”Meet The Writer” : Nia Deveraux”

New Column: City Soul In a city that never sleeps—but rarely slows down—we need voices that help us pause. We…
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New Column: City Soul

In a city that never sleeps—but rarely slows down—we need voices that help us pause. We need writers who don’t just report what’s happening, but reflect on what it means. That’s where Nia Deveraux comes in.

Nia is a Brooklyn-born storyteller, wellness educator, and emotional ethicist. She writes from the intersections of city life and spiritual life—where survival meets softness, where urgency meets empathy, where we learn how to care in a world that keeps trying to harden us.

Her new Mood Magazine column, City Soul, asks the deeper questions:

What does it mean to be a good neighbor in a disconnected city?

What does urban wellness look like—for real?

And how do we stay soft when the city wants us to go numb?

Her first piece, To Help or Not to Help: The Ethics of Looking Away, unpacks the quiet heartbreak of watching someone fall—and doing nothing. It’s about fans and bike crashes. Boundaries and survival. And the question that sits inside all of us: What would I want someone to do for me?

📍 Follow Nia’s work in our new City Soul section—where healing, justice, and humani

Jarvus Ricardo Hester

JARVUSHESTER

Jarvus Ricardo Hester Founder, Artistic Director, Editor-in-Chief, and Cultural Storyteller Jarvus Ricardo Hester is an opera singer, arts administrator, media executive, and entrepreneur dedicated to making the arts more accessible while preserving and amplifying the stories that shape communities. He is the Founder and Artistic Director of Harlem Collective Opera, Harlem Boys Choir, and the Harlem Chamber Orchestra, organizations committed to expanding access to classical music through innovative performances, educational initiatives, and community engagement. As Editor-in-Chief of Mood Magazine NYC and the founder of the Mood Media Network, Hester oversees a growing multimedia ecosystem that includes WHRL Mood Radio Harlem, The Morning Show NYC, After Hours NYC, and Mood TV. Through these platforms, he curates stories that explore culture, travel, wellness, food, literature, business, and the arts from Harlem to communities around the world. An alumnus of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Hester has performed with professional opera companies and has dedicated his career to reimagining how audiences experience classical music. His work consistently bridges the worlds of performance, journalism, tourism, education, and community development. His signature initiative, The Black Composer Project, celebrates the contributions of Black classical composers through immersive concert experiences that combine music, storytelling, and historical exploration. Whether through a live performance, a magazine feature, a radio broadcast, or a community partnership, Hester's work is guided by a simple philosophy: Stories create connections. Art builds communities. Culture preserves legacy. Harlem to the world. Be a part of the story.
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