Intimate moments, alone, captured while the faint taste of incense lingers in the air. Warm soft light is ubiquitous. Long locs fall across bare shoulders while bejeweled hands dab into shay buttah so that they can spread it over the brown skin that drinks it in. Blaq Buttaphly and I were in the cool basement loft. And while we laughed and talked we created these captures that were, for me, one of the root inspirations of Pangea’s Garden. Minutes, that happen, privately, so often that their rare beauty is, easily lost in the repetition. Every now and then, I like to take a moment to capture...

In Atlanta, there’s a cool coffeehouse called Octane. And while there are probably cool coffeehouse joints like it an every city in America, this one is a little special to me because its the first place I told anyone about my ideas regarding Pangea’s Garden. I spoke to one of my friends about it as I was setting up the blog and I met the first model who ever agreed to be on the site there, on that day. So I go here when I am kicking ideas around with some of the others about the Garden. I drink really expensive beers (yeah, I go to a coffehouse to drink the beer) that have a great...

The RenegadeBarbie doesn’t just march to the beat of her own drum, she BUILT the damn drum! She continues to build it. She defines the rules that will be the guiding posts for her own visions. Fiercely charismatic and creatively passionate, RenegadeBarbie is expressive and uninhibited. Her style is provocative, raw and full of swagger. Because her unique “in your face” style and her figurative adornments of tattoos and piercings RenegadeBarbie is coveted by SuicideGirls and Blacquewidowdolls as well. Yet as radical as she appears, she is still a loving mother, an adoring lover,...

Have you ever heard of the Black Panther? He is a Marvel Comics character; leader of a mythological African nation called Wakanda that has never been conquered by invaders, both foreign and domestic. He is Wakanda King and Protector and the nation boast a level of advancement that exceeds most Western nations. I was fascinated by the stories of the early nineties by Christopher Priest and intrigued by the new stories that Reginald Hudlin created with John Romita Jr almost a decade later. The filmmaker, Reginald Hudlin scripted the stories that these animations are based on and I believe he spearheaded...

by Naturally Leslie Singer Corrine Bailey Rae  is super talented and simply stunning. She’s been gone from the scene for a few years but now she’s back and looks and sound better than ever.  Her shorter ringlets were adorable and Corinne Bailey Rae I’m loving her grown out naturally curly hair these days. Totally Cute! Naturally Leslie loves all things hair, politics, culture, society! This is just one of her many thoughts and you can catch more of her wisdom at naturallyleslie.blogspot.com.

by Raw Dawg Buffalo Now it is a very sad conundrum, the aftermath of the Earthquake. Seeing people dead in the streets, maimed, injured and dying is enough to make ones flesh crawl. It was devastation that I could not imagine. Now with that said, I don’t want folks to take this the wrong way albeit I don’t care – but what good is relief and news coverage if it only parades folks for the purpose of individual attention and ratings. What little I saw gave me this opinion and this as a man who has worked in places all over Africa stopping infectious disease pandemics in small rural communities....

Nobella’s talent has cultivated the Garden since the beginning. Indeed, she styled and adorned three of the first four EarthSistas and her vision as an Artist has heavily influenced the look, the feel, the very essence of the Garden. She is one of Pangea’s visionary seeds. A child of the Big Easy, Patricia Nobella claims, ” I came out of the womb painting.” It was as innate to her as breathing and she envisioned no other path for her in life other than one that flowed through the aesthetic of colors, textures, and even precious metals. Patricia demonstrates a passion for...

Mid-afternoon seemed the perfect time for  a good book. This was Kirei Na’s thought when she received a very interesting instant message on my laptop. It was haunting, provocative with a touch of humor. It was an intimate tease sent over miles wire and broadcast airwaves and it captured her imagination. Feeling a little naughty herself, this seemed like the perfect opportunity for a little passionate self-expression, as well as a chance to please the mysterious someone she cared for. So, with a moment of gleeful thought, Kirei went into action. Bathed in sunlight, diffused by the wispy sheer...

I’ve been having a wonderful back-and-forth with the founder of BlacqueWidowDolls.com, Jinga Willis. She and I both had visions of paying homage to the unique and extraordinary beauty of women of color. And while we take different approaches, it is inspiring to see that we both have no problems breaking through the limitations of a Eurocentric aesthetic to redefine the standards that allows the blesssings we know to be seen by all. I’ve learned so much from her and she has inspired me in ways she is not even aware of at this point. Soon we will do an interview with her about her site...

Quite by nature but never shy. Open-minded, friendly, humble and innately artistic are all attributes that describe Ryka, a petite EarthSista with an upbeat edge. Because she is coy and gracious, it can take a moment for her to share but its worth the wait. Self-driven and adventurous, Ryka’s love of writing and painting along with fashion design and photography are aspects that indicate that she marches to the beat of her own drum. Surrounded by a positive and loving family environment, she was nurtured to be an independent go-getter who is not afraid to be caring and loving. Ryka is also a...