The Culture Shop

Happy Holidays from The Culture Shop

2007-12-30T08:28:00.000-08:00

2007 has but a few days remaining before it becomes a memory. But before we bid the year adieu, there is this miraculous month called December, which, as it winds down, allows us to reflect on its historical significance. Ancient stories of births, deaths, triumphs, and varying forms of religious persecution dating back thousands of years have made December a month like no other.

Reflecting on where we've been, where we are, and equally important, where we are going offers us an opportunity to take stock of our very existence - assessing why we are still around while others more worthy have transitioned.

December, fortunately, offers us the audacity to be hopeful, even in the face of tremendous injustice in our homes, neighborhoods, communities, nation, and yes, our world.So as we bring the year to a close and make plans for 2008, it is important to never lose sight of the significance of this very special Season of Thanksgiving. Love and respect for our fellow human beings are the cornerstones of a fair and equitable society.

May we always remember that there can be no peace for all without truth and justice for all. As Maya Angelou reminds us, "...one cannot legislate love, but what one can do is legislate fairness and justice...." We at The Culture Shop thank you and wish you and your family God's richest blessings this Season of Thanksgiving. May your hearts always be filled with the overflowing light of love and respect - not just during the month of December - but throughout the many tomorrows that lay ahead.

The Deadliest War in the World

2007-10-22T20:06:00.000-07:00

A May 2006 TIME Magazine article calls the devastation in Congo, "The Deadliest War in the World." The story goes on to read as follows: "Some wars go on killing long after they end. In Congo, a nation of 63 million people in the heart of Africa, a peace deal signed more than three years ago was supposed to halt a war that drew in belligerents from at least eight other countries, producing a record of human devastation unmatched in recent history.

Furthermore, "The International Rescue Committee (IRC) estimates that 3.9 million people have died from war-related causes since the conflict in Congo began in 1998, making it the world's most lethal conflict since World War II."

A vast country with immense economic resources, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) has been at the centre of what could be termed Africa's world war - the largest war in modern African history, and one of the deadliest conflicts since World War II.

Despite a formal end to the war in July 2003 and an agreement by the former belligerents to create a government of national unity, 1,000 people died daily in 2004 from easily preventable cases of malnutrition and disease. A U.N. human rights expert reported in July 2007 that sexual atrocities against Congolese women go 'far beyond rape' and include sexual slavery, forced incest, and cannibalism.

An October 8, 2007 story on Democracy Now titled the horrow, "They Are Destroying the Female Species in Congo": Sexual Terrorism and Africa's Forgotten War.

The devastation must stop; America must act now.

The Jena Six: Is Lady Justice Blind or Peeking Through One Eye?

2007-09-15T12:14:00.000-07:00

England's Guardian newspaper title their story: Racism goes on trial again in America's Deep South.

The world takes notice of America's contradictory legal policies against its own citizens.

::June 26, 2007 - The district attorney prosecuting a racially charged beating case in the small Louisiana town of Jena abruptly reduced attempted-murder charges Monday against a black high school student accused of attacking a white student." - Chicago Tribune

::September 15, 2007 - "With the prospect of a major national civil rights protest looming next week in the central Louisiana town of Jena, a state appeals court on Friday abruptly vacated the felony conviction of a black teenager accused of beating a white student in a case fraught with racial tensions." - Chicago Tribune

In a small, highly segregated, rural Louisiana town of Jena in September 2006, a small group of black students asked permission from school administrators to sit under the shade of a tree commonly reserved for the enjoyment of white students. School officials advised the black students to sit wherever they wanted - and they did.

The next day, three nooses, in the school colors, were hangingfrom the same tree. The Jena high school principal found that three whitestudents were responsible and recommended expulsion. The white superintendent of schools over-ruled the principal and gave the students a three day suspension, saying that the nooses were "a youthful stunt."

Black students decided to resist and organized a sit-in under the tree to protest the lenient treatment given to the noose-hanging white students. Racial tensions remained elevated throughout the fall. On Monday, December 4 2006, a white student who allegedly had been racially taunting black students, in support of the students who hung the nooses, got into a fight with black students. Allegedly knocked unconscious, the white student was taken to the hospital treated, released, and reportedly attended a social function later that evening.

