Tuesday, March 6, 2012

A Night with W.S. Merwin, Poet Laureate of the United States 2010-11, at Kennedy Theater






Posted by Picasa
Letters to a Prisoner-Interview

Letters to a Prisoner by Connie D.- Self-Help/ Recovery

Letters to a Prisoner is required reading at Habilitat-the place of change. It won an Honorable Mention in Poetry at, The 2011 New York Book Festival. An earlier unpublished version, that contained excerpts from, Blue Print For Progress, Al-Anon's Fourth Step Inventory, was approved by Al-Anon. 

Connie D. shares her thoughts on addiction and why it is SO IMPORTANT for other parents to read her book! What are YOU waiting for—get your copy now!https://www.createspace.com/3512628

(Letters to a Prisoner by Connie D. is also available for download on Apple, Nook, Smashwords and Amazon.com.)

Monday, February 20, 2012

Powerful Words – Opening Doors is a Poetry Slam Dunk!




Prepare to be inspired, aroused and LOL!  

Powerful Words – Opening Doors is a Poetry Slam Dunk!

The production begins with a skit in the tradition of Saturday Night Live.  Add in six Author interviews sprinkled throughout, fourteen brilliant performances and we are LIVE, HAWAII!  
This time, I‘ve invited my friends, who have powerful and passionate things to say, that have overcome obstacles and opened a few doors of their own. Women who ROCK!  
Heavyweights like my  friend,  Kumu Hula, Anita `Ilima Kauka Stern who has has agreed once again to bless and  open the Pen Woman conference at Punahou this March. My old friend, Kathryn Waddell Takara, a highly accomplished author and retired UH professor, who has a distinctive voice and style and my new Pen Woman friend, Marcia Zina Mager, who does an inspiring RAP that you just have to hear!  Another of my W.C.C. Writing Retreat friends, Peggy Baxter Barnhardt, joins us to share about being a slam judge and her thoughts on the homeless situation and Marilyn Maya Mendoza, an author of a memoir, who I shared the podium with at the Kapolei Public Library who suffers from panic attacks.   She fills us in on a thing or two about mental illness.  
It is my distinct pleasure to introduce the Habilitat Resident Poets.  Deven R., Logovae A., Sarah S., Kalani M., Sherlyn A., Shawn H., and our sketch artist,  Kahoku.  A big thank you to my Artist friend, Jenee Wonderlich for the sketch stand.  Thank you to Caroline D. and Natalie G. for appearing in the opening skit and for my eloquent introduction.  
Thank you to my son, Jason DeDona, and my husband, Capt. Tommy DeDona,  who contributed their talents to construct and paint our set.  
Special thanks to Jeffrey V.  Nash, Habilitat’s Facility Director and our Olelo producer, whose creative talents worked overtime to film, refilm, edit and leave very little on the virtual cutting room floor. I couldn’t have done it without you!
In conclusion I’d like to quote a verse from the Nickelback hit song, ~ When We Stand Together -- That’s When We All WIN!!   I love the lyrics in this song!
Powerful Words--Opening Doors: Slam Poetry at Habilitat Hawaii

Coming Soon to Olelo—Stay Tuned!

Words are the keys that unlock the healing power within each of us. 
Authors, Slam Poets, Poets and Habilitat Resident Poets and Artists join together to
inspire a healing connection through the power of the Spoken Word. 
Get inspired and plug in to your power. 

In Order of Appearance:
Cornelia "CONNIE D." DeDona http://www.corneliadedona.com      
Kumu Hula, Anita `Ilima Kauka Stern http://insightmedia.us/alohablessings/index.html

Marilyn Maya Mendoza http://fromagoraphobiatozen.wordpress.com    
“I am honored to have been part of such a powerful program. I hope you all watch this and enjoy the talent of the young residents as well as the invited guests. We gave our all. aloha!”

