Local Poet to Host Open Mic in Teaneck

Event to focus on education and feature Hackensack teacher

The following was submitted by the Puffin Cultural Forum:  Much of what we hear about our schools, our teachers and the educational system comes from those with either very little stake in the discussion or little to no experience in the classroom. This unique open mic forum, “S.P.E.A.K. (Sharing Poetic Expressions And Knowledge) About Education,” hosted and moderated by local poet and 4th grade teacher Toney Jackson, is devoted to validating the voices of those who dedicate themselves to fostering the future by teaching our children. Educators and community members are invited to share their poems, prose, stories and letters about or inspired by the theme of education, including lessons learned from students, contract disputes, vouchers, …

• Photos (1)

South Africa's 'Peace Train' to Perform in Teaneck, Englewood

International group set to appear at local schools and host free performance at Teaneck's Puffin Cultural Forum.

The following was submitted by the Puffin Cultural Forum in Teaneck:  Sharon Katz, founder of The Peace Train in South Africa in 1992, mounted a countrywide tour around South Africa by train, shortly after the release of Nelson Mandela from South African prisons, and before his election as President of South Africa in 1994. She tours the world teaching Peace & Reconciliation and the anti-bullying messages contained in this historic and triumphant story.  Teaneck’s Puffin Foundation, Ltd. has invited Sharon Katz and her singing partner Wendy Quick, to present workshops on South African music, dance, history and culture at Grieco Elementary School in Englewood NJ, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin Middle Schools in Teaneck NJ on …

• Photos (1)

Weekend Guide

Weekend Guide: BLAST Gallery to Open Coffee Bar, Tim Horner Octet at Puffin

Also, a Teaneck resident helps with a Gypsy jazz event in NYC

  From learning how to play the drums at the age of 10 and singing in his church choir to studying at the Berklee College of Music and performing all over the world, jazz musician Tim Horner has led a life immersed in music. In his 30 years of being a professional musician, Horner has been featured on more than 200 CDs as a sideman. At 8 p.m. Saturday, Horner and seven other talented musicians will perform at the Puffin Cultural Forum to celebrate Horner’s first CD as a leader. His recent release, titled “The Places We Feel Free,” features 10 original compositions and will be available for sale at the performance. The CD also can be purchased through online retailers. Horner has lived in Teaneck for 16 years. He said it’s been wonderful …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

Sept. 11 Exhibit Seeks to Bring ‘Beauty Out of Horror’

'Aftermath: Post 9/11 Images,' to include work from longtime Teaneck resident.

This Friday, the Puffin Cultural Forum will host the opening reception of “Aftermath: Post 9/11 Images,” which commemorates the 10th anniversary of 9/11. Local sculptor Janet Indick joins artists Jean Holabird, Meron Philo, Grace Graupe-Pillard and Julia Karll in this exhibit that will run through Nov. 10. According to a press release from the Puffin Cultural Forum, the works in the show will “evoke our collective memory of a day the world cannot forget, even as they create images of beauty out of horror.” The free event, which begins at 7 p.m., will include a discussion with the artist and a dance performance by Nancy Van Ness of American Creative Dance. ‘I DIDN’T LOSE ANYONE, BUT I FELT FOR THOSE WHO DID’ Indick has been a Teaneck …

• Photos (4)

Photo Project Connects Israeli Arab and Jewish Youth

‘Through Others’ Eyes,' which also includes photos from Israeli Arab and Jewish women, opens tonight at the Puffin Cultural Forum

Creating channels of communication between multicultural neighbors lies at the heart of the latest photo exhibit at the Puffin Cultural Forum. “Through Others’ Eyes,” which opens at 7 p.m. tonight, features a selection of photographs taken by Israeli Arab and Jewish youth and women. This annual project began nine years ago through the Arts Center at Givat Haviva, a nonprofit educational institute in Israel. Those who participate meet at Givat Haviva and also visit each other’s homes and communities under the supervision of an Arab and Jewish facilitator. After seven months of weekly visits, the participants’ photos get displayed at Givat Haviva’s Peace Gallery. According to project organizers, while the subject matter of each photo varies…

