Gemini Ink: Leaving Their Mark on San Antonio
Inkstravaganza 2024 honoree Andrea “Vocab” Sanderson in her natural element
San Antonio has a long-standing tradition of fostering phenomenal creative writers. I learned this from a young age attending poetry slams at Sam’s Burger Joint where I got to see Anthony Flores perform on a regular basis. I had a very talented mentor, Marian Haddad, who introduced me to the likes of Sandra Cisneros, both of whom inspired freedom and innovation in my own writing process. This city has been blessed with incomparable poets laureate whose legacies live on in many ways. At the heart of all of it is an amazing organization called Gemini Ink. For thirty-one years, they have provided access to literacy education through creative writing in an inclusive and positive way. After being surrounded by some of the city’s most memorable writers for the past twenty-plus years of my life, I was honored to participate in this year’s annual Inkstravaganza fundraiser hosted by Gemini Ink.
The McNay-hosted event was sold out
The theme for 2024’s Inkstravaganza was “Razzmatazz and all that Jazz” to honor the 2020-2023 poet Laureate, Andrea Vocab Sanderson. The passionate and dedicated team at Gemini Ink curated a beautiful, classy evening at the McNay Art Museum; a direct reflection of the passion they put into the work they do in the city of San Antonio. Gemini Ink CEO, Alexandra Van De Kamp, was overseeing every detail before the event while the rest of the staff were joyfully setting up displays and rounding up volunteers in preparation for the sold-out fundraiser. All the while, poet laureate emeritus Andrea Vocab Sanderson was in the wings preparing for her appearance at the gala.
The moment the doors opened, the museum was buzzing with excitement. Friends and acquaintances connected over decadent hors devours and the “Bad Mamma Jamma Mixed Drink”, thoughtfully named after Sanderson’s debut theater piece, “The Bad Mamma Jamma Mix Tape”. After the cocktail hour, the Ewing Halsell reception hall beckoned us from the ATT lobby to a lovely dinner of savory southern jazz-inspired foods, accompanied by an entertaining night of acknowledgements, awards, and performances by Vocab and her accompanying jazz band. We were lucky to enjoy the unveiling of Vocab’s newest song release, Razzmatazz, as well as a beautiful painting of the honoree created by local artist, Lionel Sosa.
Thank you Gemini Ink for one of the most beautiful evenings I have experienced in San Antonio, and thank you for your support of literature and the arts in our diverse and creative city. You give a voice and hope to writers who may question their talents or place in this world. You create space for those who may not otherwise have access to it. You build up younger generations and give them direction when they may be lost. We need more organizations like yours in this world, and we wish you another thirty-one years of thriving impact.
Editor & Photographer: Zach Jewell
