Clayton (BigTrigger) Corley, Sr. is a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He developed his love of writing at the age of 14 and his love of jazz from as far back as he can remember. While in high school, he wrote for the school newspaper and won a Junior Pulitzer Prize in Journalism for his articles about the West Philadelphia High Speedboys basketball team. As of May 2005, he became a published author with the release of Universal Moods (a short story collection). Clayton credits his literary influences from the likes of poets Langston Hughes and George Moses Horton.
His love of jazz stems from childhood when he was asked to play the albums belonging to his parents while they entertained guests in the basement of their home. Yes, they ran a speakeasy and Clayton was the "Record Guy." His parent's collection consisting of artists such as Miles Davis, Errol Garner, Cannonball Adderley, and Nancy Wilson created the foundation for his broad knowledge of jazz. Clayton feels that jazz and poetry were made for each other. Both have elements of improvisation and are major ways of negotiating agendas and communicating with one another. They also have vast history especially as it relates to our culture. These two art forms need to be kept alive and passed down to future generations. That's what Spotlight on Jazz & Poetry strives to do. He was born under the sign of Pisces. As is true to most born under that sign, Clayton is a "Dreamer." This trait is evident in his writing and has helped in formulating the concept for his radio program. Clayton is married, has four children, and just recently became a grandfather.
His love of jazz stems from childhood when he was asked to play the albums belonging to his parents while they entertained guests in the basement of their home. Yes, they ran a speakeasy and Clayton was the "Record Guy." His parent's collection consisting of artists such as Miles Davis, Errol Garner, Cannonball Adderley, and Nancy Wilson created the foundation for his broad knowledge of jazz. Clayton feels that jazz and poetry were made for each other. Both have elements of improvisation and are major ways of negotiating agendas and communicating with one another. They also have vast history especially as it relates to our culture. These two art forms need to be kept alive and passed down to future generations. That's what Spotlight on Jazz & Poetry strives to do. He was born under the sign of Pisces. As is true to most born under that sign, Clayton is a "Dreamer." This trait is evident in his writing and has helped in formulating the concept for his radio program. Clayton is married, has four children, and just recently became a grandfather.
About "Big Trigger"
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About "Celestial Dancer"
Donna Kirven, better known in the poetry world as "Celestial Dancer" is the welcoming voice you hear upon arrival to the Spotlight on Jazz and Poetry website. In addition to being a business partner, she is also the webmaster and CAO of Spotlight on Jazz and Poetry, as well as a published author and poet. Also a native Philadelphian, she currently lives in Northern California with her husband and two daughters. In addition to designing and managing several websites, Celestial also composes music and has produced spoken word tracks for herself and several gifted poets.
Coping with life through love, laughter, music and her passion for writing she has found a way to combine the beautiful arts of poetry and music and invites the world to share the joyous blend. She has written poetry since age 10, and had her first poem published in her high school newspaper. Donna attended Temple University and JFK University and currently holds a graduate degree in Career Development Counseling.
Her first book, When a Band-Aid Isn't Enough, and other poetic perspectives was released in February 2005, and offers an eclectic compilation of traditional and non-traditional poetry that provokes soul deep images of any given moment in time, ones that we all, or someone close to us have experienced but have often been unwilling or unable to express. Just as in her first book, she remains true to her mission of sculpting life with words and painting feelings that touch and unite souls. She continues to capture unspoken moments of love, laughter, mood and passion in poetic verse.
Celestial Dancer released her second book of poetry, The Alchemy of Understanding, Poetic Soul Therapy, in December 2007, where she has included a collection of poems that reveal facets of living where some form of understanding is, isn't, was or is wished for. Reflecting on her latest book, Celestial writes that her poetry is delicately crafted to leave readers breathless, not because it sifts your breath away through shock or extracts it with sudden expressive impact, but because the potency of human emotion and speed with which these portraits of feeling have been painted have entered the deepest realm of your heart, mind and soul at a pace that pulls your breath inward in its wake, allowing you to experience the most cherished and often unspoken human sentiment. For more information about her poetry and books,
Celestial Dancer has been featured several times on IndieFeed Radio and other online poetry sites. She hopes that on some level, at least one part of her poetry will touch the life of another and bring peace of understanding and comfort of kinship. Her life's mantra is live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly, and leave the rest to God. Celestial and Big Trigger have produced two live Spotlight on Jazz and Poetry events, "An Evening of Jazz and Verse" (2008), and "Jazzetry and Versatudes" (2009). The upcoming SOJP LIVE event "Silk Sessions" is scheduled for October 2010. Check out the Links page for more information on this fabulous event.
Coping with life through love, laughter, music and her passion for writing she has found a way to combine the beautiful arts of poetry and music and invites the world to share the joyous blend. She has written poetry since age 10, and had her first poem published in her high school newspaper. Donna attended Temple University and JFK University and currently holds a graduate degree in Career Development Counseling.
Her first book, When a Band-Aid Isn't Enough, and other poetic perspectives was released in February 2005, and offers an eclectic compilation of traditional and non-traditional poetry that provokes soul deep images of any given moment in time, ones that we all, or someone close to us have experienced but have often been unwilling or unable to express. Just as in her first book, she remains true to her mission of sculpting life with words and painting feelings that touch and unite souls. She continues to capture unspoken moments of love, laughter, mood and passion in poetic verse.
Celestial Dancer released her second book of poetry, The Alchemy of Understanding, Poetic Soul Therapy, in December 2007, where she has included a collection of poems that reveal facets of living where some form of understanding is, isn't, was or is wished for. Reflecting on her latest book, Celestial writes that her poetry is delicately crafted to leave readers breathless, not because it sifts your breath away through shock or extracts it with sudden expressive impact, but because the potency of human emotion and speed with which these portraits of feeling have been painted have entered the deepest realm of your heart, mind and soul at a pace that pulls your breath inward in its wake, allowing you to experience the most cherished and often unspoken human sentiment. For more information about her poetry and books,
Celestial Dancer has been featured several times on IndieFeed Radio and other online poetry sites. She hopes that on some level, at least one part of her poetry will touch the life of another and bring peace of understanding and comfort of kinship. Her life's mantra is live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly, and leave the rest to God. Celestial and Big Trigger have produced two live Spotlight on Jazz and Poetry events, "An Evening of Jazz and Verse" (2008), and "Jazzetry and Versatudes" (2009). The upcoming SOJP LIVE event "Silk Sessions" is scheduled for October 2010. Check out the Links page for more information on this fabulous event.