• Photos (2)

Weekend Guide

Weekend Guide: ‘Love’s Labour’s Lost’ at Puffin and Boat Building at Teaneck General Store

Also, open-mic night at the Lion’s Den and a discussion about unions at the Ethical Culture Society

Classic theatre lovers can enjoy an outdoor performance (weather permitting) Sunday afternoon at the Puffin Cultural Forum. The Next Stage Ensemble (NSE), which is part of The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, will present William Shakespeare’s comedy “Love’s Labour’s Lost” at 4 p.m. The NSE provides budding career actors with the opportunity to train in ensemble-based performance techniques, states the group’s website. NSE participants work on two classic plays each summer. Last weekend at the Puffin, audience members were treated to NSE’s other performance of Jean Baptiste Moliere’s “Tartuffe,” which was banned by France’s religious leaders after it was first produced. Education associate Shayna Cooper said the NSE is comprised of 10 …

• Photos (2)

Viewfinder

PHOTOS: Shakespeare in the Park(ing) Lot

The Puffin Cultural Forum hosted Shakespeare in the Park(ing) Lot – Moliere’s Tartuffe this weekend. 

• Photos (24)

Weekend Guide

Weekend Guide: Songwriting Workshop, Surprise Guest at Puffin Show

Also, the self-described ‘cello-driven steampunk trio’ Rasputina to perform at Mexicali

Sometimes it can be quite productive to get things off of one’s chest. For Allie Mulholland, the decision to vent his frustrations concerning the theatre eventually would lead to the formation of the Re:Group Theatre, which focuses its creative energy on reviving the depression-era plays of The Group Theatre – the forerunner of The Actors Studio. Mulholland described how one night he penned a 14-page “rant” about how to fix the theatre. He then shared his writings with his friends, who passed it along to their friends, and so forth. Eventually six people, including Mulholland, held the group's first meeting in January 2010. He said the number of attendants doubled the following week. However, prior to that first meeting, Mulholland said …

• Photos (3)

'In the Bag' Exhibit Seeks to Curb Plastic Bag Usage

Displays also highlight co-ops that create totes from discarded materials

The opening reception of In the Bag at The Puffin drew a crowd on Friday that was eager to learn about the effects of plastic bags on the environment, as well as community-based recycling efforts that benefit developing countries and the earth. As people streamed into the Puffin, they were greeted by a maze of hanging plastic tapestries sewn together by artist Karen Guancione.  “I’ve been collecting bags since about 2005 – this is only a portion of them,” she told the crowd. “There’s many more because this is an ongoing installation that keeps changing and growing. The best part of this is the connections. People have been collecting bags for me from all over the world.” One group that Guancione mentioned was a radio station in Baghdad run…

•  2 Comments
• Photos (28)

Judy Distler

8:35 pm on Monday, June 6, 2011

Fabulous exhibit-wonderful story. Hope everyone reads it and sees it!   more ›

'Poster Girl' Chronicles Struggles of Iraq War Veteran

Event at Puffin featured female Iraq War veteran, and the lasting physical and psychological impacts of war.

For Robynn Murray, serving her country in the armed forces involved two battles: one overseas as a machine gunner in Iraq and the other as a veteran struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder once back in America. A crowd of more than 100 people packed into the Puffin Cultural Forum Wednesday night to hear from the National Merit Scholar and cheerleader turned Army sergeant. The crowd learned that Murray joined the Army Reserve in 2003 and was deployed to Iraq in 2004 at age 19 ready to “prove herself” to her macho male counterparts. The crowd also learned about the crippling guilt and anxiety that consumed Murray as she fought the Veterans’ Administration for proper care and monetary compensation upon her return home from war a year …

• Photos (4)