides.  Subjects included: domestic violence, rape, incest, PTSD, death and loss, human trafficking, abortion, poverty, addiction, gun violence and many others.

Heidi: What are some differences between year one and year ten? 

Thasia: Year one was virginal in this whole aspect. I called it Women of Word, and it was only female participants of varying ages. Heidi, you are one of my original Wow-iers.  The event was held in Smith Chapel at Penn State Behrend.   We always start the show with each poet stating a negative word on our yearly theme, and end the show on a positive word. The first year it was feelings about women and our 80-something wonder woman, Marge Wonner, yelled “Slut” in the Chapel!  I knew immediately we needed a more progressive space! By year two, I already felt the need to add some phenomenal male voices to the mix. We have since been known as Women of Word featuring a few Man Made Words. WOW.

Heidi: How many people have been involved over the years?

Thasia: We have showcased close to 40 voices of nearly all ages.  Heidi you have been in all but one. There are two of you with that distinction, you and Marjorie Wonner. I am so proud to include 5 professors, 2 world class dancers, 5 social workers, 1 Poet Laureate, and an adjunct instructor/ teacher. WOW was previously held at 2 Universities, Penn State Behrend and Edinboro University. All of it in a one of a kind show that started right here in Erie County, PA.

Heidi: Are any past WOW performances available for viewing? 

Thasia: In the past they were all videotaped on one camera, which made for a very amateur looking video. This year I received a grant to hire the local CAM media crew, and with three cameras the results are pretty amazing. I also jumped into live performance in 2021 by live streaming. There were so many new aspects this year. We had a new venue with the Erie County Raymond Blasco Library offering up the Hirt Auditorium that will be our new home. Much bigger and brighter. Also to live stream we all needed to have lavalier mics, which was a complicated first. We joined up for the first time with Sovereign ballet, and went from one dancer to four. Another first was Gisele Littrell with two original songs on guitar that fit beautifully.

Heidi: Where do you see WOW going in the future? 

Thasia: With our new venue with triple the seating capacity that we had on the Edinboro University Campus, so many more folks can experience live poetry in a completely different way than they have in the past. Also with the live streaming in its infancy with WOW, I was able to determine by the comments left for us that we reached NYC, Buffalo, LA., Oregon, Orlando, Winter Haven, and Davenport, Fl., Meadville and Erie, PA.

Heidi: What is your favorite aspect of producing WOW? 

Thasia: Seeing the voices in my head become reality. Hearing a song on the radio, and with no dance experience finding someone who can make that happen. How we have represented Erie and been spoken of in other countries such as India, several African countries, and educated so many on such a varied array of subjects.

Heidi: Thasia, thank you so much for speaking with me today!  Women of Word is still going strong and that makes me so happy.  I can’t wait to see what you think up for us next year!

To view WOW 2021, the ten year celebration, you can go online to CAMErie.PA  The edited version will be aired 4/ 9 @ 7pm and 4/10 @ 5pm. If you have any questions or comments, Thasia can be reached at tannetaf@gmail.com 
The CAM schedule changes monthly and Thasia can let you know when to catch WOW on tv.  

A Review of Thasia Anne’s “Subtle Shade of Bruise” (Alien Buddha Press, 2019) by Heidi Blakeslee

 

    

 Have you ever wondered how victims of domestic violence see the world?  Or perhaps, how they can rebuild after living periods of their lives in daily terror?  Thasia Anne’s work, Subtle Shade of Bruise takes up the call.  Visceral, Thasia’s poetry in this book is intensely personal, courageous, and necessary.

    After her harrowing experiences with her first husband, Thasia began to rebuild her life.  With two children to raise and no money coming in, she writes about how she persisted through challenges to ultimately become a social worker who helped others every day.  Though Thasia is also an artist, poetry gave her the vehicle she needed to fully express what she had gone through and build a strong bridge to connect her story to other survivors.

    Though many of the poems here lay plain the horrors of domestic violence: the loss of self, the giving up of hope, and physical pain, Thasia’s strength pulls us to the end of the book with a new admiration of human fortitude.  

    Through her healing process she took off like a rocket, turned her life around, and today is a vocal advocate for victims of interpersonal violence.  Thasia also is a community producer of Women of Word, a yearly production of poetry, dance, and music that is going into its tenth year.  She also shines in her cable access TV show “Poetry, Prose, and Personalities.”

    Subtle Shade of Bruise is an intense read, a strong autoethnography that forces the reader to stand in the footsteps of a woman warrior.  As a survivor of domestic violence, Thasia cuts through the red tape of society’s excuses for interpersonal violence and skewers the idea that anyone belongs to their partners.  She also points out that domestic violence can happen to anyone and provides empowerment tips and phone numbers that victims can call for help.

“Hurricane Husband” 

Hurricane husband/ battered at the door of my heart/ with his wild wind words/ that sliced and diced at 100 miles an hour/ and stripped my soul bare/ His voice forced my eyes closed/ to protect them from splinters and slivers/ that cause my psyche to shiver/ in the corner of my brain/ In his wind tunnel world/ where those words/ stretched the skin back from my face/ I lived with gale force words/  which left our relationship/ barren of any life/ Listless and breathless I waited/ on the roof of my soul waving my white flag/ Where was my rescue crew?

Thasia Anne is the producer, director, and participant in “Women of Word featuring a few Man Made Words, or (WOW)” on Edinboro University of Pennsylvania campus. “WOW” has a troop of poets reading individual poetry woven into powerful conversations, with 2019 being the ninth year. She has been published in “Picture This Anthology,” “Word Stock,” and “Delirious, a Celebration of Prince, as well as several Alien Buddha Press anthologies and Rust Belt Review #1.” Her most recent poetry books available on Amazon through Alien Buddha Press are “The Past is Calling,” “Broken Branches” and “Poetography,” which was created in collaboration with her photographer son and grandson. Thasia Anne also has a program on (CAM) Cable Access Media called “Poetry, Prose, and Personalities.” in Erie Pennsylvania where she lives contently with her videographer husband Bear. The program features interviews with local poets, artists, and people with big creative personalities from the community.

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