Short version I have 55+ years as a writer and self-taught performing singer/songwriter/guitarist; 2 years studying and teaching Karate; 76 old credit hours as a UTEP Creative Writing 4.0 Honor Student; 30+ years of sporadic singing lessons; 45+ years recording voice-overs; 6 years as a frazzled TV news reporter; 4 as an arts administrator; 35 studying and teaching martial arts, including taekwondo and t’ai chi; 25 years teaching incarcerated juveniles; 7 hosting State of the Arts on local NPR affiliate; 30 moderating the National Issues Forum on PBS; 65 studying creativity, communication, and the genius/weirdness connection; and 70+ years laughing…increasingly, at myself. – Mónica E. Gómez Long version Mónica E. Gómez was born in Casas Grandes, México. At age three, she moved with her family across the U.S./Mexico border to El Paso, the westernmost point of Texas. She's made her living in the arts, communications and broadcasting to become an award-winning performing singer/songwriter, recording artist and voice-over talent, writer and poet, teaching artist, motivational speaker, and long-time student and teacher of the martial arts. Nature The geography and environment of the U.S./México border are major influences in Mónica’s life and work. Wedged between Juárez, México and New Mexico, El Paso, Texas marks not only the convergence of two countries and two states, but also a confluence of multiple cultures, ideologies and conditions. The Rio Grande both divides and connects the valley, while the Franklin Mountains mark both the end of the Rockies and the hub of the city. The northeastern desert is home to the U.S. Army post, Fort Bliss, which in combination with Holloman Air Force Base and White Sands Missile Range make up the largest military installation in the world. This major military presence provides a constant churn of diverse populations and perspectives. On the rocky southwesterly outcroppings overlooking México, the University of Texas at El Paso attracts international intellectual examination and artistic expression of the social forces that gather at the border. This unique landscape and broad racial, socio-economic and philosophical mix all shaped Mónica's appreciation for diversity. Nurture Mónica grew up in a modest bilingual household where art and music were integral to daily life. She became a naturalized U.S. citizen at age seven. With her first guitar – an old pawnshop Stella she got in 8th grade – Mónica became a self-taught guitarist and singer/songwriter, performing in local venues throughout her teens. During her last two years of high school, she studied karate (taekwondo) at the YMCA, picking it up quickly, soon teaching beginners, and receiving her brown belt before ending her studies after high school graduation. Formal Education Following High School graduation in 1969 (top 2 percent of her class), she worked in advertising and public relations before marrying in 1971. While raising her two children, Mónica became increasingly aware of how creativity, learning differences, and giftedness are connected. She also began to reconcile the haunting gap in her own abilities – excelling with words while floundering miserably with numbers. In 1981, she began taking courses at UTEP as a Creative Writing Major. While in the Honors Program, Mónica recalls, "I was enjoying all my courses immensely until it came to the statistics portion of a basic psychology course. My initial belief that surely, I had outgrown my fear of numbers was dispelled when, after hours of frustration and torment, the horrible realization hit hard – I still couldn't do the math. When I consulted my professor, he laughed and dismissed my request for remedial math assistance." After that point, she avoided requisite math courses and ended her college studies as a junior with a 4.0 GPA, but no degree. Equivalent Experience In 1977, out of her appreciation for the children's programming offered by public television, Mónica became a devoted advocate for public broadcasting and began volunteering at KCOS TV-13, the local PBS affiliate. She went from writing copy, producing and working behind the scenes to on-camera hosting of a number of community affairs programs, including Inside El Paso and Spectrum. Her experience on-camera served her well when, in 1989, she was hired as a reporter by KVIA TV-7, the local ABC affiliate. In her six years with the station covering El Paso; Las Cruces, New Mexico; Juárez, México; and outlying areas, she distinguished herself with outstanding research, writing and editing in her coverage of special education, health and medical issues, arts and culture, and human-interest features. In 1995, the El Paso Commission for Women inducted Mónica to the Women's Hall of Fame in the Professional Category for her work in the media and her contributions to the community. From 1993 to 1996, Mónica also hosted Medtalk – a top-rated, live, weekly radio program – interviewing local physicians from psychiatrists and pediatricians to rheumatologists and urologists, while fielding listeners' phone calls. In 1994, Mónica began studying t'ai chi, cultivating an understanding of the ancient martial art's relevance to everyday life. She has been privileged to study with both a local Sifu (teacher) and to attend intensive classes with t’ai chi Masters and Grandmasters from around the globe. In 1995, she left television news to work part-time with the City of El Paso Arts Resources Department (now the Museums and Cultural Affairs Department) through 1999. For the first year, she was the Arts in Education Coordinator for an NEA- funded after school program. The next three years, as Arts Grants Coordinator, she administered sub-granting of city and state funds to more than 30 local arts organizations; wrote grant applications to state, regional, national and international funding sources; and revised and streamlined the ARD's grant application guidelines and forms. The Leap During her time with the city, she launched her performing career in earnest, traveling extensively to present solo concerts, workshops, seminars, and readings. In addition to performing at major music festivals, from Kerrville, Texas to Napa Valley, California she began conducting one to three-week residencies in communities throughout Texas, specializing in alternative schools, incarcerated settings and psychiatric units. Between 1994 and 2003, Mónica released three CDs – Storm before the Calm, Still Life, and Coming to My Senses. At the peak of her performing and travels, from 1995 to 2010, Mónica was listed in the Texas Commission on the Arts Touring Roster, as well as the Heartland Arts Touring Roster and the Arkansas Arts Council AIE Roster. In 2001, she was the only solo U.S. artist invited by the People's Republic of China to perform in the Meet in Beijing Arts Festival, a 3-week, 7-city tour with artists from around the world, performing for audiences of more than 6,000. In 2004 and 2005, as the Texas Commission on the Arts' cultural emissary, she performed for the Texas