For Immediate Release

October 2007

CUSP (Community Urban Soul Project) and Digital Bliss Productions
team up for a new monthly event at Poleng Lounge in San Francisco, CA. Both collectives have produced events all over the Bay Area since 2004 and are taking their eclectic variety of live music and community back to the Poleng Lounge this fall every 2nd Thursday of each month. Expect a cross-pollination of live bands and electronica bands with live elements. However mixed the Poleng Lounge will be it will emphasis electronica with a monthly residency from Divasonic (Live ~ Electro - Acoustic - Drum & Bass) and a bi-monthly residency from BOMANI (Live Hopadelic Funk & Soul). Including a rotation of three spectacular DJs; DJ Fridaylove, DJ Big Willie and DJ rAhnlee. DJ Fridaylove spins ‘Oakland Big Beats’, DJ Big Willie spins “Everything Funky” and DJ rAhnlee is a Laptop DJ who produces and plays his Afro Galactic ambient music.

Next SHOW:
November 8th, 2007 10pm-2am

Door: $10
$7 w/ Flyer

http://www.polenglounge.com/



Record Release celebration for Divasonic and her sophomore album
‘Changing Wind’.

Performing: @ 10pm

Divasonic and Friends
(Live electro-acoustic-DnB)

http://www.divasonic.com/

Performing: @ 11pm

Weather Pending
(Pop/ Electronic/ Dance/ DJ)

http://www.myspace.com/WeatherPending

DJ: (Laptop Set) from 10pm – 1:30am

DJ rAhnlee
(Afro-galactic Ambient Musik)

http://www.myspace.com/rAhnLoam





· The Community Urban Soul Project (C.U.S.P.) began in 2004. CUSP aims to raise both awareness and funds for specific community issues and needs, and build a stronger artist community and community in general by showcasing musicians of many genres. The members are creative folks; teachers, actors, counselors, doctors, etc, who are involved in community outreach on many levels. These groups work together to share music as a tool to build community.

Digital Bliss Productions was established in 2004 to promote women electronic music producers, vocalists, instrumentalists and engineers as well as women who combine media and disciplines to create their own unique voice in the digital realm. Digital Bliss seeks to connect groups in the wildly varied Electronic music scene to create more community and cross-pollination in the Bay Area and subsequently on a Global Scale. Through performances, education, touring, compilation releases and blogging we share our new voices and music.

Contact: Digital Bliss Productions ~ Lynda Arnold Divasonic@sbcglobal.net

CUSP organizers: Bekka Fink & Atiim Chenzira Atiim@Atiim.net

510-593-4394

For Immediate Release

September 2007

CUSP (Community Urban Soul Project) and Digital Bliss Productions

team up for a new monthly event at Poleng Lounge in San Francisco
Both collectives have produced events all over the Bay Area since 2004 and are ready to bring their eclectic variety of live music and community back to the Poleng Lounge this fall every 2nd Thursday of each month. Expect a cross-pollination of live bands and electronica bands with live elements. However mixed the Poleng Lounge will emphasis electronica with a residency from Divasonic, DJ Fridaylove and DJ Big Willie. DJ Fridaylove spins ‘Oakland Big Beats’, DJ Big Willie spins “Everything Funky” and BOMANI plays live Funk/Hip Hop/Soul.

FIRST SHOW:

October 11, 2007 10pm-2am Door: $7 http://www.polenglounge.com/

Record Release celebration for Divasonic's ‘Changing Wind’ album. Performing: Divasonic and Friends (Live electro-acoustic-DnB) http://www.divasonic.com/

Record Release celebration for Atiim Chenzira's (lead singer of BOMANI) debut album 'In Pursuit of Happiness..." BOMANI (Live Funk/Hip Hop/Soul) http://www.myspace.com/bomanimusik

DJ Big Willie
DJ Fridaylove

The Community Urban Soul Project (C.U.S.P.) began in 2004. CUSP aims to raise both awareness and funds for specific community issues and needs, and build a stronger artist community and community in general by displaying musicians of many genres. The members are creative folks; teachers, actors, counselors, doctors, etc, who are involved in community outreach on many levels. These groups work together to share music as a tool to build community.

