The Philadelphia Science Fiction Society hosts author Stephanie Feldman.

Stephanie Feldman's debut novel, The Angel of Losses, is a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Selection, one of the Washington Post's Top 5 Science Fiction and Fantasy books of 2014, and winner of the William L. Crawford Fantasy Award. The book explores the intersections of family secrets, Jewish myths, the legacy of war and history, and the bonds between sisters. 

Stephanie is a graduate of Barnard College. She's a Philadelphia native, and lives in the area with her family.

More information about Stephanie Feldman can be found at http://stephaniefeldman.com

The Philadelphia Science Fiction Society is a non-profit organization that meets to discuss and promote science fiction and fantasy in literature, the arts, and popular culture. P.S.F.S. a 501c(3) tax exempt not-for-profit corporation.

Social gathering begins at 7:30 p.m. Everyone is welcome for all three.  The Business Meeting begins at 8:00 p.m. The Program begins at 9:00 p.m.

This event is in the sanctuary. Please enter on Walnut Street. Please dress warmly; the sanctuary is not heated. 

40 Voices Singing: Masterworks for Massed Choirs

40 Voices Singing features three of Philadelphia's most exciting choral ensembles singing the best repertoire for large choirs, including Thomas Tallis' legendary "Spem in alium," also known as the 40-Voice Motet. It is a rarely performed masterpiece of Renaissance polyphony, with 40 singers each singing their own independent part and standing in a circle around the audience.Other highlights include Jordan Nobles' "Lux antiqua," folksongs from Lithuania and Iceland, and an eclectic mass in which each mass movement will be drawn from a different choral setting of the liturgy. You'll hear the Chestnut Street Singers, The Laughing Bird, and PhilHarmonia each singing their own movement before the massed ensemble performs Samuel Barber's heart-wrenching "Agnus dei," the choral setting of his "Adagio for Strings," as the grand finale.

What better way to celebrate the Chestnut Street Singers' fifth anniversary season than with this extraordinary concert showcasing the vitality of the Philadelphia choral scene? We can't wait to see you there to join in the fun!

Comprised of four singers from the Philadelphia area, each an established solo, chamber, and choral artist, The Laughing Bird is Philadelphia’s premier early music vocal quartet. For more information, see www.laughingbird.us.

PhilHarmonia is a Philadelphia-based 24-voice mixed choir that sings classical and contemporary a cappella choral music. For more information, see www.philharmoniasings.com.

Admission is FREE. Advance registration recommended--click here to register for free now!

Poet-tree En Motion Showcases Local Women Artists with Free Event

‘Womyn’s Her-story in the Midst!’ March 18 at West Philadelphia Venue

Women’s History Month in March is the time when we recognize the strengths and talents of women, which have historically been underrepresented since patriarchal civilization began.

Philadelphia and regional women artists will shine their talents in celebration of Women’s History Month when the seasonal art event Poet-tree En Motion presents “Womyn’s Her-story in the Midst!” Wednesday, March 18 at The Rotunda.

The free event will feature artists hailing from many different genres, ages and backgrounds, showing the diversity in all women. The acts will include singer-songwriters, hip-hop artists, belly dancers, theater, a rock trio group, solo acts, spoken word, and movement arts.

Poet-tree En Motion is the brainchild of multi-award-winning Philadelphia performance artist and poet Gabrielle de Burke, whose stage name is Plum Dragoness. Her events, ongoing since 2007, present local artists with multidisciplinary backgrounds whose works capture a sense of movement and “flow.”

“Poetry in motion is a lot of different things,” de Burke says. “It’s not just stuck on a page. It’s not just stuck on a stage. It’s moving in time. I want the event to be an expression of the many different ways in which poetry is present in our lives, whether it’s music, dance, art, or life, or visual performance.”

Poet-Tree En Motion has featured events for Women’s History Month every year since 2007 and they always bring a diverse crowd.

“The point of the events is to raise consciousness about women’s issues, but it’s also to bring people together,” de Burke says. “As it’s grown, it’s had some really great turnouts and a mixed bag of people. And it’s not women only. It’s pretty even men to women. Men have said that they’ve really enjoyed the shows and the different styles of performances.”

