1. Do keep the conversation light hearted and simple.  Avoid serious discussions like marriage or children.
2. Do be polite to your date at all times even though you may not like their opinion on a particular subject.  Keep in mind that you are never going to agree with everything that someone else feels strongly about. Read the full story »

Many single women are trying to find a nice guy that they can share their lives with.  Single men are all around us every day but we are too busy to notice them.   Like single women, single men are a bit apprehensive about making the first move.  So it is up to us to make ourselves more open and inviting. Read the full story »

Here we go again it’s that time of year. Thanksgiving, Christmas and the New Year cheer. Are you really thankful? Will you be merry? My answer to those questions are sure you can and you will. A few suggestions are to surround yourself with good friends and family. Read the full story »

GO-Phenom is a DJ on a mission to motivate and inspire young men and women to become productive members of society.   He believes that every day is a blessing and spends his time doing what he loves (DJing)  and giving back to the community.  He shares his words of wisdom with his fans weekdays from 12:00PM-1:00PM EST on HOT 93.7 FM in Hartford, CT.

USmile Magazine caught up with GO-Phenom to talk about what inspires him and the projects he is currently working on.

USM:  Tell us what GO-Phenom means?

GO-Phenom:  GO means to motivate and inspire and Phenom means nothing less than phenomenal. Read the full story »

The Spirit of Woman event was a great success.  The event covered heavy-hitting topics such as; domestic violence and breast cancer.  There was something there for everyone, whether you needed spiritual guidance, faced major medical problems or just wanted to have fun. Read the full story »

Phantom (aka Lambert Coateston) is a Jamaican born international reggae artist, father of three girls and one boy, and a leader in his community.  USmile Magazine sat down with Phantom to discuss his soon to be released new album and his new found passion for music.  Phantom reflected on how he was inspired to come out of retirement by Joanne Stephen and Lakeisha Tuggle.

Phantom explained to us how Joanne’s poetry inspired him to write some of the songs on his new album.  He also mentioned that Lakeisha give him a great deal of encouragement through the entire process and collaborated with him and Joanne on many of the songs. Read the full story »

Joanne Stephen is a mother of two wonderful girls, poet and educator. Joanne took time out of her understandably hectic schedule to tell us about what it took to write her book “Through My Eyes”; how she is balancing motherhood and her career, and the advice she has for women with similar aspirations.

Through My Eyes is becoming an increasingly popular book of poetry that is funny, truthful, inspiring and sexy. Also, Joanne has recently collaborated with the reggae artist Phantom on one of his new songs.

USM: When did you start writing poetry?

JS: I started writing poetry at the age of twelve as a hobby. Read the full story »