Deborah Magdalena - Sharing Her Beauty, Her Story and Her Poetry

Slam! To basketball players, it means two points. To a wrestler, it means someone’s back has just smacked the canvas and if you are the rap group Onyx, it is what put grimy rap on the airwaves. But if you are a poet…well…if you are a poet, slam means soul therapy. Slam means exhibition; slam means Heaven. If you don’t know slam, however, you need to get to know Deborah Magdalena—then you will know Slam.

Chances are, you already know Deborah Magdalena. If you’ve watched television or seen the movies, Striptease and Holy Man, you have at least seen her. Are you wondering what this has to do with Slam? Well, even though Deborah is accomplished in front of the camera, her true passion is poetry. In her pursuit for her passion, Deborah has taken the art of spoken word to a "whole notha level".

Deborah took the time to sit down with Sunpiper Press and endure our literary grilling.
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Which desire burned within you first? The yearning to recite your soul or the aspiration to perform in front of the camera?
EXCELLENT QUESTION!!!
MY 1ST DESIRE WAS TO BE IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA. I CONFUSED BEING THE MIDDLE OF ATTENTION WITH TRUE LOVE. BEING A TRUE ARTIST - IT TOOK A LONG TIME TO LEARN THE DIFFERENCE BECAUSE I TRULY LOVED THE ART OF DRAMA, DANCE, & WRITING - I ALWAYS AND STILL DO CAN PRIVATELY GET A RUSH FROM THEM ONCE I LEARNED THE DIFFERENCE - I REALIZED THAT BEING A TRUE ARTIST IS NOT NECESSARILY A GIFT BUT A TRUE MISSION. IF I'M GOING TO GET YOUR ATTENTION - THEN I SHOULD SHARE MY SOUL SO WE CAN GROW TOGETHER – ALLOWING ME TO BE A CANVAS THAT ONE CAN RELATE TO AND MAKE UP THEIR OWN SOUL-PORTRAIT.

I ask this question because you addressed it on your website, but what shook you and made you want to embrace your Latin heritage rather than ignore it?
ANOTHER GOOD ONE!!!
I CAME TO THE US AT AGE 6 - NOT KNOWING A WORD OF ENGLISH. BACK THEN BEING BILINGUAL WAS NOT HIP. I WAS PICKED ON AND MADE FUN OF - FROM THE AGES OF 6 - 8 - I HAD NO FRIENDS AND BARELY SPOKE. ONCE I LEARNED TO SPEAK ENGLISH MY FAMILY MOVED TO A MIDDLE CLASS AFRO-AMERICAN NEIGHBORHOOD. NOW I WAS THE CONCEITED GIRL WITH GOOD HAIR WHO SPOKE WITH AN ACCENT. I USE TO GET MY ASS KICKED DAILY ALL THROUGHOUT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SO THE MORE AMERICANIZED I BECAME THE MORE I RESENTED BEING PUERTO RICAN BECAUSE THAT VERY ESSENCE IS WHAT CAUSED TRAUMA IN MY CHILDHOOD. I REFUSED TO SPEAK SPANISH - EVEN WHEN I VISITED PR - MY FAMILY HAD TO ADDRESS ME IN ENGLISH OTHERWISE I WOULDN'T RESPOND. ONCE I MOVED BACK TO PR AT AGE 16 - I JUST FELL IN LOVE WITH MY CULTURE ALL OVER AGAIN - THE FOOD - THE PEOPLE – THE MUSIC - THE SMELLS - THE COQUI - MANGOS - THE BEACHES & RIVERS - EVERYTHING!!! NOW FULLY BILINGUAL I SEE THE GIFT AND PLEASURE IT IS TOBE LATINA! PUERTO RICAN!

How do you feel this revelation helped you in your pursuit for success?
I NEVER USED IT AS A CRUTCH. IT WAS ALWAYS AND STILL IS AN ASSET.

What exactly was it that made you first say to yourself, "I finally have my foot in the door!"?
I DON'T KNOW IF I EVER HAD THAT THOUGHT. IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN - JUST DO IT -
JUST GO! BECAUSE ONCE YOU GET IN ONE DOOR YOU REALIZE THERE ARE ABOUT FIVEMORE YOU NEED TO GET TO - WHICH AT TIMES CAN TAKE SOMEONE AN ENTIRE
LIFETIME.

Everyone sees the glitz, fame and glamour. What is the most difficult thing you find yourself dealing with as you continue filing accomplishment after accomplishment?
I WAS BORN INTO A FAMED & BELOVED FAMILY - (MUSICALLY) SO FAME & GLITZ IS SOMEWHAT NORM FOR ME - IT DOESN'T FILL ME. NONE OF MY ACCOMPLISHMENTS BRING ME INNER PEACE. I'VE ALWAYS BEEN TAUGHT TO BE HUMBLE AND TO DO YOUR BEST - DO ANYTHING - JUST TRY TO BE THE BEST. SO I TRY MY BEST- MY BEST AT WRITING PERFORMING, PRODUCING - SIMPLY DOING MY BEST. BEING THE PERSON I CAN BE! I GUESS BEING MY OWN WORST JUDGE IS MY DIFFICULTY.

