{SALON NYC}

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NYC | June 21, 2009: Celebrating 7 years!!!

Get ready to celebrate: Sunday Salon is turning 7 this month! That's right, the big 7!

First, we bid a sad farewell to our home of the last few years, Stain Bar in Brooklyn that closed its doors recently due to an increase in rent. We're determined to keep the Stain spirit of arts and creativity alive. Thank you Krista, Caroline and Craig. Big love to you all!

Please join us at our new home in Manhattan: Seventh Street Small Stage at Jimmys 43 on 7th St. between 2nd/3rd Ave.

Celebrating with us in delightful prose:

Michael Hawley's short stories have appeared in The New Yorker, Boston Review, Alaska Quarterly Review, The Saint Ann’s Review and Cimarron Review (currently on bookshelves). He recently was awarded with and participated in a three-month writing residency courtesy of the Kerouac Project of Orlando. Michael is currently at work on a collection of stories and a novel. Raised in rural Wisconsin, he studied Dramatic Writing at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and has lived in New York since 1986.

Heather Kristin, a graduate of The New School, was born and raised in New York City where she and her twin sister were home-schooled. She also studied with the Summer Literary Seminars in Russia and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. Her non-fiction articles have appeared in Glamour Magazine, Smith Magazine, the L Magazine, New York Press, Bee Magazine, Our Town, Fresh Yarn, West Side Spirit, and on J.T. Leroy’s website. Her book reviews can be found in Kirkus and in The St. Petersburg Times in Russia. She is a two-time recipient of the SAG and AFTRA personal essay awards. Her performances have been featured in Art Forum Magazine, Go Brooklyn, Middletown Journal, New York Post, and on Sex and the City. A composition she wrote on violin was featured at the Frankfurt Film Festival and at the New York Short Film Festival. Heather’s favorite activity involves spending time with her sixteen year old mentee from the non-profit organization Girls Write Now, and editing their short documentary. Currently, she is working on a memoir about being a homeless child, street performer, and a survivor of Hell’s Kitchen.

Some people have a theme song or a favorite outfit, Barbara Sueko McGuire has a power print—leopard. Unfortunately, her power print doesn’t seem to magically make forming sentences on a blank page any easier. But she’s okay with that because writing is her labor of love. Barbara Sueko is a newbie MFA graduate of Sarah Lawrence’s creative nonfiction writing program and can now be found serving up scones and tea in the Upper East Side.

Benjamin Matvey is a writer who lives in Brooklyn . His fiction has been featured in Stickman Review, Sunday Salon, Generation X Journal and twice in Philadelphia 's prestigious Writing Aloud series. His story “Big Secrets” was awarded Cynic Magazine’s "Best of 2008" distinction, and one of his stories will be featured in the anthology Philly Fiction 2. His play Brie! The Musical Dissertation was produced in the summer of 2005 and he reviving it to be brought back for an extended run in 2010. He recently finished his first novel, X, and optioned his first screenplay, No Regrets, to Amy Lo, Producer of the award-winning documentary, Planet B-Boy.

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{SALON NYC BLOG}

Sunday Salon back in Manhattan

Our economy has brought unexpected change and sadly, forced the people of Stain Bar to close its doors. We will miss this special community of artists, musicians, and friends in Brooklyn. Our time at Stain Bar was rich and will always be cherished. Thank you to Krista, the determined, warm soul who created the space, and to the recent managers Caroline and Craig, who continued the love for the arts. We will miss you.

More change. Sunday Salon is relocating to our new home in Manhattan this summer: Seventh Street Small Stage at Jimmy's 43, 43rd E 7th St. (btw 2/3rd Ave).

And more change. The stellar reading series is turning SEVEN this month! Party in the house!

Cheers,
Nita & Caroline

Daraja Academy in Kenya

Daraja Academy is the first free all-girls secondary school in all of East Africa. In late Feburary 2009, 26 girls from Kenya were given a chance for a secondary education which would otherwise not be possible, given their current economic situation.

