Written by Jack Meltzer

Willimantic, CT -- Margaret Hebert, acting director of Eastern Connecticut State University's Tutoring Center, has been named the recipient of a $5,000 grant presented by the KnowHow2GoConnecticut Network Re-Granting Award Program. The awards program is administered by Connecticut's African-American Affairs Commission, which announced the awards at a press conference Feb. 4 in Hartford.

KnowHow2Go is a multimedia campaign that provides high school students with basic steps to actively guide their preparation for a college education. The campaign reaches out to young people, their parents and family members and their mentors through television, radio and outdoor public service advertising, and an interactive website.

Written by Jakc Meltzer

Willimantic, CT. - Beginning March 25 and running through May 6, the Akus Gallery at Eastern Connecticut State University will present "Chahar Ghesmat," which means "four parts" in Farsi.  The exhibit will show the work of four female Iranian and Iranian- American artists working in a variety of media (film, photography, painting, collage) to portray women in Iranian culture. The artists include Taravat Talepasand, Afarin Rahmanifar, Mina Momeni and Farideh Shahsavarani.

There will be several events during April to celebrate this exhibition.  An opening reception takes place on April 1 from 4 to 7 p.m. in the gallery. A screening of the movie "Persepolis" by Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud takes place on April 8 at 6:30 p.m. in the Student Center Theatre. For more information on the "Persepolis" screening, visit www.persepolis.com. A gallery talk by Iranian-born artist Samira Abbassy takes place on April 22 at 2:30 p.m. in the gallery. For more information on the Samira Abbassy gallery talk,  visit www.samiraabbassy.com.  For all events, the public is invited and admission is free.

American-born Talepasand is the youngest of the four artists in this exhibit.   She studied Persian miniature painting in Iran and uses ancient, traditional techniques to create thought-provoking and politically-charged imagery. Talepasand says, "Growing up Iranian in America had been arduous and awkward.  American individualism and Iranian deference to tradition were irreconcilable."  She self-describes her work as realism and renaissance painting.  Talepasand is represented by the Marx and Zavattero Gallery in San Francisco, CA.  Her art work can be viewed at http://www.marxzav.com/artist.php?artistID=22.

Rahmanifar, born in Iran, immigrated to America after the Iranian revolution more than 30 years ago.  She now lives and works in Connecticut  and is an a part-time professor of Visual Arts at Eastern.  Rahmanifar creates collage and paintings with American consumer imagery juxtaposed with imagery from Iranian culture, such as the story of the legendary queen of Persia, Scheherazade, juxtaposed with Mattel's Barbie doll.  Her work can be viewed at http://www.afarin-rahmanifar.com. Rahmanifar says, "Motivation for creating these hybrid personalities relates to how I see myself in the American society and the ongoing need to reconcile these two cultures that reflect both my past and present."

Momeni, born in Iran, now lives and works in Canada.  Her photographs are expressive and contemporary, but also circumspect and mindful of what is considered traditional, both culturally and politically. Like Rahmanifar, Momeni plays with the duality of myths about women as the "goddess of goodness" and also references traditions and stories such as that of Scheherazade.

Momeni's use of color and symbol is dramatic, however--mirrors, geraniums, pomegranates, flashes of colors and expressions often reference both traditional Iranian literature as well as contemporary lifestyle. Momeni says, "It is too simplistic to think that it is possible to put a veil on Iranian Woman's thought forcefully, and steal the light of this modern age's intellect from her eyes." Her work can be viewed at http://www.minamomeni.com.

Shahsavarani lives in and works in Tehran and frequently spends time in Illinois. She is a filmmaker, photographer and a professor at the Islamic Azad University in Tehran.  Like many Iranian filmmakers, Shahsavarani's work is political, confrontational and pushes at the boundaries of circumscription.  She touches on the topics of gender roles for women in Iranian culture. Shahsavarani began working more intently with film in order to "communicate more directly with the audience and to express her search for the light, the soul, the hidden meaning of life and the source of a new day."  Her work can be viewed at www.faridehshahsavarani.com.  

"These artists were selected based on their differing national and generational views and how their different experiences strongly influence their work and imagery," says Elizabeth Peterson, coordinator of the Akus Gallery. "Despite these differences, all create work with an opulence and richness which is very Persian. Of course, the increasingly charged political climate between Iran and the United States and a desire to shed a more thoughtful and human light on the subject, was the impetus for our developing this show."  