Digital Bliss Productions established itself in 2004 to promote women electronic music producers, vocalists, instrumentalists and engineers as well as women who combine media and disciplines to create their own unique voice in the digital realm. Digital Bliss seeks to connect groups in the wildly varied Electronic music scene to create more community and cross-pollination in the Bay Area and subsequently on a Global Scale. Through performances, education, touring, compilation releases and blogging we share our new voices and music.

Contact:

• 
  

  Digital Bliss Productions Organizer: Lynda Arnold
  

• CUSP Organizers: Bekka Fink & Atiim Chenzira 510-593-4394
  

A THOUSAND WORDZ

PREZENTZ:
the
Artists Meeting Place
&
Resource Collective

Click the image and set up an account. This is one of the best resouces I know. If you travel you can benefit from this. If you want to collaborate or ask questions amongst your peers... This is for you.

-Atiim Chenzira

Reno Nevada@The Green RoomCeleste Lear & Divasonic rocked the house!!!

The Green Room Story:

Celeste Lear met a downtempo queen on line named Artemis and immediately loved her electronic and ambient music. Artemis' husky, heavenly alto floats over dreamy organic soundscapes and smart, dynamic beats. Combining elements of trip-hop, drum and bass, breakbeat and poptronica, Artemis fuses a hybrid sound that can take you from a rocking club to a late night lounge and everywhere in between. So, Ms. Lear reached out in hopes of collaborating with other powerful independent women musicians like herself and invited Artemis to collaborate on shows.
Artemis and Divasonic are both Cyberset artists and partners of a collaborative Diva started with her first partner Rena Jones. Anyway... Celeste is thorough. She reached out to Divasonic too because Divasonic, a beautiful performer and producer, with ambient bass beats and acoustic piano and flute, heads an electronica collaborative named Digital Bliss Productions. Diva established an annual event called Estrogenesis produced by women artists of Electronic music in San Francisco, CA. (check it out by clicking here). This was all while Celeste felt the networking energy.
Ms. Lear began spreading the word of her upcoming album release "The Echo Inside" a few months ago in February.

Well, to say the least, Celeste Lear fell in love with Diva's music too and invited both Artemis and Divasonic to join forces and set up a couple of shows in Santa Cruz, California and Reno, Nevada.

Brookdale Lodge May 6th, 2006

Well... I hear the show was phenomenal, but the house lighting and sound isn't the best. Artemis's music is spiritually saturated and colored in depth, so I know she did a beautiful job on stage. This is what I hear. This downtempo queen could hypnotize a nation. I'm sure she was a sensation. I saw her perform at the 14th annual Digital Be-In and whew!
So, after the Brookdale Lodge, which didn't have the biggest turn out, partially due to the story of it being haunted by 49 residing spirits and partially because of underground rumors of staff politics (strictly rumor I'm sure), the show was great, but the attendance was short. The ladies parted ways, Diva after the show and Artemis and Celeste Lear in the morning. Artemis returned to her Marin Ranch and Diva headed back to her Bay Area home and next to meet Celeste in Reno, Nevada to finish Celeste Lears Northern Tour.

The Experience:

