On The Table Read ebook Magazine UK, INNSiDE Liverpool, part of Meliá Hotels International, is celebrating Easter-weekend, with a series of special collaborations with Liverpool-based chocolatiers TABLE Chocolate and in-house florist A Slower Space.
Guests can also enjoy Sunday lunch at Gino D’Acampo Old Hall Street restaurant, and book a stay from £119 for two, with breakfast.
TABLE Chocolate
TABLE is Liverpool’s first bean to bar chocolate maker, dedicated to making the finest single-origin chocolate. Normally found inside specialty coffee shop and wine bar, Rope & Twines, the exclusive Easter-weekend TABLE and INNSiDE collaboration will allow guests at the hotel to purchase limited-edition handmade chocolate eggs from the in-house kiosk, made here in Liverpool.
Guests can choose from the Tanzanian dark chocolate, Haitian milk chocolate and Nicaraguan white chocolate egg, all standing on a base filled with a crispy homemade praline of hazelnut, pistachio or pecan nuts.
Limited edition Handmade Chocolate Eggs by TABLE Chocolate at INNSiDE
A Slower Space
Guests can also enjoy a special floral arrangement workshop on Easter Sunday, hosted by A Slower Space – an independent lifestyle store selling plants, flowers, coffee, homeware & gifts originally on Penny Lane, with a second residency in the lobby of INNSiDE Liverpool. Guests can enjoy a glass of fizz and leave the relaxed workshop with their own beautiful bouquet; a modern, fresh, spring mix focusing on bright colours. The class time is 11am on Sunday 17th April.
INNSiDE
The partnerships with both TABLE and A Slower Space formpart of INNSiDE’s philosophy ‘Stay Curious’, which aims to accommodate guests’ every need with considered comforts and inspired lifestyle experiences enriched with locally curated music, art, independents and culture.
Guests staying or attending the event with A Slower Space are invited to extend the day with an Easter Sunday roast at Gino D’Acampo Old Hall Street. Diners can choose from the Aberdeen Angus Slow Roast Beef Rump with Garlic & Thyme, or the Lemon & Rosemary Herb Roast Chicken, both served with crisp golden roast potatoes, vegetables, Yorkshire pudding & roast gravy. The Sunday roasts are available alongside the restaurant’s a-la-carte, Bambino, vegetarian, and vegan menus. For those looking to make the day extra special, guests are invited to enjoy a glass of something chilled in Gino’s 360 Sky Bar, whilst enjoying unrivalled panoramic views of the city.
Guests can take the elevator home at INNSiDE Liverpool with Bed and Breakfast rates over the Easter holidays from £119 for a double room with breakfast.Guests can buy tickets to the A Slower Space floral arrangement class at the hotel reception or here for £15 per person, with a limited number of TABLE Chocolate eggs available from £10 at the hotel kiosk.
About INNSiDE by Meliá
INNSiDE is a collection of balanced lifestyle hotels for work, play and wellbeing – or anything in between. We enrich the everyday experience with thoughtful touches, backed up by big ideas. Catering to a variety of people from Work Trippers and City Breakers to Social Explorers and Party Chasers, INNSiDE is for every you – whichever you that is.
INNSiDE provides guests with all the everyday essentials and extra-special details to make their stay all the more unique. From in-room considered comforts to the inspired – and inspiring – creative meeting spaces, Open Living Lounges, and fitness studios, we allow guests to feel more-than-at-home. Whether that means plucking a better-for-you, locally-sourced drink from the minibar after a yoga session, returning from a bike ride adventure to a tantalizingly tasty meal, full of local flavours, or heading from a productive meeting to our state-of-the-art fitness spaces – we’re always searching for moments to surprise and delight.
Sustainability is packed into all the little details: every room is equipped with paper and plastic-free collateral and complimentary organic cosmetics. INNSiDE celebrates the culture of each of its locations with an events calendar, handy city guides for guests, and by spotlighting a local artist’s work across the hotel walls and onto merchandise and staff uniforms.
About Meliá Hotels International
Founded in 1956 in Mallorca (Spain), Meliá Hotels International operates more than 380 hotels (portfolio and pipeline) throughout more than 40 countries, under the brands Gran Meliá Hotels & Resorts, Paradisus by Meliá, ME by Meliá, Meliá Hotels & Resorts, INNSiDE by Meliá, Sol by Meliá and TRYP by Wyndham. The Company is the global leader in resort hotels, while also leveraging its experience to consolidate the growing segment of the leisure-inspired urban market.
Its commitment to responsible tourism has led the Group to become the most sustainable hotel company in Spain and Europe in 2020, according to the SAM Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA) and has ranked seventh in the Wall Street Journal’s list of the 100 most sustainably managed companies in the world (and the leading travel company). Meliá Hotels International is also included in the IBEX 35 Spanish stock market index and it is the Spanish hotel leader in Corporate Reputation (Merco Ranking). For more information, visit www.meliahotelsinternational.com
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On The Table Read ebook Magazine UK, the performance “Swimming Through” Lithuanian Olympian Rūta Meilutytėis is swimming through a bloody pond outside the Russian embassys as a call for action in support of the Ukrainian people who are facing genocide committed by Russia.
Swimming Through
Lithuanian Olympian Rūta Meilutytė
It’s a call to not remain neutral in the face of the war. A call to take an active part in protecting the lives, the freedom, and the democracy of Ukrainian people who are being tortured, raped, and killed by Russia.
It is important not to get numb to the horrific images of mass killings of Ukrainians and their pain. The seemingly never-ending horrors imposed by Russia on the Ukrainian land must not become the norm. With countries such as Germany not stepping up and not posing adequate sanctions on the aggressor – choosing money over people, makes it hard to remain hopeful. Therefore it’s crucial that we keep acting – spreading truthful information, volunteering, protesting, donating, and pressuring our governments to take action.
Bloody Pond
The bloody pond emphasizes Russia’s responsibility for committing war crimes against Ukrainians. Swimming, performed by Lithuanian Olympian Rūta Meilutytė, symbolizes the need for continuous effort to fight through.
(The pond in front of the Russian embassy in Lithuania was dyed with ecological paint which is environmentally friendly and extensively used in biological scientific tests.)
Credits For Swimming Through
Idea and execution: Berta Tilmantaitė, Neringa Rekašiūtė, Rūta Meilutytė, Aurelija Urbonavičiūtė
Photo & Video: Neringa Rekašiūtė, Berta Tilmantaitė, Mindaugas Drigotas, Andrius Repšys, Karolis Pilypas Liutkevičius
Music: Viktoras Urbaitis
Big thanks to the sponsors: Cgates, UAB; Aurelijus Liubinas; Inospectra, UAB
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On The Table Read, the “Best Entertainment Celebrity Magazine in the UK“, Fiona Da Silva Adams, founder of Revolution Performing Arts (RPA), and Laura Barnes, artistic director of RPA Rapport CIC, have become accredited Literacy Champions.
Laura Barnes, artistic director of RPA Rapport CIC and Fi Da Silva Adams founder of RPA. Photograph taken by Helen Richmond of Helen Richmond Photography
Revolution Performing Arts (RPA) – one of the South West’s leading performing arts companies for children and young people – now has two accredited Literacy Champions to further the work of the National Literacy Trust in the Wiltshire town.
The National Literacy Trust
The National Literacy Trust is an independent charity working with schools and communities to give disadvantaged children the literacy skills to succeed in life and is dedicated to helping raise literacy levels across the UK.
The Swindon Stories hub is part of a ten year project to promote literacy in Swindon by involving volunteers – Literacy Champions – to promote reading for pleasure within the community.
Fiona Da Silva Adams, founder of RPA and Laura Barnes, artistic director of the related organisation RPA Rapport CIC, have both been trained to become Literacy Champions themselves – to help equip children and young people with their literacy skills.
Laura explained: “Becoming Literacy Champions allows us to support the literacy of 400 young people that we are currently working with and actively encourage in them a love of reading. We are already seeing a direct impact, as we are able to promote good literacy by giving all our young people a book of their choice absolutely free!”
