|
Great Women Speakers
Presents.....Outstanding Women Speakers
S. RENEE
MITCHELL a.k.a. Nae! Nay!
JOURNALIST, SPOKEN
WORD PERFORMANCE ARTIST,
PLAYWRIGHT, AUTHOR
|
|
|
>
 |
|
>>
Reviews
|
|
Your
amazing story and the powerful way you tell
it has touched the lives of many. Your
support for youth in trouble and our efforts
to get them mentors has made a difference.
Joanne
Fuller, exec. director
Multnomah County
Department of Community Justice
|
|
In the greater
Portland, OR community, S. Renee Mitchell
is the most passionately intentional voice
against verbal, sexual, and physical
violence. Whether it is a community
fundraising event or a Girls Inc. assembly
of girls, Renee is our first choice to
speak on behalf of our organization.
Renee combines spoken word and poetry with
a resounding message to educate and
inspire girls to live strong, smart, and
bold lives. One cannot resist the power of
Renee’s voice, she educates and inspires
every community to be careful with words
and actions. Words can devastate or
affirm a human spirit, Renee tells us.
Renee’s message is well received by any
audience she touches, I have seen her
dazzle groups of business women, elected
officials, and girls of all ages.
Annette Klinefelter,
Executive Director Girls Incorporated of
NW OR
|
|
It was
indeed a pleasure to meet you and hear you
speak at the AAWCC Conference. Your
presentation is so powerful! My hope is to
reach as many people in Douglas County as
possible.
Carla J.
Bee,
Director, Job Opportunity Basic Skills
Program,
Roseburg
|
|
Raphael House of
Portland hosted its second annual Speak Out
against domestic violence on October 7,
2006. We had the great pleasure of having
S. Renee Mitchell and her band play a
wonderful set during the day. The words and
music inspired by Ms. Mitchell’s own
personal life in her journey to escape a
life of violence. Ms. Mitchell’s
performance was from the heart and we are
fortunate to have such a powerful speaker
and song writer in our community of
Portland.
Teri K. Lorenzen, CPA
Executive
Director,
Raphael House of Portland
|
|
The feedback that we’ve heard
and read about in our survey was that the
women adored Renee. They thought she was
powerful and inspiring. Her story was quite
dark at times but continued to evolve into a
beautiful, uplifting message. She got a
standing ovation - that should sum it up!
United Way of Lane County, Oregon
|
|
|
>>
Topics
|
|
Writing Your Story: 5 Secrets to
Empowerment at Work and Play
Award-winning
columnist S. Renee Mitchell has spent more
than two decades writing and editing
newspaper stories about troubled lives.
But it wasn't until she recognized her own
immersion in an abusive marriage a few
years ago that she discovered those
stories were a mirror of herself, of her
willingness to give away her power -- to
her parents, to teachers; to men who said
they loved her. Using her powerfully
moving personal examples and those of
others, Renee will discuss how to be
effective in any situation; how to turn
struggles into strengths and how to
develop techniques that will inspire.
|
|
Be a Diversity Doer:
Moving Your Workplace From Action Plan to
Action
When we are in a
position of leadership, diversity should be
more than just a buzz word, a stand-alone
program or something waving at you from the
margins. Problems surface when people of
different cultures fail to connect or feel
validated, which makes retention an ongoing
concern. Using personal experiences and
those of others, Mitchell will reveal what
people of color want from you and the
necessary and essential steps for your
organization or corporation to move from
“Diversity Duds” to “Diversity Doers.”
|
|
Journaling: Get in
touch with your SELF
The act of journaling
is one of the most intimate and useful
tools that women can use to heal
themselves from accumulated silence.
Mitchell will give you the five secrets to
creating a welcoming home for your
memories as well as reveal empowering
insights that help your words weave a
pathway toward personal growth.
|
|
Batter Up:
Controlling the Interview
Effective interviewing
is a little like playing baseball. It looks
simple if you’re watching from the
sidelines. But it’s more complicated than
people think. Mitchell will show you the
seven secrets to making the voices in your
newspaper stories and press releases come
alive and the skills to make even reluctant
sources spill the beans.
|
|
em-pow-HER:
Understanding the power of words
Anyone who has ever
been assaulted with someone’s words, taunts
and teases on a playground, in the workplace
or in a relationship knows that the
children’s sing-song about sticks and stones
is not true. Words, in fact, can break our
hearts and can actually stop us from
fulfilling our destinies. Mitchell will
reveal the seven strategies for women to
move from stuck to unstoppable and
understand how to take back their power, at
home, at work and at play.
|
|
 S. Renee Mitchell, a single mother of three, is a playwright, multi-media artist, performance poet, MBA-educated business owner and an engaging public speaker, who uses storytelling, poetry and her theatrical expertise to deliver a rousing speech that will empower, inspire and delightfully entertain any audience.
In her day job, Renee writes an award-winning newspaper column twice a week for The Oregonian on topics ranging from neighborhoods, to schools, to politics to cultural identity. She has been TWICE nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and, in 2006, received the Ida B. Wells Award for Bravery in Journalism from New York City-based Women eNews.
Yet, despite her stellar career as an award-winning journalist, Renee is not afraid to show her raw and imperfect self or share her personal stories about surviving domestic and sexual violence in order to inspire and encourage other women and young girls. Her tireless and creative community work resulted in her being selected as one of 2006's 21 Leaders of the 21st Century. And in 2004, BrainstormNW magazine selected her as one of the “15 Most Interesting People in Oregon.”
Renee has authored three books of poetry, recorded two spoken word CDs, all with original music, and has her own YouTube channel. She is also a co-founder of the Portland-based Healing Roots Center, a pilot project for to provide culturally specific services to black women who are experiencing domestic violence. Renee also founded the Healing Roots Village, a community-based collaborative that empowers black women to lead healthier lives and learn how to advocate for their families, their communities and themselves, in and out of the home.
What’s more, Renee is a playwright. For several years, she has produced her second play, Tangoing with Tornadoes, which uses poetry, music and interpretive dance to untangle the secret web of emotional abuse. Renee recently completed her first novel, by the same name, and she is writing a self-help book for women titled You Don’t Have to Hit Me to Hurt Me: 12 Things Sistahs Need to Know about Emotional & Verbal Abuse.
In addition, Renee teaches college-level writing classes and a series of writing workshops - she calls them "Inner Courses" - that teaches people of all skill levels how to write poetry, journals and memoirs. She has presented her poetry-writing workshops in New Orleans, Seattle and Washington, D.C
While completing her MBA in 2001, she opened a small business, NappyRoots Press, a creative consulting company. She speaks to groups about diversity, writing and getting the media’s attention, among other issues. She also publishes work of local poets and writers, designs and sells T-shirts and greeting cards, and plans Self-Pampering and Natural Hair events for women.
|