As a result of this incident, six black Jena students were arrested andcharged with attempted second degree murder. All six were expelled from school. The six charged were:

On the morning of the trial, the District Attorney reduced the charges from attempted second degree murder to second degree aggravated battery andconspiracy. Aggravated battery in Louisiana law demands the attack be with adangerous weapon. The prosecutor was allowed to argue to the jury that the tennis shoes worn by Bell could be considered a dangerous weapon.

America? The world is watching.

American University professor, Richard Stack, will speak to this topic, as well as introduce his latest book, Dead Wrong: Violence, Vengeance & the Victims of Capital Punishment. Copies will be available for purchase. We look forward to seeing you and hearing your perspective on crime and punishment. Light refreshments to be served.

Location: The Culture Shop (1/2 block from Takoma Metro Station)

Address: 341 Cedar Street, NW

Date: September 29, 2007; 6pm-8pm

Telephone: 202 726 2211 RSVP:

Required. Space is limited.

Iraq in Crisis

2007-08-21T12:45:00.000-07:00

Does the U.S. government have a social and moral responsibility to admit Iraqi refugees who have aided American troops in the on-going struggle?

The Bush Administration has been under pressure to let more Iraqi refugees move to the United States. Now the administration is getting ready to admit up to 7,000 Iraqi refugees by the end of September 2007. Humanitarian groups have said the United States has a moral duty to admit more Iraqi refugees because the US invasion preceded the crisis. In the years after the Vietnam War, the United States admitted 900,000 Vietnamese refugees.

Senator Edward M. Kennedy, the Massachusetts Democrat who opposes President Bush's effort to increase troops levels in Iraq, said the administration is spending $8 billion a month on the war, but has budgeted only $20 million this year to help the estimated 2 million Iraqis who have fled to Jordan, Syria, and other countries. There is a growing cry for the U.S. to increase by at least 20,000 the number of Iraqi refugees eligible for resettlement in the United States in 2007 and 2008.

A July 2007 article from Refugees International states the following:

Neighboring countries are being overwhelmed by the massive influx of Iraqi refugees. Syria and Jordan are rapidly becoming overwhelmed by the numbers of Iraqis seeking refuge in their urban centers. Jordan, Lebanon and Syria consider Iraqis as “guests” rather than refugees fleeing violence. None of these countries allows Iraqis to work. Although Syria is maintaining its “open door policy” in the name of pan-Arabism, it has begun imposing restrictions on Iraqi refugees, such as charges for healthcare that used to be free. In Jordan, Iraqis have to pay for the most basic services, and live in constant fear of deportation. It is also becoming increasingly difficult for Iraqis to enter Jordan or to renew their visas to remain in country.

And a February 2003 briefing paper from Human Rights Watch titled Iraqi Refugees, Asylum Seekers, and Displaced Persons: Current Conditions and Concerns in the Event of War eerily forcasted the deteriorating conditions that were likely to happen should war errupt in the region.

How should the U.S. handle this crisis? We want to hear from you.

This Election Could "Make or Break Sierra Leone."

2007-07-31T20:14:00.000-07:00

The most pressing long-term threat to stability in Sierra Leone, according to most sources, is the potential for political insecurity surrounding the elections of 11 August 2007.

Ninety-one percent of the country’s 2.8 million eligible voters have registered to cast a vote for their future. Fifty-six percent of them are under the age of 32 while women account for 49 percent.

So with the future of the country as stable as plutonium, where do you turn? Well, to the future, of course. With 56% of eligible voters under the age of 32, you must reach this group through music.

"Music is one of the most important resources of Sierra Leone," said UNDP Resident Representative in Sierra Leone Victor Angelo. "Artists for Peace represent what is best about the country and the UN is proud to support them so that the message of peace reaches all the citizens of the country," he said.

The group calls themselves Artists for Peace, and they represent more than a dozen well-known area musicians who will be touring the Sierra Leone countryside in a series of peace-promoting concerts.

Akin to anti-war activism @ UC Berkeley in the '60s, the Chicano Student Movement in the 70s, or the Tiananmen Square protests of the late 80s, the message being promoted by Artists for Peace is best described by their spokesman, Haroun Ahkim Dumbya a.k.a. Wahid. "If we pick up guns and fight each other again then the country will break. We want to be part of the making."

The current cabinet was appointed following the May 2002 presidential and parliamentary elections. Since that date there have been several changes.

Sierra Leone is one of the first beneficiaries of the United Nation’s new Peacebuilding Fund, launched last October to ensure that countries emerging from war and conflict do not relapse back into strife. Let us keep the country in our prayers.

