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OCEAN HEROES BOOTCAMP SQUAD LEADER TRAINING SUMMIT

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SEATTLE AQUARIUM TO HOST ELITE YOUTH ACTIVISTS AT INAUGURAL

OCEAN HEROES BOOTCAMP SQUAD LEADER TRAINING SUMMIT

Following the Seattle training, nearly 300 Ocean Heroes will convene in June to learn from leading scientists, acclaimed campaigners, and their peers

 WHAT: In preparation for the annual Ocean Heroes Bootcamp, a group of elite youth activists will participate in a three-day Squad Leader Training Summit hosted at the Seattle Aquarium to learn peer-to-peer leadership and build capacity for driving change at scale. The Summit will train over 10 youth activists in advance of their roles as “Squad Leaders” of the 2019 Ocean Heroes Bootcamp, hosted by Ocean Wise, which will welcome 300 international youth to Vancouver, British Columbia.

Developed by leading international ocean-health NGOs and creative partners, Ocean Heroes Bootcamp empowers global youth to create their own impact campaigns to fight the ocean plastic crisis. The three-day program, led by the “Squad Leaders”, equips attending youth ages 11-18 with critical knowledge and essential campaigning tools, such as how to start a movement against single-use plastics in their hometowns. By building peer networks, Ocean Heroes learn the vitality of collaboration across geographies, demographics, backgrounds and interests.

 Since the inaugural Ocean Heroes Bootcamp 2018, 20+ youth activists have implemented campaigns to eliminate single-use plastic straws in their communities; with one of those Heroes single-handedly keeping over 10 million straws [annually] out of circulation by removing them from over 84 public schools in her area.

WHO: Ocean Heroes Bootcamp was co-founded by Captain Planet Foundation, Lonely Whale, and Point Break Foundation. The three founding organizations produce the annual Bootcamp and the year-long Campaign Mentorship Program with critical collaboration from more than 10 partner NGOs, like Algalita and the Seattle Aquarium, both leading partners in the Squad Leader Training Summit.

A sample of 2019 Squad Leaders participating in this training include:

  •  Anushka Bhaskar, an 18-year-old California native who serves as the Chief Youth Officer of Algalita Marine Research and Education. Bhaskar believes that young people should have every opportunity to communicate their ideas for a world protected from environmental destruction and geared towards responsible and sustainable practices that build environmental resilience.
  •  Carter Ries, 17-year-old co-founder of One More Generation (OMG), a nonprofit Carter and his sister collaborate on to educate youth and adults about endangered species. Carter has countless accomplishments in the fight against plastic pollution including creating the OneLessStraw campaign which has been adopted by thousands of restaurants globally, and helped to encourage Delta to eliminate plastic straws on its flights and in airport clubs, and more.
  •  Elsa Mengistu, a 17-year-old North Carolina native who serves as the director of partnerships at Zero Hour and coordinates outreach in order to gain support for the Youth Climate Movement. Mengistu was one of the lead youth organizers for her local March For Our Lives chapter and school walkouts.
  •  Shelby O’Neil, an 18-year-old California native who convinced Alaska Airlines to ditch plastic straws and toothpicks on all its flights. O’Neil was also flown to the Delta Airlines headquarters to promote her campaign.
  • Featured Keynote Presenter: Jamie Margolin, co-founder of Zero Hour, a movement to center the voices of diverse youth in the conversation around climate and environmental justice

Additional keynote presenters include Andy Romjue, president of Hoffmaster, parent company of Aardvark Straws; Dune Ives, executive director of Lonely Whale; Leesa Carter-Jones, president & CEO of Captain Planet Foundation; Jaqueline Drumhelle, former sustainability manager for Alaska Airlines; and more.

