Category: Moonstone Arts Center Events


Alzheimer’s Poetry Project

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

SUNDAY, MARCH 14, 6pm – 8pm – POETRY
Alzheimer’s Poetry Project – Philadelphia

Gary Glazner the Founder and Executive Director of the Alzheimer’s Poetry Project (APP) will give an informational and overview of the APP

Poets will learn how to use poetry to connect with people living with dementia. Glazner will give insights into why poetry is so effective in reaching people with memory loss.
Including studies that show increased synaptic activity and a reduction in stress indicators during poetry recitation. Glazner will talk about his recent trip to Germany to start the APP there and how the principles translate into other languages and cultures.

Alzheimer’s Poetry Project – Mission

Our goal is to facilitate the creativity of people living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia. We strive to advocate for cultural change in the healthcare industry and for the daily inclusion of arts in assisted living and adult day care. Further, we do not set boundaries in our beliefs in what possible for people with memory impairment to create.

By saying to people with dementia, we value you; we are saying we value all members of our community. By working with health care professionals and giving them a tool to have fun with and stimulate the people they serve, we are saying we value your work. By working with family members who have a loved one with dementia, we are saying you are not alone in your struggle to treat your loved one with dignity.

BIO
Gary Glazner is the founder and Executive Director of the Alzheimer’s Poetry Project, (APP). The National Endowment for the Arts listed the APP as a “best practice” for their Arts and Aging initiative. NBC’s “Today” show, NPR’s “All Things Considered” and Voice of America have featured segments on Glazner’s work. Harper Collins, W.W. Norton and Salon.com have published his work. Glazner is the author and editor of five books including: “Ears on Fire: Snapshot Essays in a World of Poets,” published on La Alameda Press, the book chronicles a year abroad in Asia and Europe meeting poets, working on translations and writing poems; “How to Make a Living as a Poet” on Soft Skull Press, which features essays and interviews on creative ways to bring poetry to the world and “Poetry Slam: The Competitive Art of Performance Poetry,” on Manic D Press. In 2009, Glazner was invited by a group of poets to launch the APP in Berlin.
In 2010, the U.S. Embassy will fund a pilot project for the APP in Germany. From 2007 to 2010, Glazner was the Managing Director of the Bowery Poetry Club in New York City.

For more information email Ray Garman: ray@thetastybrains.com

Here’s a flyer about the Alzheimer’s Poetry Project: APP final

Upcoming APP events:
Onsite Training Overview – Monday, 3/15 1pm
A Place Like Home
Category: Adult Day Services
5610 Lancaster Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19131

Onsite Training Overview – Tuesday, March 16th 10am
Harmony Place
8420 Roosevelt Boulevard
Philadelphia, PA 19152-2064

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World Can’t Wait Film Screening

Friday, March 5th, 2010

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 6pm – FILM SCREENING/DISCUSSION
Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo

“Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo” is a new documentary film, directed by Polly Nash and Andy Worthington, telling the story of Guantánamo (and including sections on extraordinary rendition and secret prisons) with a particular focus on how the Bush administration turned its back on domestic and international laws, how prisoners were rounded up in Afghanistan and Pakistan without adequate screening (and often for bounty payments), and why some of these men may have been in Afghanistan or Pakistan for reasons unconnected with militancy or terrorism (as missionaries or humanitarian aid workers, for example). The documentary focuses on three particular prisoners — Shaker Aamer (who is still held), Binyam Mohamed (who was released in February 2009) and Omar Deghayes.

Binyam Mohamed’s (www.counterpunch.org/worthington02242009.html) name has been in the news recently because his experience at Guantanamo contradicts the Justice Department’s report that lawyers, John Yoo and Jay Bybee, are innocent of misconduct on issuing torture. David Swanson commented on Binyam Mohamed’s horrific experience as he was dissecting John Yoo’s new book (www.counterpunch.org/swanson02122010.html ).

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Special Event: Poets & Prophets: Carol Bond

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

TUESDAY, MARCH 16, 7pm – POETRY
Poets & Prophets presents
CAROL BOND

Carol Bond aka Carol Ann was “not raised by wolves; it only seems that way”. She is the author of a number of chapbooks including Poems of Thunder, though most of her books are yet to be published. She has participated in open readings at Fox Chase Review, Green Line Café, Mad Poets Society, Moonstone and Speakeasy (U Penn). This will be her first Feature Reading. Carol Bond states she Began writing at the age of 53 and followed in the path of her mother, a phot-journalist. Carol Ann has also painted and sculpted but will “continue to write until something wonderful happens.” Carol says her work reflects these main issues; “tainted love, things that glimmer in the night, forces of nature, the low lifes of society, whores, pimps, gangsters”. Carol Bond is a force of nature and her work is exceedingly fierce.