I drove up to Nevada with Divasonic to feature on a new track that we collaborated on production and writing named 'Seed'. We met Celeste, Peter, Bryan and Jeff at the Lear lair. From there we left for the show to set up and get sound checked. It was a great day. The bar reminded me of a secret hole in the wall. It was made of bricks and tucked in an alley between two businesses right on the street. The staff greeted us all with helping hands and drink tickets. Yes, it was a great night.
Diva sound checked first and enveloped the room with teasing sounds of what was to come. Meanwhile I talked with the band mates of Celeste. Bryan, the bass player is a grounded cat that's cooler than a Polar Bear's toe nail. Peter, the keys player, carries an alluring mystic that grabs anyone's attention. He stated he'd just done a photoshoot in LA before doing the tour, while explaining why he had two blue extentions in his hair that looked 'Native American'. Jeff the drummer explained how he happened upon the drumless band two weeks prior to the tour. He had just finished playing with Andre 3000 and re-settling in LA when he browsed Craigslist and found Celeste's add for a drummer. Well, Celeste was in for a treat.
During sound check for Celeste the band played a few tunes and each one made me jump and dance. Now, there aren't too many bands that grab my body the way Celeste's band does. When a band moves me I can't do nothing but pay each member the fullest respect. RESPECT!
After all the business of checking and situating occurred the doors opened at 8pm and Divasonic blessed the house with her beautiful music. She started with a new song from untitled upcoming CD. The song was called 'Changing Wind'...It was amazing! I got on stage and performed our piece 'Seed', which will get better as it is more polished. The house was packed. No one left the room. It seemed the room became more and more filled as her set went on. Diva performed her new single "Filled With Love" and "Candy Store" from her "Birth" CD. In awe the crowd sat quietly listening to every note being played and every lyric being sung. I hoped for dancing, but it felt like dancing wasn't as important to the crowd as it is to me. It didn't matter, the room continued to fill. By the time Divasonic retired from the stage the only consistent thing I recall hearing from Celeste Lear and other spectators is, "That girl is going places..."
After all of the anticipation Celeste mounted the stage with 'the band' and ripped the club a new "@$# hole". I couldn't help but fill my camera with pictures the entire night and I worked up such a sweat from dancing, there wasn't a beer that made me tipsy. Celeste's father and step-mother were present and according to her announcement mid-set, "This is the first show my father's seen my band play live". Every song had deep bass rythmes and Soul filled singing, drumming that was completely unbelievable and both the Keys and Guitar were singing to each other. A real band! A real funky band! They performed a number of new tunes; 'Letter From A Train', 'Mrs. Knievel', 'House of Glass' and my new favorite tune, "Tears in the garden" from her long awaited album "The Echo Inside".
The experience filled me with love, with joy, with enthusiasm to continue my community building work and a sense of deep connection to the process of creating and performing music that makes people think, feel and move. All three ladies are certified lyricists. They have the music to back it up and the attitude to enrich any room they fill with their music. If I could relive it again I would, but it will forever be an experience I'm eternally grateful for. Thank you.

Celeste Lear says, "I am at oneearlear@yahoo.com
...My band members names are:

• 
  Bryan Jeffries on bass,
• 
  Peter Johnson on keys/laptop and
• 
  Jef Van Veen on drums(who, by the way, played on Andre 3000's 'Love Below').
  
• 
  I...Celeste Lear...do all our programming, arranging , voice and guitars (Production)."

For more information about Celeste Lear go to
http://www.myspace.com/celestelear or visit her home page at http://www.celestelear.com/
For more information about Artemis go to
http://www.myspace.com/artemis1 or visit her home page at
http://www.artemis.fm/
For more information about Divasonic go to
http://www.myspace.com/divasonic or visit her home page at
http://www.divasonic.com

other links to view:
http://www.digitalblissproductions.com/
http://www.Cyberset.cc
Artemis, Divasonic & Celeste Lear are members of
The Community Urban Soul Project:
http://www.CommunityUrbanSoulProject.blogspot.com

A Thousand WordZ

Hello Community!

Do you have photography, paintings, words, song, poetry, and music…talent to share?

I am Atiim Chenzira, organizer of A Thousand WordZ
http://mailto:atiim@atiim.net/
www.APictureZWorth.Blogspot.com

A Thousand WordZ is an Ezine and a Community that is rapidly growing. We're started as a Benefit Organization and Music Collaborative and will eventually become an Ezine when our community grows stronger. We use a medium which allows artists to share their gifts and talents, arts and creativity, technical know-how and editorial knowledge with each other. We’re inviting you to join our communtiy and to submit your works for our future publication. We focus on Audio and Visual arts, which could be anything you do; short stories, essays, journalism, poetry, photography, paintings, drawings, song- lyrics, rap/hip-hop, rock, reggae, punk, spoken word, whatever… We are moving in a group and erecting something that is useful to us all.

This is how it works: You read the theme of the upcoming issue. You send us your works. We configure the Ezine accordingly. We set up events to display our works. For your contributions to the Ezine we provide a link from our Network Section (Voltronnection) to either your webpage or email address. The Network Section will be open to the public and we will give snippets of recordings and a tour of our site. For more information please contact us at AThousandWordZ@hotmail.com or use the links above.