Peggy Baxter-Barnhardt
 http://bookstore.xlibris.com/Products/SKU-0036785017/default.aspx

Marcia Zina Mager http://www.marcia-zina-mager.com  

Dr. Kathryn Waddell Takara http://www.kathrynwaddelltakara.com      “I just want to say cheers to your efforts, organizational skills, successful networking in bringing together such a wonderful diversity of voices, and an altogether successful evening at Habilitat. The video tells it all. Thank you so much for making it happen and including me, and all done in such a creative and memorable way.”
Habilitat Hawaii is a long term residential treatment center. Contact Habilitat at 1-800-872-2525 or go online at:  http://www.habilitat.com

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Powerful Words—Opening Doors


Closed Poetry Slam Show
January 29, 2012
Habilitat-the place of change
Coming Soon--to Olelo and the Internet 

Hosted by 
Cornelia Connie D. DeDona
Special Guests
Kumu Hula Anita `Ilima Kauka Stern
Author, Poet Dr. Kathryn Waddell Takara
Author, Poet Marilyn Maya Mendoza
Author, Poet Peggy Baxter Barnhardt
Artist, Author, Poet Marcia Zina Mager
Featuring Habilitat's Resident Slam Poets
AND A FEW SURPRISES!
Produced by Jeffrey V. Nash

Cornelia Connie D. DeDona is an Author, Poet and Slam Artist
She is the award-winning author of Letters to a Prisoner by Connie D., released in Jan. of 2011.    She first appeared at First Thursday’s Fresh Café Poetry Slam hosted by Kealoha in October of 2010 where she wowed the judges with her poem, “I Want to be a Poet”. She has been published in Rain Bird, Windward Community College’s award winning annual journal, since 2008.  Her poems and photography have also been published in various online and print magazines



Kumu Hula, Anita `Ilima  Kauka Stern
is a retired educator, has taught creative writing at the women’s prison in Kailua for six years.  Through the Prison Writing Project, she has helped inmates publish five editions of their work in Hulihia.  She divides her time between writing, teaching hula and the study and practice of Hawaiian spiritual traditions. Ms. Stern lives in Kailua with her family. http://www.alohablessings.com/chant2.html

Marilyn Maya Mendoza was born in Brooklyn NYC and has lived in  Makaha, Hawaii for the last 35 years. Her debut memoir,"From Agoraphobia to Zen" was released in June 2011 to good reviews.   An English teacher at Stevenson Middle School and earlier Japan, Marilyn is working on her second book, a memoir in poetry. http://fromagoraphobiatozen.wordpress.com/

Dr. Kathryn Waddell Takara is a performance poet, author, retired university professor, and motivational speaker. Winner of the American Book Award in 2010, she has toured and read her poetry across the Hawaiian Islands, the USA mainland, in Africa, and China. She has published three books of Poetry: New and Collected Poems, Pacific Raven: Hawaii Poems, Tourmalines: Beyond the Ebony Portal. Contact info:  www.kathrynwaddelltakara.com

Peggy Baxter-Barnhardt  is originally from Cincinnati, Ohio and  North Carolina, she now makes Kapolei, Hawaii her home.  She is the author of Season Of Light, written in 1996 and  last  released in 2009. She is presently writing a book about Hawaii's homeless situation to be complete in 2012.   Mrs. Barnhardt's poetry is powerful and electric. "' Writing has always been my passion, fueled by my mother’s razor wit," she states. Her first submission as a child was to Humpty Dumpty magazine.  http://bookstore.xlibris.com/Products/SKU-0036785017/default.aspx

Marcia Zina Mager is an author, journalist, poet, award-winning mixed-media artist, as well as performance artist. Her books have been translated into ten languages. Her international best-sellerBELIEVING IN FAERIES: A Manual for Grown-ups, is now available as an e-book, along with her trendy 31 Words to Create an Organized Life. Marcia regularly entertains audiences in Chinatown as a wild improviser with HomeWreckers, and also performs her original slam poetry at Fresh Café’s First Thursdays.




Featured Post

The Dark Path Brightens

It occurs to me That I require an ideal To summit these peaks. Something more than a patch. My tenacity shouts above my perception Shooting ...