Sweet Honey in the Rock at the Kimmel Center

I first learned of the writer/philosopher Khalil Gibran from my mother’s friend, Mrs. Asmar. She was from Lebanon but had lived in Cote d’Ivoire for many years, including the time my family was there. She was very proud of the work of Khalil Gibran and because he, too, was from Lebanon. What I vividly remember is my mother reading his On Children to me, a six-year old and I could not understand it. She then got out her Sweet Honey in the Rock albums, not CD’s ,and she played their interpretation of On Children and I got it. And it is a piece of literature that I treasure and still share. This post is for you-Mr. and Mrs. Asmar.

Give a listen to Sweet Honey in the Rock, who will perform on Saturday, February 6, 2010 , 3:00 p.m., at the Kimmel Center, in Philadelphia. They will take your breath away.

On Children: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtplvvyl7k0

Breaths : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3e-zLKyZLw&NR=1

Would You Harbor Me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bp7JD5DP5FQ&NR=1

The Kimmel Center

260 South Broad Street

Philadelphia,PA 19102

215-893-1999

http://www.kimmelcenter.org/

Happy Birthday Norman Rockwell-Thank You Ruby Bridges

I’m writing this post quickly so I won’t miss my school bus. Today is Norman Rockwell’s birthday. I’m sure you’ve seen many of his illustrations before, even if you’re not familiar with his name. Mr. Rockwell created the illustrations for the covers of the Saturday Evening Post magazine for years. His signature theme was small-town, white America. Even a little, postmodern, inner-city brown girl like me can appreciate his work. But it is Mr. Rockwell’s painting of The Problem We All Live With that earned him a place in my heart. He recognized that the United States had an ugly, racist side that had to be exposed. In The Problem We All Live With, Rockwell shows Ruby Bridges, a little seven-year old, African-America girl being escorted to school by US Federal Marshalls. This was during the early 1960’s in New Orleans. Each day, this little girl, as she entered school had to contend with hundreds of white adults screaming racial slurs at her and telling her she didn’t belong at an all-white school.

Check out Mr. Rockwell’s painting. Look at the tomato thrown against the wall. Mr. Rockwell made that tomato, that object of hatred, rise into an eagle of hope. Today, I say happy birthday to Mr. Rockwell and I’m giving a big thank you to Ruby Bridges for paving the way for me to get a quality education.

Sonia Sanchez Reads At Free Library of Philadelphia-Feb. 2, 2010

I recently won an essay contest in which I wrote about how Sonia Sanchez inspires me as an activist writer. I am so blessed to live in a city in which I have access to the best and most respected writers in the world; writers like Ms. Sanchez. Those who are familiar with my writing style know I always aim to celebrate what many see as not worthy of celebration. Ms. Sanchez is definitely one of my literary role models.

I invite you to come and hear who Maya Angelou describes as a lion in the literary forest. Sonia Sanchez will read tomorrow, February 2, 2010, at the Central Branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia. She will read from her new work entitled Morning Haiku. This event is free and open to the public. Come and hear a giant!

Sonia Sanchez
February 2, 2010
Free Library of Philadelphia/Central Branch
1901 Vine Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
215-567-4341

Haitian Poet Lenelle Moise-Mud Mothers

I’ve been watching on TV what’s happening in Haiti. My grandfather, who loves history, has been trying to explain Haiti’s history to me, to help me understand why he has always admired Haiti and why Haiti has always had a difficult time. It was the first post-colonial, independent black-led country in the world. Haiti fought against Napoleon, the French and won it’s independence in 1804. Wow!

I got an even clearer picture of who Haiti is and what its audacious, brave spirit has cost this amazing island country. Here is a poem by the Haitian writer Lenelle Moise. The example of her poem is why poetry has the biggest teeth. She sums up the truth in a few stanzas. I am still rereading this poem and holding my breath.