Revolution Performing Arts
Moving forward, Swindon Stories will set challenges and tasks relating to literacy that RPA can engage their young people in. The next challenge will be to ask the young people what their favourite book is and who their favourite character is in that book.
“Fiona and I are absolutely delighted to be able to use our roles as Literacy Champions to add to what we can already offer the young people that we are working with at RPA and RPA Rapport,” said Laura. “We are fortunate to so often see the creative and vast imaginations of the children at RPA and know that encouraging their love of stories will only enhance this further.”
In November 2010, HRH The Duchess of Cornwall became the Patron of The National Literacy Trust and has offered her valuable support to ensure children and adults across the UK have the literacy skills they need for a happier, healthier and more prosperous life.
Eight wards in Swindon are in the most deprived 10 per cent nationally. Last year, 41 per cent of the most disadvantaged students in Swindon left primary school unable to read well. Not being able to read, write or communicate well holds children and adults back at every stage of their life from school to their jobs market.
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On The Table Read ebook Magazine UK, Count On Me! is a new game which blends gaming and learning to master math skills – that kids love and parents feel is time well spent.
Count On Me!
With the Easter school holidays almost here – whether hitting the road for a well-deserved break or staying at home – kids entertainment is set to be a top priority for families. But with so much to choose from – how do you mesh finding something that the kids will love whilst boosting their learning?
Count On Me!
Count on me! by Akribian is the new epic maths adventure game that combines learning and fun – perfect for busy minds. Ideal for ages 5–9, the app allows every child to become the hero of their learning journey.
The game is based on a unique concept of Game-Embedded Teaching (GET) to help children master early maths skills. Developed using the most effective method in psychology, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), combined with game design – it is proven to accelerate learning and improve their skills by 60%.[1]
Mathemagical Storytelling
With Mathemagical storytelling, the adventure-based game keeps children entertained whilst also helping them to learn and master early maths concepts such as pattern recognition, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and equalities. Children can only play the game for 15 minutes per day as the characters in Numberia go to ‘rest’, so it involves limited screen time with maximum learning outcomes.
The equivalent of 15 chaptered books, the game features over 50 unique characters set in a beautifully illustrated and rich story world.
Count On Me!
The game invites children to step into the shoes of a young Mathemagician – the only one who can bring back Math Magic and save the land of Numberia from chaos. To power up the Magic Ruler and progress through the story, each player completes maths exercises adapted to their level of knowledge.
The captivating characters are narrated by award-winning British voice actors, famed from well-known children’s programmes and characters, including Paw Patrol and the Honey Monster.
Making Learning Fun
With scientifically proven results lacking from many of the existing education apps and games on the market, and traditional ‘homework’ style apps feeling like a chore, Count on me! has turned the entire category on its head. By blending game design into an evidence-based approach to mathematics learning[2], Count on me! has created a story driven adventure game that is captivating and motivates children to learn maths. Giving parents the confidence that the time their children spend playing Count on me! is time well spent.
Martin Hassler Hallstedt PHD
Count On Me!
Martin Hassler Hallstedt, PHD, learning psychologist and Founder of Count on me!, says: Practice makes perfect and kids love to feel they are masters at their subject! As with any other skills, maths skills are acquired by continuous practice.
Our unique approach to learning through our maths app allows a child to engage fully in adventure, fun and learning maths for 15 minutes a day – a short burst of wisdom is embedded with minimal screen time. This encourages a happier state of wellbeing and is a more sustainable way of learning that results in long term knowledge retention.”
Find Count On Me! Now
Count on me! is £3.99 a month – try the first week for free. Visit the the Apple app store or www.akribian.com
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On The Table Read, the “Best Entertainment Celebrity Magazine in the UK“, country artist Morgan Wallen with his More Than My Hometown Foundation have donated to Greater Good Music, for Tennessee Wildfire Relief.
Country music artist and East Tennessee native Morgan Wallen and his More Than My Hometown Foundation have donated $25,000 to Greater Good Music to help wildfire disaster relief efforts in the form of hot meals for relief workers, mobile food pantries, clothing, and supplies for the communities in the fire zone near his hometown.
Tennessee Wildfires
Two wildfires near Great Smokey Mountains National Park and Sevier County, Tennessee, have burned more than 3,000 acres since last week and caused the evacuation of 11,000 homes in the area. Some four hundred firefighting agencies from around the state of Tennessee responded to fight two fast-moving wildfires fueled by high winds and dry conditions near Pigeon Forge and Sevierville, Tennessee. The fires destroyed three hundred structures before being 95% contained today.
“We are so grateful to Morgan for helping us provide hot meals to firefighters and first responders in the fire zone, as well as assist families that have been displaced and in need of food, clothing, and supplies in the coming days,” said Sheila Jones, executive director of Greater Good Music. Those wishing to make a tax-deductible donation to help ongoing fire relief may do so by visiting GreaterGoodMusic.org.
Greater Good Music
Greater Good Music is an organization that unites music artists and volunteers working on the ground to help communities in need on concert tours and in disaster zones around the U.S.
With the pandemic and inflation contributing to rising food costs and rising rates of food insecurity in vulnerable communities, Greater Good Music turns concert day into a day of giving by working with music artists and food banks to organize mobile food distributions before showtime on country, rock, and pop concert tours around the nation.
Morgan Wallen
The organization also partners with the music industry to deliver food and supplies to disaster areas.
Morgan Wallen
Country music artist Morgan Wallen is a native of Sneedville, TN, which is about 70 miles away from where the wildfires are burning. He was recently awarded the Academy of Country Music’s Album of the Year Award for his “Dangerous: The Double Album”. The album also recently broke a 58-year-old country music chart record for the most weeks at number one, surpassing Shania Twain and Taylor Swift.
The New Yorker dubbed Morgan Wallen “the most wanted man in country music” in part due to the CMA Award Winner’s 9 billion on-demand streams, multi-platinum certifications and four consecutive chart-topping hits.
His critically-acclaimed Dangerous: The Double Album (Big Loud/Republic Records), topped 2021’s all-genre Billboard 200 Albums year-end chart with 4.1 million units sold and sparked an in-demand 58-show THE DANGEROUS TOUR in 2022 that kicked off in February where $3 from every ticket sold benefits the singer’s More Than My Hometown Foundation.
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On The Table Read, the “Best Entertainment Celebrity Magazine in the UK“, co-founder of F Street Production, Scott Kushner, talks about his podcast, The Occult Unveiled, hosted by Ashley Ryan.
I interviewed Scott Kushner about The Occult Unveiled podcast, what inspired him to create it, and the work that goes into producing it.
Tell me a bit about who you are.
Scott Kushner
I am a co-founder of F Street Productions, a new content company, developing , producing and now releasing original, cross-platform scripted and unscripted entertainment.
I am also Executive Producer of MediaPlace, the NYC based integrated media and creative services company I founded in 1993. MediaPlace is a digital experience agency that creates content and location based experiences across all digital and interactive platforms for our brand partners.
I have been involved in creative development across many mediums throughout my whole career, which began in network radio; most notably as an engineer and producer on The King Biscuit Flower Hour, America’slongest running radio concert series.
How and why did you start podcasting?
In today’s tech-driven world, the concept of sight, sound and motion is so prevalent; The renewed attraction toward audio-only programming is uniquely unexpected. As the audio-only application and environment become so popular with today’s generation, it’s exciting to see audio take a huge new position in people’s content consumption diets.
In speaking with my longtime friend Michael Simon, who I started in radio with back in college, we realized we had this same refreshed interest in where audio programming was today, thus the concept of F Street Productions was born!
What is your current podcast called, and how did you come up with the name?
F Street Productions is presently launching two podcasts as its initial offerings, the first one being The Occult Unveiled. The title derived from the idea that many people may not have a deep understanding of the Occult world, but they might have a sense of what they think various occultist beliefs are.
Our goal in working with The Occult Unveiled host, Ashley Ryan, (AKA Pythian Priestess on TikTok) is to use Ashley’s unique knowledge and her talent of explaining the subject to dispel the myths and understand the realities behind it. In a sense, “unveiling” truths about the Occult world. The idea is that we are unveiling Occult concepts to people to help them better understand it.