The mission of the Daraja Academy is to cultivate a community of individuals with a sense of cultural awareness, social conscience, and environmental responsibility, all while instilling talents that will enable them to open doors to a global society. You can support the school and its mission. Just check out the website at: daraja-academy.org.

Educator and writer Jabiz Raisdana, whose compelling story Five Minutes is published on this website, has visited the school and has this to say about the place, its founder, and its purpose:

The first thing you notice about Daraja are the sounds: An orchestra of sound composed by hundreds of species of birds- an aviary city in perpetual movement. Behind this cacophony enters the slow odd beat of a cowbell clacking its slapdash jazz rhythm. An occasional yelp of children subduing an animal. A goat bleats. More birds, now more aggressive like trumpets. A low buzz of insects cellos drumming in the background. A rare car passing along an unseen road. An airplane, sound first, enters the sky exiting through clouds, then horizon.

Beyond this ensemble is silence. The beautiful all-encompassing silence of the Earth alone without civilization. An enduring peace punctuates the score like measures of necessary rests.

Even without the classrooms, teachers, books or curriculum, this campus is a place to reconnect with the urge to explore. A place to self-reflect and place oneself in the symphony of the Earth. A bare-boned canvas with ancient stories waiting to be investigated, rethought, and expanded. These grounds carved from the soil of the Kenyan savannah are the perfect place to begin a journey that will never end.

I had arrived at Daraja at night. In the darkness of that first night the campus appeared as nothing more than an empty space waiting to be filled with my expectations, my hopes, dreams, and goals not only for this small grassroots school, but also for Kenya, Africa, and the world itself.

After spending eight days on campus, I realized that Jason had transformed hours of our idealistic chatter and conjecture into a living breathing school. After meeting the staff and seeing how many people were involved with the success of the school--from the volunteers, to Peter Wahatu, to most importantly Jason’s amazing wife and partner, Jenni--it became obvious that there was no way that he could have done this on his own.

For an idea as simple yet ambitious as Daraja to work, people must believe in it. While the idea may have hatched through years of reverie and optimism, it was through Jason’s stubborn persistence that it became real. But now, it is bigger than him. Daraja needs every person who hears about the cause to support it with their time, their love, and their faith in the belief that educating young women is the best tool to build a more sustainable, just, and peaceful world.

It is this faith in collaboration and grassroots organizing that makes Daraja such a special place. To promote this school is to declare your support for a better world. It is to admit that a difference can be made in other people’s lives.

With this newsletter in hand, take action. Obviously Daraja would welcome a donation of any kind, but there is so much more one can do: share pictures, videos, blog posts about the school. Raise awareness for this project with as many people in your local community as possible. Remember Daraja means bridge and YOU are Daraja.

Poets & Poetry in Sunday Salon!

The literary gods sent four talented writers and poets to grace the stage and the audience at April's Sunday Salon! Relishing the prose of Paul Pines, Janice Erlbaum, Myla Jones, and Ed Pavlic, were celebrated poets, Yusuf Komunyakaa and Major Jackson.

Yes, your Salon hostesses were soaking in all the stellar prose and poetry vibes that night and are still floating somewhere between heaven and earth. Missed it? Well then, have a look at the photos: http://www.sundaysalon.com/pics/

And to share the love, we're welcoming poetry to the SalonZine. That's right: long live prose and poetry on-line! Our inaugural issue poets include the veritable KC Trommer and S.G. Frazier. Read 'em now and spread the word!

See all Salon NYC news»

{SALON NYC RECENT WRITERS}

Benjamin Matvey

Benjamin Matvey is a writer who lives in Brooklyn . His fiction has been featured in Stickman Review, Sunday Salon, Generation X Journal and twice in Philadelphia 's prestigious Writing Aloud series. His story “Big Secrets” was awarded Cynic Magazine’s "Best of 2008" distinction, and one of his stories will be featured in the anthology Philly Fiction 2. His play Brie! The Musical Dissertation was produced in the summer of 2005 and he reviving it to be brought back for an extended run in 2010. He recently finished his first novel, X, and optioned his first screenplay, No Regrets, to Amy Lo, Producer of the award-winning documentary, Planet B-Boy.