WHEN/WHERE: Friday, May 17 from 6-7:30 p.m. at Loulay, 600 Union St., Seattle 98101

Saturday, May 18 from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. at Seattle Aquarium, 1483 Alaskan Way

Sunday, May 19 from 8:30 a.m.-noon at Seattle Aquarium, 1483 Alaskan Way

Key Squad Leader Training events include (full schedule here):

Saturday, May 18

8:45-9 a.m. Opening Keynote on Leadership: Erin Meyer, Director of Conservation Programs & Partnerships at Seattle Aquarium

11 a.m.-noon  Corporate Engagement Fireside Chat

This panel features Jaqueline Drumhelle, former sustainability manager for Alaska Airlines, Andy Romjue, president of Hoffmaster, and Dune Ives, executive director of Lonely Whale, who will discuss Strawless Skies and tips for engaging corporate entities in sustainability campaigns. Ives and Romjue will also reflect on Strawless In Seattle and how the two organizations jointly approached businesses to create impact across the city during the month-long campaign. Squad Leader Shelby O’Neil will moderate the session.

1-1:40 p.m Tour of Seattle Microplastics Lab

Sunday, May 19

8:30-9 a.m. Youth keynote and Q&A on connection between climate + oceans and growing a grassroots movement: Youth activist Jamie Margolin, founder of Zero Hour

9:15-9:30 a.m.  Workshop with youth leaders, Captain Planet Foundation, and Lonely Whale on meeting Ocean Heroes Bootcamp 2020 challenge

Noon   Closing Remarks: Jim Wharton, Seattle Aquarium Director, Conservation Engagement and Learning

ADDITIONAL DETAILS:

Ocean Heroes Bootcamp is creating a global network of empowered youth leaders working in collaboration to beat plastic pollution. The 2019 Bootcamp will train 300 youth activists ages 11-18 from 29 countries and 25 states.

While the inaugural Bootcamp highlighted methods for eliminating single-use plastic straws, this year’s campaign focus is on single-use plastic water bottles. With emerging studies that draw connections between methane and plastic breakdown, the Squad Leader Training Summit is critical for youth education about the impact ocean plastic pollution has on their future climate. Plastic is connected to climate change and it pollutes at every stage: from materials extraction to product production to waste disposal.

During the Bootcamp, youth participants not only learn plastic’s environmental impact, but also the essentials of impact campaigning. Workshops are facilitated by leading scientists and internationally acclaimed campaigners. All Ocean Heroes Bootcamp participants will learn from their peers including internationally recognized youth activists Olivia & Carter Ries, Hannah Testa, Saanya Bhargava, Melati Wisjen, among others. Through their guidance, attending Ocean Heroes create unique campaign concepts that they have the chance to pitch to a panel of expert judges, including Captain Planet Foundation Board Chair and global eco-influencer, Laura Turner Seydel, UN Environment Goodwill Ambassador and Lonely Whale Co-founder Adrian Grenier, and Co-Founder of Bye Bye Plastic Bags Melati Wijsen.

Environmental and youth-focused organizations making Ocean Heroes Bootcamp possible include co-founders Captain Planet Foundation, Lonely Whale, and Point Break Foundation, and 2019 programming partners 5Gyres Institute, Algalita, Big Blue and You, Litterati, Love Letters to the Sea, The Ocean Project, UN Environment, and this year’s host, Ocean Wise.

For more information on Ocean Heroes Bootcamp, visit www.oceanheroes.blue. You can also connect with Ocean Heroes Bootcamp on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

“Skylark West presents – Reji Marc, Aline Vida, and Bad Camper $8/21+“

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Critical Sun is proud to present Aline Vida, in performance on 5/3/2019 at 8:00pm.  The concert/show will be held at Skylark West in West Seattle.

Admission is $8.

When you listen to the fluttering, full voice of Northwest-based songwriter, Aline Vida, you understand for the first time again the sound of ripened music plucked and pressed for you in the fresh, new moment. The singer, who has traveled the world and played some of its most hallowed rooms, mixes with many sonic ingredients: from the wood-chirped acoustic to the triumphant operatic to the fantastic rock ‘n’ roll.