The First Issue:
UPRIZING
Subtitle:
SEED

If you have any works that fall under any of the titles above, please send them. Pass this on to your frendz:

A THOUSAND WORDZ

This is an organization that welcomes community support to help raise funds for community needs.


Today A Thousand WordZ stands as a shell of what it could be. The idea is great. We've raised funds this year for Hurricane relief and through our music collaborative (C.U.S.P.) Community Urban Soul Project, we've raised funds for Breast Cancer last November. Our November 10th, 2005 show at the Oakland Metro sparked a realization among the artists that witnessed and participated that community is greater than working alone. Sharing is beautiful and helps take some burden away from isolated attempts to achieve a goal. So, since musicians are clearly into making music this thread of commonality and the will to share our gifts to make a positive change in our immediate communities glues us to this idea of humanity. Humanity can only exist when sharing is involved. So won't you share with us? Share in this idea of community and help us help us all.

Take a look around the sidebars and see which blog you'd like to display your talent. Are you a photographer or visual artist? Are you a musician looking to join a solid community? Are you a comic strip writer? Are you a citizen looking to change the status quo, the way things exist? Are you a poet, a creative writer, an activist writer...etc? Do you want to share in a growing community of poeple who want to share of themselves to be a community? Welcome.

Look below

1. Make our blogs your homepage and surf the net easy with your community just a click away.
2. Stay informed with events and send us your events to post for the community to share in and participate.
3. Encourage and support the arts by submitting your writings, visual arts, links to your music, etc... there is a blog for everyone and almost anything and if there isn't and you have one we can link ourselves to, please email Atiim Chenzira at Atiim@Atiim.net and let us build our network.
4. Remember: change doesn't just happen it is created.
   

EmailLinks



• Y!


• MSN


• AOL


• Gmail


• earthlink


• Comcast

A Thousand WordZ

LinkZ

KOMMUNITY

• kOMMUNITY aCTIVIZUM


• Not In Our Name


• A.N.S.W.E.R.


• Kommunitee Voyss


• KommuniteeNeedZ


• JOIN THE 1K-WRDZ COMMUNITY


• A THOUSAND WORDZ BLOG



VISUAL

• See it 2 Believe


• Berry Evans, Jr. III!



MUSIK

(See sidebarz)

CREATIVE WRITING

• IMORTALITY


• MYTHO-POETIC VISIONZ

EVENTZ

• What'z Hatnin' NOW


• (C.U.S.P.) Community Urban Soul Project


• 
  
  



Information

• Democracy Now!


• NETWORK


• TRANSPARENT



IntimateLINKz

• INTERVIEWZ


• ATIIM CHENZIRA


• SaRaH sUnShInE


• 
  



Cartoon/omic

• kOMIC sTRIPPER

"You don't fail.... You give up"
I will never fail at building community, because I will never give up. -Atiim

PROFESSIONAL?

I DO NOT KNOW.

TRUTH: It hurts sometimes, It is violent sometimes, It is raw sometimes, but it is.

The reality of our world is Capitalism and the food we work for to feed the beast's life. We realize that the struggle is easier to bare when more are shouldering the cross. Beat up and worn out we struggle to make it by and be unseen. Conflict is the last thing anybody wants when they are tired. Hmmm.

I'm tired and many more are too. Exhausted is a stronger and probably more appropriate concept.

What do we do about it?

Communicate or pout?

Reach out or go down without trying to?

Build up or scatter like Babel?

Well humility is needed to rebuild, because it was arogance that destroyed the tower to heaven.

What is heaven?

A community of all building with one goal in mind sounds like one appropritate way of describing it, but it's grander than that.

It's a basic understanding that we all must visit to coexist...

Peace is the frame to the bigger picture, but compassion is the compass.

Sharing is the key...

We all have colors to mix and use to paint our own signature to the mural of life.

What do we share?

Everything you can is the answer.

We wake up with Grace and without our permission and have whatever we do to give it all again, so what do we have to give?

Everything we are and have without regret or fear is the answer.

What do I do?

What do you do?

I do not know, but I will give my all.

Right now this is an idea. This is a concept and a hope... this is my passion and my torch. Turbulent like flight and extreme at times, this is real and up to us all to decide how to write, for it is written.

