Meet Rheonna Thornton | Spoken word artist and curator

I am the proud owner and creator of Lipstick Wars Poetry Slam. Lipstick Wars is a spoken word competition and platform created for all women and girls that provides a voice through the art of slam poetry, creative writing workshops and other empowerment events.

Lipstick Wars highlights women poets from all over the country. The audience is always left in awe by the truth and audacity in the poems. Poets speak on thought-provoking topics such as sexual abuse, embracing sexuality, body positivity, racism and many other social issues.
The slam brings a sense of safe space, togetherness and comradery within the poets. Especially in times like now where women’s voices are still being silenced.

Since 2015, I have had the honor of curating these amazing events and now I have transformed from spoken word artist to entrepreneur.
The journey has definitely been difficult at times but when you believe in what you’re doing it doesn’t feel like a task.
It was a bit of a struggle to transition from thinking like an artist, to thinking like a business woman.
Suddenly, I had to think about starter capitol, trademark, margins, taxes! Oh My!
It was a lot but I having mentors and a being a part of business cohorts like Russell Technology Business Institute helped me to navigate my way through.

With that said I am truly thankful for the lessons I have learned and continue to learn along the way. It’s ok to fail and when you do, get back up and surround yourself around people who are succeeding on the level you are striving to be.

If you don’t have that luxury…. RESEARCH! Figure out your target audience/market, how much you need to get started, where do you see your business in five years and wherever that is, how will you get there!

It is such an honor to wake up and focus on my passion while building my brand and business.
Of course creating non-traditional businesses are never easy but I want the world to know that if you have a dream and a plan, YOU CAN DO IT!

Sometimes we’re so used to hearing NO but the key to that is telling yourself…. YES! Even when you get knocked down, are you determined enough to get back and try again?

I was scared of taking a leap of faith in this kind of business. However I understand it’s necessary work.

Hmmm…. Lets see! If you’re coming to my city…

We would enjoy some of the more traditional local attractions by visiting tourists row! Louisville Slugger Museum, Muhammad Ali Center, The Selfie Museum, Roots 101 Museum, Kentucky Museum of Arts and Crafts…. any museum lol. Boring, maybe but you can’t come to Louisville and not visit one of these places.

Time to get into the arts scene! We’re off to one of the up and coming spoken word open mics in the city called “Wine, Words and Wings” hosted by Deep C Rice. Its a lively showcase of amateur and professional passionate poets that compliment any weekday night.

Did I mention Louisville is a foodie town. Again, we eat! Off to brunch! Quick stop at a cozy new black owned restaurant, called Chef Liyah: Brunch and Soul! The food is spectacular. We can bring the night to a close with drinks at Trouble Bar. The ambiance is great and bartenders like my friend Breketa, make it even better!

I’ll say it again for the readers! I’m an artist… LOL. I truly love the art scene. We can catch a play at Shakespeare In The Park or Redline Performing Arts, visit some cool visual exhibits.

I would love to shout out some amazing people in my community that introduced this pathway to me. Shoutout to Brandon “B Shatter”Harrison, Lance Newman, Dave Christopher and Julia Youngblood.

These individuals in some form of capacity has helped me to embrace a craft that was foreign to me, how to nurture my passion, create the platform and transform that into my actual business!

Shoutout to Robin Garner, Jasemine Reed and Hannah Drake. Fellow black women poets and good friends that speak life into my platform, me as a person.

Currently, I partnered with Robin Garner on another new venture called, GirlCode. Which is a platform that allows every women to share her truth through storytelling. So far, 32 have shared their stories and that number continues to grow!

Shoutout to the entire spoken word community, the incredible and supportive local poetry scene that shows up for all of my events!

It would be remissed of me if I did not acknowledge my husband, Nipsey who uplifts me every step of the way. He has provided me with unlimited amounts of guidance, support and knowledge to act on my ideas and talents.

I have to shoutout my late father, Leon Faulkner and my brother Jordon Thornton!  My brother believed in me so much and not a day goes by that I don’t hear his voice in my head telling me to keep going.

I must shoutout my family! Especially the women! The women who are living and passed on. They have taught me to persevere, to be a creator of my own destiny, hold on tight to my faith and keep God first.

Finally I MUST shoutout my mother and my 4 year-old daughter, Harlem-Rose. They are both reflections of my past and future. Without them I wouldn’t know where I come from and how far I can go. My mother has been nothing but an incredible guiding light on my journey while my daughter Harlem, has been a shining star shedding light on my darkest of days. For that, I am grateful.