The title of this year’s event,“Womyn’s Her-story in the Midst!,” alludes to the fact that the feminine “is intertwined within the fabric of everything.” 

“She’s in the midst of all these different stories,” de Burke says. “She’s present. She has a voice. Whether it’s traumatic or romantic.  … The creation stories are all connected to women. Even though they’re often perceived as patriarchal, they were actually conceived through the matriarchal. Her stories are a part of his stories. Women have been a backbone of communities and societies for as long as we’ve been here. It’s ironic that the creation stories come from a male point of view, but her stories are his stories as well. It’s important to acknowledge women’s role.”

“For me the feminist perspective includes men,” she added.

The Poet-Tree En Motion events always feature an open mic before and after the performances to encourage community participation in the arts. Women and men are invited to explore any topic during the March 18 event; they don’t have to pertain to women’s issues.

The lineup of artists at “Womyn’s Her-story in the Midst!” will include the following:

Plum Dragoness (a.k.a. Gabrielle de Burke) A native of West Philadelphia is a multi--talented thespian, dancer, poetess and writer who has been involved with the performing arts since childhood. In 2000, she graduated with a Theater degree from Temple University (Philadelphia, PA), with an exploratory concentration in African Dance, World Music & Jazz Voice. She has become well known for her poetic style, vocal performance and choreographic flair throughout the Philadelphia area & abroad. In addition to her solo work, Gabrielle has collaborated with many other artists including the theater company ArcheDream, the music & poetry project “Plum Dragoness & the Elements & The Femme-mynistiques. In 2007, she began a performing arts residency at the Rotunda, where she books artists, organizes & performs in the ongoing seasonal performance series “Poet-tree en Motion.” soundcloud.com/plum-dragonessThe Femme-Mynistiques THE FEMME-MYNISTIQUES IS A PERFORMANCE TRIO THAT SPECIALIZES IN BRINGING FORTH OUR GODDESS-GIVEN GIFTS THROUGH MOVING MUSIC, THEATRICAL CHOREOGRAPHY AND DANCES WITH WORDS. WE WISH FOR WOMEN (& MEN) TO FIND STRENGTH, HEALING, LOVE, FREEDOM AND MAGIC THROUGH OUR WORK AS ARTISTS. THOUGH WE ARE EACH INCREDIBLE SOLO PERFORMERS, TOGETHER WE ARE A RIGHTEOUS STORM, DESTROYING THE IDEAS THAT KEEP US SPIRITUALLY IN CHAOS, AND IT IS THROUGH THE POWER OF OUR UNITY THAT WE HAVE MANAGED TO RE-BUILD FOR OURSELVES AND OTHERS, A PLACE TO BEGIN ANEW.... We ARE… the FEMME-MYNISTIQUES! Watch the  Video for "She Walks Among Us"

The Women’s Revolutionary Vagime (Melanie Cotton-Choreographer/Director)This piece comes out of my continuing frustrations with the injustices that women and girls continue to face everyday. Sexual assault, young girls being kidnapped for wanting to be educated, politicians deciding what we do with our bodies, being treated like second class citizens of the world. I am an artist and have always wanted to combine my advocacy with my Art. For many years I've worked with young women and girls to use hip hop/ dance movement as a tool for empowerment and just recently worked on some projects that helped me to see the transformative powers that comedy has on people, especially women. I wanted to create something that would bring women together in a fun, positive atmosphere to get us moving our bodies and connecting with each other cause lets face it we are stronger if we stick together. I want to see us stand up for ourselves and say, "I deserve better."  youtu.be/vvd0J0CpQ0E 

The Primaries This Philly based trio, consisting of Red, Yellow, and Blue (Michelle Armour, Morgan Pinkstone & Susan Rosetti). These three rad colors have joined forces to push their limits and get you singing and dancing along to fun songs. They often welcome guests to join them on stage, as long as they are secondaries and tertiaries.