A THOUSAND WORDZ

Interested? How Can You Help?

Hi,

A Thousand WordZ has a project to introduce and interest you creative people to. I am Atiim Chenzira, organizer of A Thousand WordZ, and I am interested in Community. A Thousand WordZ uses a medium of Blogs to open a forum for the community, a place to share and network.
A Thousand WordZ is the name of the organization and our mission is to create community through sharing different art forms under similar themes and uniting to share our sacred gifts and talent for special causes like the Hurricane relief and local issues of hunger or homelessness etc., our human disasters and social ills.

How it works:

It works by publishing your works and sharing your experiences and gifts with others. A Thousand WordZ doesn't want to reinvent the wheel, we want to open our community to everyone.
We invite the creative magic in our creative community to shine together. We invite your critic, your submissions, etc...We invite you to participate in building community. A Thousand WordZ will publish and share your business contact information and whatever else you have to share. We'll share your photography, paintings, research papers, creative writing, poetry, links to your music, etc... We want community submissions of any kind to create and fill this meeting place. Make it your home page... We have sections to address most anything a community would need or want. Let's open our circle and invite community in.

How can you help?

By reaching for the bigger picture... A Thousand WordZ invites community to share and build.


Sincerely,
Atiim Bomani Chenzira
www.ATIIM.Blogspot.com
www.Myspace.com/Atiim

EVENTZ
What'z Hatnin' Now
(C.U.S.P.)

See what is happening in your Community... Check out our 'What'z Hatnin' Now' page for EVENTZ.


Check out the Community Urban Soul Project (C.U.S.P.)... A collaboration of bands who share in community by working together to express it. A group of musicians raising fundz for charities and spirits of the community.
The bandz are...GROOVUS, BEKKA'S FROGLAND ORCHESTRA, THUNDERPUSSY & FRENDZ...
There iz still more to come


A THOUSAND WORDZ will provide a venue for artists of the community to express themselves once a month visually and musically live. Stay tuned into the community by making Our Page Your Home Page... by clicking:
Favor your community...Namaste. This is found on every page of our blog.
Join our community by contributing your talents and gifts for community building.
Visit WWW.ATHOUSANDWORDZ.NET and introduce your self to our community.

PREZENTZ:
an affiliate organization set up to help you all enter a world of networking.

So hello everyone...
Some of you know me, some don't, either way... I'm Francesca Cosentino, a San
Francisco based photographer and Co-organizer of A Thousand WordZ, & I've been working together with a team
in New York to get a community feel back in artists networking... check
this out! If you like the idea, hop on! Cuz it's moving fast! I am the
west coast rep for the manhattan project and I would love to bring us
all together to reap the immeasureable benefits from an idea of this
quality! This is for creativity of all types! Performance and visual
arts of ALL kinds...Here's a little bit about... The Manhattan Project...

our group is forming an independent interactive community website for
creative people.

it is a free easy to use and search posting site with an events
calendar, contact profiler,
collaboration profiler, city blog, essay posting, online virtual photo
gallery, and propaganda marketplace.

the site is dedicated to a non-commercial, for artists by artists
approach. the simple approach to the site is to focus on the artist and
the artist's work, not the intricacies of some complex hard to use
website.

the site is launching in nyc in March 2006. we will then subsequently
launch in other cities like sf, london, la, chicago, tokyo, minneapolis,
amsterdam and many more.

until then you can see the trailer here:

www.themanhattanproject.info
if you are interested in being apart of the propaganda campaign,

emailus - propaganda@themanhattanproject.info

if you are interested in advertising, email us -advertising@themanhattanproject.info

if you are interested in being involved in the manhattan projectdocumentary, email us - documentary@themanhattanproject.info

if you are interested in being put on the contact and mailing list,email erica - erica@themanhattanproject.info

Feel free to forward this on to your friends.

We are putting together a very large easy to use database for artists of all kinds.

Once again, thank you for your interest and support.

~the manhattan project team

The days in between

A Documentary of the Manhattan Project

As a team, we are striving to make sure that the site is free for our users. We are putting together a large propaganda campaign to launch this in various cities around the world. The goal is to get the artist and music communities around the world to get to know each other a little better. To give people in different cities the chance to see what others are doing and possibly participate in. We are planning on filming this process as a documentary. We have received a very warm response from people all over the world and are very excited about the project.