We felt ‘The Occult Unveiled’ uniquely described what we’re doing within the show – you don’t have to be someone with 20 years of occult knowledge and experience to enjoy listening – you can just be a curious, everyday person who wants to understand Occult practices and what they mean.
What platforms can we find The Occult Unveiled on?
The Occult Unveiled is available on Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play, Amazon…..wherever you get your favorite podcasts. You can also find it on www.theoccultunveiled.com
What is The Occult Unveiled about?
The eight-episode audio series The Occult Unveiled centers around Pythian Priestess’ deep insights, knowledge, and amazing ability to assist those searching for spiritual guidance.
The Occult Unveiled
Each episode, she and her guests pull back the curtain on a different occult topic. Insiders and outsiders alike are rewarded with a rare, non-judgmental look into these beliefs and practices.
Do you host The Occult Unveiled alone, or have guest hosts/partners?
The Occult Unveiled podcast is an interview based format hosted by Ashley Ryan, who spent half her life silently practicing and studying the occult under a veil of secrecy. In 2019, she went public becoming a popular occult expert and witch influencer known as Pythian Priestess (TikTok @pythianpriestess and Instagram @pythianpriestess). Ashley makes it her mission as a Priestess to assist those searching for spiritual guidance emerge from behind their own veils.
Do you edit The Occult Unveiled or have someone who does it for you?
These are both inhouse productions. We work with incredible writers, audio producers, and engineers along with our A-list of Voice talent. It’s great to work with such talented people who are all excited to make it happen!!
Do you script The Occult Unveiled, or just chat as you go?
The Occult Unveiled is very organic. It’s an interview format, where Ashley creates a comfort zone for her guests to relax while they have a conversation that is both informative and entertaining. While we dont write scripts, we do a fair amount of research as it’s important to know as much as possible about your guest, and in this case about their connection within the Witchcraft and Occult communities.
How has The Occult Unveiled changed or developed since you began?
This is our initial release in the podcast medium…and boy we’ve learned so much already but we certainly expect that both shows will continue to evolve based on feedback from our listeners. A portion of our Season 2 production which has just begun will certainly be influenced by our listeners. We believe in making the content for them, and with them.
What are your biggest challenges with The Occult Unveiled?
Determining an efficient and effective marketing strategy for our shows has been a challenge. We are independent producers trying to cut through all the noise and clutter in this rapidly growing medium… It has been a challenge for us to make sure people who would be interested, know that these new podcasts are out there. Podcasting in general has grown at such a rapid pace that there is so much content to choose from. It’s critical to figure out how to stand out and convince people to see what makes this special.
What are your favorite podcasts to listen to?
The Knowledge Project, All Songs Considered, WTF
How and where do you promote The Occult Unveiled?
We have been promoting the shows on social media, in the press, with our personal networks.
Do you earn money from podcasting, or is it a hobby?
We would love for podcasting to become a revenue stream, but at present we are working to create great content that people enjoy. Revenue will come if we deliver a great entertainment experience.
What’s something you never expected about podcasting? What have you learned that surprised you?
I never expected the ravenous consumption level of podcast enthusiasts, or the active foreground role that podcasting plays in people’s lives today.. Podcasts have become a key component of many people’s lives. Part of their ecosystem, they don’t go anywhere without them.
What is the first piece of advice you would give to anyone inspired to start podcasting?
You’ve got an idea that’s keeping you up at night – you have a thought that you want to scream out to so many people out there- don’t go into podcasting for the sake of going into podcasting – go into podcasting as a communication tool to articulate a very unique, interesting idea that you want to share with other people – that people want to receive. And that is where success will come from.
And, finally, are you proud of what you’re accomplishing with your podcast? Is it worth the effort?
Now that we have finished the first season of each of these shows and we’re in “launch mode,” to sit back on launch day and go from provider to provider, checking and seeing how everything played was rewarding. It was amazing to see this vision Michael Simon and I had at the beginning of Covid, brought to life and brought to market on our own as independent producers! It’s very exciting and we are very proud of what we put out there!
Was it worth it??? Hell yeah! We have the opportunity to create great content that people enjoy. There’s nothing better than that!!
Pop all your work, website and social media links here so the readers can find you:
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I interviewed author Nicholas Janni about his life and career, what inspired him to start writing, and the work that went into his book, Leader As Healer.
Tell me a bit about who you are.
I’m a leadership consultant with a focus on deep presence. My work bridges the worlds of professional, personal and spiritual development in a powerful, relevant and accessible way.
I’m one of the growing number of global thought leaders calling for a rewriting – a new paradigm of leadership – to meet the urgency of our times. A paradigm in which we recognise how dangerously disconnected we have become, rewire the balance between doing and being, and bring all of ourselves to the table.
Nicholas Janni
I mentor CEOs and senior leadership teams worldwide on reaching advanced levels of consciousness and effectiveness, and also teach at the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School and the IMD Business School in Switzerland.
My latest book, Leader as Healer, was published in March. It’s a guide to reaching the highest levels of presence and performance. Modern leaders need to break from the normalised and chronically imbalanced ways of thinking and functioning, in which rational thinking dominates, leaving no room for feeling, sensing and intuiting.
I have delivered programmes for CEOs across the world on this very concept. Recent clients include Eugene Woods of Atrium Health and Michelle McMurry-Heath of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization. Previous clients have included Anglo American, Fedex, Microsoft, Rolls Royce, Lafarge, the NHS and the UK permanent secretaries.
Before becoming a leadership consultant 20 years ago, I directed my own theatre company and taught at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. In 1997, I was also part of the company which opened the reconstructed Globe Theatre in London.
When did you first WANT to write a book?
Back in 2018, after the term “Leader as Healer” wouldn’t leave me alone – and friends and colleagues urged me to write about it.
How long did it take you to complete your book from the first idea to release?
Three years: I started to write Leader as Healer back in 2019, after that term first came to me.
I had no idea when I started how long it would take me.
At that point, I could not have imagined the pandemic – and even less so the horrors currently unfolding in Ukraine.
The world is shaking. “Business as usual” is no longer an option. Three years on from when I started writing, my prayer is that the book will serve as both the fiercest of clarion calls and the gentlest of whispers – reminding us all of the journey home, supporting the courage to face and heal our fragmentation and absence, and stimulating the awakening of leaders in all domains to walk in the world with presence, connection and the highest levels of intelligence and wisdom.
What made you want to write Leader As Healer?
In all the corporate individuals and groups I work with, I meet one universal factor – an over-identification with thinking, and disconnection from feeling, sensing, intuiting and the transpersonal. This has been normalised, and the great irony is that it actually decreases the quality of our critical thinking.
This is a book about the highest levels of presence and peak performance leadership, and the cultures that ensue from them, in which well-being, results and contribution to the world are naturally interwoven.
It is above all a call to break from the chronically imbalanced ways of thinking and functioning that have become the norm in so many corporate cultures, where doing eclipses being, and hyper-rational, analytical thinking relegates feeling, sensing, intuiting and the transpersonal to the outer fringes of life.
I believe that the failure to correct this imbalance is severely detrimental not only to individual and organisational performance, but to our capacity for creating healthy, thriving futures.
Leader As Healer
What were your biggest challenges with writing Leader As Healer?
Very simply, that I am a far better speaker than I am a writer!
What was your research process for Leader As Healer?
Mostly based on the hundreds of leaders and teams I have worked with over the last 20 years.
How did you plan the structure of Leader As Healer?
It more or less follows the key components of the leadership programmes I run for organisations, and at the Saïd and IMD business schools.
Did you get support with editing, and how much editing did Leader As Healer need?
I wrote the book without help, and then employed the services of a brilliant editor who worked with me to refine the language in each chapter, while fully retaining my “voice”.
What is the first piece of writing advice you would give to anyone inspired to write a book?
A very dear writer friend once told me: “Read every sentence you write out loud to yourself.” I have found this to be invaluable. It tells me immediately when I am being too verbose.
