OUR ARTISTS
Artist Spotlight Series is an interview series hosted by our design editor, Milly Joseph, allowing artists from to perform their pieces. The artists speak on their process, their inspirations and how their purpose aligns with Exposed Brick’s mission.
LESLY MELENDEZ
"My passion for reading and writing goes as far back as I can remember. It is a wonderful way for me to disconnect, re-center and rejuvenate.
As a Lawrence kid growing up in an interestingly dysfunctional family, writing was discouraged because "it wouldn't pay the bills", but writing was my salvation and my passion. So I quietly kept at it but never really shared with anyone and then life inevitably took me away from it.
Over the past few years I have been on a journey of self discovery, healing and re-learning who I am and my writing has again been my salvation. So I have taken a chance an put myself and my writing out there and I hope to someday make that difference for that one person who can relate."
KYLE LUI
Kyle Lui is a NYC-based freelance photographer, focusing in documentary photography.
As the child of Chinese immigrants who have strong roots in the Chinatown neighborhood in Manhattan, he is interested in topics involving race, diaspora, immigration and housing.
Kyle's work is driven by a commitment to empowering and building empathy towards marginalized communities.
In spring of 2022, Kyle will be displaying through Photoville the project on his maternal grandfather featured in the 3rd issue of Brick Lit Magazine. The exhibition will be in the open space at Red Hook Houses in Red Hook, Brooklyn.
NATASHA
MOORE
Natasha Moore has a bachelor of arts in literature from Ave Maria University in Florida. She was born in Kenya and immigrated to the United states at twelve years old. As far as she can remember,she’s always been drawing, reading, or writing. Even though she has been writing as a hobby for years, Natasha is finally embracing myself as an artist. Now she sees that art is communal and it is supposed to be shared. Two of her poems “Brown eyes” and “Quarantine Orchestra” have recently been published in Exposed Brick Literary Magazine. data from your collection.
FLORENCE
WANJIKU
Florence Wanjiku is a writer, poet, and educator based out of Lowell, Massachusetts. She is also the editor of Without Borders, a platform for poetry, stories and experiences of immigrants, travelers and people who push their own personal boundaries.
YANERIS
COLLADO
Yaneris Collado, creator of the innovative Literacy through Hip-Hop curriculum where she taught at the Chelsea (Mass.) REACH program. Founder of Urban Arts Theater in Salem State University. She is now the new Network Coordinator of Andover Bread Loaf. Her workshops consist of analyzing spoken word poetry, hip-hop lyrics and leading community conversation around topics that are especially important to the urban kulture. She also incorporates meditation and theater exercises in her work. Yaneris is from Lawrence, MA and the author of Yan-Yan on the Block.
KAIRA
LOPEZ
Kaira Lopez is a Dominican poet, educator, and youth advocate from Washington Heights in Manhattan, New York. Kaira and her family moved to Lawrence, Massachusetts at age 6. Being raised in Lawrence, she was inspired by the myriad immigrant experiences bonded by virtue of storytelling. As a poet, Kaira navigates and reflects on her lessons about life and love through the lens of emotions, existence, and healing, as evidenced in her recent publication, “Questions for life—lovers”. Like Langston Hughes, Kaira likes “to work, read, learn, and understand life” and attempts to share her experiences in the hopes of encouraging and expanding communal and transcultural healing. Kaira is inspired to create inclusive, equitable spaces in diverse places, especially in education. On Sundays, Kaira enjoys puns, pictures, and poetry while spending quality time with her cat, Nona.