In the interest of staying true to the concept, we are opening up the documentary process to the artists and musicians as well. We feel that this is a good opportunity to promote and celebrate.

Here are the parameters of involvement:

We will send you a handful of generic The Manhattan Project business cards for participating...


You film up to but no more than 24 minutes of your life promoting your art or music...

It should start with a brief bio of yourself or group and the city or town in which you live.

Feel free to be as creative as you would like. This is the essence of the entire project. Feel free to incorporate interviews, skits, stories, original art, original music, etc.

You are the director of your submission. feel free to mold your film however you would like without doing anything illegal and/or putting anyone in harms way.

It is encouraged that all submissions be in digital format on CD or DVD.

Once your submission is ready, please email documentary@themanhattanproject.info for details where you are to ship it.

Remember to have fun. It should be fun. It’s art.

Please note: all submissions are subject to editing to finalize the documentary. all submissions will become property of the manhattan project and will not be returned. all submissions that make it into the documentary will receive a dvd and their information will be in the credits of the film.

A Thousand WordZ

Hello Community!

Do you have photography, paintings, words, song, poetry, and music…talent to share?

I am Atiim Chenzira, organizer of A Thousand WordZ
http://mailto:atiim@athousandwordz.net/
www.APictureZWorth.Blogspot.com

A Thousand WordZ is an Ezine and a Community that is rapidly growing. We're started as a Benefit Organization and Music Collaborative and will eventually become an Ezine when our community grows stronger. We use a medium which allows artists to share their gifts and talents, arts and creativity, technical know-how and editorial knowledge with each other. We’re inviting you to join our communtiy and to submit your works for our future publication. We focus on Audio and Visual arts, which could be anything you do; short stories, essays, journalism, poetry, photography, paintings, drawings, song- lyrics, rap/hip-hop, rock, reggae, punk, spoken word, whatever… We are moving in a group and erecting something that is useful to us all.

This is how it works: You read the theme of the upcoming issue. You send us your works. We configure the Ezine accordingly. We set up events to display our works. For your contributions to the Ezine we provide a link from our Network Section (Voltronnection) to either your webpage or email address. The Network Section will be open to the public and we will give snippets of recordings and a tour of our site. For more information please contact us at AThousandWordZ@hotmail.com or use the links above.

The First Issue:
UPRIZING
Subtitle:
SEED

If you have any works that fall under any of the titles above, please send them. Pass this on to your frendz:

The Work ContinueZ

Okay... after months of pulling it back together I am still determined and focused on uniting this beautiful idea of community. I want to feature people of our community on our new blog. We...that's right...we...Francesca Cosentino has come from the other side of the computer to join in with the organizing of A Thousand WordZ. I feel supported in this effort.

I give thanks to my community!

This is something I am living for, so... come on! Let us do it!

I need FotoZ, BioZ, InterviewZ, PaintingZ, MuziK, Research papers (students)... if you are creative...in any way...what iz it you want to give your creative kids of tomorrow? A better world!!! I am always frustrated when people don't share, yes like in kindergarten. Show and tell... You all remember that.

We want to spread Community around the world. We are reaching out to everyone who knowz some one that knowz someone. We are all creative and sometimez that is all we have, our creativity. Whether it'z carpentry or painting, counseling or editing, teaching or landscaping, we are all creative. Let us tell the community your story...Someone should spread the news. Let us help.

I wonder sometimes..."If I had no problem in the world, would I care about community as I do?"
You know what... I don't honestly have an answer for that, but I'd hope so.

The bottom line is I do believe in a community willing to network with each other and a community willing to see a bigger picture of unity. My frend Bekka of Bekka's Frogland Orchestra said, "Communication and Unity equalz Community". We are no community if we do not communicate and we cannot be a community if we do not unite. Unity is the reciprocation of elementz and Communication is expression. I will take it a step forward...Good communication involvez listening and expressing...giving attention to what is being expressed to understand it and building upon understanding with the same expectation. Look,...I'm sharing. (Grin)

If you are interested in our Ezine, we are working it out right now. The idea is to establish a network of people… cross - pollinate ourselves and share in the community of FRENDZ that are building a better world through expression and reciprocation. Join us and ask us how you can be a part of the Community. "Ask not what your community can do for you, ask what you can do for your community" -Atiim ...lol...a twist from JFK. I would like to know if we could call you Community.