Governor's Annual Trade Delegation in Mexico City. As an arts advocate, she also served regularly on grant review panels for the Texas Commission on the Arts, the Texas Writer's League, the Arkansas Arts Council and the Kentucky Arts Council, contributing her expertise as a professional performing and teaching artist. She also served as judge for Arkansas' annual Poetry Out Loud competition. Before setting aside regular performing to pursue her writing career, she received consecutive annual Special Awards from ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) from 1995 to 2010 for the unique prestige value of her musical performances. The Shift Over 55 years of performing, Mónica came to prefer venues where she could share a meaningful experience with listeners. Museums, galleries, libraries and living rooms attracted attentive audiences; however, even more engaging were the environments where people were not only listening, but also actively seeking answers. Alternative programs, juvenile detention and adult incarceration facilities; programs for soldiers diagnosed with PTSD; psychiatric units, shelters and treatment centers; Alzheimer's units and retirement communities; the bedsides of hospice patients, alone or surrounded by their family and friends – these were the situations that inspired Mónica to develop innovative arts education and personal development workshops combining music, creative writing, elements of the martial arts, and laughter…lots of laughter. She knew this work mattered. "For a performer, the spotlight offers rewards and torments. When you do well, you bask in the attention. When you do poorly, the blackness can be brutal. Either way, the spotlight goes out and you're isolated again. As many performers know, you can bring an audience to its feet and an hour later you eat dinner alone then go back to a hotel room for another night of re-runs.” She confides. “I was dissatisfied with simply entertaining, devoid of any significant exchange with the audience. Teaching is different. It challenges you to become a source of light, to give your attention to each student, to examine honestly the human experience and willingly reveal yourself in order to create a helpful shift in someone else. Teaching lets you put not only your natural gifts, but also (and of equal importance) your natural failings, personal mistakes, excruciating mortifications, and painful lessons learned to good use. Teaching is the productive recycling of human experience and suffering, and only true teachers know the ultimate joy of encountering a beaming former student who remembers that by sharing your darkest moments, you also shared your light." Publications The publication of Expressercize: Write Answers marked the coalescence of Mónica's diverse talents in a collection of writing exercises that focus on the power of creativity and the arts to transform lives. It is her personal effort to enable others to make the ephemeral, unconscious aspects of creativity into tangible, conscious reality. Mónica completed the Spanish translation of Expressercize: Write Answers in 2016. In 2021, Mónica released Prayer Flags, the first of a series of poetry collections. The next two books, Cicadas and Aging in Eden will be published soon. Mónica’s writing has appeared in numerous anthologies including the New York Times 2020 on-line edition; Red Boots & Attitude: The Spirit of Texas Women Writers; and Border Beats: Writing Across Boundaries. The El Paso Writers’ League twice awarded Mónica the Best of Best poetry award, and she was featured on NPR’s Theme and Variations. In 2015, Mónica authored HAL MARCUS: Art & Times. The engaging 250-page biography with full-color images spans 50 years of well-known visual artist, Hal Marcus’s career. In 2005, the Chamizal National Memorial, part of the National Park Service, contracted Mónica to research, edit and compile The Stories Behind the Costumes of the Mexican States, a book to accompany an exhibition of 32 large porcelain dolls in handmade traditional costumes on permanent display at the Chamizal. Teaching Mónica has presented countless workshops and residencies for both the general and special populations throughout Texas and adjoining states. She has also "taught the teachers" – conducting seminars for teachers, counselors, therapists, detention and correction officers. Her Expressercize: Write Answers workbook is in use at both the El Paso County Juvenile Justice Center and the Ft. Bliss Warrior Resilience Center. She also received eight consecutive annual Community Arts Program (CAP) grants between 2011 and 2019 from the El Paso Museum’s and Cultural Affairs Department (MCAD) and the Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA) to present creative writing workshops. She also presented workshops at the El Paso County Juvenile Justice Center’s (EPCJJC) Challenge Program through Arts Respond Grants from Texas Commission on the Arts. She also served on grant review panels for MCAD and TCA. In 2017, the Rio Grande Cancer Foundation contracted Mónica to create workshops tailored to the needs of people affected by cancer. Wellness from Within – a series of six workshops – has become the Foundation’s go-to offering for the population they serve. In 2018, the Foundation partnered with the University of Texas at El Paso’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, OLLI, to offer Wellness from Within to its membership. Mónica has developed a variety of Wellness from Within workshops to fill the demand for this popular series. Broadcasting and Voice Work A long-time volunteer with local public broadcasting, Mónica produced and hosted State of the Arts, a weekly radio program for local NPR-Affiliate KTEP 88.5 FM from 2007 to 2014, and also conducted voice trainings for KTEP’s on-air talent. Since 1993 she also moderated the local PBS National Issues Forums and other local programs. Script editing and voice work have been a staple of Mónica’s work for some 45 years. Her credits as a professional on-air and voice-over talent for commercials and special projects include recording an on-going, award-winning series of animated educational video projects produced by the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, Center of Excellence for Neurosciences, Department of Psychiatry. In 2014, the project was nominated for an award at the Cannes Film Festival. Currently Mónica continues to present both her Wellness from Within workshop series and customized workshops for special populations, such as Dealing with Performance Anxiety for both performing artists and professionals who struggle with interaction and/or presentation skills. She records her voice overs in a state-of-the-art home studio designed and built by her husband to allow work to continue during the pandemic. Her study and practice of t’ai chi continues and she occasionally teaches the Yang Long Form and/or qigong. Now and then, she revives her music and performs for small audiences. She also studies ballroom dance, and writes poetry and essays.