Born in California, Vida graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles. She traveled to Sweden next, to practice her craft, before heading back to the Big Apple to perform often in showrooms like B.B. King’s Blues Club in Times Square and the famed Harlem jazz club, Lenox Lounge. In 2014 she appeared on KSER near her current hometown, Seattle, WA, for a live on-air performance. In 2015 the Emmy-nominated series, Justified, featured her song, “Secrets and Lies,” in an episode.

But accomplishments like these, for Vida, are pieces of the temporary. Music, however, is the realm of the timeless. And that is why she is a full participant in its magic.Lately, she’s played all over the Emerald City and has a soon to be released EP on the horizon. With a rich voice like a bow across silver cello strings, Vida can remind you of many styles, from Cher to Amy Winehouse and Etta James to Reba McEntire. Yet, with all of these options in tow, Vida’s is an original recipe.

Along with Aline will be the following acts.

REJI MARC is a songwriter, musician, singer and performer born in Seattle, Washington USA. Reji Marc learned to play piano and organ at church by 4 years old and by the age of 9, his mom started enrolling him in local talent shows. At 14 he got his first guitar which was a gift from a family friend and in the same year started writing his own songs. Reji Marc began performing around Seattle as Hip-Hop Rock Trio with friends Roc Phella (then Oz Roc) and Luke Jackson (Cool hand Luke), Felicia Loud, Tara Wade (TT) and Chris Newman (C-Roc) joined the band later. Reji Marc has worked with artist around Seattle, Austin, Los Angeles USA, Jakarta, Indonesia and has played clubs, bars, cafes, restaurants, festivals, The Key Arena and Century-link field in Seattle. Live, Reji Marc mostly performs his own material mixed with cover songs and loves collaborating with other artist and bands in studio and on stage.

http://www.reverbnation.com/rejimarc
https://twitter.com/rejimarc

Bad Camper is a new band to the Seattle area, with all of the members growing up within the city limits. They play a smooth melodic style of psych rock that draws major influences from historic Seattle bands. The band has roots in West Seattle, with the group forming up the street from Skylark, just off 35th. If you want to know more about the band, well just head on out to Skylark May 3rd and get to know them; rumor has it one of the Bad Campers guitarist (Brad Cleveland) will write you a poem in exchange for a whiskey sour – sounds like a steal to me.

https://www.facebook.com/badcamperseattle/?modal=admin_todo_tour

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Quote

”Aline Vida is truly the North West’s power diva of Rock and Soul. The weight of her lyrics is matched to the strength of her voice, which combines to drive home the points she makes in a most unique way. And all done with power and grace!”.” Bubba Jones Editor and CEO at Critical Sun

Aline Vida is available for phone interview.  Please email press@alinevida.com to set up a time that is convenient.

Please visit Aline Vida’s website at  www.alinevida.com  for  much more information, including mp3’s,bio, pictures, and contact info.


Indique Hair Introduces Chaka by Indique

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Indique Hair, the premier provider of virgin hair extensions, today announced the launch of its new hair-wig line with Chaka Khan.

Chaka by Indique is an exclusive collection designed for every woman everywhere! Icon Chaka Khan and her longtime friend and hairstylist, George R. Fuller, love Indique and desired to create special pieces highlighting Chaka’s signature textured looks.

“My hair has always been arguably as iconic as my voice. This collaboration with Indique allows me to share a piece of myself with every woman every wear… I hope that you love it!” -Chaka Khan

Chaka by Indique’s iKhanic Curl is a full adjustable wig with an undetectable 4×4 freestyle parting lace closure. Created using Indique’s Bounce Coil Curl, these luscious curls have a unique coiled pattern that allows you to create a gorgeous tightly curled hairstyle, or brush it through for a natural afro-inspired look.

“I’ve spent half my life, which entails my career, with the legend who is considered Every Woman- Chaka Khan! She has entrusted her crown and glory with my hands for a couple of decades. It gives me immense pleasure, joy, and great excitement to partner with another legendary brand in the hair & beauty industry. To bring to women everywhere the iKhanic line- Chaka by Indique.” – George R. Fuller

Chaka by Indique’s iKhanic Straight is a full adjustable wig with an undetectable 4×4 freestyle parting lace closure. Created using Indique’s Bounce Blow-Out, iKhanic Straight can be worn in its natural state, curled, or flat ironed. This texture has low luster, making any style look super natural.

“Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that I would be partnering with my favorite hair icon, the one, and only Chaka Khan. This is a major moment in the hair extension industry and I’m thrilled to offer the Chaka experience to everyone who loves Indique.” – Ericka Dotson, Indique’s Co-Founder & Creative Director

Chaka by Indique is available for purchase at www.chakabyindique.com, www.indiquehair.com, and at the Indique Hair Boutiques.

About Indique Hair

Chaka by Indique is an exclusive collection designed for every woman everywhere! Icon Chaka Khan and her (longtime) hairstylist George Fuller, love Indique and desired to create special pieces highlighting Chaka’s signature textured looks. (PRNewsfoto/Indique Hair)

With a winning combination of hair experts and stylists and more than 30 years of industry experience, Indique Hair International provides 100 percent virgin human hair that is natural and of the highest quality. With an impressive client base that consists of Chaka Khan, Lady Gaga, Kelly Rowland, Lala Vasquez, Gabrielle Union, Rihanna, Ciara, Taraji P. Henson, Brandy, Zendaya and more, Indique Hair’s unique Indian virgin and natural human hair extensions are lustrous and tangle free.

Indique Hair is the only company that produces hair extensions at the source, with headquarters in India. Indique Hair has 18 freestanding boutiques in metro New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas, Miami, Boston, Silver Spring, Ghana, Johannesburg and more. www.indiquehair.com

About Chaka Khan

Chaka Khan is one of the world’s most gifted and celebrated musicians of our time. With a rich musical legacy, the 10-time GRAMMY® Award Winner is looking forward to a celebration of a lifetime. As a songwriter, actor, author, philanthropist, entrepreneur, and activist, Chaka Khan has influenced generations of recording artists. She has the rare ability to sing in seven music genres, including R&B, pop, rock, gospel, country, world music, and classical. Affectionately known around the world as Chaka, she is revered by millions of fans, as well as her peers, for her timeless, classic, and unmatched signature music style and ability. The late, great Miles Davis often said, “She [Chaka] sings like my horn.” The Queen of Soul, also praised, “[Chaka] is a one-of-a-kind, premier vocalist.”

About George Fuller

George Robert Fuller has spent more than half of his life gallivanting around the world through toxic clouds of hairspray while beautifying behind the scenes of some of the industry’s most iconic people. He does this all in the name of making them “GEorgeous”, not to be confused with gorgeous. His clientele represents legends across the globe, including multi-award winning artists Chaka Khan, Patti LaBelle, the late Natalie Cole, Olivia Newton-John, and Anita Baker. George’s versatility has also allowed him to work with leading executives Linda Johnson Rice (JPC), Juanita Jordan (JVJ enterprises), Mellody Hobson Lucas (Ariel Capital), Cathy Hughes (Radio One/ TV-One), just to name a few.

www.chakabyindique.com
www.indiquehair.com

Neighbor Day on May 4 by indulging in random acts of kindness.

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We invite all Seattle residents to celebrate Neighbor Day on May 4 by indulging in random acts of kindness.

Neighbor Day is a special day set aside to reach out to neighbors, make new friends, and express thanks to those who help make your neighborhood a great place to live.

Residents, businesses, or community groups are all encouraged to participate however they like. The main goal is simply to reach out and connect with your neighbors through generosity.

Learn more & get ideas at http://www.seattle.gov/neighborday

UP BEAT on Jackson – Kenisha Blackman & Lady Jay

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Upbeat on Jackson Concerts are free, including refreshments! Friends, neighbors, music lovers of all ages are invited to attend!  The series honors the legacy of Ernestine Anderson and the rich diversity and musical history of the Central Area, welcoming friends and neighbors to connect, celebrate community and enjoy music.  We thank the Seattle Department of Neighborhood for a Neighborhood Matching Grant for this concert series.

