August First Friday

Join us for our August First Friday event! We are pleased to host bill berry, jr; readers Shawnté Blyss Barr and Nancy Avery Dafoe; and musicians Bernie Williford (keyboard and vocals) and Chris Jones (drums). Together they will present aaduna's "The History, The Future... Delving into Words & Music.

Shawnté Blyss Barr grew up in Auburn, NY and graduated from Auburn High School. She earned her Master of Science in Psychology degree from Grand Canyon University, and her Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Studies from SUNY Empire. She is a poet, writer, celibacy and healthy mindset coach, and a womanpreneur. In addition to managing her own retail store, Neema Noire, Blyss manages a coaching business, Amenya Journée, LLC, and a magazine, "Flyy Girl Zone," a magazine dedicated to Black women and mental health. In her spare time, Blyss likes to make videos for social media, create art, make connections, and watch "The Young & the Restless." In April 2022, Blyss published her first poetry book, "Stained Glass Windows for Butterflies," a book of transformation and movement, which can be purchased on Amazon. You can contact her at shawnte@amenya.co.

Nancy Avery Dafoe, author/poet/educator writes in multiple genres and has thirteen books through independent publishers. Her poetry won the William Faulkner/Wisdom award in 2016, and her fiction won the short story award from New Century Writers. A member of the Central New York (CNY) Branch of the National League of American Pen Women, Nancy is currently serving as second vice president of the organization. Ms. Dafoe's most recent work is "Unstuck in Time," A Memoir and Mystery on Loss and Love (2021) and her pending publications are "Socrates Is Dead Again" (available in September 2022) and "The House Was Quiet, But the Mind Was Anxious" (pending for an October 2022 release). To contact Ms. Dafoe or for further information, please visit dafoewritingandconsulting.com or nancydafoebooks.com.

The mission of aaduna is to embrace novice and emerging authors and artists who are seeking to expand, transition, or transform the current landscape of literary and artistic thinking. aaduna seeks creative visionaries who find refuge and their sense of the world within the complexities and ironies of the written word, as well as those compelling visual images, which are lastingly impressionable.

Additionally, we will have an art display by Marika Chew in our gift shop gallery space, rooms in the Museum will be open for interpretation, and complimentary refreshments will be provided.

This event is free and open to the public.