aaduna Inc. CEO/aaduna publisher bill berry jr & Madelaine Whalen aaduna welcomes Ms. Madelaine Whalen , an English Literature, and Political Science major with a minor in Woman and Gender Studies at Elmira College in New York State to our staff as our summer intern.  Ms. Whalen is originally from the peninsula area of Woolwich , Maine and is spending this summer in the Rochester and Auburn , NY areas. Ms. Whalen will be a senior in the fall 2014 semester; expects to graduate in June 2015, and is currently serving her second year as president and managing editor of Elmira College 's literary magazine, Sibyl.  Ms. Whalen has worked with the college magazine for the past three years.  Her work has been published in the school paper, The Octagon , and in Sibyl.  She also holds leadership positions in other campus clubs and groups.   Maddy Whalen is a peer mentor; has high ropes course experience; is a Dean’s List and Honors Schola...

An excerpt: Remember your first time? First time being published, that is. Maybe it was a story in your college lit mag, or a poem in an online journal, or an essay in a periodical. Maybe you even had a manuscript accepted by a small press. Whatever your publishing track record, we're willing to bet that your first time was something special—and chances are it was through an independent literary publisher. Perhaps you're still waiting for your first acceptance letter, but thanks to CLMP—the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses—independent literary publications are thriving, creating more opportunities for writers like you to be heard! As representatives of the community of indie lit publishers, we ask that you join us in supporting CLMP, the organization that helps make it possible for us to publish writers like you. CLMP provides essential training and information to literary publishers small and large, established and just beginning. Russell Banks, G...

bill berry, jr aaduna Inc CEO/Publisher aaduna There are times in life where we know words are not enough…even when the sounds and cadences of letters strewn together like beads on a string alleviate our consciousness to another level of understanding and appreciation. There are times in life when the simplicity of a “thank you” or an “I love you” or the heartfelt rhythm of an “I’m sorry” resonates a deeper meaning than countless platitudes that sound drenched in artificiality and hubris. There are times in life when we need to say more and understand the heart is so filled with gratitude and appreciation that the less we say the more we say it.    Left to Right:  Michele Jones Galvin, Joyce Stokes Jones, Bobbie Panek, Howard Nelson, Ed Mendes, Heidi Nightengale, bill berry jr, Christine Jennifer Noble, Lisa Brennan, Sheila Applegate To the readers, Michele Jones Galvin, Joyce Stokes Jones, Edward Mendes, Heidi Nightengale, Sheila Applegate,...

We are saddened to hear of the passing of Maya Angelou, a literary giant and champion for civil and human rights.   Her words were always eloquent and dignified and she influenced countless generations of writers, poets, seekers of truth, and those who fought for human dignity and the spirit of freedom.     As we prepare for the Thursday, May 29 th aaduna fundraiser at Theater Mack in Auburn , NY , we dedicate our evening of celebrating words and music to Maya Angelou’s legacy and profound wisdom .    America's Poet Laureate, Maya Angelou - google image Still I Rise - You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may trod me in the very dirt But still, like dust, I'll rise. Does my sassiness upset you? Why are you beset with gloom? 'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells Pumping in my livin' room. Just like moons and like suns, With the certainty of tides, Just like hopes springing high, Still I'll rise Did you want to see me ...

bill berry, jr., CEO/aaduna Inc., watches from the edge of the stage, aaduna performanced based fundraiser/friendraiser,   May 18, 2014 @ Bill's Place, Harlem, NY Intimacy is akin to the multi-colored butterfly that rests on your arm without your knowledge and when you discover its unwavering beauty and serenity you revel in its inquisitiveness and embrace your feelings of being special… You forget the shoulders touching distant cousins and your need for personal space that never really existed in urban landscapes that erupt in molten clamminess that sears your being to another, not known or experienced before. The spoken word initiated the afternoon soaring truth to power and breaking down pre-conceived barriers of resistance born in misinformation… Sing song voices drifted the words deeper into a collective consciousness while guitar and viola bolded and italicized the words.   Then, That sax wailed, crooned and dipped into unknown territo...