The Akus Gallery is located in the lower level of Shafer Hall at the corner of Windham and Valley Streets in Willimantic. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 1 to 7 p.m. on Thursday and 2 to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. For more information call (860) 465-4659 or visit www.easternct.edu/akusgallery.   

Written by Sarah Swann

Willimantic, CT -- Dina Temple-Raston, award-winning author and FBI correspondent for National Public Radio (NPR) will address America's war on terrorism at 3 p.m. on March 31 in the Betty R. Tipton Room of the Student Center at Eastern Connecticut State University.  The public is invited.  Admission is free.

Temple-Raston will also speak about her latest books, "In Defense of Our America" and "The Jihad Next Door," the latter of which is about six Yemeni-American friends who were convinced by a recruiter that they should be good Muslims and go to Afghanistan to prepare for holy war. Upon returning to America, they were arrested and charged with supporting terrorism.  In "The Jihad Next Door," Temple-Raston explains the steps that led up to the men's imprisonment. 

Prior to working for NPR, Temple-Raston served as a correspondent for Bloomberg News in Asia, where she opened offices in Shanghai and Hong Kong for Bloomberg's financial wire and radio operations.  She also served as White House correspondent for Bloomberg News during the Clinton Administration. 

Temple-Raston won the Barnes and Noble Discover Award for "A Death in Texas," which is the account of a grisly murder of an African American man dragged to his death behind a pickup truck in the summer of 1998.  The book was also selected as one of the Washington Post's Best Books of 2002.  "Justice on the Grass," published in 2005, was a Foreign Affairs magazine bestseller. 

Temple-Raston earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Northwestern University.  She also has a master's degree from the Columbia University's School of Journalism.  

Written by Kate Harner

Willimantic, CT -- The Visiting Writers Series and Eastern Connecticut State University's English Department will present a reading by Gail Carson Levine at 5:30 p.m. on March 15 in the Paul E. Johnson Sr. Community Room in the J. Eugene Smith Library. A book signing will follow the reading. Refreshments provided by Eastern's Women's Studies program will be served. The public is invited. Admission is free.

            Levine's first book for children, "Ella Enchanted," won the 1998 Newbery Honor Medal. Her book, "Dave at Night," is an American Library Association's Notable Book and Best Book for Young Adults. Levine's other works include "The Two Princesses of Bamarre," "The Wish," "Fairest," "Ever" and the six Princess Tales books. Many of her works focus on traditional fairytales with a twist. She is also the author of the nonfiction book, "Writing Magic: Creating Stories That Fly," and the picture book, "Betsy Who Cried Wolf," illustrated by Scott Nash.

            For more information, contact Miranda Lau at (860) 465-4570 or laum@easternct.edu.

Written by Emily Bonoyer

          Laura Hilton '12 and Charles Wynn, professor of chemistry

Willimantic, CT. - Laura Hilton, a sophomore Biology major from West Haven, has been named the recipient of the 2010 CRC (Chemical Rubber Company) Press Chemistry Achievement Award. The award is sponsored by the CRC Press; it includes a commemorative scroll and a copy of the "CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics."

Hilton is in the Honors Program at Eastern. Her career goal is to attend medical school and become a pediatrician.

Written by Sarah Swann

                                     Phunk   Phenomenon                                                      

 Willimantic, CT - Nearly 1,000 people are expected to attend the Third Annual Best of

the East Dance Competition on March 13 from 6 to 10 p.m. in the Francis E. Geissler

Gymnasium at Eastern Connecticut State University.  The public is invited.  Admission is

free for Eastern students. Outside guests will be charged $10. 

            The dance competition, hosted by Eastern's Men Achieving Leadership Excellence and Success (M.A.L.E.S.) student group, will feature nearly a dozen of the best hip-hop dance crews from New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Connecticut. The winning dance team will receive $2,000 in cash and $100,000 in scholarships from the Hip Hop Dance Conservatory in New York City.

All of the teams have appeared on television programs such as "Live at the Apollo" and "MTV's America's Best Dance Crew." Eastern's dance team, The New Element, and another dance group, YNot, will also perform.

            WZMX's (Hot 93.7) G-Monday the Prince, host of a morning talk show at the station, will emcee the dance competition.  He will be accompanied by WZMX's DJ Bigg Mann. 

