Shoot in My City, Abigail Ekue Photography

For the second half of 2016 (how is it the 2nd half of the year already??) and beyond, I will be combining my work and travel a lot more!


So I've a gotta question for you: 

Which cities should I visit for private photo shoots?

Paradou - Simple, Pratique, Elegant

Paradou is Native Creative Concierge™ approved.

The Meatpacking District of New York packs a wonderful taste of Provence, France in Paradou. I first experienced Paradou early last year during their infamous Unlimited Champagne Cocktail Brunch. Before things got too boisterous, I struck up conversation with one of the waiters who happened to be leaving for Paris in 2 weeks at the time (a sign I surely needed to be there). But don't fret there isn't a high turnover at Paradou; the core staff consisting of Abi, Gwyn (more from him later) and Cornelius still remain. They're the kind to remember what your favorite drink or dish is off the menu and how you like it prepared -- exceptional, attentive (sometimes affectionate), welcoming.

DJ Abbie Debut (Recap)

Ten days removed from my DJing debut. I've since come down off the high to the point that I haven't listened to music since. Which is astonishing for me. But I guess, subconsciously, my body and brain knew a detox was needed. I had a lot of fun controlling a room with music. In the weeks leading up to it, I organized most of my "world" music onto one playlist to make it easy. Then I organized them based on their sound or the mood they set. It's all about mood for me.

A Random Moment with Robin Glasser

Robin Glasser, author

We were both on the bill for a literary reading event in 2010. She enjoyed my excerpt on fellatio, I was sucked into her excerpt on being seduced in Paris. She informed me about Word Up bookshop the opportunity to have copies of my book sold there and we later shared the stage at an event she organized. Then along came a nude young man and my camera. On a sultry Saturday, we met in Chinatown while passersby listening in on our conversation.

~   ~   ~

My name is Robin Glasser, like Batman and Robin, R-O-B-I-N, I’m not fancy, and I’m a writer. I’m an author. I have one book called Men At Work, which is fully illustrated and it actually comes with a guarantee to put twinkles in your eyes and sparkles in your pants. Somebody gave me a video camera to make little movies and I put them on YouTube and the very first poem they have now taken off so I’m at war with YouTube. My other book is My Life as a Concubine which is actually a roman à clef—I lived in Paris for 3 years—I changed the names to protect the guilty. Besides a love story, there’s recipes, there’s tips of France and great places to visit. I’ve just finished my third book, The Brain Exchange, which I call a "Sex-Fi" and the punchline is, “If you could walk in someone else’s shoes, would they fit?” It takes place in the not-too-distant future and the latest thing is instead of taking a vacation to an exotic land you can actually exchange brains and take a vacation in someone else’s body. And the whole plot revolves around a bodybuilder and a super plus size woman and what ensues.

Been There, Done French

I was talking to a guy about travel. Naturally, Paris came up in the conversation. I told him it would've been great if I had visited Paris in my 20's but that I was also glad to be going now as a full-fledged adult. I'd have a better handle on the language, and what to expect from the locals (namely the men). I won't be seduced, instead I'd choose the man I want and then let him think he seduced me.


The guy I was speaking with isn't from NY so I asked him if he'd heard of the Dominique Strauss-Kahn case (DSK is now counter-suing the hotel maid he is accused of sexually assaulting). He had vague knowledge of the case and I explained to him what I'd learned, while researching the DSK scandal, about the sexual entitlement French men seem to exhibit -- the séducteur. How much of that is actually "fah real", he asked.


Let me share the story I shared with him.

Tastes Like Travel

The universe places you exactly where you can achieve what you asked for.

                                                                                - @mightymoebetta

The Law of Attraction is so powerful it's scary. My need to travel must be strong enough that the Universe is listening. Paris (and France in general) is everywhere I turn. I joke about my willingness to do unspeakable things to get to Brazil in 2014 (behind every joke...). Recently jobs I've applied for are perfect for me and would give me the opportunity to travel and/or work with internationals. I don't have the means to travel at the moment so I'm satisfying my wanderlust in NYC. It's uncanny--the new people I'm meeting are natives of countries on my must-see list and people who have visited them already. When I finally make it to Paris, Brazil, Thailand, South Africa, Italy, etc. it will be new to me but I'm being prepped, appetite kept whet, constantly gaining new insights.


All signs point to my inevitable travel. Sometimes I swear it's all too perfect. This past month has been plotted like a movie--full of foreshadowing and "coincidences".

The Facts About Fiction

I love fiction that's based on reality. Always have.

I recently had to find my fiction sea legs again. I've been working on a story for an upcoming anthology I was asked to contribute to (it's great to have Muchachas in your life who see your potential and push you). Up until a few weeks ago, I didn't know what to write about. I had stories in my notebook I could've transcribed and submitted but I just wasn't feeling those stories.

Then, I had a great evening earlier this month and it sparked a story--my muse had arrived in the form of a man (nothing new there). So I wrote. It was great to write to get the story down on paper, but after further review, it was just a fictional retelling of actual events. Yeah, that works when that's what you're going for but I wanted to write a work of fiction.

A story.

About the characters.

Characters make or break works of fiction. They don't have to be likable, but they have to be relatable. That's my rule of thumb.

Midnight In Paris

Yesterday, a rainy evening in New York, I walked through SoHo and thought, "Something happens to people in the rain." Everyone's pace was hurried but slowed at the same time. Although I'd planned on going to the movies anyway, the rain made for a good "excuse" to go. I promised myself I wouldn't romanticize the evening, but I will never forget where I was and who I was with when I saw Midnight in Paris.

Midnight in Paris is a 94 minute movie. It would take me twice as long to write everything that struck me about it and you twice as long to read it, so I'll keep it short. 

