After a self-study and the need to take a fresh look at aaduna , in March 2013, aaduna, Inc. applied for a $6,100 grant from the Sovereign Foundation to fund operating overhead and expenses, most notably and specifically, technology updates to the journal's online presence.  In mid-June, we received written documentation that the Sovereign Bank Foundation awarded $6,000 to aaduna, Inc. to assist the non-profit corporation in this endeavor.    In part, the Foundation stated, "We value the efforts your organization makes to ensure that our community remains strong and vibrant, not only for today, but also for the future."  Under the leadership of Lisa Brennan, aaduna's visual arts editor, we will develop a look for aaduna that reflects the growth and evolution of the contributing poets, writers and artists whose work grace our pages.  We will keep the multicultural feel and diverse e...

After twenty years, the High Falls Art Gallery in the Brown’s Race Historic District of Rochester, NY will close on June 30, 2013.   Under the stewardship and direction of Sally Wood Winslow, who is on aaduna’s Board of Advisors, a dear colleague and friend, there will be a void in the cultural and artistic landscape of Rochester and the larger region.   A victim of [unwise] governmental budgetary action, the Gallery, through Sally’s vision, direction and passion for the arts, became a beacon for local, regional and nationally recognized artists, writers and musicians.   William E Berry, Jr. at High Falls bridge - June  2nd 2013 - farewell reception   In fact, I first met Sally (and eventually her partner Roy Sowers, who is also an artist and musician,) in 1997-98 when I relocated to Central New York .   In my exploration of Rochester , I came across the Browns Race Historic District and discovered the Art Gallery , which was part of the Hi...

Here is the deal… Kimberlynne Darby Newton Brian Wrixon Books ( Canada ) is pleased to announce the publication of FIVE books for Kimberlynne Darby Newton. The works are "Prize Eyed" (Revised), "Battle: Poems for the Spiritually Weird", "Race: Poems About Being Brown", "Wild Child: Poems for Wild Women", and "Mingling: Poems for Playful Lovers". Click on the link for more info and probably to order: < http://www.blurb.com/search/site_search?search=Kimberlynne+Darby+Newton&fil Make sure you check our Ms. Kim’s poetry in the current issue of aaduna available at www.aaduna.org Here is the commercial pitch: Join the aaduna community of poets, writers and artists.   Submit your work to submissionsmanager@aaduna.org .   Check out our submission protocols at the aaduna.org website.   WE LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU!   And check out Darby-Newton’s books.  

Tamara Madison T amara J. Madison, aaduna contributing poet has officially launched her website and newsletter for TamBiz and TamTalk!!!. Check out the site here: http://www.tamarajmadison.com where you will find poetry, fiction, video, reviews, events and her newest releases, Collard County: A Collection of Short Stories . Tamara states, “There will be some old favorites on the site and hopefully some new ones.” You can sign-up for an appreciation gift and the newsletter, TamTalk!!! on the site by simply leaving your email address. The bi-monthly newsletter will begin on June 5th. Tamara, who has also read at live aaduna events in Auburn, NY and Jersey City, NJ hopes to creatively inspire and motivate you while adding a little love and laughter in the mix. She encourages you to leave feedback and reflections on the blog ! Ms. Madison would love to hear from you. Before I forget, Tamara asked me to tell you, Be joyful, Be creative, Be inspired.

While some critics wish that rap will disappear, and some traditionalists bemoan the emergence of spoken word, these two art forms are here to stay and continue to grow with the embrace of the public. When printed, what happens to the facial expressions, nuances and body movements of rap and/or spoken word? Timothy Ogene, contributing editor Here is an excerpt from Timothy Ogene’s essay, “ On Spoken Word Poetry: From Stage to Text” from the Second Anniversary 2013 Issue available at www.aaduna.org All poems are written to be read aloud or in silence. But some [are] especially written to be performed and acted out. However, when poems appear in an anthology or a collection, they are all subjected to the same reading/interpretation standard, except where a note strictly directs you to pause and perform a particular poem. So you pause, in a train for instance, and perform the poem because the editor said so? No, the poem, like the rest is given an equal silent or the sp...

Here are two short takes from Ronald Gauthier’s stories in aaduna’s Second Anniversary 2013 Issue available NOW at www.aaduna.org Ronald Gauthier #1 THE TEENAGER AND THE DYER BILL…      “The sisters did what black women were forced to do then when negresses pulled the bodies of their men from smoldering ashes with the stench of death in the air. Or, when they had to cut the charred, thick rope from around their men’s necks as the men swayed from trees. Or when their husbands, sons and lovers were bullet-riddled and heaped on the blood-caked ground. These women washed too many black men in tender loving care and prepared their prematurely dead sons, fathers, and husbands for burial. They assumed the burden of making a life for the surviving family members. They prayed and taught the men in their clan to be careful, not to cross the racial line; to bow and apologize, grovel and even beg, all to stay alive. The women in Richard’s life, h...

We celebrated April as National Poetry Month, so now it is May...Short Story Month.  You know we are going to kick it up a few notches. Lindsey Ferrentino Here is a short take from Lindsey Ferrentino's "Dragon Woman" premiered in aaduna's  Second Anniversary 2013 issue.  The full story ia available at www.aaduna.org "How she had wanted this house to be hers. Back then, she’d pictured her mom bustling in the kitchen, her dad playing racquetball with her and her sister out in the yard, all smiles and dirty knees. Now, in her mind, she lived here with Rick. He’d work and bring home a few pounds of crab from the local fish market. They’d take beach chairs, beer, and melted butter to the water’s edge, sitting in the shade of the dragon, eating with their hands, tossing the emptied shells into the riverbed. They’d kiss in between bites and laugh when Rick dropped butter on his shirt, leaving a permanent trail of stains that had the vague resemblance of a st...