Sonni Shine Sonni Shine has been performing throughout the Tri-State area for 10 years and is proud to call Philadelphia, PA her home.  She describes her style as "soul folk," mixing reggae and R&B to create percussive guitar riffs, artful melodies, and meaningful lyrics.  She enjoys collaborating with all different types of musicians and producers equally as vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter, drawing comparisons to Erykah Badu, Ani Difranco, India.Arie, and Amy Winehouse.  The act of performing a song and becoming like "one vibration" with her audience members is a feeling she lives for. Her full time gig is serving as front woman for the reggae-funk-soul band The Underwater Sounds. youtube.com/watch?v=Z5oaCzdwHdU

Tapestry Tribal The women of Tapestry Tribal love to dance together! We perform a unique style of belly dance that has affectionately been called "Old School Tribal." It is a structured non-verbal language created in America, which blends traditional Middle Eastern dance with influences from around the world, including Indian, North African, Spanish, and Modern dances. There is no choreography. The dancers exchange lead and follow roles in a unique group improvisational format, supported and enhanced by the exotic traditional rhythms and haunting melodies of their live musicians. Tribal Belly Dance is an elegant and earthy " in the moment " style, which celebrates connection and support among women. 

Tapestry's dancers were originally members of Philadelphia Tribal Bellydance. PTB was the first Tribal Style Bellydance troupe founded in the Philadelphia area. Fleur Frascella began the troupe in Center City Philadelphia in 1999. Fleur left the troupe in July, 2007, and the remaining dancers created Tapestry.Coco Sol Coco Sol "Chocolate Sun"from Montreal is an international songstress, multi instrumentalist now living in Philadelphia. Since her arrival 10 years ago, she has collaborated on vocalguitar and congas with multiple artists and genres on Main Stages and in studios all over including, Philadelphia Classical Symphony Family Program, Owen "Fidla" Brown (Jive records), Steven Wise (Wiseworld Entertainment), Xande Cruz (Brazilian Icon) and Son's of Ace (Reggae All Star, Jamaica).  Now involved with her new creation, Sowelu (Performing/Producing/Publishing Co) and Sowelu Music School on Wheels. Coco Sol apart from teaching is currently recording her first original album with Franz Richards of BMR Entertainment in Philadelphia. Her music is a funky, spirited blend of catchy hooks and licks, fiery rhythms and longing melodies with a message. A personal call for love. She's Created her own genre fusing World, Jazz, R & B, Hip Hop and Pop. Coco Sol and her band have been on the Philly scene for the past 15 months, playing shows at The Troc, Tin Angel, at The Black Lily and Clark Park Festival.Britt GenBritt Gen is a Philadelphia-based multi-medium artist blurring the lines of industry's standards of acceptance. With a background of fine art ranging from painting, illustration, pottery, sculpture and photography she basks in the realm of film; working behind-the-scenes in fabrication, special FX makeup, set design and coordination. Her life inspirations lead her to portray elements of trauma, masked by society's endless ploy of divine beauty. Creating worlds where such tables are turned, her art threads chaos with structure, fantasy with reality, and yearns to bind the falsities between science and spirituality.

 Barbara ZanelliBarbara graduated with a B.F.A. from Syracuse University in 1999, and then moved to NYC.  She met success in shows at Figureworks and Get Real Art, but felt drawn to study classical painting in Florence, Italy. She lived there for one year studying drawing under Mario Pachioli. In 2004 she moved to Philadelphia, on a full scholarship, to study at Studio Incamminati with master painter Nelson Shanks.  She left the atelier in 2005 to work on a series of large paintings. After travelling and painting extensively, Barbara has returned to Incamminati to finish the Professional Program. While studying, Barbara continues to show her work and take on commissions. Continuously challenging herself to find new expressions through painting and drawing and the combination of the two, Barbara has been working on all different types of approaches from gestural, alla prima to slowly developed realist painting.  She currently paints plein air, figure paintings, portraits and combined paintings from life, photo and imagination.  She also works on traced monotypes, a drawing technique used by many painters of the past including Gauguin and Degas. Barbara strives to merge intuitive feeling and gesture with a studied, trained or cerebral approach, but never too much of either. Being an artist, for Barbara, means not being afraid to create the ground she is about to step on, taking risks and following instinct.

