Description
Nick E Finn and Mairys Joaquin are a crazy talented Brooklyn couple who define the word "hustle". Mairys is a Brooklyn native (East New York) who is a former teacher and school leader, and current singer-actor-musician-real estate agent-entrepreneur. Her partner Nick is originally from Seattle (read: NOT Brooklyn), but has declared that he will be buried in NYC's best borough. Also a former teacher, Nick is a poet-writer-actor-educator. Nick and Mairys tell Alexis about what makes Brooklyn so great, what challenges it faces and how the city has impacted their relationship and their work as teachers and artists. Mairys lets us know how her childhood in NYC informs her work as an educator, broker and community member. Nick shares how he has reckoned with his role in Brooklyn's gentrification as both a teacher and an artist, and how it inspired him to write and perform in his solo show The Last Hipster in Brooklyn. And as tends to happen when three teachers get together, Nick, Mairys and Alexis got a lot done in a little bit of time. They hit on the beauty of Bachata in the summer, how Jay-Z sold Brooklyn on a basketball team, Spike Lee (of course) and more. Follow Nick (https://www.instagram.com/nickefinn/) and Mairys (https://www.instagram.com/mairys/) on their social pages to keep up with their past and upcoming work. And as always, find links to everything referenced on our website (http://www.newyorkilybyc.com) and follow us on Instagram @newyorkilybyc (https://www.instagram.com/newyorkilybyc/).
Melissa Saenz Gordon is a cultural worker, photographer, artist, cultural producer, writer, San Francisco native and self described “CivicArt BAE” with a background in geography and urban planning. She is also the co-founder of Soft Power Vote, a voting initiative in New York City that produces...
Published 06/15/21
Kelsey Jones and Gabriela Tejedor, are the founders and Co-Heads of School and the respective Math and ELA teachers at Brooklyn Independent, a private middle school with a sliding scale tuition model located in Fort Greene. BKI names diversity and inclusion as keys to effective learning, and the...
Published 05/28/21