#tbt One of the BEST experiences I've ever had, one of the BEST schools I've ever been to.#MountVernonHighSchool Thanks again Principal Gonzalez, Luther Garrett, Ms. Greene, staff, and students for having me out to talk about #DearFather#BreakingTheCycleOfPain!! The work you all are doing is absolutely AMAZING!! God Bless You!!#ThePowerOfForgiveness #DearFatherLetters#OneMillionLettersWritten #OneMillionHeartsHealed#FutureLeaders #DreamBIG #MVHS #NewYork
#DearFather Excerpt
J. Ivy on Aspire 360
Yesterday 70 million people tuned in as I talked to @AriseTV360 about my new book #DearFather#BreakingTheCycleOfPain!! If you missed it check it out at Facebook.com/jivy. Thanks for the LOVE!!#ThePowerOfForgiveness #DearFatherLetters#OneMillionLettersWritten #OneMillionHeartsHealed#WhoDoYouForgive #WorldBookDay
#Estelle #TrueRomance #TimeShare
YOO @estelledarlings YOU KILLED IT ON #EMPIRE!! CONGRATS!! Make sure y'all download or pick up her new album #TrueRomance and check out the joint I rocked with her called #TimeShare!! For the#GrownAndSexy
In Good Company #DearFather
So AMAZING to see the company #DearFather keeps!!#SteveJobs #DerekJeter So AMAZING to walk into a book store at #MiamiInternational and see your work!!#BreakingTheCycleOfPain #ThePowerOfForgiveness#DearFatherLetters #OneMillionLettersWritten#OneMillionHeartsHealed #WhoDoYouForgive#TimeToHeal #FeelsSoGoodToLetGo #LOVEwhatIDO#LovingLIFE #DoYouHaveYourCopy
#303
REACHING
I'll never stop reaching for the next levels of my dreams!! Thank you #Bronx and the #BronxLibraryCenter for always showing love!! I had an amazing time presenting #DearFather #BreakingTheCycleOfPain!! #ThePOWERofForgiveness #DearFatherLetters #OneMillionLettersWritten #OneMillionHeartsHealed #WhoDoYouForgive #TimeToHeal #FeelsSoGoodToLetGo #LOVEwhatIdo #LOVEtheLOVE
#DearFather Excerpt
Paying Homage to Michael Jordan!!
#weareJORDAN I know I said it once BUT this past Friday, before @JheneAiko and @ArianaGrande performed, before the LEGENDARY #PRINCE closed the show, your man J. Ivy had the HONOR of honoring #MICHAELJORDAN with a poem I wrote called #YourAIRNESS for the 30th Anniversary Dinner/Party of the Jordan Brand!! Thanks again to the @jumpman23 Family for the AMAZING opportunity!! And to the GREATEST to EVER do it, one of my heroes, HAPPY BDAY MJ!!! To my Brother @RealSway Thanks again for the AMAZING intro!! #NewYork #AllStarWeekend #Chicago #ChicagoBulls #23 #MJ
#OneBookOneChicago #DearFather
THANK YOU @1book1chicago @chipublib #HWLC & #Chicago for the love and experience last night!! Words can't describe how amazing the #DearFather Movement has been so far and the energy that was poured in yesterday was a HUGE boost for my spirit and the journey of our healing. From spending time in the halls of Chicago libraries as a child to now performing in them, again all I can say is THANKS! I'll see you soon! #BreakingTheCycleOfPain #ThePowerOfForgiveness #DearFatherLetters #OneMillionLettersWritten #OneMillionHeartsHealed #WhoDoYouForgive #TimeToHeal #FeelsSOGOODtoLetGo #LOVEtheLOVE #OBOC #BeBLESSED
J. Ivy at WEB Dubois Charter School in Memphis
Dear Father Excerpt
#DearFather #BreakingTheCycleOfPain #InStoresNOW #ThePowerOfForgiveness #DearFatherLetters #OneMillionLettersWritten #OneMillionHeartsHealed #WhoDoYouForgive #FeelsSOGoodToLetGo #TimeToHeal Published by @beyond_words_books @atriabooks @simonandschuster
Deepak Chopra endorses J. Ivy's Dear Father
LOVE the LOVE!! Thanks @deepakchopra & @thechoprafoundation!! Listen to the GOOD people and pick up your of #DearFather #BreakingtheCycleofPain today!! #ThePowerOfForgiveness #DearFatherLetters #OneMillionLettersWritten #OneMillionHeartsHealed #WhoDoYouForgive #TimeToHeal #FeelsSOGOODtoLetGo
Dear Father Hits #1 on Amazon
WHAT!! #DearFather #BreakingtheCycleofPain hit the #1NewRelease on @Amazon's Rap & Hip-Hop Musician Biographies!! Thanks for all the support! Let's keep it at #1...order your copy today!! #ThePowerOfForgiveness #DearFatherLetters #OneMillionLettersWritten #OneMillionHeartsHealed #WhoDoYouForgive #Grateful #FeelsSOGOODtoLetGo @beyond_words_books @atriabooks @simonandschuster
