Today was an exceptionally beautiful day I quickly noted to myself as I got out of the creepy Subway stop at East Broadway off the F. I noticed this, as I was heading towards Essex, where I was gonna meet up with the lovely Nana Mensah. Yes, there was a park to my right and the little cafe, Cafe Grumpy, that was close to her apt and it had the most amazing chocolate chip cookies and ginger teas. Yes, I was in the lower east side and as I eagerly waited for Nana, I sipped on my tea. I mean, I was running a lil behind, as usual, and I was happy and excited as I saw Nana approaching with her big bundle of love (dog), Pavlov. She quickly hurried upstairs to put him down so we could chat.
I must tell you folks that I met Nana little under a year through a mutual friend, and if the world wasn't small enough, Nana is also a friend and did quite the acting with also another really close friend of mine, so when Nedra told me that she ran into Nana on the street, I knew I wanted to do this article on her, seeing as though Nedra only sings the praises of people she truly believes in. Nana is quite the beauty, she is a free spirit that loves life and wears it well. She is not afraid to speak up on the things she believes in, actually she is not afraid to speak at all, lol. She loves to travel and and has a special love in her heart for Paris. She speaks french.
We headed across the street, to the park, with our coffee (Nana had an iced coffee) and tea (me the ginger) and we got to chatting. We talk about everything and nothing. Turns out that we had so much in common and before we knew it we had places to go and people to meet. Nana had tickets to a show and me well, Brooklyn to have dinner with Daphnee, but not before we hit up Verlaine for happy hour. They have the most amazing lychee martinis for $5, so we had two and ended the afternoon heading into opposite directions.
Nedra Gallegos : "Nana is cool, man. She is really awesome. I remember when they were gonna cut the jobs of a few people at HAI, she got a grant so that everyone could keep their job, all by herself, really awesome!"
Wow, just from talking with her I am not sure if there isn't anything this lady can't do. But I could ramble all day so,
Come on, let's meet Nana,
Name: Melissa Nana Afua Nyarko-Abronomaa Mensah. Miss Jackson if you’re nasty!
Age: 28 going on 29. (Total nerd moment, but this phrase always makes me chuckle—aren’t you always ‘x’ going on ‘x +1’? Isn't it redundant? Some people say "Oh, she's 13 going on 30", which is a pointless phrase and an even worse Jennifer Garner movie.)
Status: Low
Zodiac Sign: Virgo.
Job: That would be jobs plural. I’m a multi-hyphenate actor/writer/producer and to fund these various projects I write grants at the fantastic non-profit, HAI (hainyc.org). I also work at a trendy downtown restaurant. I won’t tell you which one so you can’t hit me up for a reservation.
Where ya bed at: LES all day errday
Why NYC: I was just asking myself the same question.
Best place to eat in the city: Depends on what you’re in the mood for—Highlands in the West Village is an older favorite. I love Whitehall, by the same owners. I love the $1 for 4 dumplings special at Vanessa’s Dumplings on Eldridge Street if I’m feeling fancy. Per Se if I’m feeling, you know, casual.
When's bedtime: Either 12:00am or 6:00am invariably.
How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are: 45
If life is so short, what would you rather spend your days doing: Traveling by boat, train, or automobile. Eating. Drinking. Worshiping someone and allowing myself to be worshiped by them.
Which loved one would you break the law to save: Any one of them! My admiration is freely given, but my love is hard to earn; once you’re in, you’re in and I will do anything for you.
Tell me about acting and theater: I started acting like a sane person in the late 1980’s in order to keep friends and not be excluded at the lunch table. I quickly got wise and realized I needed a creative outlet to excise demons, and I gravitated to the stage (I’m a shitty painter). I then realized that I hate collaborating and most people, so I started to write, because you can do it alone. I vacillate between wanting to throw my belongings in the back of a car (that someone else would be driving) and go live in solitude on a ranch in Montana—riding horses, building fires and smoking hand rolled cigarettes for the rest of my days—and needing the throbbing pulse of the metropolis. Acting and writing represent that yin and yang to me.
Next 3 years: Oh goodness, I have no idea what the next three years will involve. I will definitely be traveling to the following countries: Ghana, UK, France, UAE, Jordan, India, Singapore, Spain, Hong Kong and Los Angeles. Yes, Los Angeles. I will write and write and write and write. I will make a movie. I will struggle less and work out more. I will consume copious amounts of champagne and oysters. I will be promoted, hired and fired. I will buy higher thread count sheets and new light fixtures for my apartment. I can tell you what the next three years will not involve: marriage, mortgage, or sonograms.
What is your greatest fear: Failure.
What is your greatest fear: Success.
Cats or Dogs, Boxers or briefs: Dogs certainly, cats freak me out. I prefer briefs, but for some reason I feel like a pederast admitting as much. So let’s go with boxer-briefs.
Favorite thing you have ever
done with a friend: Having a five-hour lunch on a grey spring day. Ambling (read
bumbling) aimlessly in various cities in various countries.
Where are you gonna be when
you die: Probably France.
Or Africa (east or west, I’m not sure). I presume I’ll
be in my 50s, but that’s due primarily to my colossal lack of imagination as I
can’t see myself any older. Something interesting I heard: my beloved cousin once
told me that we celebrate our birthdays every year with grand occasion, but
every year our death day passes as well, unbeknownst to us until that last
moment. Freaky. I think she’s a little depressed.
If you could have sex with
one person past or present: My mind usually needs seducing before my body, and
in that vein I have a deep-seated thing for political commentators. First up, Bill
Maher. Definitely, definitely Bill Maher. Word on the street is that he loves
black women and the streets don’t lie.
Secondly, Rachel Maddow. In
this instance the sex act itself would come second to post-coital stroking of my
hair and reading poems by Auden to me in front of a crackling fire in our rambling
farmhouse in bucolic Western Massachusetts. But I haven’t
really given it much thought.
If you could only have dinner with three
people for the rest of your life, who: It kinda looks like The Big Chill, but without
Alex’s suicide. I’m not totally sure who the three people are, but the dinner
would be at my home in my dining room, eating a meal prepared by me and my best
loved ones surrounding my custom-designed table from BDDW. Good food/wine, good
friends and good design—the holy trinity as far as I’m concerned.
So there you have it people. This is a lil piece of what's in store for Nana, she is definitely one to look out for. Whether she is saving jobs or acting her butt off, she is taking the world buy storm and taking no names, well maybe a few.
as always.
Sleepless.
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