If you follow the unexpected death of Prince, you probably know that he had been suffering with severe hip pain and had to turn to pain medicine to enable him to perform and get through his daily routines.  While it is still unclear whether or not his prescribed pain meds led to his death, I know what he went through. I had my left hip replaced in 2006 after years of painful avoidance.  I am not a med person so I did not follow the accepted and expected pain control regimen.  This year, on April 1 st  [not an April Fool’s prank,] I had hip replacement surgery on my right hip. While I am doing okay as I follow a measured and conservative recovery routine, I did have access to narcotic pain relief.  I again elected to avoid those meds unless absolutely necessary... and necessity did prompt use a few times. Linda González (photo provided) Now, please do not infer anything about my approach versus Prince because I am not a legendary performer.  ...

especially when words can enchant and emit magical images that soothes your mind. Tiffany Haty (photo provided) Tiffany Haty   found home at aaduna as we eradicated her unwanted aura of “never been published.”  Her creative non-fiction essay, “ The Tall Night of the Nyekundu Woman and Depth of Words Spoken” erases that designation and positions her to share more of her work with the public.  Here is the opening paragraph of "Nyekundu Woman," and don’t fret, there is more to share in the forthcoming spring 2016 issue of aaduna : Daughter of the flowing earth, she was the embodiment of grace in a deep golden brown female form, and wore the spiritual nobility of her land as one of royal stature would wear gold. Around her beautifully shaped head and around her average sized bust and small waist she wore a bright yellow and brown African print fabric wrapped tightly around her head and body, which draped down in the fashion of a sarong, to her bare feet...

Throw in some multi-instrumental music of New Orleans; add some southern blues and regional country lament, a dash of urban hip hop and rap, a teaspoon of head-banging rock complemented by the nuances of jazz as it moved across the US and the world, not to be outdone by the chords and phrases of orchestral music, and top it off with a cup of some old-school nuances, and you may get a sense of what comprises a master of words, themes, and storytelling. Frank A. Gladden (photo provided) Frank A. Gladden is that unique mix of soul and reverie, spices and flavors, conflicting emotions….he is a literary gumbo, a master of his craft, a unique and favorable blend of remembrances and hints of unrealized times to come.   Here is a glimpse from his story, “Things You Carry” from the forthcoming spring 2016 issue of aaduna:                 One day when Caleb was on his way to the deli, he ...

Dharma Lefevre (Photo Provided)   It is rare that you can find a fire performer, dancer, and fine artist all in one person. As illustrator of the new Merlyn Fuller book, The Merlinian Legend, Dharma Lefevre brings whimsical and subtle artwork to visually presenting components of the new age story of the legendary wizard, Merlin.  Dharma resides in southwest Florida but her sense of subtlety and grace make her a global artistic visionary. Specializing in creating Fantasy/Mythology artwork, her art forte rests in watercolors, acrylic, pen and pencil. While a single image graces aaduna’s excerpt from the book’s introduction, Lefevre’s work captivates the imagination and effortlessly weaves magic throughout the book. See Dharma's artwork in aaduna's coming spring 2016 issue scheduled for launch in mid-late May!  *   *   * aaduna - a timeless exploration into words and images - is a globally read, multi-cultural, and diverse o...