Full Company Announced in West Coast Premiere of Seattle Rep’s NINA SIMONE: FOUR WOMEN

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Full Company Announced in West Coast Premiere of Seattle Rep’s
NINA SIMONE: FOUR WOMEN
by Christina Ham
directed by Valerie Curtis-Newton
west coast premiere
“Simmering and imperious” –The Washington Post
 Seattle Rep today announced the complete casting for its highly anticipated west coast premiere production of Christina Ham’s Nina Simone: Four Women, a celebration of the life and journey of one of America’s most iconic singers and civil rights activists. When “The High Priestess of Soul” Nina Simone heard about the tragic bombing deaths of four young girls in an Alabama church in 1963, the songstress turned to her music as a means of expressing the country’s agony. In Nina Simone: Four Women, Ham uses Simone’s “Four Women” as the framework to explore Simone’s shift from artist to artist-activist through storytelling, debate, and music, immersing audiences in the complex harmony of protest. Nina Simone: Four Women is directed by Valerie Curtis-Newton and runs April 26 – June 2, 2019 (opening night is May 1) on the Bagley Wright stage. Single tickets are on sale now (starting at $17) and are available through the Seattle Rep Box Office at 206.443.2222 or online at SeattleRep.org.
Seattle-based theatre artist, filmmaker, and musician Shontina Vernon (ACT Theatre; Intiman Theatre) joins the cast in the title role of Nina Simone alongside Gregory and Footlight Award-winner Shaunyce Omaaar (The 5th Avenue Theatre, Village Theatre) as Sarah, Britney Simpson (Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival; Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Cincinnati Playhouse) as Sephronia, and Porscha Shaw (Seattle Shakespeare Company) as Sweet Thing.
“It is a joy to be in the room with these artists,” director Valerie Curtis-Newton states. “We are all experiencing in its making exactly what we hope the audience will experience in viewing it – the discovery and celebration of the complexity and beauty of black women in the world. It is also a play about healing. Healing in order to join together to make a difference to confront the hostile world we face every day. It is a call to recognize those who came before us and to honor them by taking action.”
The creative team for Nina Simone: Four Women includes Jennifer Zeyl (Scenic Designer), Stephen Michael Newby (Music Director/Composer) L.B. Morse (Projection Designer), Matt Starritt (Sound Designer), Melanie Burgess (Costume Designer), and Dani Tirrell (Choreographer).
                                                           
ABOUT CHRISTINA HAM (PLAYWRIGHT)
Christina Ham was named one of “The Top 20 Most-Produced Playwrights of the 2018-19 Season” by American Theatre magazine. She is a two-time recipient of a McKnight Fellowship in Playwriting and a Jerome Fellowship from the Playwrights’ Center in Minneapolis, She has received commissions from The Guthrie Theater, Ensemble Studio Theatre/Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and the Kennedy Center, among many others. Her plays are published by Dramatic Publishing, PlayScripts, Inc., and Oberon Books. A graduate of the University of Southern California with a M.F.A. in Playwriting from The UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television, she is a member of The Kilroys, an advocacy group fighting for gender balance on the American stage. She is currently a Playwright-in-Residence at Pillsbury House Theatre and writes on the new Amazon horror anthology series Them: Covenant. www.christinaham.com
ABOUT VALERIE CURTIS-NEWTON (DIRECTOR)
Currently the Head of Performance – Directing at the University of Washington School of Drama, Valerie also serves as the Founding Artistic Director for The Hansberry Project, a professional African American theatre lab. She has worked with theatre’s across the country including: The Guthrie Theatre, Playmakers Repertory Comany, Actors’ Theatre of Louisville, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Intiman Theatre, Seattle Children’s Theatre, The Mark Taper Forum, New York Theatre Workshop, Tacoma Actors’ Guild, Southern Repertory Theatre, Capitol Repertory Theatre among others.
Awards:  2016: Seattle Times Footlight Award (Best in Show) 2014: Stranger Genius Awards in Performance and the Crosscut Courage Award for Culture; 2012: Gypsy Award for Excellence in Direction 2001: Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation’s (SDCF) Gielgud Directing Fellowship 1997-1999: NEA/TCG Career Development Fellowship  for Directors.                                                                                                        
April 26 – June 2, 2019
Performance times: Tuesday-Sunday 
Select Saturday, Sunday, and Wednesday matinees at 2:00 p.m. and evening performances at 7:30 p.m. (no matinees during previews)
Opening Night: Wednesday, May 1 at 7:30 p.m.