Mud Mothers
By Lenelle Moise

the children of haiti

are not mythological

we are starvin

or eating saltycakes

made of clay

because in 1804 we felled

our former slave captors

the graceless losers sunk

vindictive yellow

teeth into our forests

what was green is now

dust & everyone knows

trees unleash oxygen

(another humble word

for life)

they took off

with our torn branches

beheaded our future

stuck our breath up on pikes

for all the world to see

we are a living dead example

of what happens to warriors who -

in lieu of fighting for white men's countries -

dare to fight

for their own lives

during carnival

we could care less

about our bloated empty bellies

where there are voices

we are dancing

where there is vodou

we are horses

where there are drums

we are possessed

with joy & stubborn jamboree

but when the makeshift

trumpet player

runs out of rhythmic breath

the only sound left is guts

grumbling

& we sigh

to remember

that food

& freedom

are not free

is haiti really free

if our babies die starving?

if we cannot write our names

read our rights keep

our leaders in their seats?

can we be free

really? if our mothers are mud? if dead

columbus keeps cursing us

& nothing changes

when we curse back

we are a proud resilient people

though we return to dust daily

salt gray clay with hot black tears

savor snot cakes

over suicide

we are hungry

creative people

sip bits of laughter

when we are thirsty

dance despite

this asthma

called debt

congesting

legendarily liberated

lungs

- Lenelle Moïse

©Lenelle Moïse 2009

Used with permission/Women Arts

Photo of Lenelle Moise

Win a Trip with Nick Kristof and Learn From the World

A lot of you know I’m a big fan of New York Times journalist Nicholas Kristof. I recently selected him for my hero project for Social Studies. What sets him apart from other journalists is what he chooses to consistently cover-that is issues of global poverty and inequality .

For the past few years, Mr. Kristof and the New York Times have sponsored a contest for a university student to accompany him on a trip abroad to learn about the world. I will win this contest one day, but for now I am sharing Mr. Kristof's announcement about the 2010 contest. Here it is and share it with your college-going sister, brother, cousin or whomever. Just share it.

Here's the link to a great page to learn all about this life-changing opportunity.

http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/12/announcingdrumrollwin-a-trip-2010/?WT.mc_id=OP-D-I-NYT-MOD-BIG-WAT-ROS-0110-NA&WT.mc_ev=click

The Pennsylvania Ballet: The Nutcracker By George Balanchine

A Review by Sojourner Ahebee

On December 23, 2009, I attended The Nutcracker at The Academy of Music. What an amazing experience! The Nutcracker, a favorite holiday ballet, is about a young girl named Marie. The ballet opens on an Christmas Eve at the Stahlbaum house. The setting is festive and the danicng will surely put you in the holiday mood. One of the party-goers, Drosselmeyer , a toymaker and godfather to Marie and her brother Fritz, gives Marie a beautiful Nutcracker as a gift. Her brother Fritz then becomes very jealous of Marie’s present and breaks the Nutcracker ,but Drosselmeyer repairs it by using his almost magical handkerchief. After the party guests leave the Stahlbaum home, Marie falls asleep under the Christmas tree with the Nutcracker in her arms. She has a fantastic dream where toys become larger than life.

The opening scene is absolutely magnificent! The set design is to die for. It is beautifully put together and so realistic that the audience feel like it is inside of the story itself. Also, the children dancers play a key role in the ballet. More than 20 children dance their hearts out in this production. They always bring cheer and amusement to the audience members throughout the performance! The costumes were so fun and festive! The put me in the Christmas spirit immediately! My favorite costume in the opening scene is the costume worn by one of the little boys who attended the party. He wore a blue sailor suit.

The next scene starts. The Clock strikes midnight and weird things begin to happen. Marie begins to shrink and the Christmas tree begins to get larger. The toys under the tree magically come to life and the room quickly fills with an army of mice, which is led by the Mouse King. As the Nutcracker awakens, he leads his army of toy soldiers into battle with the mice. This is followed by an intense one on one battle between the Mouse King and the Nutcracker. The Nutcracker wins in the end. The scene closes. This is one of my best-loved scenes because of the MASSIVE Christmas tree and the army of mice. As soon as the Christmas tree started to grow in size, I was blown away by the size and grandeur of the tree. This was totally unexpected. Also, when the army of mice and the Mouse King invaded the stage, I was thrown back by how life like the heads of the mice looked like. It was thrilling and exciting at the same time to see the mice travel the length of the stage.

The next scene starts. The Nutcracker turns into a Prince and takes Marie on a journey to the land of snow. This is a beautiful forest scene where they are welcomed by dancing snowflakes. At the end of this dance number a snow like substance begins to fall from the stage’s roof. The snow is so realistic! What a Winter Wonderland!