Random Musings On French Sex

Dominique Strauss-Kahn, former IMF chief attacks a hotel housekeeper, a "chambermaid" this past weekend; chases her stark nude down the hallway, forces himself on her and forces her to perform oral sex. She escapes. He flees. She reports the incident. He's apprehended on the tarmac, minutes before take-off. This is something straight out of a movie, or Law & Order: SVU.


Or a cartoon.

Pepe le Pew, anyone?

Does this explain why Strass-Kahn is considered the victim by some French supporters?

The Darker Side of Lust In Paris

If you haven't heard it, it's news to you...

    

My art is holding a place for me in Paris.


Copies of my book, The Darker Side of Lust, are available at Shakespeare and Company in Paris, France! This was a moment of I wanted something, asked for it and received. I originally contacted the bookstore about hosting a book reading during my (then) planned trip to Paris last November. All their readings were full but they invited me to participate in the open mic they were starting at the time and told me I could drop off copies of my book for sale at their shop...

Connect The Dots

Keeping in line with my Reboot and priming for travel...

A long-time friend took me out for Korean last week. She took me to one (of two) of her favorite spots. Ok, first, I think that's a great honor when someone takes you their favorite place.

I should also tell you that I'll be all over the place in this post.

So we met at Kunjip and did a lot of catching up over pipping hot stone bowls of bibimbap and steamed eggs, radishes, dried fish, miso soup... I should've taken a photo of the spread, because I can't remember what else was served. I had the camera in my bag, by the way.

The windows of the restaurant were covered with flyers and posters but from where I was sitting, I could see through one of the spaces to the street outside. I did a double take. Is that the Eiffel Tower? Does that say 'Paris'? 

Primed At Pacifico

Still feeling the inspiration from Friday's lunch date with a friend. And ready to travel the world. Once I get the "how" figured out...


I feel as though this should be more of a story, so I'll paint the picture for you instead of jumping right in to artist-creative-soul-wanderlust vibe of the lunch.


There he was on the corner of Jay and Willoughby. He stood in the sun wearing a fitted leather jacket and Ray Bans. I could tell he was making sure he was on the right corner from the way he kept looking at his phone then up at the street signs. I was wearing "Little Red", so I was easy to spot.

"Back" To Paris By Way Of FIAF

My first memory of wanting to go to Paris was between the ages of 6 and 11. I know it was that time of my life because of where my family was living at the time. I was watching Babar on HBO. In the episode he was driving down the Champs Elysées at night, during Christmastime. I remember feeling that I have to do that one day. I guess that's when this all started.


I attended the FIAF Travel Day Fair, yesterday, March 22, 2011. The first booth I visited was Call in Europe. A phone and my food are the most important things to me when traveling. Discussing the phone options in France reminded me of a conversation I had a few weeks ago at Les Enfant Terribles. A couple, who are regulars there as well, were going to Paris to get married. They were picking the brains of the staff about where to go, what to do etc. My friend, and bartender, told them about The Phone House where they could get cheap cell phones to use. I laugh thinking about the man's quip, "It's not Le phone house?" I added my notes to the inside of their travel guide by referring them to Real Time Travlr (the Founder, TastyKeish, is one of French connections).

Reboot

I'm at a starting point in my life right now. Life is broken up into different phases. Cycles. I believe, 30 years a piece.

Since college, my marriage, jobs, depression, quitting, another job, being laid off, freelancing, creating -- it's all lead up to this.

Love. Change. Yourself.

You ever step outside of yourself and can see yourself growing and changing? It's a powerful thing; watching your transformation is transformative in itself.

I fell in love with myself today. I was going through the previews from a photo shoot with photographer and friend, Tom Spianti. I saw my mother in some of those photos. Like I really see what people saw when they said I look like her. I also look like a mother. I look at some of those photos and see how my children are going to see me.

There are changes that are in my immediate future that I don't have too much control over. The decisions I make, how hard I fight change (which I'm known to do sometimes) will determine my happiness. I took that trip down memory lane, chronicling all the places in New York City that have shaped me. It was enjoyable but not sad at all. I didn't yearn for the past anymore.

How strong am I? How scared am I?

Paris. Every where I turn there are signs pointing to Paris. Abigail Ekue : The Native Creative New Yorker... In Paris. I may have to change my website logo.

The Romantic, The Writer and The Sociologist

I just watched Before Sunset (2004). I heard about it on the special Unseen: France during a segment on the bookstore Shakespeare and Company I watched earlier that afternoon. I’m so glad I watched the movie. It totally put me in the mood for romance, friendship, writing, Paris and Tom all at once. It touched on all the “what ifs” in life and getting second chances. The writer in me loved the dialogue, the screenplay. I’m inspired to go back to the screenplays I wrote around the same time (2002-2004). I remember I’d come up with my elevator speech about how I write character-based screenplays. It was the characters, what they said and how they said it that moved a story from FADE IN to FADE OUT.

And I saw myself, past, present and future in the film. I can’t even count the number of times I’ve been on those “walk and talk” dates like the one in Before Sunset. The conversation flows to family, beliefs, food, sex. I know men relate better side-by-side than they do face-to-face and maybe that’s why I’ve had such memorable moments talking to men. Kudos to Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy for their chemistry (and the script); natural, fluid. The way Jesse’d gaze at her adoringly and make self-deprecating jokes about sex in an attempt to flirt, let his intentions be known but also protect himself at the same time. That whole scenario is the perfect date for me. Spend time with me without the frills. Like Céline said in the film, everyone is different; every person has their own unique details. And no one can be replaced. I love being given the opportunity to find out what it is that makes you unique.

I could go on forever about all the things I loved about the movie, how I related to it. It resonated so vividly, how it made my desire to visit Paris even stronger, my desire to write, just… my desire.