Well, winter has officially arrived.  A good number of holiday shoppers appear to be still holding out for even deeper discounts.  The federal government is at an impasse with many elected officials deciding not to "hear" the wishes of most citizens, and we at aaduna are busy trying to settle the First Anniversary/winter 2012 Issue.  And overshadowing all of this mundane stuff [rightfully so] is the Season of Giving and Sharing with Hanukkah moving through its cycle; Christmas on the way immediately followed by Kwanzaa, New Year's Eve celebrations and Festival of the Three Kings. It is a time for festivities and enjoying family and friends.    Cleopatra & Cairo - aaduna resident sphynx cats With that said, I will wait and talk about  aaduna  stuff next week even though I am excited about what we are up to. Lisa and I, joined by our colleagues, extend our wishes for a fe...

Thomas Lee, Fiction Michael Rhynes, Non-Fiction Frank A. Gladden, Fiction Tamara J. Madison, Poetry  Keith Laufenberg, Fiction Cyd Charisse Fulton, Poetry  

The Pushcart Prize - Best of the Small Presses series, published every year since 1976,  is the most honored literary project in America. Hundreds of presses and thousands of writers of short stories, poetry and essays have been represented in the pages of these annual collections. The Pushcart Prize editions are found in most libraries and bookstores. Each volume contains an index of past selections, plus lists of outstanding presses with addresses. aaduna appreciates and applauds the contributions of all its writers and regrets that the publication was limited to six nominations.  The works nominated and writers are as follows: Poetry: Abuse in a Dream                                            Cyd Charisse Fulton Kentucky Curdled (selected ...

For most of us, Thanksgiving Day marks the start of the season where we reflect on where we have been and where we want to go.   Our interests tend to transition from giving to ourselves to giving to others and wanting to share our blessings with those who seek to be blessed by the generosity of others.   I suspect all these attributes came together as Lisa, Carrie and I visited my Mom in Arlington , VA for the past five days to celebrate Thanksgiving.   (For those of you who know Cairo and Cleo, those two joined the road trip.)   This annual sojourn also included promoting aaduna and once again we left marketing material at the Poets and Busboys restaurant on 14 th and U Streets in DC.   While we did not get the chance to see friends and family in Baltimore and other parts of MD, or spend time with friends/family in DC (Sandra Miles and Frank Daspit), there were some inspiring highlights.    Dinner at Rincome, a Thai restaurant on Columbia ...

Our community of writers, artists, directors, supporters and friends extend grand wishes to Lisa on her special day, November 13th.  We are confident she will have a glorious day and bask in the wishes and festivities that will come her way.  And we appreciate all that she does to make what we do so much better. HAPPY BIRTH DAY LISA!!!! 

The past several days have been quite busy but the weather has been "picture perfect" for morning walks along Owasco Lake; researching and writing; raking and bagging leaves; road trips through the countryside; discovering new eateries, and celebrating Birth Days!  November View of Seneca Lake, Geneva, NY   The IRS requested additional information regarding aaduna's application for tax-exempt status after 7 months of having the original application.  After a pleasant conversation with our assigned Exempt Organizations Specialist, I started the task of getting the responses together while working with our Board of Directors to finalize some "old business" that I wanted to include as part of the responses.  Needless to say, the task was accomplished in more than a timely manner, and the additional information  packet should now be in the IRS office in Covington, Kentucky well before the Response Due Deadline. The task of reading an...

E-ViewPoints Interview With Thomas Lee by bill berry, jr. Thomas Lee is married and resides in the San Francisco Bay Area.   A lawyer, he is a weaver of stories.   His fiction enables us to break through barriers, and prompts us to better understand and accept a culture that may be different from our own.   Tom’s writing creates pathways where we are able to embrace similarities with others who are different from us, and then makes us realize that as part of a universal family…we are each other. Click on  EViewPoints , (rockfordkingsley link) and enjoy the conversation.

Fall Colors at Peak, October 23, 2011 Since the SHM performance, there has been a diverse range of creative experiences that tend to spark new ideas, which eventually influence the scope and spirit of aaduna . On October 21, there was a fine performance by Omanii Abdullah, a Syracuse based poet, performer and educator in Waterloo , NY .   An imposing and gentle man, he read from his books “I Wanna be the Kinda Father My Mother Was,” “Nobody Eats Fried Chicken Like Black Folks Do” and “This is Gonna Hurt Me a Whole Lot More ’n Hurts You (webpage:www.omanii.com). View of Cayuga Lake from Route 89 On October 22, Lisa, her cousin Anne and I visited Knapp, Cobblestone and Goose Watch Vineyards along Cayuga Lake for an afternoon of wine tastings and music and the chestnut festival at Goose Watch, and ended the evening in Auburn dancing to Brass, Inc. a nine member rock ‘n’ roll band that bought interpretations to the music of Earth, Wind and Fire, Stevie Wonder, Chicago, Tower ...

aaduna at The Seward House Museum - photo by Lisa Brennan Captivated audience - Photo by Lisa Brennan The eloquence of the spoken words floated on the evening’s soft air as insects flitted back ‘n’ forth carrying messages of empowerment, love, despair, and forgiveness to unseen places. Photo provided by Cristofe Chabot The subtle yet poignant readings captivated the audience and the stillness on the lawn of The Seward House Museum made the words even more powerful and transfixing. Poet, Sean O'Grady - Photo by Cristofe Chabot Poet, Tamara Madison Photo by Cristofe Chabot Poet, Cyd Fulton Photo by Cristofe Chabot Author  Sheila Applegate Photo by Cristofe Chabot Author & Poet, Christine Green Photo by  Cristofe Chabot As visual images dotted the walls of the visitor’s entrance and gift shop area, eyes were transfixed by images of places not yet seen; worlds not yet discovered, and artwork that expanded the imagination and caused on...

 aaduna Fall Issue 1 Volume 3 "Shelter and Enduring" - Rick Nicholson, Photographer (c) 2011 I don't mean to push out 2011 since October just started but it is the end of the year for aaduna as a publication.  The fall issue, which is our last issue of the year, is now available at http://www.aaduna.org/  and we are accepting submissions for the First Anniversary/winter 2012 issue scheduled for launch on February 28th.  The submissions deadline is November 13 and more detailed information is available on the website.  aaduna Penalver Gallery - Exhibit "Avalon Grail Quest" Artist, Mano Mannez    And not to thump our chests, but this issue is ambitious and empowering.  Lisa Brennan did an impressive job getting the issue up and the galleries reflect her work as our new visual arts editor.  The photographs, artwork, and a "video" created specifically for aaduna glisten with creativity by the visual artists and L...