Seattle Repertory Theatre’s Bagley Wright Theatre, located at Seattle Center at the corner of Second Ave. and Mercer St., Seattle, Washington
 
Start at $17 – ON SALE NOW
Discounted tickets for groups of 10+ may be purchased by calling 206.443.2224. 
For ticket reservations, call the Seattle Repertory Theatre Box Office at 206.443.2222 or toll-free at 877.900.9285, or go online at seattlerep.org 
SeattleRep.org
Facebook – /SeattleRep
Instagram – @SeattleRep
Twitter – @SeattleRep
#SeattleRep #NinaSimoneFourWomen
About Seattle Repertory Theatre
Seattle Rep was founded in 1963 and is currently led by Artistic Director Braden Abraham and Managing Director Jeffrey Herrmann. One of America’s premier not-for-profit resident theatres, Seattle Repertory Theatre has achieved international renown for its consistently high production and artistic standards, and was awarded the 1990 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre. With an emphasis on entertaining plays of true dramatic and literary worth, Seattle Rep produces a season of plays along with educational programs, new play workshops, and special presentations.
Producing Sponsors for Nina Simone: Four Women are the National Endowment for the Arts, the Nesholm Family Foundation, The Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation, Matthew Bergman & Kimberly Burnett, Leslie & Dale Chihuly, Joan Cremin, Maryanne Tagney & David Jones, and Alida and Christopher Latham. The Producing Associate for the production is Clark Nuber. Seattle Repertory Theatre’s 2018/2019 Season is sponsored in part by ArtsFund.

April is Play Time at Seattle Center, Where No Two Visits are Alike

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April is play month at Seattle Center, with a fun and lively line-up of child-friendly activities to take families through the traditional spring break period and beyond.

The campus is abuzz with youthful goings-on at destinations like Artists at Play, International Fountain, Space Needle and Pottery Northwest featuring Student Show & Sale, April 5-26. International Children’s Friendship Festival, April 6-7, highlights the coming weekend and Movin’ Around the World: Spring the coming week, April 6-12. World Rhythm Festival fills several campus venues Saturday, April 20, and Seattle Center Festál: Seattle Cherry Blossom & Japanese Cultural Festival returns April 26-28 to Fisher Pavilion and Armory.

Here are some additional opportunities to explore fun, family-oriented activities at Seattle Center this month:

Take time over the spring break to discover innovations and inventions that help create a world where every person has the opportunity to live a healthy and productive life, immerse yourself in debates about education, health and poverty and take action on a cause you care about at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Discover Center. The Center commemorates the 19th Annual Pacific Islander heritage month in Washington State, 4 p.m., Saturday, April 20, with an elders’ welcome and blessing and a sacred tuba ceremony. The event offers Pacific Islander music and spoken word and traditional foods. Free and open to the public with RSVP.

Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP), open daily 10 a.m.–5 p.m., presents several current and traveling exhibits for music, popular culture and science fiction enthusiasts of all ages. MoPOP holds its annual Spring Scout Day, Saturday, April 27, when visitors are encouraged to bring their troop, family and friends for an activity and leave with a fun patch (while supplies last). For more information, call 206-262-3420.

Pacific Science Center offers daily exhibits and activities in its many galleries and theaters. PSC’s Laser Dome offers a packed roster of shows that feature stunning laser imagery and powerful sound. Visitors may also blast-off to the outer reaches of the universe, explore the planets in our own solar system or learn about recent discoveries in the Willard Smith Planetarium. Or learn the latest on efforts to eradicate malaria in Uganda, while lifting communities out of poverty at Eradicating Malaria: The Big Fight Against Little Mosquitos, 7 p.m.-9 p.m., Tuesday, April 9.