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North Stars Poetry Cafe

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 4:30pm – 6:30pm – POETRY
NORTH STARS POETRY CAFE

Young writers from Art Sanctuary’s North Stars After school Program will host their Annual Poetry Cafe at Moonstone Arts Center. The North Stars Poetry Cafe provides a space for young writers and artists to express themselves. North Stars invite young poets, youth groups, and poetry collectives from across the city to share their works of art. Featured poets include North Star Poets and Youngblood Poets from Germantown Poetry Festival. For more information or to sign up for open mic call 215-232-4485, email us at info@artsanctuary.org or visit www.artsanctuary.org.

The North Stars are supported by Lincoln Financial Foundation, Hamilton Family Foundation, Douty Foundation, Henrietta Tower Wurts Memorial, The Seybert Institution, Rosenlund Family Foundation, Verizon, and YOUTHadelphia.

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Greg Matthews Band

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010
Buy Tickets

SATURDAY, MARCH 27, 9pm – MUSIC – $5 – BYOB
GREG MATTHEWS BAND
w/ The Brian Blaker Quartet

Guitarist Greg Matthews leads his new quartet with material that emphasize a compositional approach to jazz. In the past few years Greg Matthews has been active in the music community of Philadelphia. His new material has a focus an on a storyline within in the music. This show specifically highlights some of Greg’s writing in the past 6 months. He will be joined by A.J. Luca on piano, Dave Cifelli on drums, and Steve Lyons on bass.

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Philadelphia Fantastic: Darrell Schweitzer & Greg Frost

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

FRIDAY, MARCH 26, 7:30pm
SCI-FI/FANTASY

Philadelphia Fantastic Presents:
DARRELL SCHWEITZER (editor)
&
GREG FROST (contributor)

Cthulhu’s Reign ($7.99 DAW)

Some of the darkest hints in all of H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos relate to what will happen after the Old Ones return and take over the earth. What happens when Cthulhu is unleashed upon the world? What happens when the other Old Ones, long since banished from our universe, break through and descend from the stars? What would the reign of Cthulhu be like on a totally transformed planet where mankind is no longer the master? Find out in these exciting, brand-new stories.

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The Brothers Network discusses Toni Morrison’s Beloved

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

SATURDAY, MARCH 20, 11am – BOOK DISCUSSION
THE BROTHERS NETWORK

You are invited to participate in what promises to be a lively and provocative discussion of one of the most acclaimed novels of our time.

Toni Morrison’s Beloved is a singularly significant investigation of the traumas of slavery and rape and their continuing consequences in the lives of African Americans. How have the wounds of slavery and rape continued to plague black life and how will these problems be overcome? Our discussion will look at the ways the lives of the male and female characters in the novel intersect, but with a special focus on the rarely discussed male characters in the book. We will look at the relevance of Paul D, Halle, Sixto, Stamp Paid and others to contemporary black male realities and problems. We will also investigate the issue of Black men being made powerless in the face of white male violence against black girls and women and what this enforced powerlessness means for contemporary black male-female and male-male relationships. Our discussion will also incorporate other works, such as Du Bois’ Souls of Black Folk and “The Damnation of Women”, Fanon’s Black Skin, White Mask and Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room.

Like our previous book discussion, this will be lively, provocative, and
thoughtful. Mark your calendars so you won’t miss this exchange on a timely yet timeless topic.

For more information on The Brothers Network visit their website: www.thebrothersnetwork.org

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Charles Lane Quintet

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

SATURDAY, MARCH 20 – 8pm – JAZZ – $10 – BYOB
CHARLES LANE Quintet
www.charleslanejazz.com

Charles Lane’s saxophone playing is a completely emotional experience. His progressive view on art compliments the way he writes, plays and understands music. Charles’ playing has been called “technically great, alive and vibrant” (www.smilepolitely.com). Bending the rules of jazz by incorporating elements of the hip-hop, pop and jazz idioms, he views music as a forward thinking art-form that should be a reflection of the times, not what was, but what is and what will be.

Hailing from the North Suburbs of Chicago, Charles graduated with honors with a B.M. in Jazz Performance on the saxophone and a minor in Anthropology with an emphasis in Ethnomusicology and Andean Studies at the esteemed University Of Illinois in Urbana/Champaign in the Spring of 2009. Of the many awards and scholarships Charles has been given, he named a Fulbright Scholar Alternate to Lima, Peru in 2009. The list of exceptional artists Charles has had the privilege of performing with include the late Jazz Violin great Johnny Frigo, Count Basie drummer Harold Jones, Frank Sinatra drummer Bob Chmel, The Brubeck Brothers Trio, bassist Jeff Campbell, pianist Reggie Thomas amongst others.

At the young age of 18, Charles toured Spain and Portugal on a fantastic three week tour in which his combo performed all over each country respectively. While in Spain and Portugal, Charles performed at the Spanish-American Embassy in Madrid and the Portuguese-American Embassy in Lisbon as well as other top venues in each country. Charles was one of three teaching assistants selected at the prestigious Birch Creek Music Performance Workshop in the summer of 2006 where he taught some of the best up and coming Jazz musicians in the country, while also playing in the professional all-star big-band, The Birch Creek Academy Band, for two weeks. His performances have not only spanned continents, but locally in Chicago and surrounding areas, at such well-known venues as The Jazz Showcase, Pete Miller’s, Hot House, Chicago’s Symphony Center and Grant and Millennium Parks respectively.