            "This will be one of the biggest events to ever appear on campus," said Omar Rodriguez, M.A.L.E.S. public relations officer. "Not only will this be a fun-filled night with exciting performances; all donations go toward a good cause - the M.A.L.E.S. Endowed Scholarship Fund, which benefits a Windham High School student. What better way to spend a dollar than to give back to an unfortunate student in the Willimantic area?"  

Friday after Dark, a Housing Office committee, is co-sponsoring the event with M.A.L.E.S.

Written by Kate Harner

Written by Kate Harner

Willimantic, CT -- The Visiting Writers Series and Eastern Connecticut State University's English Department will present a poetry reading by Patrick Rosal at 7:30 p.m. on March 11 in the Student Center Theater. A book signing will follow the reading. The public is invited. Admission is free.

Rosal has written two full-length poetry collections: "Uprock Headspin Scramble and Drive," which received the Members' Choice Award from Asian American Writers' Workshop, and "My American Kundiman," which received the Association of Asian American Studies 2006 Book Award in Poetry and the 2007 Global Filipino Literary Award.

Rosal was awarded a Fulbright grant as a U.S. Scholar to the Philippines in 2009. His poems and essays have been published in journals such as the American Poetry Review, the Harvard Review and Brevity: A Journal of Concise Literary Nonfiction, among others. Rosal has received numerous awards, including the Allen Ginsberg Award, the James Hearst Poetry Prize, the Arts and Letters Prize and Best of the Net. His chapbook "Uncommon Denominators" received the Palanquin Poetry Series Award from the University of South Carolina. He has taught at various colleges, has conducted workshops in Alabama prisons through Auburn University and has written the documentary film "Camp Roxas," directed by Alex Munoz. He is the son of immigrants from the Ilocos region of the Philippines and is a New Jersey native.

For more information, please contact Maureen McDonnell at mcdonnellm@easternct.edu.

Written by Jack Meltzer

Willimantic, CT. -  Eastern Connecticut State University is accepting nominations for its annual Latin American Distinguished Service Award program.  Nominations are due by March 26 and should be sent to jacksonm@easternct.edu.

The Awards are given to three individuals: an Eastern Student, a faculty member and a member of the community-at-large.  The awards recognize distinguished service in one or more of the three categories: activities that represent a commitment to Latino youth development, leadership in a program serving the needs of a Latino community, with efforts reflecting an attempt to unify groups and or to increase sensitivity; and planning and implementation of programs to promote educational opportunities and advancement for members of Latino groups.

The Latin American Distinguished Service Awards Ceremony will be held on Wednesday, April 21, at 6 p.m. in the Paul E. Johnson Sr. Community Room of the J. Eugene Smith Library. For more information, call Milton Jackson at (860) 465-4421.

Written by Sarah Swann

Willimantic, CT -- Reanae McNeal, award-winning playwright, international performing artist and cultural/social activist, will speak at 3 p.m. on March 17 in the Betty R. Tipton Room of the Student Center at Eastern Connecticut State University.  The public is invited.  Admission is free.  

McNeal, who plays more than 15 different African instruments, is a prominent storyteller and self-taught musician.  She incorporates blues, jazz, spirituals and the sound of African instruments into her stories. 

She has written several plays, including "Black Women in Transition," "Where Have All The Black Men Gone?," "Blues Women Don't Wear No Shoes," "My Soul Got A Bruise On It" and "Who Holds The Mirror."  McNeal's plays focus on many issues facing women such as domestic violence, low self-esteem, sexual abuse, discrimination, AIDS, sexism, racism and breast cancer. 

Her poetry has been published in journals and has received numerous awards.   "A Word" was a national finalist in the 1994 Iowa Woman Poetry Competition.  "Brown vs. The Board of Education" won the regional 1994 Texas History Drama Competition, and "Slave Shout" won the 1995 Texas History Drama Competition.  Other awards include the Afro-Heart Award; Women of a Stolen Legacy Award; the National Woman of Achievement Award from Sisters United; The prestigious Delta Sigma Theta Ele' Award for Artistic Contributions; Overcoming Faith Award; and The Hope Award for artistic contributions in making women aware of breast cancer.  

McNeal encourages her audiences to "be all they are destined to be."  She has been described as "the woman who transforms lives." She says, "I have learned in my life to realize traumatic things happen that are really hurtful and painful but even in trauma, hurt and pain, beauty can be birthed."