Do you remember how your spirit reacted immediately following, and then during several weeks after the World Trade Centers in New York City were destroyed with tragic loss of many, innocent American lives? Think about it. Recall your emotions. Now… Did cultural, socio-political, economic, gender, or even political correctness issues make you pause and differentiate one loss life from another? What was your Pulse like? Moving on… A few days after that unexpected attack on the United States of America, on an early Saturday morning, I made a wrong turn on my way from downstate to upstate NY, and inadvertently had the “opportunity” to drive through the World Trade Center devastation. I saw a ghost town with emergency service personnel and vehicles locked in isolation, fires still smoldering, and a manifestation of unnecessary destruction. I witnessed and felt a personal sense of loss and understood the evil that all too often lurks in some human beings who feel that their politics ...

Music, in all its specific styles and genres, has a way of elevating the spirit and enabling listeners to move through various levels of emotion and feeling. Venues throughout Auburn, NY (located in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York) and the surrounding County villages and towns continue to provide a caliber of music that enables residents to align themselves to a favorite band, musician, or style while discovering others to follow and support. And every so often, there are those rare performances that enthralls and captivates, and witnesses understand they are part of a unique experience. This past weekend was captivating. Theater Mack...Friday evening, September 30... embraced the return of Omar Tamez (guitars,) Angelica Sanchez (piano,) Harvey Sorgen (drums,) and Peter Mack (bass.) Their performance was a brilliant display of contemporary jazz with its point and counterpoint, call and response, subtle and daring improvisation, soaring solos and toe-t...

The decision was made this past Saturday morning. We would re-visit Hammondsport, NY voted the “Coolest Small Town in America” in 2012. Lisa Brennan and I have been in the village a few times before but only learned of the “coolest” designation on this last visit. The road trip idea centered around a pleasant drive along Keuka one of the Finger Lakes; arrive in Hammondsport and have something to eat and drink at the Village Tavern Inn, a noted local establishment that features 99 beers on the wall (actually more than that including drafts and bottles) complemented by an eclectic menu, and afterwards, window shopping (with possible purchases,) the small, unique retail and antique shops along the village’s common square. Once there and starting our stroll, we were shocked that the annual Seaplane Festival was occurring that day. A few years ago, we stumbled on the festival celebrating seaplanes but missed the take offs, fly around parade, and landings. T...

inderConNYC ( http://nyc.bindercon.com/ ) is a professional development conference scheduled for October 29-30, 2016 at Cooper Union, a higher education institution located in New York City in the Manhattan neighborhood of the East Village.  This conference seeks to help women and gender non-conforming writers gain the tools, strategies, and connections they need to advance their careers. Linda González (photo provided) This year for the first time, a Speed Coaching program will be held on October 29 th , co-curated by  aaduna  contributor Linda González and also by Minal Hajratwala . Their focus will be to empower and help level the playing field for writers who are working through dynamics of power and exclusion in the publishing industry. Read more here:  http://nyc.bindercon.com/session/speed-coaching-2/ Sign up for scholarship recipients began Sept 7th and on Sept 14th the sign- up sheet became public on the website for any ticket holder to reg...

Okay, if you are of a certain age, you know I fudged the title for this particular blog from a popular American western TV series titled, “Have Gun-Will Travel” that was broadcast on CBS from 1957-1963. I was a big/hero worshiping/pretending to be him fan when playing cowboys with my young friends.  Of course, my toy western cap guns strapped in a holster on each side of my waist, enhanced my role playing.    The TV “hero” was a gun for hire called Paladin.  Dressed in black. Black horse.  All studs on human and horse, silver.  Acted by Richard Boone, the mustached Paladin was no nonsense, focused, determined, and a gunslinger. The show had 225 episodes and 24 of those segments were written by Gene Roddenberry.  I mention that little trivia because a few years later, Mr. Roddenberry created the seminal “Star Trek” series.  I bet a lot of “trekkies” did not know that fact…maybe I am wrong, but…. Let’s move on and… Flash...

Throughout the world, regardless of culture and beliefs, there are celebrations and festivities centered on annual holidays, which are traditions embraced by the people who live in that particular country. Usually marked by parades, speeches, religious observations, and family gatherings, holidays give people a short reprieve from the mundane, daily rigors of living Life.  In the United States, today, Monday, September 5th is Labor Day. "Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of [the United States.]" aaduna has a brief holiday story to share that speaks to the journal’s soul, and the specialness and perseverance of the human spirit. Jen Soriano (photo provided) Jen Soriano submitted work to aaduna on February 28 of...

we are surprised. We are also surprised when a little information turns out to be more than what we bargained for especially if it is “all good.”  Prarthana Banikya (photo provided) Prarthana Banikya thrilled us with her elegant and graceful poetry in aaduna’s spring 2016 anniversary issue .  A few weeks ago, she told us what she has been up to while doubting if we would be interested in sharing her update with you.  Translation: she is quite humble. Now stay with me as I pave the path…smallness does often lead to bigger things. Well, our sisterfriend Prarthana is currently taking a course in poetry writing from the London School of Journalism.  She is also exploring other forms of writing and experimenting with personal essays.  Now, if that info was the small package, an excerpt of her recent unpublished poem is up on her blog , http://prarthanabanikya.blogspot.com/ and is titled “Letters from Ziro.”  Surprise! The poem and the ...