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ARTheat
Sandhills Writers Conference
gets underway this week
BAmerican Book
Award Winner
Jayne Cortez opens
the annual writers’
gathering starting
on March 21.
AUGUSTA
The Sandhills Writers Con
ference begins March 21, 2002
at 11 a.m. in Galloway Hall
room 101, with the keynote
address by Jayne Cortez,
American Book Award win
ner, author of 10 poetry books
and the poetry evaluator for
theconference.
The Sandhills Conferenceis
agatheringof writers, editors,
and musieians with diverse
perspectives and cultural back
grounds, who share their craft
with thoseattendingthetalks.
BOOKS
Nunez explores the price
of passion in Discretion
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Get ready for the Powerfest/KISS Family Reunion!
WPRW Power 107, sister
» station WKSP KISS 96.3 and
¢ the Augusta-Richmond County
Recreations and Parks are
hosting the second annual
Powerfest/KISS Family Re
union on Saturday, March 30,
at Diamond Lakes-Windsor
Springs Road, 12to 7p.m. The
event offers positive informa
GAAC hosts fifth Oscar Night America Gala
The Greater Augusta Arts
Council (GAAC) will host its
Fifth Annual Oscar Night
America Gala on Sunday,
March 24, 2002, at the
Radisson Riverfront Hotel.
This black tie event will fea
turea “Hollywood” silent auc
tion (with prizes suitable for
screen idols), decadent food,
live entertainment and a spe
cial guest star Dennis Franz,
The conference continues in
the Science Building, room
WIOO2, March 21 at 7.45 p.m.,
with a free reading by South
Carolina fiction writer George
Singleton and New Yorknovel
ist Elizabeth Nunez. Andrew
Calhoun, Oregon-based singer
songwriter and president of
Waterbug Records, will give a
free concert at the Le Case du
Teau at 10 p.m. as part of the
Sandhills in-concert series.
On Friday at 7.45 p.m., At
lanta novelist and playwright
JoAllen Bradham and Cortez,
an American Book Award win
ning poet, will hold readings
in the New Science Building.
Other participants include:
Leotis Clyburn, Atlanta music
publisher with SoSo Def Record
ings, Inc.;JaneDystel, New York
literary agent; Steven Huff, edi
torof Boa Editionswhowill serve
as poetry evaluator; and Nancy
tion and engagement for people
of allages whileenhancing the
image of the CSRA.
Powerfest/KISS Family Re
union brings a plethora of
events including: Urban Vil
lage Marketplace featuring
vendors from all across the
country, McDonald’s
Childrens Playland with car-
best known ascancer-stricken,
tough guy detective, Andy
Sipawitz.
It’san unforgettable evening
where guests are the star of
the show. From the Radisson
Riverfront Hotel parking lot,
you will be whisked away in a
limousine which will loop
around Eighth Street and drop
you off at the foot of the red
carpet in front of the hotel.
Guest authors include:
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George Singleton
Discretion ~
by Elizabeth Nunez -
What are we willing to give
upfor passion? American Book
Award-winner Elizabeth Nunez
tackles this question with her
latest work, Discretion (One
World/Ballentine Books Hard
cover; $23.95), a novel that ex
plores a complex lovers’ tri
anglethatisfoundedinasearch
for passion — and what price
that passion exacts.
For 20 years Oufoula has
carriedin his heart hislove for
a woman other than his wife.
Though hislover, Marguerite,
banishes him fromherlifeonce
she realizes that he has mar
ried someone else, Oufoula’s
love for her never diminishes.
Twenty years later, tragedy
brings Oufoula and Marguer
ite together again, with the
break up of Marguerite’s mar
riage and the brutal murder of
Oufoula’s son and daughter.
But the rekindling of their
passion forces Oufoulatocome
to terms with the core of his
character: is he willing to sac
rifice his marriage, his career,
and the very foundations of
nival like rides, the Cingular
Wireless Call Center for free
local and long distance calls,
New Music villa hosting new
artist and music, KISS 96 Fish
ing Tournament, and the
Budweiser Soundstage: with
performances from Naughty
By Nature, KeKe Wyatt, B2K,
IMX, Chooßakka, Ying Yang
Here, searchlights will antici
pate your arrival and fans will
scream your name as you pose
for photographersand TV cam
eras.
Inside thedoors, the fantasy
continues as you bid on fabu
lous Hollywood silent auction
items (teeth whitening, plastic
surgery, fineart, fabuloustrips,
etc.) and vie for exciting prizes
through a “Predict the Win-
1»: ;EEEP w
v WS
£ B
Nancy SmilerLevinson
the life he has struggled to
create, all for the love of one
woman?
With Discretion, Nunez of
fers an unforgettable por
trait of an extraordinary
man, and a gripping, mas
terfully crafted tale of love,
deceit and the human com
pulsion for power.
About the author
Elizabeth Nunezisthe au
thor of three previous nov
els: Bruised Hibiscus, which
won an American Book
Award; When Rocks Dance
and Beyond the Limbo Si
lence, which won the Inde
pendent Press Award for
Multicultural Fiction. Her
writing has appeared in the
New York Times Book Re
view, Essence and the Phila
delphia Inquirer, among
other publications. Sheisa
professor of English and the
director of the Black Writers
Institute at Medgar Evers
College, City University of
New York.
