User talk:Violetwrites

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Joy Leftow is a poet and writer born in Washington Heights where she also grew up. Ms. Leftow was a high school dropout living on welfare with her small son when she learned about the higher education program at Columbia and decided to apply. She then became an "Ivy League drop in" and graduated from the Columbia School of General Studies in 1983. She then continued her studies at the Columbia Graduate School of Social Work where she got her degree in 1985. Ms. Leftow has been writing since childhood and was first published in elementary school when she helped write the school play and wrote the lyrics to the music. Ms. Leftow received a second masters in Creative Writing from CCNY in 2001. Ms. Leftow has been counseling children and families at NYC public schools since 1986. She currently teaches a Poetry Slam course for 2nd through 5th graders at the Beacon Saturday program in the Bronx.

Ana Shamin from the East Coast Aquarian Rocker, in her review of Ms. Leftow's book, "A Spot of Bleach" describes how Ms. Leftow uses her clinical skills in her writing to describe character: "Amongst the slew of poets and writers in New York, Joy Leftow has distinguished herself from the mundane, “deeper meaning” by bringing a bold energetic humor to the matters of everyday life. Growing up in a not so “Leave It To Beaver” household, she reflects on her relationships with family members and friends with more sarcasm than you could find in a whole season of “Seinfeld.” Her prose is like a catchy tune, keeping the reader engaged within every line and pause, allowing her words and loud voice to linger around in your head. Her observations and analysis of human nature represent the cynicism with which we think but never have the guts to say out loud. Joy Leftow did not actually go to school with writing in mind. She attended Columbia University where she earned her BA in Anthropology, and went on to get her Masters in Social Work. After being inspired in the early ’90s by New York’s writing scene, she went on to get a second Masters from CCNY in creative writing. She will be reading from her compilation of poems on JPC Radio on March 18, at 7 p.m. Her book, "Spot Of Bleach" is available at amazon.com and Barnes and Noble. She is now also trying her hand at a few short stories which are available to read at authorsden.com/joyleftow "

Ms. Leftow has been on the NYC Poetry Circuit since 1993 and has had her poetry published in over 24 anthologies, including; City College of New York's Poetry in Performance #34, Asheville Poetry Review, New Press Literary Quarterly, Grist on Line (internet), Poetry Magazine of the Lower East Side, and many other publications. She has been a featured reader at CBGB's, the Wetlands, Cornelia Street Cafe, Bowery Poetry Club and the Back Fence. On Long Island, she's appeared at Palmer Vineyards and the Paris Cafe. Joy also appeared on Public Access show, Poetry Central (Long Island), and The Sounds of Poetry on Adelphi Radio at WBAU-FM. Recently, in 2006, Joy appeared twice on WFLO Jazz Poetry Café with Phillip Gregory and was also on Cool on the Groove internet streaming radio with Gina Reid several times in 2006. In Summer of 2006, Joy Leftow organized and hosted the spoken word event for the 4th annual Uptown Arts Stroll by the Washington Heights and Inwood arts community. Ms. Leftow is also teaching poetry to youngsters through the Beacon program in the NYC after school program on Saturday afternoons.

Ms. Leftow was featured on the TV series, “The New Yorkers” June 2006. She has been on Jazz Poetry Cafe with Phillip Gregory twice over the last year. On 05/03/06 she was featured on internet radio show, Cool on the Groove, where the show is archived and can be heard on demand. More recently she was featured on Teachers & Writers Collaborative radio show, "Everything Goes" on October 3, 2006 which replayed on October 12, 2006. Joy is production editor for Augustus Publishing, publisher of the Ghetto Girls series. Her short story will be included in Lipstick Diaries coming out this fall. Her book, A Spot Of Bleach, was published by Big Foot Press in November 2005 and is available at Amazon.com.