Besides, obviously, being good at what you do, what do you seek to display through your works and performances?
LOVE! I KNOW IT SOUNDS LIKE A CLICHÉ - BUT - I AS WELL AS MY FAMILY & FRIENDS HAVE BEEN THROUGH SOME SERIOUS DRAMA! I MEAN DOCUMENTARY WORTHY DRAMA - YET LOVE & HUMOR ALWAYS GETS US THROUGH. I AM SO BLESSED WITH MY FAMILY & FRIENDS THEY MEAN THE WORLD TO ME. FOR THOSE THAT DON'T HAVE THAT I'D LIKE TO AT LEAST REMIND THEM THAT LIFE CAN BE A BITCH - WE FALL – BUT WE GET UP - CURSE THE MOTHER FUCKAS OUT, PUT ON SOME LIP GLOSS, LAUGH AT OURSELVES, KEEP OUR CHIN UP AND ASSES OUT! AND MOVE ON! LOVE & INNER PEACE BABY -

At what times and in what ways does your muse normally come knocking?
PERSONAL EMOTIONS - MOMENTS OF UNCONDITIONAL LOVE, HEART BREAK, OBNOXIOUS HUMOR, WANTING TO FIND PEACE BETWEEN MEN & WOMEN - ANYTIME! ANYWHERE! I'MALWAYS ASKING PEOPLE FOR A PEN & PAPER IF I LEFT MY LITTLE BOOK HOME.

If you weren't pursuing and succeeding in this current career, what do you think you would want to do or be doing instead?
NOTHING! NOWHERE! I'M A POET! I HAVE FINALLY FOUND MY TRUE CALLING!

Where do you see Deborah Magdalena in 2010?
HEALTHY - STILL SEXY, WITH KIDS, SHARING A LOVING HOME WITH A LOVING MAN WHICH IS FULL OF PICTURES OF US AFTER OUR TRIP TO AFRICA, & HAWAII, A PUBLISHED WRITER, WITH SOME SORT OF VARIETY SHOW - WHETHER RADIO OR TV - PROBABLY WEEKLY - SO THAT I HAVE MORE TIME FOR THE KIDS - WOW! THAT'S A LOT TO GET DONE IN 6 YEARS - I BETTER GET GOIN!

For those aspiring writers, actors and poets out there that see you, admire you and wish to mimic you, what kind of advice do you have for them?
STUDY! STUDY! STUDY! GOOD TECHNIQUE IS WHAT MAKES TRUE TALENT STAND OUT FROM ORDINARY TALENT. WORK BEHIND THE CAMERA AS WELL - YOU'LL UNDERSTAND WHY CASTING DIRECTORS MAKE CERTAIN CHOICES - WHY YOU MUST FOCUS ON CONTINUITY, WHY YOU HAVE TO BE HUMBLE. ALWAYS BE NICE!!! ALWAYS. YOU NEVER KNOW WHOM YOU'LL MEET!!!! I HAVE TONS OF STORIES WHERE IF I HAD STUCK UP WITH CERTAIN PEOPLE I WOULD HAVE HAD TO TAKE MY HEAD OUT OF MY ASS. PERFECT EXAMPLE - WHEN I DID SONS OF THUNDER - IT WAS A CHUCK NORRIS SERIES PRODUCED BY HIS SON. WHILE IN THE MAKE-UP TRAILER - A LOW KEY GUYS WALKS IN & STARTS TALKING TO THE MAKE-UP ARTIST. I THOUGHT HE WAS A PLAN PRODUCTION ASSISTANT.. WE EXCHANGED GOOD MORNINGS- I INCLUDED HIM IN MY CONVERSATIONS AND JOKES - I ENJOYED HIS SENSE OF HUMOR - FINALLY WHEN I WAS ABOUT TO LEAVE - I SHOOK HIS HAND AND ASKED WHO HE WAS - HE WAS CHUCK NORRIS' SON THE EXECUTIVE PRODUCER!!! HE WANTED TO MEET ME SINCE THEY HAD HIRED ME WITHOUT MEETING ME HE WANTED TO CHECK OUT HOW I WAS ON SET! HAD I BEEN STUCK UP - THEY EASILY WOULD NOT HAVE CALLED BACK.

**view a sample of Magdalena's words in our Poetry section!
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Though these words conjure much emotion, just reading them doesn't do justice. Let Deborah recite her soul for you. Get her CD, Spoken Soul . You won't regret it.