Nora is a writer, currently studying Creative Writing at Antioch University. Born in Rome, Italy, by culturally diverse parents (her father is African/Italian and her mother Russian); she speaks 5 languages and is a Cambridge Certified Teacher in 'English as a Foreign Language.'
April 19th, 2008 Written by: Nora · 1 Comment
Imagine for just a moment you are a different person - a person whose only possible life in his home country is one of extreme poverty and hardships. Continue to imagine that you, this person, one day makes the terrifying decision to seek a better life; to move to a foreign land, regardless the fact you will reside in this new land as an illegal immigrant.
After a long and trying time you adapt to your new and strange surroundings. You struggle and somehow manage to survive in a place governed by a foreign culture and dominated by a completely foreign tongue. You meet a woman, and become engaged. One day your fiance tells you she is pregnant and 9 months later the long awaited joyous day arrives as your wife goes into labor. Still unable to afford a car you both slowly and cautiously start the walk to the nearest hospital. As you both approach the hospital entrance your wife suddenly collapses and you are both rushed inside as you are left to anxiously wait any news on the status of your wife and child. Finally the doctor approaches and to your utter disbelief delivers the most unexpected, utterly terrifying news - your wife and child did not make it.
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Tags: Editorials · Local Politics
April 17th, 2008 Written by: Nora · No Comments
This week in the Literary World we have Marilu Henner (Taxi) reading at Barnes and Noble in Huntington Beach, and at the Beyond Baroque we have a new look at translation in poetry with Suzanne Jill Levine, Stephen Kessler, Craig Santos Perez and Jen Hofer.
Saturday, April 19 at 7:30pm
Calque is a new, triannual journal of literature in translation edited by Steve Dolph and Brandon Holmquest.
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Tags: Literature
April 5th, 2008 Written by: Nora · No Comments
A few weeks ago at a Van Nuys warehouse the U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials sent out alerts before starting the raid. Following the public outcry that stemmed from a Massachusettes based deportation last year, the ICE is reaching out to civil rights groups before conducting a raid. The separation of women and children for days at a time lead to many health issues in Massachusettes including dehydration and traumatic stress to small children.
The Van Nuys raid went a little smoother. ICE contacted social service agencies to learn before hand if there would be small children that would need care while their parents were detained. They asked if any suspected illegal immigrants suffered from chronic health conditions or if anyone required special assistance. Numbers of lawyers accepting pro-bono cases were handed out at the time of the raid. The lawyers on site however were not allowed to accompany the immigrants into the interview rooms and possible legal assistance was very limited. A conjunction against ICE was filed promptly stating this was in direct violation with the constitutional right to representation.
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Tags: Local Politics · News
April 4th, 2008 Written by: Nora · No Comments
The event takes place on Sunday April 13th, at 3pm at the Echoplex.
The All-In ‘08 Charity Poker Tournament and Benefit Concert is a fundraiser to help raise money for the Antioch University Bridge Program. In an attempt to help the community Antioch University founded the Bridge Program 10 years ago and has since then, benefited more than 400 people. The amazing outreach program allows low income adults to enroll in and once completed, obtain twelve (12) 100-Level College Credits for free. That’s right FREE. The tuition, books, transportation and dinner on night of class are free!
Now entering the 2008-2009 academic school year the planned budget is still in need of help and in an effort to do so the All-In ‘08 Poker Tournament was created. Here is where YOU can help: Register for only $25 and then - just like you would in a walk-a-thon, have a friend or family member sponsor you thus helping you raise your buy-in amount. The minimum buy-in amount to play is $200. After the tournament there will be prizes, drinks, dancing and a concert! Among the fabulous prizes are: an HP Labtop, tickets to the Playboy Jazz Festival, a Free Flying lesson at Santa Monica Airport, a massage at Burke Williams and much, much more.
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Tags: Charity · Upcoming events
April 2nd, 2008 Written by: Nora · No Comments
This week in the literary world we have Karen Harryman, Ana Thorne, Rob Roberge and Robert D. Montoya reading at the Good Luck Bar in Hollywood and Richard Milazzo, Robert Burke and Annie Reiner reading at Beyond Baroque.
Reading Rhapsodomancy presents readings by: Karen Harryman, Ana Thorne, Rob Roberge and Robert D. Montoya
Sunday April 6th, 7:30pm
The Good Luck Bar,
1514 Hillhurst Ave., Los Angeles, 90027 (Map)
Keep reading for more details on the authors and other events.
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Tags: Literature · Upcoming events
March 28th, 2008 Written by: Nora · No Comments
Extremely disturbing would be an under statement. Extraordinarily jarring barely covers the surface of how you will feel when leaving this play. The Dying Gaul follows the lives of three characters whose lives and relationships have become so problematic that just by being together they destroy one another. The director, Jon Lawrence Rivera, did an excellent job at portraying the break down of the human psyche when grief and tragedy take place, as days later I can still feel the effect the play had on me.
The play is about a man named Robert (Patrick Hancock), who has just lost his partner to AIDS when he gets the attention of a high paced studio executive Jeffrey (Ken Arquelio). When Jeffrey’s wife Elaine (Mary-Ellen Loukas) finds out about them, things begin to fall apart. Robert and Jeffrey eventually pursue a relationship that leads to the demise of all three characters.
