In her sleek office at Mythology Marketing in the Appalachian Power Park building, poet and former model Crystal Good works on many projects aimed at promoting the diversity of West Virginia.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Crystal Good's 35-year-old life fits into three neatly defined categories. Modeling. Marketing. Poetry.
She was 12 when she won a best-model contest and started modeling professionally in New York and Atlanta.
She never meant to settle here. After her grandfather scolded her for ignoring her heritage, the sense of community instilled by her past, she set out to learn about her place in the diversity of the state.
Now, inspired by the proud connection to African-Americanism in West Virginia, she's building a civic identity that embraces and celebrates her roots.
In her role at Mythology Marketing, she matches corporations with causes and conceives events that honor the contributions of Appalachian blacks. As an Affrilachian poet, she uses verse to speak out against mountaintop removal and other issues that tug at her heart.
"I grew up across from St. Albans High School. I would listen to the band practice, and I couldn't wait to grow up and be in the band myself. My grandmother, Jackie Titcher, was Kanawha County Majorette, something else I aspired to be. I started twirling at St. Albans Junior High. By high school, I was busy modeling.
"My mother is white, my father black. They had me when they were both in Charleston High School. I grew up with my mom. She worked for DuPont. My father, Wesley Armstead, is news editor for Channel 8. He worked his way up from janitor to editing film to carrying the camera. Good is my stepfather's name.
"I was always tall and skinny and always had people telling me that I should model. Mom told me about Belinda Dale Cunningham. She had a small modeling agency and she was teaching a modeling class. She took me to a convention in Washington, D.C. There were hundreds of potential models, and scouts, and I won best model. I was 12.
"When I got home, every agency was calling and asking when I could come to New York. So my mother took off work for two weeks and we went to New York and talked to the different agents. I went with IMG, and they got the ball rolling. They told me to come back for the summer.
"I did a lot of showroom work for Ralph Lauren and Anne Klein and other little jobs. Those summers in New York, I didn't make a lot of money. You just fill your portfolio so you can get the good catalog jobs.
"I did lots of local work, too. I was on the Stone & Thomas Teen Board with Louise Palumbo. She helped shape and groom me about the professionalism that would be expected when you didn't have your mom at photo shoots tying your shoes and cleaning up your clothes.
"I graduated early, and my agent in New York sent me to Atlanta so I could make some money and then come back to New York. That was probably the best thing for a 17-year-old girl from West Virginia to do, go to the Atlanta market.
"I left IMG for Elite because my booker changed agents and I felt real comfortable with her. I worked for Rich's, a big department store down there, and the little Cato stores. It was a juniors market. I made about $1,500 a day.
"I didn't understand the money I was making. At 17, I was making more than my parents, and they didn't understand that. I lived in Buckhead, a nice little spread there in Atlanta. I didn't invest a single penny. Later, you grow up real fast.
"I wanted to come back and work on my education. I had a son when I was 22. I tried to go to Dallas, but it's hard to be away from your family, especially with modeling, because it's hit or miss.
"Education was important to me. It took me 10 years to get my degree, just taking a class here and a class there. I got my degree in communications from West Virginia State. I met some amazing mentors at State.
"I was in and out of modeling for a few years. I worked at Schwabe's and started buying for Chequers. When they went out business, that's when I buckled down and decided to finish school.
"I started my own booking company. I've been booking local talent for long time, mostly ethnic talent.
"When I moved back to West Virginia, I told my grandfather, Diz Titcher, that I couldn't live here. I had been modeling and had Saks Fifth Avenue bags and designer clothes in my closet, and here I was in little Charleston, West Virginia. I said it wasn't going to work.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Crystal Good's 35-year-old life fits into three neatly defined categories. Modeling. Marketing. Poetry.
She was 12 when she won a best-model contest and started modeling professionally in New York and Atlanta.
She never meant to settle here. After her grandfather scolded her for ignoring her heritage, the sense of community instilled by her past, she set out to learn about her place in the diversity of the state.
Now, inspired by the proud connection to African-Americanism in West Virginia, she's building a civic identity that embraces and celebrates her roots.
In her role at Mythology Marketing, she matches corporations with causes and conceives events that honor the contributions of Appalachian blacks. As an Affrilachian poet, she uses verse to speak out against mountaintop removal and other issues that tug at her heart.
"I grew up across from St. Albans High School. I would listen to the band practice, and I couldn't wait to grow up and be in the band myself. My grandmother, Jackie Titcher, was Kanawha County Majorette, something else I aspired to be. I started twirling at St. Albans Junior High. By high school, I was busy modeling.
"My mother is white, my father black. They had me when they were both in Charleston High School. I grew up with my mom. She worked for DuPont. My father, Wesley Armstead, is news editor for Channel 8. He worked his way up from janitor to editing film to carrying the camera. Good is my stepfather's name.
"I was always tall and skinny and always had people telling me that I should model. Mom told me about Belinda Dale Cunningham. She had a small modeling agency and she was teaching a modeling class. She took me to a convention in Washington, D.C. There were hundreds of potential models, and scouts, and I won best model. I was 12.
"When I got home, every agency was calling and asking when I could come to New York. So my mother took off work for two weeks and we went to New York and talked to the different agents. I went with IMG, and they got the ball rolling. They told me to come back for the summer.
