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PROVIDENCE, RI - What do Sara Tavares, Esperanza Spalding, Adele, Ceu and Eva Cortes all have in common? They all had songs or albums that played frequently in 2009 on Venus Sings Radio. Learn more about who and what I brought to the air this past year on Saturday, December 26, when I host the year’s final edition of Voices of Women and Venus Sings Radio.

From locally-, nationally- and internationally-recognized singers to field- and studio-acquired interviews, if you listened to WRIU on a Saturday from 9-11 AM, then there was a chance you heard something special, exclusive, or refreshing. Review it all with me and hear more - and start an hour early!

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Venus Sings Radio
Year-End Special

Saturday, December 26, 2009
8 - 11 AM (est)

90.3 FM in and around RI
Streaming live at wriu.org

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Catch me, Venus Sings, spinning Thursday, Dec. 17 and Friday, Dec. 18 at 393 Broad Street in Providence. I’ll be part of “Introducing…the Power of Extraordinary Everyday People,” a Breaking the Chains Community Theater showcase. (flyer is courtesy of People’s School; photo by Nataly Garcia)

PROVIDENCE, RI - If you did not see the press release I posted a few days ago, Providence is about to be exposed to an organic arts movement designed to heal those who perform and participate: Breaking the Chains Community Theater (BTC), a project of People’s School. Tonight and tomorrow, from 7-10 PM, they will be previewing their groundbreaking work, and its endless possibilities, with a showcase called “Introducing…the Power of Extraordinary Everyday People.” It takes place at the historic Theater at the Annex Building of Trinity Methodist Church, 393 Broad Street in Providence, RI.

Some may remember - or be alumni - of the first round of work done by the People’s School, for instance the “Mindz Speaking” event held at the Providence Black Repertory Company in the fall of 2006. And while co-founder Deanna “Dee Dee” Brown remains at the helm - with the support of a variety of artists and community members that collaborated before - with a new home that also serves as a performance site, a fresh cadre of recently transformed artists, and a host of new partners (including me Venus Sings/DJ Reza Wreckage), expect the unexpected, prepare for empowerment, and be ready to open your hearts and minds to a program with incredible potential.

Or come out to support your newest, favorite DJ.

Read more about People’s School and their two-day showcase below, in the organization’s press release. To read about the former incarnation of People’s School, click here.

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Originally sent in the December 8 RezaRitesRi newsletter.

Take 5 with Reza Rites:
Show Some Love with Venus Sings, Isis Storm, and UrbanHealthWatch.net

PROVIDENCE, RI - Sometimes when I speak to people, they are surprised to hear that I’m haunted with regular bouts of self-doubt and withdrawal. The websites, radio show, and, for instance, my position as Social Chair of the Rhode Island Young Professionals – they throw people off. And yes, it’s true that these and other projects show a side of me that is very public and proud, but they also in fact relay one of two techniques I use to address and cope with those shadows: Performance.

Just like at a job interview or on-stage mimicking a character, I create and accept the roles I’m playing when I’m at a certain place or setting. So if I am dj’ing and/or hosting a radio show, I am ready to play songs and talk topics that will catch you even as you go. And if I’m asked to speak at a meeting, I will prepare and organize my remarks to be logical and instructive because that’s the character I’ve agreed to play.

What is my second technique? Well that’s what this week’s Take 5 is about: Show Love. From the beginning, my freelance work and then website, RezaRitesRI, was about promoting “the voices of our ethnically, socially, and artistically diverse.” Since expanding, I cannot measure how much I have received back, personally, through using love as a lens for my work.

What I can do is inform you about funding opportunities for healthcare initiatives because you asked for it, and I appreciate you. I can post your health event because I am a testament to your work and success at bringing people and communities together. And I can post information about your upcoming show because with Isis Storm, we’ve started a cycle of women giving love to other women, and I intend to keep that cycle going. I also thank you for your part in showing and sharing love.

Sunshine and Laughter,
Reza Rites

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Take 5 with Reza Rites

1. Funding Opportunities and Links from UrbanHealthWatch.net and AHRQ,
2. Community Forum Highlights Healthcare, Human Rights, and more – Thu, Dec 10,
3. Bowling, Free Food, and Family Fun: PrYSM’s Rice Bowl Fundraiser – Dec. 12,
4. Men Who Cook Holiday Party and Launch of New Venue – Dec. 15,
5. Join a Team and Get Active: Registration Begins for Shape Up RI

Five More from IsisStorm.com and VenusSings.com

1. Words for Warriors featuring Kalyana Champlain and Jessica Simes – Thu., Dec. 10,
2. Venus Sings Radio this Saturday, December 12 on WRIU,
3. Singer-Songwriter Event at the Ruffstone features Michelle Cruz – Sat., Dec 12,
4. A Winter Concert by Woman Spirit Rising– Sunday, December 13
5. Nataly Garcia to Rip it in Worcester, MA on Monday Dec. 14

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
PEOPLE’S SCHOOL HOSTS PREMIERE
For more info, contact Deanna “DeeDee” Brown at (401) 230-0060 or by email: PeoplesSchool@gmail.com

Providence, RI – On Thursday, December 17, People’s School will host its premiere showcase, “Introducing…the Power of Extraordinary Everyday People” at 7pm. The performance will take place at the historic Theater at the Annex Building of Trinity Methodist Church, 393 Broad Street, Providence.