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Tags: Reviews · theatre
March 26th, 2008 Written by: Nora · No Comments
This week in the literary world we have a reading with three renown writers: Sarah Maclay, Stephen Kessler, and Ralph Angel at Beyond Baroque while A.M. Homes, author of The Mistress’s daughter will be doing a reading at the Hammer Museum
Friday March 28th 7:30pm
681 Venice Blvd. Venice CA (Map)
(310)822-3006
- Sarah Maclay is author of The White Bride and Whore. Her work has been selected for The Best American Erotic Poems: 1800 to the Present, and has appeared in APR, FIELD, Ploughshares and Poetry International. She was co-editor of Echo 681 (Beyond Baroque), has facilitated the Beyond Baroque Wednesday Workshop many times, and received a Special Mention in Pushcart Prize XXXI.
- Stephen Kessler’s new book of poetry is Burning Daylight. He has published many volumes of poetry and has translated numerous writers into English. He is a poetry editor of Poetry Flash, and edits The Redwood Coast Review.
- Ralph Angel received the 2007 Pen USA Award for Poetry for Exceptions and Melancholies: Poems 1986 – 2006, and recently published a translation of Federico Garcia Lorca’s Poem of the Deep Song. His previous books are Twice Removed, Anxious Latitudes and Neither World (James Laughlin Award of the Academy of American Poets).
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Tags: Literature · Upcoming events
March 22nd, 2008 Written by: Nora · No Comments
America Ferrera will be one of the supporting actresses to grace the screen in directors Ligiah Villalobos new Spanish speaking film Under the Same Moon. The movie does not delve into the ‘electric fences’ or minute men militia type immigration process’. More so it takes a look at love and family. Villalobos believes that the significant drive behind each individual choice to cross the border is always based on love and family. Parents and siblings alike leave their towns and head to Los Angeles; finding menial jobs like washing dishes and selling tomatoes to stay under the radar of INS agents. The hardships unfortunately do not end once the border has been crossed. Poor living conditions followed by below minimum wage jobs often provide for a dismal situation. Most their earnings are sent home to family living in even harsher situations back home.
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Tags: Film · Upcoming events
March 20th, 2008 Written by: Nora · No Comments
Starting today, March 20th and running through April 19th The Dying Gaul, a controversial play written by a Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award nominee Craig Lucas will be showing at The Elephant Theatre.
Set in Hollywood 1995, the play takes an intimate look at three people: Robert, Jeffrey and Elaine. Robert, reeling from the death of his longtime partner, writes a screenplay chronicling the difficult road the male lovers endure and the devastating effects AIDS has on a couple. The screenplay catches the attention of a studio executive, Jeffrey who is interested in purchasing the screenplay on one condition: the couple be changed to a heterosexual one. More complications ensue as Jeffrey’s closeted bisexuality surfaces and his marriage to Elaine begins to suffer. Introduce the Internet and an overtly informative chat room and a disastrous situation appears on the horizon. [Read more →]
Tags: Upcoming events · theatre
March 19th, 2008 Written by: Nora · No Comments
This week in the literary world we have a reading with three reknown writers: Saria Idana, John Harris and Rafael F.J. Alvarado at Beyond Baroque while Richard Price will be discussing his new book The Lush Life with LA Times staff writer Scott Timberg at the Richard J. Riordan Central Library.
Reading at Beyond Baroque with Saria Idana John Harris and Rafael F.J. Alvarado
Friday March 21st at 7:30pm
681 Venice Blvd. Venice CA (Map)
(310)822-3006
- Rafael F.J. Alvarado of the Worldwide Radio Network hosts this special publication event for the release of CORRIE GREATHOUSE’s chapbook collection of prose - Portraits: Invisible Ink on Parchment.
- John Harris, co-founder of the Venice Poetry Workshop at Beyond Baroque and proprietor of Papa Bach Books literary center
- Saria Idana, a poet influenced by the Beats, contemporary spoken word artists, and Sufi mystics. Idana works with F.L.O.W., a poetry program for incarcerated youth.
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Tags: Literature · Upcoming events
March 15th, 2008 Written by: Nora · No Comments
Francisco Castaneda was born in El Salvador and like many before him, was a man who dreamed of a better life. And like Victoria Arellano (a detainee of the San Pedro detention center who died June 2007 from AIDs related complications due to the negligence of detention officials), died at the hands of immigration officials February 16th, 2008. Castaneda was arrested for possession of and intent to sell methamphetamine. Eight months later he was transfered to an immigration detention center because he did not have legal residency. Shortly after his transfer Castaneda began to suffer from a growing lesion on his penis. After visiting the facility doctor a biopsy was authorized…and ignored.
Just last week the long drawn out trial regarding Francisco Castaneda finally came to a close after Judge dean Pregerson delivered a verdict allowing Castanedas family the full right to seek damages from the government. Pregerson blasted health officials by saying that their:
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Tags: Local Politics · News · World news
March 14th, 2008 Written by: Nora · No Comments
Ten years ago Antioch University founded The Bridge Program as an out reach program to low income adults. This selfless program provides free nine-month interdisciplinary courses in the humanities for those that cannot afford the high costs of education. Tuition, books, transportation, and dinner on the night of class are free. The students who complete the course-work are eligible to receive twelve 100-level college credits from the institution. So far 400 people have benefited from this excellent program and we as a community should ensure its continuance.
The problem is the program is running out of money and is desperately seeking funds to make it through the next academic year. Enter a fun and alternative way to raise money: The Bridge Program Poker Tournament! And here is where YOU can help. Sponsor yourself, a friend or family member, in the Texas Hold’Em Poker tournament that will be held April 13th at the Echoplex (Map) at 8pm. It only coats $200 to enter. There will be cool prizes for all the top winners, a benefit concert with special guest performances after the tournament, dancing, drinks, and surprises, all in a very cool club environment.
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Tags: Local LA · Upcoming events
