Brave Soul Collective Gathers at Warehouse Theater September 29th

When Alex Lawson posted about the Black Luv Fest, he made the point that while the Black Luv Fest recevied no money from the HIV/AIDS Administration, they were much, much more succesfull in getting folks tested than the well funded effort of the HIV/AIDS Administration at Freedom Plaza.

It's an important distinction to make. Some of the most innovative and successful efforts to fight HIV in DC (including this website you read every day) are not coming from the organizations funded to do the work, they are coming from concerned citizens who are so fed up they are doing the work themselves.

Another example of this is the Brave Soul Collective. Brave Soul Collective is an education, outreach, and support organization for gay / bisexual / transgendered / questioning HIV positive and negative individuals living their lives in truth through the arts. Brave Soul isn't funded by the local HIV/AIDS Administration, there creative and innovative work far surpasses anything I've ever seen from any of the well-funded HIV/AIDS support groups in the city, many of whom have to pay participants with gift cards just to get them to show up (yeah, I said it).

The Brave Soul Collective will be gathering on Saturday September 29th from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the Warehouse Theater, 1017 7th Street NW, Washington DC 20001. This event is free as long as you remember to RSVP. Every month Brave Soul explores a different topic, and this month they'll be talking about unprotected sex, so it should be a lively and interesting discussion.

Reflection

Monte Wolfe writes: With the month of December always comes an anniversary of sorts for me, a neverending series of thoughts. Triumphs, accomplishments, fears, happiness, blues, but above all else--- thoughts of joy, and affirmation of the fact that I am still here. This mainly because two years ago, I wasn't entirely sure I would even live this long.

December of 2004 brought along with it a new way of living for me. Being that I was diagnosed as HIV positive on November 30th 2004 (the last day of that month), the month of December that followed is always one that I will remember. It is from that place of reflection that I stem as I bring forth this piece.

Continue reading this article on the Brave Soul Collective Website

Us Helping Us Noir Reflections Retreat '06

Tim'm West Reflects on the 2006 Noir Reflections Retreat: we came to hills where cometh our strength, riding the wave of whatever change was awaiting permission to be sparked. we brought our burdens there: full hearts and blues boxes with songs from the key of life and salt. we came committed to be the change we dream: living in our fullness where others filled their emptiness with next cocktails, cocks or tails. sober, we understood the necessity of feeling with the clarity of vultures sighting sustinence. holding one another close, we understood that expressions of intimacy don't require nakedness, risk, or self-sacrifice. we held one another so closely that it hurt to let go. in the after... we will have to call on the memory of such protectedness.

Continue reading this article on the Brave Souls Collective Website

Catch the Brave Soul Collective - One Night Only!

Tonight the Brave Soul Collective will present it's first production, Brave Souls Unplugged: A Collage in Truth. The evening will consist of a combination of theatre, poetry, and music peformances. Featuring performances by BSC founders Monte J Wolfe & Tim'm T West, along with a host of fellow multi-talented artists. All proceeds from this event will go toward Brave Soul Collective acquiring its 501c 3 (non profit status) before this years end.

Date: Monday November 20th, 2006
Time: 7:30pm
Location: Warehouse Theater, 1021 7th Street NW
Metros: Mt. Vernon Sq/Convention Ctr. or Gallery Pl. METRO Stations

For more information:

Phone: 202 744 8823
Email: monte@bravesoulcollective.org or tim.m@bravesoulcollective.org
Cost: $20 in advance, $25 at the door

Tickets will go on sale for this event Monday October 23rd, 2006. For more information, click here.

Brave Souls Unplugged

On Monday November 20th 2006, Brave Soul Collective will present it's first production, Brave Souls Unplugged: A Collage in Truth. The evening will consist of a combination of theatre, poetry, and music peformances. Featuring performances by BSC founders Monte J Wolfe & Tim'm T West, along with a host of fellow multi-talented artists. All proceeds from this event will go toward Brave Soul Collective acquiring its 501c 3 (non profit status) before this years end.

Date: Monday November 20th, 2006
Time: 7:30pm
Location: Warehouse Theater, 1021 7th Street NW
Metros: Mt. Vernon Sq/Convention Ctr. or Gallery Pl. METRO Stations

For more information:

Phone: 202 744 8823
Email: monte@bravesoulcollective.org or tim.m@bravesoulcollective.org
Cost: $20 in advance, $25 at the door

Tickets will go on sale for this event Monday October 23rd, 2006. For more information, click here.

How do you tell your Mom that you're HIV Positive?

How do you tell your mom that you are HIV positive? Well, with a record number of people in DC getting screened for HIV, there are quitely likely a few people who have this question on their minds at this very minute. DC resident Monte Wolfe has some insight into this question, having gone through it himself. He has taken his own experience telling his mother, and turned it into a dramataic monologue. justbthat reports that the piece will be performed in DC in November.

Monte Wolfe is a founder of the Brave Soul Collective. The collective is an education, outreach, and support organization for gay, bisexual, transgendered, and questioning HIV positive and negative individuals living their lives in truth through the arts. BSC aims to help stop the spread of HIV&AIDS, by serving as a platform for honest discussion about prevention, stigma, and personal responsibility. BSC is committed to encouraging artistic freedom, expression, and creativity in members of the arts, and same gender loving communities.

I will post info about Monte's performance here as soon as it becomes available, in the meantime, be sure to check out The Amazing Brave Soul Collective Website.