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It is in the intensity of her eyes. It is in the burning story that lies in the crevices of a subtle
smirk. It is what brings us JOY. She was born in East LA, raised by Caribbean-American parents and reared on good music and
spicy food. As a child Joy was very in tune with the worlds...those within and those outside of her being. It is this strange
osmosis that is refelcted in her work. Her travels, her meetings, her education and experiences all find their way to her
creative palate. They show up in songs, in poems, in plays and in her artwork.
After attending Duke University where she studied biology and cultural anthropolgy, Joy moved to the United Kingdom. At the
University of London she studied medical anthropology by day and the local art scene by night. While in Europe she performed
in London and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. When Joy returned to LA she began work on her one-woman-show entitled, THE
NAPPY GODDESS COMPLEX. It ran for 4 weeks at the Hudson Theater and received rave reviews. Joy also became a fixture on LA's
underground spoken word/ soul movement. In addition to performing around the city, Joy has traveled from the West Coast of
Africa to the West Coast of America, sharing her work in Cuba, Turkey and Swaziland among other places. She is currently a
recipient of the 2002 California Arts Council Individual Artist In Residence Prograqm Grant, which allows her to conduct literary
workshops with HIV positive individuals.
Recently Joy has reconnected with the London art scene to complete her debut CD with the legendary Bugz In The Attic Crew.
Her highly anticipated album, GODCHILD is due out early 2009 and promises to be a journey into postmodern funk, surrealist
soul and intergalactic grooves for the people.
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