-Atiim (I waz moved to write tonight.)

Quoting Andreas Smith, "BE the Change you want to See in the World".

I like that.

URL information:
www.atiim.blogspot.com
www.apicturezworth.blogspot.com
www.AThousandWordZ.net
If you want to help, you can. Ask us how.

Thank you for your commitment and your presence and your patience with these emails and my frustration and questions. Thank you dearly and sincerely. –Atiim

Welcome to
The Sacred Grounds Cafe,
where community livez!
2095 Hayes Street in San Francisco, Ca. 94117

Francesca V. Cosentino
Co-Orgaizer of A Thousand WordZ and Photographer

This iz the event at
'The Sacred Grounds Cafe'

I picked Francesca Cosentino up from downtown San Francisco, Ca. at 10am and we prepared ourselves for the event to perform and raise money for 'Families Helping Families on the Crossroads'. We spoke about expectations and dissapointment and decided to release expectations to enjoy our day and honor what we were doing at The Sacred Grounds Cafe this day. Flyers were sent out via the Internet from A Thousand WordZ and in the immediate community around the Cafe, but expectation seemed to linger in our hearts. I couldn't help but wonder what the turn out would be like and who would show up to support our cause, helping the hurricane victims, and how much we would make by the end of the day. Eventually I surrendered my concerns and Francesca set the pace by placing herself in the moment. I followed her lead. I pulled out my bag of lyrics and before performing, I shuffled through pages of poems, songs and rap lyrics that I piled together at home for the event. Once I gathered myself and my message, I began. I read poems written by David Whyte, William Butler Yeats, Mary Oliver and Dr. Scott Pengelly of Eugene, Oregon and, of course, my own pieces too. The patrons of The Sacred Grounds Cafe stopped to listen. They put their books, spoons, forks, computers, and expectations down to listen to poetry being delivered, almost to walk with me through the pictures I painted for them. The tone of the cafe mellowed down to a simmer of appreciation before the music began.

Elizabeth A. Reid strolled into the cafe, and with a smile, greeted the small crowd with music from her acoustic guitar and the beautiful lyrics she wrote and sang. She grabbed everyone present with her melodic voice and lyrics of love.

Elizabeth A. Reid:
Acoustic Guitar & Beautiful Song.
"Elizabeth sang our heartz into feeling again and again and... Her voice and soulful lyricz touched everyone prezent with reflection and a sense of compassion. "
-Atiim Chenzira

Elizabeth played her first West Coast Show with us at The Sacred Grounds Cafe this day. She just moved into California from Ohio and chose to begin her career in the West with a benefit to support the Hurricane Relief.

Jake Leland and Russ Blaine of IZUM played beautiful duetz and trioz to help raise money for 'families helping families', a non-profit based in Pineville, Lousiana, at The Sacred Grounds Cafe, in Community with A Thousand WordZ. At one point (right) Russ Blaine set his trumpet down and hopped on the community piano to play a couple of tunez. Jake Leland accompanied Somos ONE, of the Brown Buffalo Project, to a spoken word piece, written so elequantly by Somos. It waz great!
I even jumped in with a little shaker of rice and beans to add a little flavor.
Herez the Trio from left to right...Jake Leland, Russ Blaine and Special Guest 'Guillem of Spain'. The three brought unity through harmony and solo performances within collaborative songs. Jake Leland was the first brass piece to arrive and he showed up ready to play, as he strolled right in and played a couple of heart felt solos to fill The Sacred Grounds with his mellow and playful vibe of Tenor Sax. When Russ (trumpet) and Guillem (tenor sax) appeared the three collaborated on sharing the floor and combining their gifts for a cause worth more than any picture can be valued.
(From left to right) Aharón Wheels Bolsta (Drums, flutes, tabla, calabash, darbukka, and sundry percussive palliatives) and JOHN ARNS (Sitar and Erhu) played very rich and enveloping sounds of India for the benefit. These two mesmorized everyone present with the lingering sounds of the sitar and the calabash. Their music continued to take me to dreamland. I felt the Sun pour into the room and everything stand still when they combined their gifts for the Hurricane Relief cause. It was definetly a beautiful day to hold such an event.
Somos ONE (S.O.)/
el Brown Buffalo Project (BBP) delivered wordz on 'The Sacred Ground' that moved everyone. His passionate expression combined with his rythmic dance on wordz grabbed the audience by their heartz and mindz. He performed spoken word and served up a couple of hip hop jingles laced with conscious thoughts and reflective questions.