Reuniting the Rwandan People

2007-07-25T20:03:00.000-07:00

Painful and horrific as the 1990 to 1993 genocide was between the Batutsis and the Bahutus of Rwanda, the more devastating story of the end of the African continent and its people began over 100 years prior, during the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885 to divide Africa. This is a facinating historical guide that I encourage everyone to read during a quiet moment.

Nonetheless, let's fast-forward to the present and highlight the good works being done to bring hope to countless people within Rwanda who desparately need our help.

Rwanda is a poor rural country with about 90% of the population engaged in (mainly subsistence) agriculture. It is the most densely populated country in Africa and is landlocked with few natural resources and minimal industry. Primary foreign exchange earners are coffee and tea. In 1994, there were very few functioning schools, hospitals, or factories. Public utilities like telephones, electricity and water were largely non existent. There was total displacement of the population, both internally and externally.

The road out of their current strain is the same road most of us travel without thought each day - education. We've all heard of the tremendous work Oprah is doing in South Africa and throughout the world. Well, there are many Oprahs in our global communities.

But out of despair comes hope and an opportunity to rebuild and create an even stronger community. And it all starts with, what else, education. The Maranyundo School for Girls in Nyamata, Rwanda is one such story.

The Culture Shop is excited to help the School through the purchase of Rwandan coffee from Thousand Hills Coffee Company, which was "formed to supply the United States with quality Arabica coffee from Rwanda and to help subsidize and promote the Rwanda Middle School Project."

As the rich blend of The Thousand Hills Coffee aroma fills the Shop's cafe area, you cannot help but have a "Calgon" moment. Your purchase of this coffee, whole bean or ground, will directly support the school project - which is slated to open for classes January 2008. Please call ahead or order online - we'll always have a bag waiting for you.

Thank you - from the children of Nyamata, Rwanda.

Why Should We Care About the Girls?

2007-07-19T18:36:00.000-07:00

Who Cares About Girls? is a series that explores how the world treats girls. Hosted by award-winning journalist Lisa Ling and produced by National Geographic Television, the 2nd program in the series is titled Hiden Away: Slave Girls of India and aired on The Oxygen channel (who knew such a station existed) a few weeks back. Other installments will follow in 2007.

The United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, which this year is focusing on discrimination and violence against girls, has convened multiple panels to begin discussing issues ranging from rape, trafficking and prostitution to education, child labor and AIDS.

"The most important message is that governments should ensure that every working child gets a free education," said Sunita Tamang, lamenting that in her community in Nepal "people think that if you educate a girl child, it will only embarrass you."

Jordanian student Golfidan Khader Al Abassy described the discrimination against girls in families, schools and in the workplace in her country.

"I hope it will be in the near future that we will have the same opportunities as boys," she said. "The most important message which I want to send for all over the world ... (is) that the girls have a lot of power ... so if we give them the chance to prove themselves, they will be great persons. ... We have to believe in them."

Save the Earth? What a Bright Idea.

2007-07-12T19:55:00.000-07:00

In my search to understand how we managed to get involved in a deadly shadow fight against a foe more dangerous than we imagined, I had to re-aquaint myself with the concept of greenhouse gases.

Here goes: First, sunlight warms the earth; the earth then radiates energy back up into the atmosphere, which warms the atmosphere. Heat is absorbed by certain gases (called greenhouse gases, mainly because they trap the heat in the lower atmosphere) and re-radiates some of this heat back down to earth.

There are basically four types of greenhouse gases: Water vapor (the most abundant); carbon dioxide; methane; and ozone.

The greenhouse effect helps to regulate the temperature of the earth. It is a naturally occuring process that is essential for life on earth.

However, the increase in the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, mainly carbon dioxide, is trapping the heat the earth releases, causing the global surface to basically sweat with a rising temperature. The earth sweats, it gets sick, everything in the earth gets sick. Oh, I get the picture?

The International Energy Agency (IEA) says China is the world's second largest producer of carbon dioxide, after the United States.The IEA finding confirms the growing role of China and other developing countries in the worsening greenhouse gas problem.

The biggest polluter by far is the United States, with 23% of the total, followed by China at 13% , Russia with 6%, Japan at 5%, and India at 4%.

Since no one is immune from this sickness, we may as well start doing something to save the earth from it's greatest enemy - it's human inhabitants.

"We don't want any more cata cata."