Kids can explore where food comes from and how it tastes, mix ingredients and create exothermic reactions and small explosions at Seattle Children’s Museum’s spring camp, Eat. Play. Learn! A special Earth Day Celebration, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday, April 21,allows participants to explore what it means to use “clean energy,” with readings by local artist and author, Casey Ailes, and recycled super heroes. Discovery Days Camps are designed to meet a child’s varied needs, in half or full-day and even full week increments. Each camp day has a theme, along with science, art and cultural programming and activities for ages 4 to 10. 

Seattle Children’s Theatre presents Balloonacy, a wordless, situational comedy, in which The Old Man, who lives alone, prepares to celebrate his birthday. To his surprise, the solitary festivities are interrupted when a playful Red Balloon floats into his apartment, shaking up his normal routine, through May 5 in Eve Alvord Theatre, and The Diary of Anne Frank, a sobering true story of eight people living in hiding in Nazi occupied Holland during World War II, as seen through the eyes of 13-year-old Anne Frank, through May 19 in Charlotte Martin Theatre.

For more information on events and activities throughout the year at Seattle Center, visit: www.seattlecenter.org or call 206-684-7200.

SEATTLE’S YOUTH POET LAUREATE AZURA TYABJI IS ANNOUNCED AS A REGIONAL FINALIST FOR NATIONAL YOUTH POET LAUREATE.  The announcement of the 2019 National Youth Poet Laureate will take place on Thursday, April 4, 2019. 

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Seattle Arts & Lectures is delighted to announce that Azura Tyabji has been invited to perform at the third annual National Youth Poet Laureate Commencement on April 4, 2019 at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. The event celebrates the five Regional Finalists, of which Azura is one, and announces the new 2019 National Youth Poet Laureate.

Born and raised in Seattle, Azura Mizan Tyabji is serving as Seattle’s 2018/19 Youth Poet Laureate. As a writer, spoken word performer, facilitator, and educator, what motivates every aspect of her artistic practice is a love for community, justice, and healing. If her words leave you feeling hopeful, empowered, or thinking deeper, she has achieved her goal as a poet. She hopes to continue challenging and expanding her craft and giving back to the city that inspires her. She is 18 years old and a graduate from Nova High School. Azura’s first book of poetry will be published this May with Poetry NW Editions. The book will debut at Northwest Folklife at a celebration which will also crown next year’s Youth Poet Laureate.

Azura is averrable for interviews. Please contact SAL with requests.

About the YPL Program: A joint program between WITS and Urban Word NYC—with support from Northwest Folklife, Poetry Northwest, and the Academy of American Poets—the Seattle Youth Poet Laureate Program aims to identify youth writers and leaders who are committed to civic and community engagement, poetry and performance, human relations, diversity, and education across Seattle. SAL, WITS, and our other partners recognize that youth voices and community engagement are vital for empowering young people to effect positive changes in their communities and beyond.

About Seattle Arts & Lectures: Founded in 1987, Seattle Arts & Lectures champions the literary arts by engaging and inspiring readers and writers of all generations in the Puget Sound region. SAL’s programs include the Literary Arts Series, Poetry Series, Women You Need to Know (WYNK), Journalism Series, SAL Presents, Hinge, Local Voices, Summer Book Bingo, the Youth Poet Laureate (YPL) program, and Writers in the Schools (WITS). For more information about SAL, visit lectures.org.