Can you give me a hint about any further books you’re planning to write?
I will be taking a break from a solo written book!
But projects under discussion include:
A contribution to a book by Bob Anderson, founder of The Leadership Circle, about the next stage of leadership development, which he calls “Integral – Informed by Unity”
A co-authored book with Dr Andrew White, from the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School, on what he calls “Leadership 2050”
And, finally, are you proud of your accomplishment? Was it worth the effort?
It has been a long journey, involving hundreds of hours, inspiration, frustration, everything any such project in any domain involves.
I am happy to say that I am very proud indeed of how the book has turned out, and feel deeply affirmed and heartened by the response it has already generated.
It is clear that its messages are more relevant and urgently needed than ever.
I am very grateful to LID Publishing for its skill in the layout of the book. People have told me how well the photos in the book serve, how the combination of those visuals, with the short text extracts, naturally slow us down, before diving into the main text.
Pop all your book, website and social media links here so the readers can find you:
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On The Table Read ebook Magazine UK, RtistiQ share their #NFTArtForAid Auction, rising money to support victims in the Russia-Ukraine War, which goes live on April 7th.
#NFTArtForAid
#NFTArtForAid
RtistiQ, an innovative curated online art platform based in Singapore, today revealed the artists and digital artworks from Ukrainian artists that will be up for auction on its charity NFT drop.
The exclusive auction #NFTArtForAid is scheduled to take place online on RtistiQ and bidding will be open from April 7th 09:00 SGT to April 10th 21:00 AM SGT. The ownership of the digital collectables (non-fungible-tokens or NFTs) will be transferred to the highest bidder once the auction ends.
The NFTs are recreations of the artists physical works and have been minted by RtistiQ to make exclusive & authentic digital assets. All proceeds will be given to the respective artists who have had to flee their homes or can’t produce art through war but are committed to the freedom of art and human rights. RtistiQ will not charge any commissions to the creative artists part of this auction. Additionally, by enabling the smart contract on RtistiQ, the artists will be granted a 10% resale royalty.
RtistiQ
Amid the Russia-Ukraine crisis, last week RtistiQ announced that the war had upended the lives of talented artists and through this initiative it aimed to see them regain stability, autonomy and passion so that they can continue to pursue the production of original art. RtistiQ is backed with innovative adaptive technology of the blockchain era, which allowed all processes to be carried out quickly and efficiently.
RtistiQ’s in-house curator based in France – Aude Rech is leading the project. She thanked artist Tatyana Binovska who shared the passion of supporting fellow Ukrainian artists and helped her connect with artists. Other artists who are being featured are: Irina Loktionova, Nataliya Bagatskaya, Laifalight, Anastasiia Palashynska, among others.
Lives Of Artists
On February 24, everything changed for the artists. They shared their turbulent stories with RtistiQ on how their lives were currently shaped by violence and displacement. The artists felt grateful for the power of NFTs in bringing their works to the metaverse.
Irina Loktionova said, “I have never marketed my paintings as an NFT. However, I will love trying this new format. For me, as an aspiring artist, this is great support. I now have the strength not to stop and to go further in my work. I am very grateful to RtistiQ and the NFT auction.”
Ukrainian Artists
RtistiQ decided not to limit the auction to a few but feature over 1000 digital artworks by 50+ Ukrainian Artists. The company was able to aggregate all technology and art aspects and roll out the preview within a span of a few days. The range of possibilities for bidders on the type of art available on the NFT drop, like art itself, is wide. The NFTs are being minted on Polygon. The starting bid for the works ranges from $100 and up. All bids will need to be made in cryptocurrency or using a credit card. Without any other intermediaries involved and funds flowing directly to the artist, the initiative by RtistiQ is fully transparent and embraces accountability.
RtistiQ anticipates a surge of bids on the auction days and hopes to see many supporters in attendance. The company advised all art and NFT collectors interested in taking part in this auction to register in advance. Innovative fundraisers such as these have played a key role in using crypto and NFTs for a good cause.
RtistiQ is at the forefront of a journey to empower the art market ecosystem. It has developed a unique art platform and community that has adopted Blockchain, NFT and NFC technologies to bring the much-needed transparency in the art sector. RtistiQ is the first NFT backed platform for artworks across traditional and digital mediums connecting artists from over 40 countries with art lovers across all categories of works.
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On The Table Read, “The Best Book Reader Magazine in the UK“, author of Invisible Stress: It’s NOT What YOU Think, Dr Sylvia Lafair, offers powerful strategies to overcome the long term effects of stress.
The dire predictions about the long term effects of the pandemic are now coming to pass. According to a recent article by the American Psychological Association titled, “One year later, a new wave of pandemic health concerns”, a Harris Poll conducted in February 2021 revealed some startling facts regarding the effect of stress on our mental and physical health.
Invisible Stress
As stated in the article, “The prolonged stress experienced by adults, especially the high levels of stress reported by Americans directly linked to the pandemic, is seriously affecting mental and physical health, including changes to weight, sleep and alcohol use.”
Long Term Stress
We are now smack in the middle of a mental health crisis. The pandemic is certainly responsible for much of the increase in stress levels. But when combined with our recent political and societal unrest, and now the more recent potential threat of nuclear war, we see a perfect storm of stressors. In the short term, the effects are alarming. The long term effects on all of us, especially our young people, will be staggering, as many of us will begin to suffer from a type of stress that is not so apparent – invisible stress.
It is this form of stress that Dr. Sylvia Lafair addresses in her groundbreaking, best-selling book, Invisible Stress: It’s NOT What YOU Think.
Lafair believes we must learn to practice “Safe Stress”. Invisible Stress shows readers how to:
• Discuss the fourth level, invisible stress, with information not available till now. • Gain cutting-edge methods to tackle root causes of overwhelm and self-doubt. • Acquire powerful yet simple ways to make stress work for you. • Gather tips to build confidence and strengthen resilience during tough times. • Learn how to adopt healthy daily behaviors to stay in the safe stress zone. • Explore coping mechanisms to manage today’s accelerated rate of change. • Master new leadership skills for less stress and a more harmonious life.
Invisible Stress
Readers and reviewers alike have praised ‘Invisible Stress.’ Andy Heppelle, Chief magic maker, accelerating sustainability, Capgemini said ‘New possibilities unleash when you are aware of the real cause of stress underneath the obvious.” Brenda Thompson, executive director, Gadsden, Schneider, and Woodward, LLP comments, ‘It is an essential part of the role of human resources to guide people to gain the clarity this book gives about how to handle stress.’
Mark Baylis, Founder of Valor Clinic, US Army Special Forces (Retired), said it “. . . should be required reading for the military.” Joanne LaMarca Mathisen, former network producer NBC Today, New York, said, “Invisible stress followed me around for decades. Once I understood it was always with me, and I carried it around like two dumbbells on my shoulders, I learned to make the right changes. I’m calmer now, and even better, more energetic.”
Sylvia Lafair
Author Sylvia Lafair is the CEO of Creative Energy Options Inc. (CEOinc), a firm that challenges the status quo of workplace relationships. A pioneer in leadership education and executive coaching her work has been transformational for individuals, teams, and entire organizations.
Over the past 30 years, she has searched for hidden emotional mechanisms at work in a typical office environment. The desire was to discover why people respond the way they do underneath traditional communication skills. This overlooked miscommunication is at the core of office politics, absenteeism, lawsuits, and poor productivity. This knowledge leads to meaningful changes for individuals and companies.
The company’s Pattern Breakthrough process, not found in any other coaching or programs, enables them to prepare clients to transcend business frustrations to heightened productivity. The company continues to win awards for Pattern Breakthrough Coaching and Total Leadership Connections.
CEOptions
CEOptions offers several books, written by Sylvia, that address patterns for success, leadership, diversity, communication, collaboration, creativity, and many other topics. There is an online seminar series and advanced programs for stress proficiency, women leaders, and executives. Information on all the tools and solutions offered by CEOptions are on the website http://www.ceoptions.com.