2007-07-06T15:04:00.000-07:00

Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Africa's first female President, has her hands full in Liberia. Years of civil war have left the capital city, Monrovia, in less than desirable conditions. The city has no running water or electricity, and many Liberians are homeless.

Surrounded by Sierra Leone in the north; Guinea in the northeast; and Cote d'Ivoire in the east and south, Liberia was once a West African success story. However, in 2003, the country emerged from 14 years of civil war that left an estimated 200,000 dead and the infrastructure destroyed. The civil war also put women in charge of households and communities because so many men were away fighting and dying.

Johnson-Sirleaf, sometimes called the "Iron Lady" for her unwavering grit and determination, holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado, a master's degree in public administration from Harvard University, and a lifetime of public service to her beloved Liberia. The 67-year-old economist has often held jobs in fields dominated by men, including finance minister of Liberia and vice president of Citicorp in Kenya.

A grandmother of 6, President Johnson-Sirleaf has pledged to bring the "motherly sensitivity and emotion to the presidency." "We don't want any more cata cata." Using a slang expression for corruption, Johnson-Sirleaf sent a loud and clear message while on the campaign trail in 2005 that business as usual would not be an option in her administration.

"My whole life has been in hard areas women are not usually in," she said in an interview. Male African leaders "associate me with the types of thinking men normally do. . . . I've challenged men. I've challenged Charles Taylor," she added pointedly.

Johnson-Sirleaf is one of only a few women who have been able to rise to positions of political power in African nations.

In Zimbabwe, Vice President Joyce Mujuru made a name for herself during the country's liberation struggle in the 1970s. She is now one of President Robert Mugabe's closest advisors.
Nigeria's Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was once vice president of the World Bank and now is known for her campaign to end corruption in the country.
And in Mozambique, Prime Minister Luisa Dias Diogo shares the nickname "Iron Lady" with Johnson-Sirleaf.

Regardless of her governing approach, creating stability and fighting poverty will likely be major challenges during her term. But with the inauguration of a new president, there are signs the aid will return. The European Union has committed $70 million to help bring electricity back to the capital, Monrovia. The United States is committed to rebuilding the armed forces. The UN mission in Liberia, which includes 15,000 peacekeepers, costs about $700 million a year.

She cannot accomplish these daunting tasks alone - the international community must stand by her administration's efforts to bring Liberia to relative normalcy- it's the least that can be done.

Film Screening: "Iron Ladies of Liberia"
Date/Time: Monday July 16, 2007, 12:30pm
Venue: World Bank J building, (701 18th St., Washington, DC) Room J1-050
Discussion with filmmaker: Siatta Johnson

The First Wave of Justice

2007-06-27T16:43:00.000-07:00

Human Rights Watch, the largest human rights organization based in the United States, reported on the June 20, 2007 decision by the Special Court of Sierra Leone to convict three accused men from the rebel Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC), one of three warring factions during Sierra Leone’s 11-year civil war - which ended in 2002.

The country's high court handed down the first convictions by a UN-backed tribunal for the crime of recruiting and using child soldiers.

The judges found the three accused – Alex Tamba Brima, Brima Bazzy Kamara and Santigie Borbor Kanu – guilty of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other serious violations of international humanitarian law, including the recruitment and use of child soldiers.

The Special Court for Sierra Leone was established in 2002 to prosecute those "who bear the greatest responsibility" for war crimes, crimes against humanity and other serious violations of international humanitarian law, along with several domestic offenses, committed since 1996. All nine defendants being prosecuted by the Special Court have been charged with the recruitment and use of child soldiers.

The trial phase is complete for cases involving individuals associated with the Children's Defense Fund (CDF) and AFRC. For accused associated with the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), the defense began presentation of its case this May. The Special Court began the trial of former Liberian president Charles Taylor on June 4 in The Hague.

The civil war served as the background for the 2006 movie, Blood Diamond. The film was shot on several locations in Africa such as South Africa's East Coast (Port Alfred), Kwa Zulu Natal and Cape Town. Unfortunately, none of the filming took place in Sierra Leone.

Direct Micro-financing? I'll Fund Two @ $50 Please.

2007-06-19T19:43:00.000-07:00

Muhammad Yunus's book, Banker to the Poor, continues to offer the reader an inspring perspective into the origins of micro-finance. His idea started in 1976 and today, over 250 institutions in over 100 countries operate micro-finance programs based on the initial principle's of Mr. Yunus.