In the next scene, The Prince escorts Marie to the Land of Sweets where they are greeted by the Sugar Plum Fairy. The Prince tells her about their daring battle with the army of mice and she rewards them with a celebration of dances. This celebration of dances included: Hot Chocolate, Coffee, Tea, Candy Canes, Marzipan Shepherdesses, Mother Ginger and her Polichinelles, Dewdrop flowers, and last but not least The Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier. I just adored the dance of the Candy Canes. The costumes for this number were right on point and very Christmassy! The lead dancer, Jermel Johnson ,was extremely talented and received much applause from the audience.

In the last scene, Marie awakes from her dream and finds herself by the tree with her Nutcracker.

The curtains then close and re-open and the dancers come out to bow before the audience. This was a truly beautiful performance put on by the Pennsylvania Ballet! From the set designs to the costumes ,everything was done to perfection! Without a doubt, this is a must see holiday event that children and adults are sure to enjoy!

To get your tickets for the Nutcracker or other upcoming events by the Pennsylvania Ballet, just visit its website at: http://www.paballet.org/ or call 215-893-1999! The Nutcracker will be performed until December 31, 2009 at the Academy of Music, Broad and Locust StreetsPhiladelphia, PA 19102.

A Great Art Gallery in the Neighborhood-Come to Open House

There are some books and movies and places that after experiencing them once, that one time is more than enough. You have no desire to revisit them. But, there are some things and places your soul almost craves-you need to visit them again and again. One of these kinds of places for me is LaReine Nixon’s art gallery.

Home Is Where The Art Is is a full service art gallery located at 5150 Hazel Avenue, in West Philadelphia. Though Ms. Nixon represents many artists and does custom framing and restoration, it is her own artwork that my family and friends are the biggest fans of.

I especially like how she portrays young people and I like how her perspective is both local and global. I also appreciate how she conscientiously chose to locate her gallery in a residential neighborhood where its residents, especially children, could see artists in action and examples of creative work. She is a model businesswoman and artist; an example to emulate or just be inspired by.

Above are a few of my favorite paintings by Ms. Nixon. Her talent and her concern for humanity clearly shine through. I urge my readers to encourage their parents to visit Ms. Nixon’s gallery. She is always so gracious to visitors and loves talking about art and its process.

You may visit any day by appointment, but Ms. Nixon is having a special open house on Sunday, December 27 at 2:00. For more information call 215-476-9638.

Home is Where The Art Is; Fine Art and Custom Framing
5150 Hazel Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19143

* The Paintings' Names are :

Mali Blues

In the Shade

Windows to the Soul

Casualty Of War

Africa I Am

Quadruplets Accepted at Yale

When my mom shared this story, I just smiled-big time!!! Here is Kenny, Martina, Ray and Carol Crouch. They are quadruplets from Connecticut who all won admission to Yale University under its Early-Admission Program. Here’s the link to read more about them and how amazing they are. Bravo!

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/19/education/19yale.html?_r=1&hp

National Constitution Center Offers Winter Camp

For parents looking for a unique way to keep kids active in mind and body this winter break, the National Constitution Center is offering a new winter camp session, Growing Up, American Style Camp. This interactive experience provides children ages 6-14 with the opportunity to learn what life was like for kids growing up in America throughout history.

Growing Up, American Style Camp runs from Monday, December 28 through Thursday, December 31, 2009, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. An optional extended day program from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. is available for an additional fee. Registration costs are $45 for members and $50 for non-members. Registration is due by Monday, December 21,2009. You may call 215.409.6700 or email at camp@constitutioncenter.org for more information.

Campers will discover what everyday life was like for children in America throughout the Colonial, Civil War, Progressive, and Civil Rights eras. Through a variety of activities, including soap making, old fashioned games, a costume runway show, and etiquette classes, campers will learn how often children bathed, what they did for fun, how they dressed, how they were expected to behave, and more. Campers will also discover how kids have helped shape our nation’s history. From working on the family farm to fighting for our country’s independence, kids have been dancing to the beat of their own fife and drum for centuries. Campers will even take a journey back in time to experience a school day with the Little Rock Nine and march beside Martin Luther King, Jr. as he delivers his “I Have a Dream” speech.

The National Constitution Center is located at 525 Arch Street, on Philadelphia’s Independence Mall. Its website is www.constitutioncenter.org.

Rokia Traore-Give A Listen

Rokia Traore is a singer from Mali. Her voice captures what is beautiful and fragile and inspiring about Africa. Her sound is definitely different from what most of your ears are programmed to receive. Shake your head and give a listen.

Click on this link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kl_gLNiJ5tc