Lafair is an innovative thought leader who has worked with McGraw-Hill, Avon, Google, Lockheed Martin, Merck, Microsoft, Novartis, and many other globally recognized companies. She has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Time, Huffington Post and Fortune.
Sylvia Lafair
All her books are available at retail book outlets worldwide. More information is available at the company’s website at https://ceoptions.com.
About Sylvia Lafair
Sylvia Lafair has been trailblazing new territories in her quest to find the best ways to work together effectively. Traveling throughout the world and learning from diverse cultures, she led groups to hike the Inca Trail into Machu Picchu, bungee jump in New Zealand, eat indiscernible stew in the Amazon, and sleep on reindeer skins at the Ice Hotel in Sweden. When she sits long enough, she writes, coaches, and leads seminars. Sylvia is the award-winning author of ‘Don’t Bring It To Work,’ ‘GUTSY: How Women Leaders Make Change’ and ‘UNIQUE: How Story Sparks Diversity, Inclusion, and Engagement.’
Sylvia was awarded as one of the top 25 Women in Business by the NEPA Business Journal and The National Association of Women Business Owners for her mentoring to help women move beyond pleasers to become truth-tellers. For the past ten years, she has been a top 30 global leadership guru, and is one of the top 200 global thought leaders for 2022.
Dr. Lafair offers a foundation of personal and professional exploration in every program, every book, every speech she gives. Her award-winning book, ‘Don’t Bring It to Work’ is one of the top 9 books for every boss to read. Sylvia retooled her skills as a noted psychologist to explore and chart how family patterns show up at work. She prepares leaders and teams to find the sweet spot of cooperation and productivity and make work a place of high learning with lessened stress.
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On The Table Read ebook Magazine UK, FootJoy and Garrett Leight share their new limited range or sunglasses and footwear, with easy-going Southern California style.
Eyewear lifestyle brand Garrett Leight California Optical (GLCO) and iconic golf shoe brand FootJoy are partnering to create a limited series of sunglasses and footwear that bridges FootJoy’s high performance golf wear with GLCO’s easy-going Southern California lifestyle.
Premier Golf Shoes
Fronting the collaboration is a collection of classic Premiere Series golf shoes for men and women with custom tortoise accents that include FootJoy’s premium construction and highquality materials and design. Three limited edition styles are available including two styles in men’s, Premiere Series Tarlow and Packard, and a stunning cap toe option for women. Paired with the shoes is a unique sunglass offering from GLCO’s Spring Summer 22’ collection, Elkgrove Sun.
FootJoy partners with Garrett Leight for new limitededition Premiere Series
The GLCO x FootJoy Packard is a featherlight, understated, and technically exquisite shoe inspired by the clean lines of modernist architecture. A contemporary interpretation of the timeless saddle shoe design, and preferred by many of the world’s best golfers, the Packard features handselected Pittards® of England soft full grain, waterproof leather uppers accentuated by a bold Tortoise print banded saddle.
Features
Other features include full leather linings, a suede heel pocket, plush co-branded GLCO x FJ OrthoLite® FitBed with molded heel cup and the Versatrax+ outsole for Tourproven traction and performance.
The GLCO x FootJoy Tarlow is a champion of rakish golf style preferred by golf trend-setters like Justin Thomas, Ian Poulter and Billy Horschel. Like the Packard, this artistic cap toe design features premium, hand-selected, full grain leather and luxurious calfskin details as well as the VersaTrax+ outsole configuration. However, the signature GLCO patent leather Tortoise print runs the length of the eye stay and pops on the heel counter to deliver a dramatic and elegant statement.
Women’s Premiere Series
A similar but refined cap toe design is available for women. Minimalist and modernist, the GLCO x FootJoy Women’s Premiere Series shoes deliver truly timeless styling linking generations of players seeking to wear iconic, classic golf footwear. The shoes feature beautiful and comfortable waterproof leather uppers, meticulous stitch details, a molded FitBed created specifically for women and the performance-oriented VersaTrax+ outsole. You’ll be the envy of your foursome with the incredible patent leather Tortoise print that dazzles across the top line of the shoe.
Paired with the shoes is a unique colorway from the Spring Summer 22’ collection, Elkgrove Sun. Inspired by Garrett Leight’s favorite golf legend Chi Chi Rodriguez and his inimitable style, GLCO x FootJoy Elkgrove Sun is an easy-going sunglass that features ’60s-inspired contoured temples, deep square lens, a larger and slightly oversized frame and a distinction browline. The frame has a matching Georgia Tortoise temple with a G15 lens and gold metal plating.
FootJoy partners with Garrett Leight for new limitededition Premiere Series
Combining Brands
“As a huge fan of the sport and FootJoy’s cutting-edge craftsmanship, this partnership was a no-brainer” says Garrett Leight. ”I’m looking forward to blending the golf world with our laid-back and classic Southern California lifestyle. Our two brands share a commitment for comfort, style, and undisputed quality.”
The complete collection will retail on footjoy.com, garrettleight.com, GLCO retail stores, and other select retailers.
About Garrett Leight California Optical
FootJoy partners with Garrett Leight for new limitededition Premiere Series
Garrett Leight California Optical (GLCO), an eyewear lifestyle brand founded in Venice Beach in 2010, brings a fresh perspective to classically tailored eyewear by blending old and new, the iconic and the innovative. The optical and sunglass collections are handcrafted of the finest quality material with a focus on fit and comfort.
In just over ten years, Garrett Leight has gained a loyal following of tastemakers globally, including some of the most recognizable faces in the entertainment and fashion industries. The company has six flagship stores including two Los Angeles locations (La Brea and Venice), San Francisco (Hayes), Austin (South Congress), New York (Grand), and Toronto (Queen West) and is distributed in over 25 countries on six continents.
The Garrett Leight California Optical collection is available at the most exclusive optical shops, department stores, and leading fashion boutiques globally. For more information and to view select styles visit www.garretleight.com
About FootJoy
FootJoy is an iconic golf brand with more than 100 years of shoemaking excellence. FootJoy’s origin dates back to 1857 when a young entrepreneur named Fredrick Packard broke away from his father’s boot workshop to create a new shoe company founded on the principles of performance, quality and innovation. Since then, the brand has been trusted by all of the greatest golfers in the world and has been the #1 shoe at every tournament on the PGA Tour since 1945, because of a singular dedication to the game and relentless commitment to performance, style, comfort and quality.
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On The Table Read, the “Best Celebrity Magazine in the UK“, GRAY New York share details of their upcoming exhibition from artist Evelyn Statsinger, Currents.
Evelyn Statsinger Currents
Apr 8 – Jun 18, 2022 Curated by Dan Nadel
Opening Fri, Apr 8, 2022 GRAY New York, 1018 Madison Ave 6–8 PM EST
“[For] fifteen years, I have intently watched [the] daily life of plants and animals in both the forests and the fields… Bits and pieces of specially observed things begin to represent the whole, and juxtapositions of real things make imaginary combinations. Combinations are open and ambiguous to interpretation, so that the viewer may wander in the same state of grace as the painter.” – Evelyn Statsinger
Currents
GRAY presents the work of American artist Evelyn Statsinger (1927-2016) in the solo exhibition, Currents. Curated by New York-based writer and curator Dan Nadel, Currents features Statsinger’s paintings and drawings from the 1980s and 90s, a period in which she developed her most immersive and otherworldly compositions.
Evelyn Statsinger at GRAY
The exhibition opens at GRAY New York with a public reception on Friday, April 8, from 6-8 PM, and will be on view through June 18, 2022.
Evelyn Statsinger
Evelyn Statsinger was an artist deeply informed by her impressions of the natural world. Born in Brooklyn in 1927, Statsinger relocated to Chicago in the 1940s to attend the School of the Art Institute.
During this time, Statsinger became acquainted with a group of artists known as the Monster Roster and received mentorship and support from notable Chicago figures including Katherine Kuh, Kathleen Blackshear, and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. In the years that followed, Statsinger began to develop her own unique visual language, relinquishing identifiable forms in favor of surreal compositions based on her observations in nature.