Barbara Sueko McGuire

Some people have a theme song or a favorite outfit, Barbara Sueko McGuire has a power print—leopard. Unfortunately, her power print doesn’t seem to magically make forming sentences on a blank page any easier. But she’s okay with that because writing is her labor of love. Barbara Sueko is a newbie MFA graduate of Sarah Lawrence’s creative nonfiction writing program and can now be found serving up scones and tea in the Upper East Side.

Heather Kristin

Heather Kristin, a graduate of The New School, was born and raised in New York City where she and her twin sister were home-schooled. She also studied with the Summer Literary Seminars in Russia and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. Her non-fiction articles have appeared in Glamour Magazine, Smith Magazine, the L Magazine, New York Press, Bee Magazine, Our Town, Fresh Yarn, West Side Spirit, and on J.T. Leroy’s website. Her book reviews can be found in Kirkus and in The St. Petersburg Times in Russia. She is a two-time recipient of the SAG and AFTRA personal essay awards. Her performances have been featured in Art Forum Magazine, Go Brooklyn, Middletown Journal, New York Post, and on Sex and the City. A composition she wrote on violin was featured at the Frankfurt Film Festival and at the New York Short Film Festival. Heather’s favorite activity involves spending time with her sixteen year old mentee from the non-profit organization Girls Write Now, and editing their short documentary. Currently, she is working on a memoir about being a homeless child, street performer, and a survivor of Hell’s Kitchen.

Michael Hawley

Michael Hawley's short stories have appeared in The New Yorker, Boston Review, Alaska Quarterly Review, The Saint Ann’s Review and Cimarron Review (currently on bookshelves). He recently was awarded with and participated in a three-month writing residency courtesy of the Kerouac Project of Orlando. Michael is currently at work on a collection of stories and a novel. Raised in rural Wisconsin, he studied Dramatic Writing at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and has lived in New York since 1986.

Mecca Woods

Born and raised in the South Bronx section of New York City,
Mecca Woods knew she wanted to become a writer at a very young age. Born an avid reader and blessed with the super ability to string words together like 'at' and 'the', Mecca took to the pen with much ardor and promise. At the age of 6, she first began entertaining friends and family with the occasional haiku and sonnet before moving on to the craft of the short story. Many years later, while studying Creative Writing at Hunter College in the heart of the Big Apple, Mecca would go on to win the Audre Lorde Prize in Poetry and secure a publishing internship with Simon & Schuster. Since completing school she has found a very comfortable niche in the non-profit sector. When not writing proposals to secure grants for low-income residents of the Bronx, she is hard at work smithing literary delights for the masses and her upcoming film ZEMIRA.

See all Salon NYC writers»

{ABOUT SALON NYC}

Nita Noveno and co-host/fellow New School grad Caroline Berger keep a refreshing blend of new and experienced literary voices on tap at Stain Bar every third Sunday of the month and online in the Sunday Salon zine.

Nita Noveno and Caroline Berger Nita Noveno is a graduate of the New School MFA Creative Writing Program. She founded the Sunday Salon series in the summer of 2002. She has most recently been published in Lost and Found: An Anthology of Teachers Writing and Worldview and was a finalist for the Missouri Review's 2005 Jeffrey E. Smith Editors Prize. Nita read at the July 2002 Salon.

Caroline Berger lives in up-and-coming Bed Stuy (she's waiting patiently). Her proetry (that's not a typo; she likes to make up her own genres) has appeared most recently on La Petite Zine and Pindeldyboz and in Barrow Street. She is the co-host of the Sunday Salon and once used all 7 letters in a game of Scrabble to spell e-t-i-o-l-a-t-e. She teaches writing at The New School & has recently succumb to the world of blogging: Apocalyptic Whimsy. Caroline read at the August 2002 Salon.