A couple of the beautiful ladiez in the audience enjoying the great food of The Sacred Grounds Cafe and the performances.

October 9, 2005 (letter written by Bruce Schrader, owner and manager of the Sacred Grounds Cafe)

Families Helping Families at the Crossroads of Louisiana
2840 Military Hwy., Suite A.
Pineville, Louisiana 71360

Hello,

Please accept our donation of $100. I’ve included a picture of the flyer and the people who participated in this fund raising event here at The Sacred Grounds Café. We send our love and support along with this modest donation.

That's right...We didn't raise $2,300 like the event we did in North Berkeley on October 3rd, but every penny counts. However, Patrons of The Sacred Grounds Cafe were very generous. They wondered in off of the street and had their afternoon coffee. They read their papers and used the free community internet service. They sat down or stood still to listen to the wordz and/or the music being shared. Maybe they didn't even know they'd give money to help those traumatized by the floods of the broken levees or the disaster and headache of rebuilding for years to come, but they did. They particiapted in the community of 'The Sacred Grounds Cafe' and with A Thousand WordZ. The patrons of the cafe came for the amazing food and ambience and left hopeful with smiles on their faces. They signed our email list to join our community and left az members.
Surrendering our expectations wasn't an easy task, but the end result wasn't about the amount of money raised or how many people showed up in support, it was about the amount of compassion we showed as a community. The fact is...we all came together as a community, whether we planned too or stumbled upon it happening, we showed solidarity by giving what we could to help our greater community in Louisiana. WE had a great time doing it too.
Francesca and I were present and in high spirits at this humble cafe and enjoyed every moment of collaboration and music with the musicians and The Sacred Grounds Cafe patrons, who came 'giving of themselves' for this occassion. In the end, Everyone left the cafe with a feeling of accomplishment and with a new name and contact for future works. You see, most of us met eachother for the first time this special day, but each person involved in this humble event gathered to say to the people of the hurricanes, in their own voices...
"We Support You!"

Sacred Grounds Cafe - Hurricane Relief

What do you do on a Sunday?
Come out to the Sacred Grounds Café and support a good cause
October 9th
@ the Sacred Grounds Cafe 2095 Hayes Street in San Francisco, Ca. 94117
Do you have photography, paintings, words, song, poetry, and music…talent to share?
A Community of Artists will gather to help raise Money for the People of the Hurricanes.
Acoustic Music and Spoken Word from:
12pm to 4pm on October 9th.
$5-$20 donations suggested at coffee counter

Volunteers:
Atiim Chenzira:
Hosting / poetry~spoken word and song
Francesca V. Cosentino:
Photography and set up
Elizabeth A. Reid:
Acoustic guitar and song
Aharón Wheels Bolsta: Drums, flutes, tabla, calabash, darbukka, and sundry percussive palliatives (vocalease!)
&
John Arns:
Sitar and erhu (Chinese spike fiddle).
Bekka’s Frogland Orchestra:
Acoustic Guitar, Song, Etc..
Russell Blaine:
Trumpet
James Eksel:
Acoustic guitar
Julio Magaña-Saludado
Somos ONE (S.O.) el BROWN BUFFALO PROJECT (BBP)
Fresh wordZ of all SortZ
At Some Point…
Open mic

This is a benefit event to give ‘what we can’.
Proceeds will go to the organization ‘Families helping families’, an organization chosen by:
The Sacred Grounds.
Support THE CAUSE by telling your friends and family and physically being present with us.
Come in support of our cause to raise what we can for the People of the disastrous hurricanes.
@: The Sacred Grounds Café October 9th in San Francisco, CA. at 2095 Hayes Street from 12pm – 4pm