The comments for They Call Me Dae have been absolutely empowering. Here are what some of my friends and fans had to say after seeing the trailer: Nice job. You wrote & directed it ?!?!?! WOW… Keep going 4 yours. Keep Up The Good Work!!! – Nathalyone There is always a catalyst behind fear, anger, [...]

The trailer to new film, They Call Me Dae is live. It tells the story of Dae, a teen bully who boasts about her exploits. But when we take a good look at her life, we don’t know if Dae’s anger comes from simply hating other girls or drama from home. They Call Me Dae [...]

Hey there. As a part of the opening night ceremony for Female Shorts: Film & Video Showcase, my film, Can She Be Saved? will be screened. The screening will take place on Thursday, June 3rd at the Torpedo Factory, 105 N. Union St, Alexandria, VA. The reception starts at 6pm. I will be in the [...]

I met some really motivated young people at Trenton Central High School today. I had two assemblies and a luncheon meet and greet. I just want to thank the students for sharing their stories and speaking up. I met some young entrepreneurs, aspiring actors, and just all-around good people. The principal there is mad cool! [...]

I’ll be doing two assemblies with Trenton Central High School next week. Its Stand For Peace week. In preparation for my presentation, I wanted to ask my readers, tweeps, my fb family, my film audience for a message for the youth in Trenton. What would you like me to say to Trenton youth to inspire [...]

Are girls more violent today than they were in 1980? (polls)

I recently received the official news from LA Web Fest founder/director, Michael Ajakwe that my web series, Every Corner won an award for Outstanding Documentary/News Series Award at the LA Web Fest that was held over the weekend. I am so happy about it. I was not able to attend the LA Web Fest because [...]

Every Corner, my docu-reality series is hitting LA this weekend as a part of LAWebFest. If you haven’t had the chance to watch any episodes, watch some now and rate them. The episodes are 1 1/2 minutes to 2 1/2 minutes long and showcase teens, parents or educators speaking about the issues that affect youth [...]

Yesterday, the news was buzzing about a middle school girl who was beaten so badly that she had to receive 2 craniotomies (had her head opened up and operated on.) The victim, 15 year old, Josie Lou Ratley is still in critical condition and her attacker, Wayne Treacy, 15, has been charged with attempted murder. [...]

According to www.msnbc.com, a body recently found is likely to be missing teen, 17 year old, Chelsea King. Chelsea was a straight A student who’d gone missing 5 days prior.  John Albert Gardner, 30, was arrested on suspicion of rape and murder. To this I say, be as careful as you can when you see [...]

Can She Be Saved? is an official selection of the 2010 NC Black Film Festival and I will be receiving their Emerging Filmmaker award. I wanna say thank you again to everyone who has supported the film and my work as a filmmaker. I can’t wait to see my new filmmaker family when I get [...]

Here’s a new letter that I received a few days ago from a Retaliation reader. Dear Ms. Shiraz, I’ve become one of your biggest fans. I read your book Retaliation which you said was not a true (story.) But to me, it felt real. I cried because it reminded me of my old life when [...]