Meet Spike McDuffy, Storytelling Coach
An Interview with Shenny De Los Angeles
Q: As artists, especially from underrepresented communities, a part of our work is affirming others in a shared lived experience. That’s a part of what makes representation in art a radical form of healing, as it’s an invitation to help people witness themselves. When was the first time you witnessed yourself in a body of work or through someone else’s story, and how did that ignite you to tell your story?
A: During my Freshman year of college, we went on a field trip to New York City. It was filled with all sorts of random explorative experiences that made me feel like the typical tourist. That was until we walked in to the Nuyorican Poets Cafe. It was there where I witnessed an open mic night that wasn’t educationally orchestrated, or just for parents’ sake; but for a community of people who’s only commonality was sharing a marginalized experience. It was the first time I had seen people who liked like me and told their stories through words that felt like mine. I knew then that whatever my future held, it had to involve me getting on a stage, ready to explode.
Q: In learning how to strengthen your voice as an artist, what was a piece of feedback and/or advice that you received from a great mentor/coach that really stayed with you and not only made your artistic work expand but it also deepened your growth as a person?
A: I went to two colleges. At my first college, I was an “undecided” major and I was in a prerequisite no-credit class for English. I failed and had to repeat the class. This meant that I was pushed back two years behind my peers. I told my teacher that I must be stupid for never getting it right and she told me that I wasn’t stupid, I just needed more time to learn than the others. From that moment on I received A’s on my papers, passed the class, and transferred to another school and committed to a writing major. To this day, I can’t phantom how it took me 20 years to believe in the power of time, the power of writing, and the power within myself.
Q: Thinking about the world we’re living in, and how much of the focus is centered on the pain of life, it can feel very challenging to want to keep going and source our stories from a place of joy, curiosity, and wonder. In honoring your lived experience, what affirms you in this life? What keeps the drive and momentum in your body and soul? Even when the world hurts you, how do you believe enough in yourself to choose to live the life you know you deserve?
A: Whenever I’m low or doing something I know I don’t want to be doing, I can feel a boil within me about to burst at the thought of living a life where I can’t share my gift. It’s a heavy plate to hold when you know you are suppose to share and give yourself and you’re in situations where you feel like you can’t. I hold onto this plate and try to admire the heaviness. Because I know the day that it starts to feel lighter is the day my body and soul will feel lighter too. After all, don’t we all want to fly?
Spike McDuffy (he/him) is a Storytelling Coach with Life Jacket. He graduated from Pratt Institute with a BFA in Creative Writing. Originally from The Pocono Mountains, Spike is currently located in Brooklyn, NYC where he is focused on practicing his talents doing freelance work in lyrical and persuasive writings.
Shenny De Los Angeles (she/they) is a Resident Storytelling Artist with Life Jacket. Shenny is a Dominican-American interdisciplinary performing artist and writer who centralizes Black and Brown femmes in their stories, affirming the beauty of being alive. Shenny’s work has been featured at Mabou Mines Theatre, Latina Magazine, Blackstar Film Festival, Latinx Playwright Circle, and Caribbean Writers to name a few! Currently, Shenny is a WaterWorks Emerging Artist at Harlem Stage, where she is developing a ritual play, Sisters by Water, which explores the intimacy and nuance of sisterhood between Haitian & Dominican-American femmes. www.ShennyDeLosAngeles.com
Learn more about Life Jacket Theatre Company and The Storytelling Project.