#PhotoPoem "Cold Days" by J. Ivy
#PhotoPoem by J. Ivy
Cold days,
Frozen nights,
Frigid winds,
Bitter life,
But,
We boot up and trek on,
From home to work,
Work to church,
Cars scoot by kicking up white dirt,
So cold it hurts,
Naked trees throw shade on your smirk,
Your light,
Your fight is slowed down when snowy carpets are rolled out,
Plows touch down and run snow routes,
But we don't stop,
The big game is coming on,
Perfect day to be snowed in,
Find balance in the low ends,
So what the wind is blowing,
We're from the Go so we can't help but keep going..." #gametime #WhoYouGot #SuperBowl #SuperBowlSunday #NFL #Seattle #Seahawks #NewEngland #Patriots #Football
J. Ivy "I NEED to Write" from the new book "DEAR FATHER: Breaking the Cycle of Pain"
I'm VERY EXCITED to share with you the second video from my new book "DEAR FATHER: Breaking the Cycle of Pain," "I NEED to Write," directed by my good brother Camovement!! Check it out, share with your people, and pick up your copy of "DEAR FATHER" today!! S/O to @LDRS1354 @bornflyclothing @danawaldenjewelry
#ThePOWERofFORGIVENESS
#ThePOWERofFORGIVENESS On November 15, 1999 my Pops made his transition. On November 15, 2013 I was offered a book deal to write a book about my father. On the night of January 27, 1999 I met this find young lady, who had quit her job earlier that day and made her way to a club called Rituals to pursue a professional singing career. Later this young lady became my girl, my woman, my wife and one day told me I Needed to Break the Cycle. And today January 27, 2015 I have the honor of announcing the release of my new book "Dear Father: Breaking the Cycle of Pain." I can't tell you how filled up with gratitude for this moment to finally be here. I've been looking forward to telling this story on a larger scale for a long time and God has opened the doors to allow me to tell it. There were times when I didn't have the courage to write about it, when I didn't have the energy to write about it, and when I didn't have the experience or wisdom to completely tell this story. But thankfully, life went on and the words made their way to the page. The stories revealed themselves. The healing was found. The joy was remembered. I'm telling this story because I want to share these tools of healing with others. I PRAY and I KNOW it will and can help others so I went to work, spent hour after hour in countless cafés, hotels, and restaurants from Chicago to Harlem to Brooklyn to Boston to DC to Los Angeles. I let that stream of consciousness flow and attempted to catch every thought and feeling that came my way. I'm proud because after combing thru edit after edit, chapter after chapter, story after story, poem after poem, thought after thought, idea after idea, I know I accomplished that goal. I want, we want to start this dialogue of healing. So today I ask that you go out and pick up your copy of the book. To my folks out east, stay warm, be safe, and order it online or pick it up later this week. I thank you all for your support. I'm looking forward to seeing you all soon. I'm looking forward to us healing together.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Poet,
J. Ivy
Published by: Beyond Words Publishing/Atria Books/Simon and Schuster
J. Ivy "Dream BIG" from the book "DEAR FATHER: Breaking the Cycle of Pain"
Walking out of the movie “Selma” on the anniversary of Dr.Martin Luther King’s birth, my mind was taken to a place of calm, a place of peace, a place of remembrance of how far we’ve come and how far we still have to go. Immediately my mind drifted to the current climate of our nation. I thought about Ferguson. I thought about Eric Garner. I thought about the young black man who was gunned down in Ohio. I thought about the police brutality, the false charges, the harassment that I, and others, have gone thru as people of color. I thought about the promise of justice our country has failed to fully deliver on.