In 1972, Statsinger moved her Chicago studio to a rural 1890s schoolhouse in Allegan, Michigan. The remote property, nestled within the sand dunes and woodlands on the eastern shores of Lake Michigan, served as the artist’s home base and allowed Statsinger to closely observe nature in all its orders of magnitude.
“When Statsinger would return to downtown Chicago, she imported the outdoors to the city by bringing with her those specially observed bits of matter,” curator Dan Nadel reflects in his essay for the exhibition. “She collected seed pods, shells, twigs, leaves, and stones, which she arranged carefully in her studio. She could go macro or micro with these specimens—making them a subject or finding new details within them.”
Art from Evelyn Statsinger
At times mysterious, and eluding definitive classification, Statsinger’s intricate compositions describe vast, ethereal worlds that evoke the biological systems and cellular structures of plants as if viewed under a microscope.
As art historian Dennis Adrian observed, “The forms which the artist favors often seem drawn from microscopic plant life, the exotic fauna of the sea or from the layered and crystalline structures of the earth itself.
Evelyn Statsinger at GRAY
Statsinger’s subtle and reverberating colors make ingenious use of unexpected complements and harmonic arrangements in a way that brings to mind the marvelous chromatics of odd biological specimens or rare minerals.”
About Evelyn Statsinger
Evelyn Statsinger (1927-2016) was born in Brooklyn, New York, and lived and worked in Chicago. While in New York, Statsinger studied at the Art Students League. Relocating to Chicago in the 1940s, she received her degree from the School of the Art Institute in 1949. Statsinger depicted her experiences of the natural world through drawing, painting, and sculpture.
Her early drawings, characterized by their clean lines and all-over patterns, drew the interest of luminary artists and museum curators, including IIT Director Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe and Art Institute of Chicago curators Katharine Kuh and Carl Schniewind, and led to solo exhibitions at the Art Institute in 1952 and 1957. She was frequently included in discussions of the Monster Roster school of Chicago artists because of the distorted figures present in her early work, as well as the later, broader conversation around Chicago Imagism.
Throughout her life, however, Statsinger made work that was profoundly individual and fiercely independent. In her mature work, she abandoned recognizable or figural forms in favor of fantastical visions abstracted from nature. Statsinger worked across a variety of media creating complex psychological and colorful compositions that balance abstraction, representation, and fantasy.
Evelyn Statsinger at GRAY
Statsinger’s work can be found in numerous public art collections including: Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; Elmhurst University Art Collection, Elmhurst, Illinois; Illinois State Museum, Springfield, Illinois ; National Art Gallery, Wellington, New Zealand; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, Illinois; Museum of Graphic Art, New York, New York; Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Richland Community College, Decatur, Illinois; Rockford Art Museum, Rockford, Illinois; Smart Museum of Art, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, New York; and Worcester Art Museum, Worcester, Massachusetts.
About Dan Nadel
Dan Nadel is the Curator at Large for the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art at the University of California, Davis, where he has organized exhibitions on Kathy Butterly, Mary Heilmann, and William T. Wiley. Nadel is the editor of several books, including Peter Saul: Professional Artist Correspondence; The Collected Hairy Who Publications, 1966–1969; and It’s Life as I See It: Black Cartoonists in Chicago, 1940–1980.
Evelyn Statsinger at GRAY
He has also curated exhibitions including What Nerve! Alternative Figures in American Art: 1960 to the Present; Suellen Rocca: Bare Shouldered Beauty; Gertrude Abercrombie; and, most recently, Chicago Comics: 1960s to Now, at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. Nadel, a 2021–2022 Fellow at the Leon Levy Center for Biography at the Graduate Center, CUNY, is currently at work on the biography of underground comic artist Robert Crumb (Scribner, 2024).
About GRAY
GRAY is a globally recognized team of art professionals devoted to fostering the development of historically important artists’ careers and to building outstanding art collections. Founded in 1963, GRAY has built its reputation as a resource for Modern, Post-War, and Contemporary art with prominent private and institutional clients worldwide.
Known for producing critically acclaimed exhibitions and programming from its galleries in Chicago and New York, GRAY represents a roster of internationally recognized artists such as McArthur Binion, Jim Dine, Torkwase Dyson, Theaster Gates, David Hockney, Rashid Johnson, Alex Katz, Ellen Lanyon, Jaume Plensa, Leon Polk Smith, and Evelyn Statsinger.
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On The Table Read, “The Best Book Reader Magazine in the UK“, Scott McDermott shares his inspirational children’s book, A Penguin’s Quest, illustrated by Christina Anderson.
A Penguin’s Quest
A boundary-pushing penguin named Ingrid ventures beyond the comforts of her Antarctica home to shatter stereotypes in the inspirational children’s tale, A Penguin’s Quest.
A Penguin’s Quest
“The real, deeper message is really to dream big — to just go for it — whatever that dream might be, even if people says it’s impossible,” author Scott McDermott said in a recent interview.
Ingrid’s story begins as she heeds advice from some seriously lost NYC pigeons and sets out determined to accomplish something that no other penguin has ever done. A globe-trotting, epic journey ensues, with a cast of colorful characters that includes sea captains, Penn Station rats, a trip inside the NYC pigeon underworld and a ski instructor named Klaus. The mystery of Ingrid’s destination holds the answers as this intrepid penguin is on the verge of a discovery that could rock the penguin world.
Brought to life by author (and world-renowned photographer) Scott McDermott, with illustrations by Christine Anderson, this engaging adventure about pursuing a dream, no matter how improbable it may seem, unfolds like a short, animated film and culminates in a wonderful end. Written for children with a reading age level of grades 2-3, A Penguin’s Quest is a perfect early reader chapter book in a picture book format.
A Penguin’s Quest ArtworkA Penguin’s Quest Artwork
Scott McDermott
About Scott McDermott
Author Scott McDermott grew up in Switzerland, backpacked through the American West, and trekked the Himalayas before spending the last 25 years as a commercial photographer and filmmaker in New York City.
He has photographed many of the most influential figures in Hollywood, the music industry, business and government, along with directing a feature film and many commercials. McDermott recently started writing children’s fiction, inspired by the stories he made up to tell his own children. He is also learning to play bass guitar, primarily to back up his son on guitar.
Christine Anderson
About Christine Anderson
Illustrator Christine Anderson is a Senior level Illustrator and Surface Pattern Designer based in Scottsdale, Arizona. She received a BFA in Graphic Design/Illustration from Drake University and has worked in commercial design for over 20 years.
Though she had a successful career as a muralist and furniture designer, as well as being commissioned by corporations such as Learnin’ Tree, American Express, Hobby Lobby, Trader Joe’s, Michaels’s, QT Fabrics and Boston International, Anderson longed for her drawing board. She decided to refocus and get back to her true love, illustrating, with children’s books being part of her journey.
Or find them on Instagram (@Apenguinsquest_book; @scottmcdermott_; @christineandersondraws; or @Notablekidspublishing), Twitter (@ScottMcdermott_) or Facebook (scott.mcdermott.33).
A Penguin’s Quest
Publisher: Notable Kids Publishing
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I interviewed podcaster Scotty Iseri about his life and career, his podcast, The Imagine Neighborhood, and the work that goes into producing it.
Tell me a bit about who you are.
My name is Scotty Iseri. I am Japanese American, a single dad, and the creator and host of The Imagine Neighborhood – a podcast for kids and their grown-ups.
Scotty Iseri
How and why did you start podcasting?
I used to work for public radio in Chicago. I worked on some syndicated shows and things like that. I worked there at the time when a lot of broadcast stations were transitioning to digital, and one of my first non-producing jobs there was to figure out what this kind of “internet thing” was all about.
This is prior to iTunes (now Apple Podcasts), prior to the name “podcasting”, and prior to even the iPod. We were doing things online through RealPlayer and streaming, and other things similar to that. I think I was handed that job because I was at the age. They were like “Oh, you’re young, you must know Internet stuff. Here, do this”.