One such institution is Kiva.org, an Internet-based organization that brings entrepreneurs and potential lenders (you) together. Learn more at Kiva.org.

And if you'd like to learn more, a reporter from the New York Times, has just the answer.

Change is Inevitable

2007-06-17T09:14:00.000-07:00

The Mayor's continued advancement in addressing his campaign promise, calling for the District to become a "world class city" and pledging to run the city "like a business," seems to be moving according to his 2007 Action plan for the District of Columbia. It was not by accident that education was 1st on his "to-do" list.

Alexander Russo, a former Senate education staffer and journalist, writes a blog for the online edition of Education Week. Here's what he had to say following last week's decision by Mayor Fenty to tap Michelle Rhee to head DCPS.

Breaking News: Well-Dressed Reformers Hired To Run School Districts Across The Nation
Inspired by DC Mayor Fenty's surprise appointment of school reformer Michelle Rhee to head the District school system on Tuesday [June 12, 2007], elected officials across the nation have scrambled to announce their own hires from outside of traditional education circles: In New York City, Mayor Bloomberg on Tuesday evening fired Joel Klein and hired Teach For America Founder Wendy Kopp, despite the absence of any previous district experience. "She's been running the system for the past 10 years anyway," said Bloomberg in announcing the change. "We might as well make it official."

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin announced his plan to fire incoming chief Paul Vallas before he even starts, to be replaced by New Leaders For New Schools co-founder Jonathon Schnur. "I met him at a party and he seemed really smart," said Nagin. "Vallas is a nice guy, too, but I figure we should give this new generation of reformers a chance to show their stuff at running something."

Following his election victory last fall, Mayor Fenty made several "Best Practice Trips" to big cities such as New York, Boston, Los Angeles, and Baltimore. Visiting with mayors of these cities was apparently crucial in evaluating effective education models for DCPS. With Michelle Rhee now at the helm, the handwriting on the wall is clear: The current teaching staff across all DCPS schools will be under a microscope; higher standards will be demanded.

We anticipate there will be an increase in the number of new teachers entering DCPS in the short- and long-term. The students and parents (at all grade levels) will be jolted by the sudden accelerated pace of change and expectations. We'll continue to monitor these developments as the new administration settles in to guide DCPS toward becoming a "world class city."

Father's Day...and beyond

2007-06-09T12:55:00.000-07:00

As we look forward to celebrating Father's Day (17 June) as well as World Population Day (11 July) the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has captured the deeper meaning of these special days:

Men at Work:
--Support Pregnant Wife
--Care for Baby
--Educate Daughters
--Share Parenting

UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, is an international development agency that promotes the right of every woman, man and child to enjoy a life of health and equal opportunity. UNFPA supports countries in using population data for policies and programmes to reduce poverty and to ensure that every pregnancy is wanted, every birth is safe, every young person is free of HIV/AIDS, and every girl and woman is treated with dignity and respect.

Click UNFPA to learn more.

Education Beat

2007-06-08T15:47:00.000-07:00

A nationwide survey of middle school students shows that they are optimistic about their high school and college prospects, but lack information to help them make decisions that will help them succeed in both.

The nationwide online survey of 1,814 7th and 8th graders, conducted Feb. 14 to March 5 by Harris Interactive for the National Association of Secondary School Principals and Phi Delta Kappa International, found that 93 percent said there was “no chance” they would drop out of high school, and 92 percent said it was likely they would attend college. Nationally, graduation and college-going rates are far lower.

In the results of the poll, the authors found several possible reasons for the gap. Eighty-three percent of the students responding said they had “little or no information” about which classes they would have to take to graduate from high school. Fewer than one-third said they had a good deal of information about which classes they needed to take to prepare for college.

To access the full report go to:
http://www.principals.org/s_nassp/sec.asp?CID=1139&DID=55624

Master Writing Classes for High Schoolers

2007-06-08T09:07:00.000-07:00

The Writer's Center, located in Bethesda, MD, will be hosting three free master class workshops:

Form and Feeling: A Poetry Workshop for High School Students
Meets 4 Tuesdays, 7 to 9:30 p.m., October 2 through October 23

Instructor: Rose Solari
This workshop is for those who already enjoy reading and writing poetry, and want to strengthen their skills and deepen their knowledge. Through weekly poetry writing assignments and discussions, we’ll explore the elements of poetry, from line length and line breaks to voice and rhythm, examining how a poem comes together into a unified and meaningful whole. We’ll work with formal and free verse, lyric poems and narrative poems. You should bring a poem you’ve recently written to the first class to share and discuss; after that, expect to generate a new poem each week in response to the assignments. Outside reading of contemporary poets will add to our discussion.