Discretion. By Elizabeth
Nunez. One World/
Ballantine Books Hardcover.
Fiction. $23.95. 276 pages,
ISNB: 0-345-44731-X.
Twins, Ashanti, RL, the Love
Doctor and more.
The Powerfess/KISS Family
Reunion is sponsored by:
Budweiser, McDonald’s,
WJIBF NewsCHANNEL 6, Au
gusta Focus, Cingular Wire
less. Therewill bean attached
fee of $3 for parking.
ners” contest.
The Academy of Motion Pic
tures Arts & Sciences granted
Augusta an official license to
host Oscar Night America 2002
sowatchthebroadcast live via
satellite.
For ticket purchases or more
information, call the Leslie
Fletcher, events director for
the GAAC, at (706) 826-4702.
e £
eA e .
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o
Elizabeth Nunez
New arm of Augusta 3
Ballet to perform in
“Augusta Ballet IT and 2
Choreographers’ Showcase”
The Augustaßallet hastaken
the next step in its ongoing
evolution with the formation
of Augusta Ballet 11, or AB II
as it has come to be called.
This new troupe is the offi
cial second company of the
Augusta Ballet, and is made
up of students from the Au
gusta Ballet School who are
over the age of 13 and display
a high level of commitment to
their ballet training. Zanne
Colton, artistic director of the
Augusta Ballet, formed the
group to provide her most tal
ented and seriousstudentsthe
opportunity to perform prime
rolesfromthe Augusta Ballet’s
repertoire in performances
separate from those ofthe pro
fessional company.
Members of the AB II are
selected through an audition
process that is open to stu
dents of the Augusta Ballet
School. Colton assigned
former Augusta Ballet princi
pal dancer Bon Ellis to the
position of AB II director.
With the growth of the Au
gusta Ballet, experienced danc
ers from all over the country
have moved to Augusta to per
form with the company. While
this heightened level of profes
sionalism within the local bal
let community is a wonderful
achievement for the city of
Augusta, Colton wantsto make
certain that her most disci
plined students are not over
looked by the growing profes
sional company. Colton states
that “creating AB Il will bring
about new performance oppor
tunities for these youngerdanc
ers.”
Both Colton and Ellis agree
that this step is essential for
the Augusta Ballet’s develop
ment of youngartists, whether
they choose to pursueballet as
a profession or not. In addi
tion to performing on their
own, ABII willsupplementthe
professional company in pro
ductions where extra dancers
arerequired.
The founding 11 members of
AB II include: Olivia Ander
son, 8* grade, North Augusta
Middle School; Jessica Cohen,
9th grade, Davidson Fine Arts;
1B
Smiler Levinson,award winning
author of many titles for young
readers.
Books written by these au-.
thors are also available for
sale at the university book
store in Washington Hall. - _
Saturday will be the conclu
sion of the conference with a
novel writing craft session and
an awards presentation.
Professional writers in po
etry, fiction, children’s litera
ture, play writing, non-fiction
and songlyric writing will give
readings, conduct talkson the
writer’scraft andinteract with
participants. Conference reg
istration is open through
March 23. £
For more information, call
Anthony Kellman at 737-1500,.
or go to http:/www.aug.edu/
langlitcom./
sand_hills_conference/
index.html.
Heather Daley, 11** grade,
Davidson Fine Arts; Jessica
Gore, 11* grade, Greenbrier
High School; Elizabeth
Harrison, 9t grade, Davidson
Fine Arts; Amanda Holloway,
10*grade, Davidson Fine Arts;
Ashley Johannsen, 8* grade,
St. Mary-on-the-Hill School;
Michelle Manney, 10* grade,
South Aiken High School;
Stacey Seebode, 12** grade,
Davidson Fine Arts; Any
Sherman, 8* grade, Davidson
Fine Arts; and Emily Sims, 9®
grade, Davidson Fine Arts.
In addition to studying bal
let at least six days a week,
thesedancersarealsorequired
to study jazz and tap. .Colton
adds, “Intoday’s dance world,
artists must be extremely ver
satiletobe employable. Ballet
companies are performing
modern and jazz almost. as
much as they are performing
classical ballet. It is our re
sponsibility to prepare well
trained, versatile artists, who
have had experience on the
stage.” X
The founding members of
the second company will be
featured in their first offic,fi
AB II production on March
at the Imperial Theatre. This
eveningof newworks, entitled
“The AB II and Choreogra
phers’ Showcase,” will displ
the talents of various loe%
choreographers in addition to
the new AB II dancers. The
evening’s lineup includes new
pieces by choreographers
Jaime Burcham and Sara
Benton, both current dancers
with the Augusta Ballet. Also
featured is a jazz work by Sa
rah Shoemaker, former dancet
and current teacher, and Pe
ter Powlus, local choreo
graphic marvel whose works
include the recent hit
“Casablanca,” and the upcom
ing favorite “The Legend of
the Hatfields and McCoys.”
“The AB II and Choreogra
phers’ Showcase” will be per
formed on Tuesday, March 26,
at 7 p.m. at the Imperial The»
atre. Theshowcase of exciting
new dances is free and open to
the public. la