Pat's love of poetry was fueled when she was given as a gift a book of poetry & prose by Sonia Sanchez called "Homegirls & Handgernades." But it was from her instructor (and she likes to think, mentor) Dr. Regina Jennings, who taught a poetry writing workshop called "New Black Voices" at Temple University,that her absolute love for words and language was ignited. Dr. Jennings opened a world of words to her that she is still discovering today.

a Philadelphia Pa, performance poet, author and founder of In The Company of Poets. .” She has two books of poetry, “A Sister Speaks of…” and “Ain’t Gonna Bite My Tongue NO More.” The recipient of several awards, including 1st place for the Sonia Sanchez/Audre Lorde Poetry Competition and second place for Judith Stark Creative Writing Competition at Community College of Philadelphia. Pat presently co-facilitates poetry and creative writing workshops Temple University’s Pan-African Studies Community Education Program (PASCEP) and at Drexel University, both of Philadelphia.
She has appeared on several multi media programs, such as WUSL Power 99 FM, WHAT AM “Etches”, WRTI FM “The Bridge”, WPEB AM “People, Politics & Poetry, Philadelphia Board of Education Public TV and WYBE “Showbiz Rap,” to name a few. Pat has had the pleasure of performing with some of Philly’s finest jazz artist, such as Gerald Veasley & The Electric Mingus Project, The Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble and the Sam Reed Quartet. Recently she was published in “BMa: The Sonia Sanchez Literary Review – Legends and Legacies.” “Life Spices From Seasoned Sistahs.” And X-Magazine: A poetry and prose Literary Journal.

Selected publications that has featured Pat's writing are: BMA-The Sonia Sanchez Literary Review: Volume 1, 1997 Limited Editions Literary Magazine of Community College of Philadelphia -(Spring 1998) "A Sister Speaks of..." -Self-Published; 3P's Production Press - (September 1998) "Ain't Gonna Bite My Tongue NO More"- Self-Published; 3P's Production Press (December 1999) The Poetry Calendar Literary Magazine - (Spring 2000) The Philadelphia Tribune Poets Corner -(Summer 2001) The Real News Publication -(Spring 2002) Rolling Out Urbanstyle Weekly - (Winter 2004) Legends & Legacies BMa: Sonia Sanchez Literary Review, Volume 10, (Fall 2004) DREXEL UNIVERSITY Pen Womanship On-Line Journal for Women,(Winter 2004) Life Spice’s From Seasoned Sistahs,(Spring 2005) X Magazine: issue 8 - (Spring 2005) Bayhiya Woman's Magazine (Spring 2005)

Peace, Poetry & Posperity
People I've met, places I've been and things I've done.

In The Company of Poets
In The Company of Poets, a dynamic spoken word performance duo featuring Pat McLean-RaShine and Debbie Powell-Wright use the power of words to rejuvenate, reminisce, and reinvent their lives and the lives of women who have sought to challenge themselves as they journey through life.

TOMORROW'S GIRLS
Tomorrow’s Girls is a mentoring program created to provide a positive and supportive environment for young girls by helping them develop living life skills. It is designed to assist the girl’s entry into adulthood by providing them with the skills and knowledge needed to become successful, independent and responsible members of the community. The program is geared towards females from ages 8 – 13, who are preparing to make the transformation from childhood to womanhood.