With this premiere performance, the People’s School announces it’s successful re-establishment, new direction and home at the Annex of the Trinity Methodist Church. This performance is a preview of Breaking the Chains Community Theater (BTC), which will be offered in Spring 2010 at People’s School.

People’s School is a resident-led organization that uses the arts to address community issues that plague Providence and it’s residents: unemployment, crime, poverty, drug abuse, poor mental health, racism and classism and the trauma that is linked to coping with these issues. The vision is to offer multiple arts workshops that reflect the culture of The Creative Capital’s inner-city. People’s School is providing the opportunity to transform adult residents, everyday people, into actors & artisans in the same space that is the birthplace of the award-winning Trinity Repertory Theater. We’re spotlighting the power of citizens - when they’re given the opportunity & accessibility to express their full, uninhibited selves. Simultaneously, Trinity Restoration, Inc. is working to revive this great, but underutilized, community asset.

People’s School is holding two Showcases on Thursday, December 17th and Friday, December 18th. Guests are invited to arrive early to support local artists and get holiday shopping done at the People’s Marketplace, starting at 7pm (and going throughout the night). Theater Doors open at 7:30pm, and the show begins at 8pm. The event costs $5 for adults, and $2 for children 12 & under. People’s School is located at the Annex Building at Trinity Methodist Church on 393 Broad Street, Providence, RI.

For more information, visit PeoplesSchool.wordpress.com or Deanna “DeeDee” Brown: (401) 230-0060, PeoplesSchool@gmail.com.

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It’s a Venus Sings weekend on WRIU. Tune in this Saturday Dec. 12 from 9-11 AM (est), to 90.3 FM in and around RI or stream it live online by visiting www.wriu.org.

KINGSTON, RI - The end of the year is near, but I’ve still got new music to share. Tune in to Venus Sings Radio this Saturday, December 12 to see what I have left to reveal. Part of Voices of Women on WRIU, a weekly show that airs on 90.3 FM - and streams online at www.wriu.org - I will be on from 9-11 AM bringing you exclusive “Venus Sings” music, interviews, announcements and tidbits where the focus is music and community.

Sunshine and Laughter,
Venus Sings / Reza Rites / DJ Reza Wreckage

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Venus Sings Radio
Saturday, December 12, 2009
9 - 11 AM (est)

Hear it: 90.3 FM or www.wriu.org
Contact: www.VenusSings.com;
studio lines: 401-792-9030 or 1-888-303-9748

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This edition of “Take 5 with Reza Rites” was sent in the Friday, November 20, 2009 RRR e-newsletter. To receive the updates sign up above.

Take 5 w. Reza Rites (and Venus Sings):
Film Screenings, Live Music, and Newsroom Diversity

PROVIDENCE, RI – Well, I’m at it again: giving you more than the five links we talked about. That’s simply because there’s too much going on, some of which hopefully draws you in.

But what weaves all of these stories and links together?

They all embody the expression made famous by Cartman, a character from the animated fiction series South Park: “I do what I want.” These events, these opportunities, the producers, filmmakers and writers – they all saw a need and opportunity to make change and make room; to fight for independence, justice, and truth. And they went for it, individually or through teams, but with a vision that would not be blurred.

And so as silly as the show South Park and its character Cartman are, as me and many of my friends have concurred, “I do what I want,” is the ultimate motto, and a revolutionary one if you let it.

Sunshine and Laughter,
Reza Rites

P.S. Save the Date: Venus Sings Radio - Saturday Nov 28, 9-11 AM on WRIU

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Take 5 with Reza Rites

- Isis Storm at Black Rep: The People are the Panel, bell hooks is the Voice, and Good Times Continue Afterward – Saturday, November 21

- African Alliance of RI Annual Membership Dinner – Saturday Nov 21

- Hear New Kim Trusty, “I Will Be Waiting” – Online and on Sunday Nov 22

- Screening at URI, Providence Campus: RiP: A Remix Manifesto – Monday, Nov 23

- Jobs, Events, Volunteer Opportunities and More – The RIYP E-News Blast

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Bonus 5

- Interesting Articles: Racism, Sexism in Newsrooms, Congress

- Consider Taking a Quick Survey: How Can UrbanHealthWatch.net Help You?

- Opportunity/Call for Poets, Musicians, Artists and Performers: Rosa Parks Day, 2009

- Opportunity/Call for Poets, Musicians, Artists and Performers: Arts Education Project focused on RI Black History

- The Film and Music of Providence in Recovery

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Reza Corinne Clifton
Online Publisher, Freelance Journalist, Independent Producer and Music DJ

www.RezaRitesRi.com
www.VenusSings.com
www.UrbanHealthWatch.net
www.WRIU.org

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