When I started working for Committee for Children, a long standing non-profit organization that is dedicated to making the world a better place for kids through social and emotional learning development, and doing a bunch of non-podcasting things, I’d had The Imagine Neighborhood as a side thing, just playing around with ideas, and brought it to my boss as a thing to try out. Mia Doces is my boss, and she’s fantastic. She said “Yeah, let’s try it”, and it just sort’ve worked out.
What is your current podcast called, and how did you come up with the name?
The current podcast is called The Imagine Neighborhood. I came up with the name kind’ve at the last minute. It was originally going to be called “Heart of the Story”, and about three weeks before we launched, we found there was another podcast called “Heart of the Story”.
To avoid any search confusion, or SEO confusion, we changed it to The Imagine Neighborhood. I like that for a couple reasons. One, it’s a little silly to say – I-mag-ine-Neigh-bor-hood. They kind’ve elide together in a way that I think is fun. But, I think a neighborhood is a really powerful place for kids. It’s not defined by any one thing, other than the people and the places around you.
So you could live in a New York City apartment, you could live in a rural area, you could live in a suburb, and your neighborhood is going to be very different, but you still have that neighborhood. It’s the people around you, it’s the librarians at the library, it’s the people who work at the bodega that you stop at, and it’s the people who work at the food store. It’s another word for community that I think is more accessible to kids.
And that’s how we came up with the name.
What platforms can we find The Imagine Neighborhood on?
We are pretty much everywhere – Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon- all those places. It’s freely available on all sorts of podcast platforms, and our RSS feeds on our website.
What is The Imagine Neighborhood about?
The Imagine Neighborhood is an original story-telling podcast that helps kids and their grown-ups talk about big feelings, solve problems, and learn to make the world a better place. We are aligned with the award winning, Social Emotional Learning curriculum, Second Step, so every episode we do with a core educational component, where we’re helping kids talk about their feelings.
We’re also helping adults help kids talk about their feelings. We do it all through this lens of wacky stories, fart jokes, robots, dinosaurs, and all kinds of fun and exciting things. But the core of it is really to help kids develop. It often gets called emotional intelligence, soft skills, or SEL (Social Emotional Learning) But the core of it really is about developing all those skills for kids using fart jokes and funny stories.
Do you host The Imagine Neighborhood alone, or have guest hosts/partners?
I am the host of the show, and we have about half a dozen characters that appear in different episodes of the show. We have a space marine named “Matcho Supreme”, the most powerful wizard in the multiverse “Alakazambra”, and we have “Captain Marion”, the fire-pirate queen – a lot of different kinds of characters. We also do an interview show called “No Filter with Count Vacula”. Count Vacula is a robot-vampire vacuum cleaner, and he interviews guests trying to learn how to make new friends and how to get to know people better.
Do you edit The Imagine Neighborhood or have someone who does it for you?
We used to edit it in-house, meaning I used to edit it all in house. We would record with the actors, I would get all the audio, and then we would do what’s called a “dry cut”, meaning it’s a cut of the show with no sound effects or music. Then we would do another editorial pass based on that, with jokes that aren’t working or if something was too long, and then it goes to design.
The Imagine Neigborhood
Since then, we’ve been able to work with some really amazing editors, editor Jaime Roque, and a sound designer, named Mr. Music Man, Lindsay Jones, who are fantastically talented people.
They’re way better than I am, and I’m so glad they’re working with us.
Do you script The Imagine Neighborhood, or just chat as you go?
Our show is scripted. We have an amazing, talented writing team that brings so much of their personal experiences, their senses of humor, and their wit and wisdom to every episode. I am so grateful that we’ve been able to build this team of writers up A.) Because they’re smarter than me and do things better than I do, and it was just me writing the scripts and B.) It really expands the canvas on which we can tell stories.
The kinds of stories we can tell come from a more authentic place when you have more people with different voices and different lived experiences telling those stories.
How has The Imagine Neighborhood changed or developed since you began?
Not a lot. I think it’s just expanded. We had started with a handful of characters, some of which I had developed in other places and some that are brand new, and we’ve been able to add new characters based on fun ideas that we’ve had and types of stories we wanna tell. We have a huge back-log of characters that don’t really appear as main characters in the show, but they are still fun and part of the world in their own right.
We have “Jodi the Roadie”, who was an ogre that is a roadie for a heavy metal band. We also have “Sock Goblins”, which are these little monsters that steal the socks from your dryer. I think the biggest change that we’ve had, outside of scale, is after the George Floyd murder. We were able to really focus on issues of equity, positive racial identity development, and justice and injustice.
We work in this education field called social emotional learning, which has often had concerns and problems dealing with the issue of race, and after the George Floyd murder, we were able to really bring in conversations about identity and race, and talk to kids about their race and identity and make them feel proud of it and help them celebrate the diversities in their neighborhood. While I am sad for the need for that change, I’m glad we were able to do that, and I’m looking forward to doing more of that.
What are your biggest challenges with The Imagine Neighborhood?
I think it’s a lot of self-imposed challenges to be honest. We produce a lot. We’ve produced over 100 episodes now that are fully-scripted, with sound design and actors, and we’ve been putting out a show every week. While I think we have a really good process in place to make it the best show we can, it’s also nice to have that deadline so we don’t fiddle something to death.
You can rewrite and rewrite something until you’re blue in the face, so I think at some point, if you don’t put it out in the world, all your work is for nothing cause no one will ever hear it.
I think our biggest challenge is just sort of keeping ahead of the reaper of the clock – making sure that we are working far enough ahead so that the content is available for families when they are waiting for it. We try to be very careful about when we are taking breaks and be explicit with the audience, saying “We will be back this month” or “We will be back in two weeks”, because I feel like the shows I listen to, if they skip a week, I’m like “Where’s my show?”. So I want to make sure we are there for our audience every Monday as much as we can be.
What are your favorite podcasts to listen to?
I have 2 that I absolutely love and recommend to a lot of people. The first is called Coverville, which has been going on for a long, long time, hosted by Brian Ibbott. It is a music show where he brings in interesting covers of different songs. He will do shows that are themed, like an all Beastie Boys cover where he plays different artists that covered the Beastie Boys all together. He’ll also do themed ones around Fathers Day, or something like that. It’s a really fun show. I love cover songs. I love hearing artists play another artist’s song, so that’s a fun one.
A recent one that I had found during quarantine, is What Had Happened Was. It’s kind’ve a deep-dive interview with hip-hop artists about their careers. The first season is all about Prince Paul, one of my favorite artists of all time. It makes me kind’ve giddy to get the inside scoop from these artists that I love and get to hear.
How and where do you promote The Imagine Neighborhood?
We have not done a great job of this to be honest. We’ve tried to do some ad buys on social media and those were an abject failure. For some reason, our show is seen as controversial by people who don’t think kids should be taught about race, diversity, and equity. We got some very ugly messages when we tried those promotions.
We do have an Instagram page, and we call that our “Infinite Refrigerator”. Kids will send in drawings of the characters – what they think the characters look like- and we put it up on our “Infinite Refrigerator”.
I think the main place we do promote is through our email List. We have a growing email list of listeners, where we also provide talking points for parents and little activities they can do throughout the show, and we see that growing fairly recently.
Do you earn money from podcasting, or is it a hobby?
I am so lucky that this is my full-time job. I am an employee of Committee for Children. We have also been very lucky to have received a grant from the Allstate Foundation to support our work around equity, so I am very lucky to get to do this as my full-time job.
What’s something you never expected about podcasting? What have you learned that surprised you?
I have been surprised by the kids. It’s not a lot of kids, but there’s certainly some that have me as their favorite character on the show. This is a show that, as I said, has tons and tons of wacky, amazing characters – “Doctor Apocalypso”, who plays in a heavy metal band and rides a motorcycle, and “Princes Donnasaurus”, who is a dinosaur and princess, and wizards and space marines and all this cool stuff, and there’s a very small percentage of kids for whom I am their favorite character and they’ll send in a drawing of me.
And as the host, I am part of the fun and action, but I find it surprising that the boring, middle-aged dad is their favorite, but ya know, pleasantly surprised as they say.
What is the first piece of advice you would give to anyone inspired to start podcasting?
