For the 2012 Seneca County Arts Council (SCAC) Annual Members Only Themed Art Show (with this year’s theme being “Between the Lines,”) a call went out to writers to invite them to develop a piece of writing inspired by or reflecting the imagery of the artwork.   As the written pieces hung adjacent to the artwork that inspired the words, writers read their work at the exhibition’s Opening Reception on April 27 th  from 5:30 -7:00 PM. bill berry selected two works, "Between the Lines" and "Morning Ritual" for his poetic inspirations.   His readings were videotaped by Lisa Brennan, aaduna’s visual arts editor.     The show at the Art Council Gallery, located at 109 Fall Street, Seneca Falls , NY , will run through mid-May.   The gallery is open from 10 AM – 4 PM, Monday – Friday and 10 Am – 1 PM on Saturday.        View LIVE poetry reading #1:   "Read between the Lines and..."  by bill berry, jr : ...

April is National Poetry Month. aaduna heralded its celebration with a poetry reading and performance at Hudson County Community College in Jersey City, New Jersey on the afternoon of April 10. Tamara J. Madison and Cyd Charisse Fulton delivered inspiring and poignant readings of their work and then engaged the packed classroom of aspiring student writers, HCCC faculty and administrators in discussion about the craft and business of writing and performance as a spoken word artist. The program was a rousing success and at the end of the affair, aaduna was invited to return to the campus next year.   

A particular focus of aaduna is to provide professional development opportunities for its contributing writers. With the support of a grant from the Sovereign Foundation, Tamara J. Madison and Cyd Charisse Fulton were able to attend the recent national Black Writers Conference. Ms. Fulton provided her notes on this experience. Enjoy. The Eleventh National Black Writers Conference, March 29 – April 1, 2012 at Medgar Evers College was an educational and spiritual experience. NOTES by, Cyd Charisse Fulton: The Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College, CUNY made it possible to network in a Black literary river and the experience was a baptism for my awakening. Black culture was at the helm of the scholarly ship and my trip began on March 30th through April 1st. Medgar Evers Community College, Founders Auditorium was the field for presentations and discussions. On Friday, March 30, 2012, participants were engaged by films regarding activism in black art. One of the features was ...

Cyd Charisse Fulton is “fierce.” If you do not know what I mean, you will not find the appropriate definition in your dictionary though I will admit that this woman is determined. I hope that after reading her interview, you will know why I described her with that single word. For now, all you need to know is that Cyd is a single 51 year-old mother who raised three sons aged 33, 29, and 28. She works as a budget manager for a premier private university and in her spare time, enjoys old school music and movies, poetry, documentaries and books. Residing in Jersey City, New Jersey, Ms. Fulton will read her poetry at Hudson County Community College on April 10th as part of aaduna’s celebration of National Poetry Month. Read her conversation with me . Click HERE Enjoy!

Tamara J. Madison Tamara J. Madison and Cyd Charisse Fulton are participating at this weekend's 11th National Black Writers conference convened at Medgar Evers College, The City University of New York in Brooklyn.  aaduna has a unique professional development objective and with the support of the Sovereign Foundation, these two contributing writers will pursue those workshops and events that can enhance their writing career.  Cyd Charisse Fulton They will also be joined by Adeola Adeniyi, a writer featured in the First Anniversary/winter-spring 2012  issue.  In addition to these writers, Camille Goodison, who we hope to publish in the summer issue, will also participate in the conference. Tamara and Cyd will write about individual experiences at the conference and aaduna  will share those reflections in the near future.   

"Inaugurated by the Academy of American Poets in 1996, National Poetry Month is now held every April, when publishers, booksellers, literary organizations, libraries, schools and poets around the country band together to celebrate poetry and its vital place in American culture. Thousands of businesses and non-profit organizations participate through readings, festivals, book displays, workshops, and other events." This is how aaduna will celebrate in Jersey City, NJ!

Sheila Applegate, author "Enchanted One" - featured non-fiction, aaduna Spring/Summer 2011 issue   "I would say that the most defining event in my early years was the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie , Scotland . I was an SU [ Syracuse University ] exchange Student in London  the semester leading up to that tragedy. Many of my friends and most of my fellow students were on the plane that went down just before Christmas. "My first experience in England  had been several years earlier through a High School exchange program. I now understand that the family I stayed with in High School is part of my soul family. As a result, we experienced an instant recognition, love and sisterhood. Because the Browns felt like family to me, I decided to stay through the holiday and spend Christmas with them. This choice in essence saved my life as it kept me from being on the flight home with the other SU students." Read the entire interview with Sheila.  Cli...