"I did a lot of showroom work for Ralph Lauren and Anne Klein and other little jobs. Those summers in New York, I didn't make a lot of money. You just fill your portfolio so you can get the good catalog jobs.
"I did lots of local work, too. I was on the Stone & Thomas Teen Board with Louise Palumbo. She helped shape and groom me about the professionalism that would be expected when you didn't have your mom at photo shoots tying your shoes and cleaning up your clothes.
"I graduated early, and my agent in New York sent me to Atlanta so I could make some money and then come back to New York. That was probably the best thing for a 17-year-old girl from West Virginia to do, go to the Atlanta market.
"I left IMG for Elite because my booker changed agents and I felt real comfortable with her. I worked for Rich's, a big department store down there, and the little Cato stores. It was a juniors market. I made about $1,500 a day.
"I didn't understand the money I was making. At 17, I was making more than my parents, and they didn't understand that. I lived in Buckhead, a nice little spread there in Atlanta. I didn't invest a single penny. Later, you grow up real fast.
"I wanted to come back and work on my education. I had a son when I was 22. I tried to go to Dallas, but it's hard to be away from your family, especially with modeling, because it's hit or miss.
"Education was important to me. It took me 10 years to get my degree, just taking a class here and a class there. I got my degree in communications from West Virginia State. I met some amazing mentors at State.
"I was in and out of modeling for a few years. I worked at Schwabe's and started buying for Chequers. When they went out business, that's when I buckled down and decided to finish school.
"I started my own booking company. I've been booking local talent for long time, mostly ethnic talent.
"When I moved back to West Virginia, I told my grandfather, Diz Titcher, that I couldn't live here. I had been modeling and had Saks Fifth Avenue bags and designer clothes in my closet, and here I was in little Charleston, West Virginia. I said it wasn't going to work.
"My granddaddy said, 'You don't even know where you're from. Have you ever been to these landmarks in West Virginia?' He challenged me in the right way. I started digging into African-American-Appalachian history. It opened this whole world to me.
"I felt I knew something other people didn't know. It changed my own image of what it means to be from West Virginia and the people we come from, all this diversity we have. Then I was on a mission.
"Soul of Coal was probably a direct result of that. It was an event to honor two African-American miners who passed away in Upper Big Branch. We wanted to raise money for scholarships and remind people that African-American miners have been contributing to this landscape for a long time. Jet and Ebony magazines came in and covered it.
"I've been with Mythology for a year. What I'm most passionate about is strategic-philanthropy marketing. I help businesses incorporate sponsoring causes they believe in into their marketing.
"The Soul of Coal was an example. DiTrapano, Barrett and DiPiero sponsored it. Their small investment of title sponsorship parlayed into national media coverage across the country.
"A project I call The Block is part of Create West Virginia, a group of West Virginians who believe in the creative economy. As opposed to the traditional economic engines, coal and manufacturing and those things, we need to attract knowledge workers, engineers, teachers, artists and those folks.
"One of the elements in attracting a creative economy is diversity. In our state, we get this bad rap about not having diversity, or that if you are diverse and come to West Virginia, you won't be accepted.
"With this Block project, using Skype video conferences, these kids in Rand are sharing their stories with kids in Harlem. We're breaking down stereotypes and also showing how technology can create friendships and relationships.
"The poetry started in 1999. Somebody was talking about a poetry slam. My friends, Jon and Keeley Steele, owned The Empty Glass, and I asked if we could do one there.
"I put together a poetry slam, and that kick-started me from being a quiet, closet poet to a public poet. I realized that there was this thing called a performance poem that didn't have to be a traditional, Emily Dickinson thing. You could get up there and speak with a kind of cadence, kind of like hip-hop.
"I got involved with Affrilachian Poets and learned more about the craft. Appalachian in the dictionary indicates all white, and we know that isn't true. So Frank X. Walker came up with the term Affrilachian and started a core group of poetry students at UK.
"Several of my pieces connect to mountaintop removal. I see the mountain as a woman. The story I'm telling about mountaintop removal is about women, rape and sexual abuse . . . that can connect back to mountaintop removal in a creative voice.
"I understand the politics of coal in West Virginia, this environmental struggle. It's like being biracial. The world makes you choose. Which side are you on? Are you black or white? Are you pro coal or not?
"I've finished an essay on Randy Moss and quantum physics. When I travel, Randy Moss is the only Affrilachian most people my age know. 'West Virginia? Oh, Randy Moss.' Randy's story is about high school racism.
"Quantum physics examines the small things that matter, like these small towns and one-on-one relationships. In terms of Randy Moss, I try to tell the story of what it was like to grow up in this valley when big things were going on in terms of race across the country. We had Rodney King. We had O.J. These racial conversations filter down into these valleys. When you are 3 percent, you are a really small minority. How does that impact you?
"I loved what I did with Soul of Coal. I think I'm good at bringing people together. If I can get somebody to my state, a poet or musician or somebody who normally wouldn't come through, they fall in love with us, and when they go other places, they tell our story. I think that's what I'm supposed to be doing.
"I am now a plus size, at the size of 10. One of the modeling agents from Click called and asked if I was interested in doing some plus-size modeling. So maybe the modeling isn't over yet."
Reach Sandy Wells at san...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5173.
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