If you haven’t yet, for Women’s History Month please order one (two or three) of these eBooks written by and about Black Women

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If you haven’t yet, for Women’s History Month please order one (two or three) of these eBooks written by and about Black Women:  Two books about pioneering Black women; “Fanny Marion Jackson Coppin: First Black Female Principal,” amazon.com/dp/B06XDJ9FKN  (available on Over Drive) and “Ms. Forten of Philadelphia,” amazon.com/dp/B01N22E6JC. Both books are free with Amazon Prime.
Short, sweet, and only 99 ȼ.  Five stars on Amazon.com ! “Hell Hath No Fury.” amazon.com/dp/B0734J5N5G.
THE DOWN LOW ON THE LOCK UP!!!! “ABCs of the BOP;” Re-released, updated, new and improved, ready for primetime paperback, amazon.com/dp/1548538515 or eBook, amazon.com/dp/B077Y5Z6SC  Get your copy now. Give a copy to someone else to read. Recommended reading for anyone pursuing a career in criminal justice; anyone who has an incarcerated friend or relative; anyone who believes it is time for criminal justice reform; and anyone who just wants to know what the heck goes on in women’s prisons.
Thank you in advance for ordering my books.
L.A. Johnson of Aberdeen, WA
About Author:
L.A. Johnson of Aberdeen, WA  first book, “The ABCs of the BOP,” I’ve adopted the pen name L.A. Johnson. After reviewing my book, my granddaughter referred to me as “Piper.” That made me feel real good.

I earned an A.A. from Fresno City College, a B.A. from Fresno State and a M.S. and Ph.D. in Educational Administration from Purdue University. I retired from the Los Angeles School District with 26 years of teaching service credit.

From my humble beginnings in Hamlin, Texas to my current home in Aberdeen, Washington, I’ve journeyed far; that is meant in both the literal as well as the metaphorical sense.

I am one of the many who was wrongfully investigated, convicted, and incarcerated for crimes that I did not commit. As of today, I am still fighting to have my conviction overturned. I have faith that one day I will succeed.

Nelson Mandela said “After one has been in prison, it is the small things that one appreciates: being able to take a walk whenever one wants, going into a shop and buying a newspaper, speaking or choosing to remain silent. The simple act of being able to control one’s person.”

I have found that to be quite true. Other books that I have written are:

Fanny Marion Jackson Coppin: First Black Female Principal

Miss Forten of Philadelphia

TACOMA LITTLE THEATRE’S ‘OFF THE SHELF’ PRESENTS THE REVOLUTIONISTS

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TACOMA LITTLE THEATRE’S ‘OFF THE SHELF’ PRESENTS THE REVOLUTIONISTS

Tacoma Little Theatre’s Off the Shelf program is excited to present Lauren Gunderson’s, The Revolutionists, directed by Jennifer York and featuring a powerhouse of Tacoma actors.  This production will play Thursday, March 14, 2019 at 7:30pm.

Four beautiful, badass women lose their heads in this irreverent, girl-powered comedy set during the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror. Playwright Olympe de Gouges, assassin Charlotte Corday, former queen (and fan of ribbons) Marie Antoinette, and Haitian rebel Marianne Angelle hang out, murder Marat, and try to beat back the extremist insanity in 1793 Paris. This grand and dream-tweaked comedy is about violence and legacy, art and activism, feminism and terrorism, compatriots and chosen sisters, and how we actually go about changing the world. It’s a true story. Or total fiction. Or a play about a play. Or a raucous resurrection…that ends in a song and a scaffold.

 The Revolutionists features the talents of: Angela Parisotto as Olympe de Gouges, Kristen Natalia as Marianne Angelle, Cassie Jo Fastabend as Charlotte Corday, and Deya Ozburn as Marie Antoinette.

Tickets for the March 14, 2019 performance at 7:30pm are $10.00 for non TLT Members, and FREE for those who are members. Tickets may be purchased online at www.tacomalittletheatre.com, or by calling our Box Office at (253) 272-2281. 

TLT’s OFF THE SHELF

We know that there is a tremendous amount of wonderful theatre that deserves to be heard but sometimes just doesn’t get an opportunity. With “Off the Shelf”, local directors and actors will be bringing some scripts to life that we hope you will find entertaining, challenging and educational to our stage. We hope that you’ll sit back and enjoy an evening of theatre. You never know, you might see one of these shows on our mainstage in the future.