One World Cafe Virtual Reading Series - Jonida Beqo

Jonida Beqo, a.k.a. Gypsee Yo, is a native of Tirana, Albania, currently residing in Atlanta, Georgia. She received her B.A. in Theatre from the University of Alabama in Birmingham, where she founded Lighthouse Productions, an independent theatre company dedicated to original works that educate about and empower communities in crisis. In 2003 the American College Theatre Festival and the Kennedy Center for the Arts recognized Jonida’s one-woman show “The Women I Know” with the Dell’Arte Diversity Award. She has published in magazines and anthologies such as Mehr Licht! Java Monkey Speaks Anthology, Pedestal Magazine, as well as in a series of periodicals in Albanian. Jonida is the author of three poetry collections in her native tongue, and of four audio CD collections in English, including her bestsellers Kitchensinkdrama, and Firstborn Daughters. As Gypsee Yo , she performs internationally as a spoken word artist, and has competed in slams worldwide, including National Poetry Slam 2006 and 2007, Individual World Poetry Slam 2006, and the first ever Women of the World Poetry Slam 2008. Jonida is a devoted wife, a doting mother, and a passionate teacher. www.gypseeyo.com

One World Cafe Virtual Reading Series: Alison Aston

At 23 years old Rebecca Johnson is the epitome of success: she’s got a jealous-making job working for British society mag Reine, a fab flat in London and a continuous stream of attractive men passing through her sheets. This all sounds rather impressive, but in reality Becks sells the ads, shops in H&M and would rather go home with a girl in Manolos than Prince William in Armani.

Join us Friday, March 7th for author Alison Aston’s reading of her novel, Closet. Think the gay Bridget Jones meets The Devil Wears Prada.

Originally from the South West of England, Aston has lived in London, San Francisco, and Marseille. Her credits include work in women’s style magazines like ELLE and Harper’s Bazaar. Currently she works for BBC magazines, in addition to freelance work for Time Out. Aston lives with her civil partner in Bristol.

Full Circle: A Tribute to the Cultural Diversity of Women’s Art

Studio HCE is proud to host a special online engagement of the juried exhibition, “Full Circle: A Tribute to the Cultural Diversity of Women’s Art” at New York’s Pen and Brush (www.penandbrush.org) studio March 6th - 30th.

Deborah Jack, Juror of Selection and Awards
Deborah Jack is an artist whose work is based in video/sound installation, photography, painting, and text. Her current work deals with trans-cultural existence, memory, the effects of colonialism and mythology through re-memory. Her work was included in the 2007 Brooklyn Museum Exhibition Infinite Island: Contemporary Art. She has published two poetry collections, The Rainy Season (1997) and skin (2006). Her poetry has appeared in The Caribbean Writer and Calabash and she has recited her work in the Caribbean, United States, South Africa and the Netherlands.

Awards and honors include a Caribbean Writers Institute Fellow, University of Miami, Prince Bernard Culture Fund grants, University of Buffalo College of Arts and Sciences Dissertation Fellowship, Photography Institute-National Graduate Seminar Fellow, Lightwork Artist-in-Residence, Syracuse University, CEPA Exhibition Award, New York Foundation of the Arts SOS grant, and a Big Orbit Gallery Summer Residency. Her work has been exhibited in St. Martin, the United States, and Europe. Jack is also a member of art collective the Evolutionary Girls Club. Her work is part of the Lightwork collection, the Southwest Collection at Texas Tech University, the collection of the Island Government of St. Martin and several private collections.

Deborah Jack is an Assistant Professor of Art at New Jersey City University.

Pen and Brush Mission Statement
Founded in 1894, the Pen and Brush is a not-for-profit organization of women professionally
active in the literary, visual, and performing arts. Its goals are to promote women in the arts,
to foster high standards of aesthetics and craftsmanship, to develop the professional activities
of its members, and to educate the general public about the significance of art in personal and
community life. Throughout most of the year, exhibitions of paintings, graphic art, mixed me-
dia, photographs, sculpture, and crafts are held in the galleries. Poetry, prose, and play read-
ings, lectures, demonstrations, concerts, and receptions are regularly scheduled. Other activi-
ties include meetings, discussions, contests, and workshops. The Pen and Brush is located in
its own brownstone in the heart of Manhattan’s Greenwich Village.