The fight continues, but as surely as the hand of hate that has repeatedly swung down on the poor, the disheartened, the educational system, judicial system, and political system, I believe in the hope that Dr. King fought for. I believe that love will ultimately prevail. I believe that we will overcome if we don’t lose focus in the confusion that has been set at ourtables. I believe the holes that have been driven in our hope will be refilled with our mastery that can’t be taken away by no living being.
Yes, the story “Selma” depicted inspired me deeply. Dr. King has always been one of my greatest inspirations. When I took to the stage, I wanted to speak with the same prestige he spoke. I wanted to spark people’s spirits the way he did. I wanted to remind us of the peace we can all attain. I wanted to keep his dream of hope alive.
It was that hope for peace that drove me to write the poem “Dear Father.” I hoped that GOD would grant me the strength to push past thepain and to forgive myself for the wrongs I had done and spoken. I hoped that my father, who had passed, knew that I forgave him. I hoped that I would be able to reconnect with my father thru my words. I hoped that he would remain close to my heart, guiding me with his spirit. I hoped that I could make him proud. I hoped that I made him happy.I hoped that after a life long fight he was able to find his peace.
After writing that poem, in the depth of my gut I knew he had. I knew that I did. I knew that with a shield of clarity guarding my mind and a light heart paving the way, I could continue fighting to better myself, so I could better those around me. I’m not perfect. Who is? But after the words of that poem left my spirit and used the page as a landing strip, I knew, with an esteem sense of confidence that I could take off. Like Dr. King, I knew thatI could “Dream BIG.” It is that idea that I exercise daily. It is that idea that I desperately hold on to. It is that idea that pushes me to do like my grandfather often said, which is “keep on keepin on…take it one day at a time.”
One day I will share with you the amazing, amazing story of how the “Dream BIG” video (the first video installment for my new book “Dear Father: Breaking the Cycle of Pain) came to be, but for now I have to send a very special thanks to my brother, Chris Velona, for directing and shooting this beautiful piece of art. CV, thank you for bringing everyone together to produce this vision. Thanks Rich Sancho for producing this perfect music. Josh Senior, the edit is masterful. Thanks to you and Senior Post for amazing work. Hector Delgado, thank you for letting us record the verse at your studio. Yasmine Richard aka Cuzin Yazz, you’re the best. The locations were perfect. Mike Marasco and Darren Miller, the cinematography is crazy. You, along with CV's eye is amazing. Darren and Eddie Rozay, thanks for bringing out the copters. Greg Magers and Collin Jordan as always, the sound is perfect. Thank you all for “Dreaming BIG” with me on this project. My wish is that it inspires many and lifts our spirits as a whole. Thank you Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for your light and your legacy. We will continue to strive to make your dream, our dream, a reality... GOD Bless You!!
MUCH LOVE,
J. Ivy
"One Million Letters Written, One Million Hearts Healed."
Watch J. Ivy's "Dream BIG" video below. Single available on iTunes. Link is in the store.
WHERE I'M FROM
It's always good to link with someone from the home front and drop a gem of inspiration. With that said, here's one of the latest joints from #LeadersNeverFollowVol1 mixtape "Where I'm From" by BJ the Chicago Kid ft. J. Ivy. S/O to #LDRS1354. LOVE.
Michigan Avenue Magazine →
I want to send a BIG shout out to the fine folks over at Michigan Avenue Magazine. Check out the article written about my upcoming book Dear Father: Breaking the Cycle of Pain, which is set to release January 27, 2015. Pre-orders are available now on Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com and at your local bookstore. Article available at the link below.