The next Poet-tree En Motion events are scheduled for June 10, with a summer solstice theme, and Sept. 30, with a fall harvest theme, at The Rotunda. 

ABOUT POET-TREE EN MOTION:

Poet-tree En Motion works to inspire both artist and audience to connect and work together toward cultivating the arts community in Philadelphia, welcoming artists of all kinds to experience performances local to the neighborhood, and offering the opportunity at each show for community participation to sign up in the all-genre open mike/stage and jam session component of the events.

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PHOTO CAPTIONS:

Her-stories1:

The Femme-Mynistiques multidisciplinary performance trio comprises, from left, Plum Dragoness, Lady Omni and Alexa Gold. The group will perform at the next Poet-tree En Motion event “Womyn’s Her-story in the Midst!” along with many other local women artists in celebration of Women’s History Month Wednesday, March 18 at The Rotunda in West Philadelphia.

Her-stories2:

The Woman's Revolutionary Vagime, a hip-hop-style dance movement troupe, will entertain while advocating for women’s empowerment during the art event “Womyn’s Her-story in the Midst!” Wednesday, March 18 at The Rotunda in West Philadelphia.

Her-stories3:

The Tapestry Tribal bellydance troupe will perform along with many other local women artists in celebration of Women’s History Month at the Poet-tree En Motion event “Womyn’s Her-story in the Midst!” Wednesday, March 18 at The Rotunda in West Philadelphia.

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 (nearly) Every 3rd Saturday of the month, except August, PYPM hosts a youth-led open mic and poetry slam for teens to come and share their work in a safe, uncensored environment at The Rotunda. Young people from all over Philadelphia come to express themselves in front of a supportive audience where they can grab the microphone and be heard! 

***Interested in slamming or signing up for the open mic? See Slam Rules/Schedule, and Registration for full details. Date: Every 3rd Saturday from September through June Time: 6PM sharp (doors open at 5:45PM) PYPM YOUTH SLAM TEAM & BRAVE NEW VOICES Teens who participate in the slams earn points to qualify for the semi-final and final slams to make the PYPM Slam Team. Each year PYPM sends a Youth Slam Team to represent Philadelphia at The Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Festival to compete against over 50 other poetry teams from around the world. The festival is held in various cities across the U.S giving teens an opportunity to travel, from Los Angeles to Chicago. Youth poets earn their spot on the team by competing in Youth Night Slams. PYPM won first place at Brave New Voices 

doors open around 11:30/noon

(nearly every last Thursday) 

 9pm-1am

 Established in 1996, The Gathering is the longest/strongest-running truly Hip Hop event in Philly. 

The Gathering IS b-boys/b-girls, pop-lockers, emcees, graffiti writers, DJs, men, women, and children of all ages enjoying an organic, community-based celebration of The struggle, the Love, and the culture of Hip Hop. DJs spin Hiphop, breaks, and funk all night, and there are open cyphas, a tag wall, and a featured performance and graffiti panel each month. 

Admission is $5

Jazz & Grooves 

presents

THE SOUND OF TOMORROW TOUR

Sets by ESTA, IAMNOBODI, JAY PRINCE, & JOE KAY. 

Join SOULECTION + J&G for a night of electronic r&b and hip-hop. Come move around, get wild, and release some sexual tension. The Sounds of Tomorrow are today -- well, on March 27th.

Advance tickets: http://upennspec.ticketleap.com/jazz--grooves-presents-soundoftomorrow/

BUNDLE TICKETS AVAILABLE: J&G + SPEC-TRUM Presents....Rae Sremmurd, OG Maco, and Chynna

$17 - available ~~soon~~ [w/ Penn ID]

$5 Presale // $10 Door [w/ Penn ID]

$15 Door [Public]

Brought to you by Jazz & Grooves of Penn SPEC

www.jazzandgrooves.com

@jazzandgrooves

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