To Apply: Submit 3 to 5 poems to The Writer’s Center, 4508 Walsh Street, Bethesda, MD. Submission deadline: September 10.

Rose Solari is the author of two full-length collections of poetry, Orpheus in the Park, and Difficult Weather, and two chapbooks. Her poems have appeared in many journals here and in the U.K., including Parnassus, Gargoyle, Poet Lore, The Mississippi Review, The Potomac Review, and Nth Position, and her poetry and prose have appeared in several anthologies, including American Poetry: The Next Generation; Enhanced Gravity: More Fiction by Washington Area Women; and Women: Images and Realities, A Multicultural Reader. Her other honors and awards include the Randall Jarrell Poetry Prize (selected by Philip Levine) and, in 2007, her third Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist’s Grant. She has taught at the Writer's Center for fifteen years, and joined the board of directors there in 2006.

Discovering the Personal Essay
Meets 4 Thursdays, 7 to 9:30 p.m., October 11 through November 1

Instructor: William O’Sullivan

The personal essay is, in the words of essayist Joseph Epstein, “a form of discovery.” In this workshop, we'll look at ways to turn your experience into personal essays in which you open yourself to discovery about yourself and the world around you. You'll also come to see how the personal essay is receptive to virtually any topic, no matter how “ordinary.” Through exercises, assignments, readings, and discussion, you'll learn not only the best ways to tell your personal stories but also how to be a discerning reader of others' work—which in turn is a great way to improve your own writing. Participants should be comfortable sharing their work and participating in constructive workshop discussions.

To apply: Submit a personal essay or excerpt of no more than 5 pages. Submission Deadline: September 23.

William O'Sullivan, MFA, essayist, editor, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts fellow. His personal essays have appeared in The New York Times, Newsday, National Geographic Traveler, The Washingtonian, and The North American Review, among others. He has received two Artist Fellowships from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, and his work has been listed three times among the notable essays of the year in The Best American Essays.

Fiction Master Class
Meets 4 Tuesdays, 7 to 9:30 p.m., October 2 through 23 at The Writer’s Center

Instructor: Barbara Esstman

This workshop is designed to improve your writing in general and your fiction in particular. We'll do a series of exercises targeting a range of issues, from writing tight, precise prose to learning how to more easily enter the creative space of a story, with particular attention to concrete detail, dialogue, conflict, interior-exterior movement and the other basics of all fiction. The exercises will let you concentrate on a few skills at a time and often are the beginnings of longer works that you can continue working on after the workshop is ended. A good class for serious writers who want to understand how to consciously make their stories better.

To apply: Submit 1 short story or a 3 to 5 page excerpt of a novel. Submission deadline: September 10.

Barbara Esstman, MFA, is a National Endowment for the Arts, VCCA and Virginia Commission for the Arts fellow and a Redbook fiction award winner, among other distinctions. Her two novels, The Other Anna and Night Ride Home, were published by Harcourt Brace and HarperCollins and are in numerous foreign editions. Both books were adapted for television by Hallmark Productions. She co-edited an anthology, A More Perfect Union, published by St. Martin's Press, and has taught extensively in universities.

For additional information on programs at The Writer’s Center, please visit their Web site, www.writer.org

Welcome to The Culture Shop Blog Site

2007-06-06T13:37:00.000-07:00

Welcome.
The Culture Shop team must first thank A.H. (not to mention her husband B.) for helping us launch the Culture Shop blog site. There continues to be a growing list of people who genuinely want this project to benefit our collective communities - near and far; and for that possitive spirit, we continue to be thankful.

Anyone familiar with the Shop knows that we are more than just a place for beautiful and unique selections; infact, we are a community that allows our guests to quickly become friends. That's important to us and will never change.

So this blog site (for newcomers to blogging) is much like an email conversation about all kinds of things. Whatever pops into our heads, events of the day, passions of the moment, frustrations, networking ideas, interesting happenings in and around the community, you name it.

We'll continue to keep you connected to us and we invite you to share your comments and observations with us as well. But remember, this is a public forum; please email us offline to address matters that require personal attention. Together, we will learn from each other on how to build an even stronger global community.