My main advice that I give people is “Don’t just do one episode. Plan for 6 or 12. Plan for a few. If you only do one, you’re going to put a lot of work into it and it might deter you from doing more. Or you’ll work and worry that one episode so much that you’ll think all the episodes have to be that much work. If you plan to do 5,6,7 or more, you’ll start to think about how to make this into a routine and how you can make this so that it’s easy to do multiples of these.
You’ll find, as well, that your first episode, no matter how good it is, your second one will be better, your third will be better than that, and your fourth one will be even better. So if you give yourself a sort of timeline of doing more than just one, you’re allowing yourself that process to improve.
The other piece of advice I give is to buy a good mic and get used to using it. There’s podcasts out there where people just record their Zoom calls, and that’s fine, but when people are listening, their ears get tired really quickly. People are much more forgiving of bad video than bad sound. When the sound is bad, it’s really painful in a different way.
Invest in a good mic and do more than one episode.
And, finally, are you proud of what you’re accomplishing with your podcast? Is it worth the effort?
Yeah, it is, and I’m incredibly proud of it. I’m incredibly humbled by the audience that we have and the people we’ve been able to bring on board to work with us. It’s a silly idea- fart jokes and robots and dinosaurs- but it’s all towards this notion of helping kids talk about their feelings, which I feel is a noble goal.
The fact that we’ve been able to bring on a really amazingly talented team of people to build this, and the fact that there are tens of thousands of families that listen to our show every week, helps me put a lot of this into perspective. We get emails from families, and letters sometimes, about what the show means to them or questions to the characters.
We had one family who wrote in because their cat had died, and they had listened to an episode about death and grieving. They talked about how it doesn’t bring their cat back, but it does make them feel better about their grief, and man, I couldn’t have felt more honored by the fact that this show we made was able to help someone through a very difficult time.
So, yes, I am very proud and humbled by the work that we do.
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On The Table Read, the “Best Entertainment Celebrity Magazine in the UK“, dancer and author David Maurice Sharp describes his book; The Thriving Artist, Saving And Investing For Performers, Artists, And The Stage And Film Industry.
I interviewed David Maurice Sharp about his dance career, what inspired him to write his book, The Thriving Artist, and the work that went into it.
Tell me a bit about who you are.
I was a professional modern dancer for many years in New York City. I began a temp job to help make ends meet and to give me some financial stability which ended up also teaching me about investing in the market. Realizing how much saving and investing could benefit artists and other freelancers, who often experience gig work and fluctuating levels of income, I began teaching workshops to help educate them.
David Maurice Sharp
When did you first WANT to write a book?
The topic of books on investing often arose in the classes I taught, with students asking what would be good ones to read.
I found that I always had to caveat my response with the condition that many books were excellent sources of basic information but none of them really spoke to the freelance lifestyle experienced by artists and others. Several students suggested that I write a book that related to them which I initially dismissed. The more I considered it, the more it seemed to make sense.
When did you take a step to start writing?
I had already retired from performing but still occasionally did some choreography and guest movement teaching, and was working full-time for a financial restructuring advisory company. I had just had a wonderfully rewarding experience choreographing a production of Marat/Sade and realized how much I missed having the arts as a central element of my life.
I decided to resign from the restructuring firm and explore writing a book about financial literacy for artists, expanding my teaching, and exploring other arts-related endeavors. My last day on the job was a Friday and I began writing the book the following Monday.
How long did it take you to complete your first book from the first idea to release?
Everything fell remarkably into place. I began writing at the beginning of November and by March had a contract with the Focal imprint of Taylor & Francis to publish it. In July, they asked to see drafts of what I had completed to that point and, after reviewing, asked if they could fast-track the publication. I did the final edit in December and it was published in February of the following year. It was only later that I realized how unusual it was for this to have come together so quickly and easily.
What were your biggest challenges with writing The Thriving Artist?
The biggest challenge was making sure that the information was easily understandable by people who had never been exposed to financial investing—and were often terrified of it—and to make them interested enough to take the plunge into building a financial portfolio. It was also important to me to present the information in a way that wouldn’t date out quickly, as financial information can change quite quickly. Finding the balance between keeping the information relevant for the long term and making it interesting was always on my mind.
What was your research process for The Thriving Artist?
I found the classes I was teaching to be great sources of information. They provided my with insight into what intrigued artists about investing and building a financial wellness plan, and methods for helping to present the information in understandable terms.
How did you plan the structure of The Thriving Artist?
Learning about finances and investing has always been a scary venture for artists so I knew that I had to present it in a way that wasn’t intimidating. Short, easily digested chapters were crucial to this and also would allow artists to follow their curiosity by jumping around the topics.
I also added four intermission chapters both to provide a break from the technical information and to give readers an insight into how I, as an artist, blended the two worlds together.
Did you get support with editing, and how much editing did The Thriving Artist need?
I enlisted friends to read parts of the book to ensure that it made sense to someone approaching the subject for the first time and to help identify areas that needed further explanation. Once the final draft was sent to the publisher, they had an independent editor review it for content and make suggestions. Overall, at that point there were minimal changes made to the manuscript.
What is the first piece of writing advice you would give to anyone inspired to write a book?
Don’t be afraid to allow the structure of the book to evolve and change as you are writing it. Sometimes, some very interesting directions opened up as I was working. I also found it advantageous to step away for walks while I was writing—some wonderful ideas arose when I gave my mind the freedom to wander.
And, finally, are you proud of your accomplishment? Was it worth the effort?
When the publisher sent me the first printed copy of the book I was very proud of it! I found the process of writing it to be all-consuming but was definitely worth the effort. Every time I hear from a reader that the book was helpful to them I feel a sense of pride and gratitude.
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Following the release of Bridgerton season 2, online interest for filming locations of the series such as ‘Wilton House’ and ‘Syon Park’ has increased by 5000% over the past week*.
With six in ten adults booking trips to visit famous locations of their TV shows, the experts at OnlineMortgageAdvisor.co.uk were keen to uncover the Netflix series with the most frequently visited filming locations around the world, by finding the most tagged on Instagram – now including Bridgerton locations.
Top 5 Most Popular Bridgerton Filming Locations To Visit
OnlineMortgageAdvisor.co.uk can reveal that the most popular Bridgerton filming destination is Badminton House, situated in South Gloucestershire, with a total of 60,356hashtags. This location was used for interior shots of Clyvedon castle, and the Duke’s parlour, and has two thirds more hashtags than Wilton House in second place (40,466 hashtags). Wilton House in Salisbury was used to film key Bridgerton scenes taking place in the hallway, dining room and entrance hall.
In third place is the Hatfield House in Hertfordshire with 30,940hashtags. The house was featured as the west garden, Marble Hall, the library of Harfield and many more in the historical drama. Considering its beautiful exterior, Hatfield House has 15 times morehashtags than Badminton House in first place.
Top 10 Most Popular Netflix Filming Locations Worldwide
OnlineMortgageAdvisor.co.uk can also reveal that the most popular Netflix filming destination, according to Instagram, is Stone Mountain in Georgia, USA. With an impressive 597,134 hashtags in total, the Stranger Things filming location has 53% more hashtags than Alice in Borderland’s Shibuya Crossing (Japan) in second place (390,393 hashtags).
In third place is Sex Education’s Forest of Dean, which has also been used as a filming location in the Star Wars and Harry Potter franchises. The enchanting wood has 278,301 hashtags on Instagram – over 100 timesmore hashtags than fellow UK filming location Bebbanburg Castle from The Last Kingdom in ninth place (2,729 hashtags).
Placing fifth is Jardin du Palais Royal, from Emily in Paris with 35,068 hashtags. This beautiful park is the perfect place to stroll around in, sit on the exact bench Emily sat in, and experience the majestic waterfall. Jardin du Palais Royal, Paris has 1,417%more hashtags than fellow popular Netflix show 13 Reasons Why with 2,311hashtags.
Donate to support The Table Read We strive to keep The Table Read free for both our readers and our contributors. If you have enjoyed our work, please consider donating to help keep The Table Read going!
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