He has released one full length album, available most everywhere music is sold on the internet, including iTunes. The record, entitled “The Price Of Air” was released to rave reviews on October 9th, 2008 and is an exploration of hip-hop, jazz and free music. He is currently working on material to go back into the studio in 2010, and is planning on releasing a Live album in the coming months.

Charles was honored to be named a member of 2009 Mid-Atlantic Teach for America Corps. In the summer of 2009, he moved to Philadelphia to begin his two year teaching commitment, serving high need communities in Philadelphia. Currently, he is making a name for himself in Philadelphia with a new quintet and new music. He is simultaneously working in the inner-city teaching 6th grade, attaining his Master’s in Urban Education at the prestigious University of Pennsylvania and cutting his teeth on the vibrant and eclectic music scene that is Philadelphia.

As an artist, Charles is a firm believer that an appreciation and respect for the past is just as important as being a progressive and challenging musician. He constantly tries to develop ways to blend the past, present and future together in a synchronized fashion that simultaneously challenges the listener and speaks to them. For communication is the goal of all artists. That is where the true beauty lies.

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Lisa Levenstein

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 24, 7pm – NON-FICTION
LISA LEVENSTEIN
author of A Movement Without Marches: African American Women and the Politics of Poverty in Postwar Philadelphia ($45.00 University of North Carolina Press)

“A Movement Without Marches offers a subtle and illuminating portrait not only of political and civic activism, but also of social and economic citizenship in the making, as we learn how African American working-class women worked to make Philadelphia’s public institutions work for rather than against their needs, interests, and rights.” — Alice O’Connor, author of Poverty Knowledge: Social Science, Social Policy, and the Poor in Twentieth-Century United States History

“If we could persuade our elected representatives to consider the historical context in which they make policies regarding welfare and poverty that impact the lives of women and their families this would be one book they should read. The stories here challenge one-dimensional sound bites that too often suffice in public discourse on these issues.” — Tera W. Hunter, author of To ‘Joy My Freedom: Southern Black Women’s Lives and Labors After the Civil War

“A Movement Without Marches is a deeply humane account of poor women’s struggles for dignity and survival. Lisa Levenstein combines history from the bottom up with an unparalleled account of the institutions, from courts to schools, that shaped and constrained black women’s lives. Her book opens up new ways of thinking about the unfinished history of race, gender, and civil rights in modern America.” — Thomas J. Sugrue, author of Sweet Land of Liberty: The Forgotten Struggle for Civil Rights in the North

In this bold interpretation of U.S. history, Lisa Levenstein reframes highly charged debates over the origins of chronic African American poverty and the social policies and political struggles that led to the postwar urban crisis. A Movement Without Marches follows poor black women as they traveled from some of Philadelphia’s most impoverished neighborhoods into its welfare offices, courtrooms, public housing, schools, and hospitals, laying claim to an unprecedented array of government benefits and services. Levenstein uncovers the constraints that led women to public institutions, emphasizing the importance not only of deindustrialization and racial discrimination but also of women’s experiences with sex discrimination, inadequate public education, child rearing, domestic violence, and chronic illness. Women’s claims on public institutions brought a range of new resources into poor African American communities. With these resources came new constraints, as public officials frequently responded to women’s efforts by limiting benefits and attempting to control their personal lives. Scathing public narratives about women’s “dependency” and their children’s “illegitimacy” placed African American women and public institutions at the center of the growing opposition to black migration and civil rights in northern U.S. cities. Countering stereotypes that have long plagued public debate, A Movement Without Marches offers a new paradigm for understanding postwar U.S. history.

Lisa Levenstein is assistant professor of history at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

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Moonstone Poetry Series: Aaren Perry & Nzadi Keita

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

TUESDAY, MARCH 23 – 7pm – POETRY
The Moonstone Poetry Series Presents
AAREN PERRY & NZADI KEITA

Aaren Perry has performed his work with music and in Spanish at venues like the Nuyorican, the Kimmel Center, the World Cafe. He has taught writing workshops to all ages at schools and colleges on the East Coast and in the Midwest for 20 years. Perry has published in Critique Magazine, Mad Poets Review,Tyme Anthology, Xconnect Magazine, Blue Guitar, Painted Bride Quarterly, Long Shot Review, and others. His work has appeared on National Public Radio and on regional television broadcasts. He produced and directed a long-running cable poetry show on DUTV. Bilingual and holding an MFA from Vermont College, he received a PA Council on the Arts Grant. Since 2001 he has worked as an Organizational Development consultant. His books OPEN FIRE (Whirlwind Press, 2004), POETRY ACROSS THE CURRICULUM: An Action Guide for Elementary Teachers (Pearson, 1997), as well as his spokenword CD, MERCURY CALLING (MelodyVision, 2000) are available at bookstores and by emailing ayperry@aol.com.

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