Guests
John Fluker is a singer, pianist and composer who has a string of credits backing such R&B notables as Gladys Knight, Dionne Warwick and Oleta Adams. Among his acclaimed solo musicial works are the contemporary piano album STAR EYES and two CDs that held the #1 position New Age Reporter (NAR) top 100-radio airplay charts--.THE SOUND OF PEACE and J IS FOR JOY. John also received the 2006 NAR Lifestyle Award for Best New Artist and his Christmas CD J IS FOR JOY received a nomination for the NAR Best Holiday Album for 2007. As an accompanist, Fluker has not only backed Knight, Warwick and Adams, but also Mavis Staples, David Hasselhoff, Boys 2 Men, Queen Latifah, Brenda Russell, Stephanie Mills, Sam Harris, Regina Belle, Vesta Williams, Clifton Davis, Hinton Battle, Will Wheaton, Jenifer Lewis and Smooth Jazz saxophonist Michael Lington. Fluker has worked extensively with legendary singer Gladys Knight. [...]
René Marie – singer, actress, writer. Earth Kitt – singer, actress, writer. Never before has there been a vocal recording tipping the hat to the divine Ms. Kitt and her fiery, sensual and clever interpretations of songs. With her incredible range of vocal ability, her powerful emotional resonance and strong independent streak, René is the right artist to conceive of this historic project, out November 12 on the adventurous, multi-Grammy®- nominated label Motéma Music. I Wanna Be Evil (With Love to Eartha Kitt) is René’s third recording for the label and her 10th career album. Eartha Kitt’s daughter Kitt Shapiro, who maintains her mother’s legacy via EarthaKitt.com and the company Simply Eartha, expressed her appreciation. It's wonderful that such a talented artist like René Marie has recorded the first tribute album to my mother, helping to keep her memory and spirit alive. These classic songs deserve to be heard and [...]
Deanna Majchrzak has been with the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau (DMCVB) for eight years. As the DMCVB’s media relations manager she works with travel writers telling them about and showing them all the great things going on in The D. You’ll often find her eating out at new restaurants in Detroit, touring The D’s world-class museums and exploring all the new development taking place throughout the city. The Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau (DMCVB) is the only organization that promotes metro Detroit regionally, nationally and internationally as a convention, business meeting and tourism destination. To achieve this goal of soliciting and servicing the area’s second-largest industry, the DMCVB works with the Detroit and Windsor area business community, civic organizations and local government offices in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. While at the DMCVB Majchrzak has had the opportunity to promote many different high-profile events such as the [...]
Dr. Maya Angelou (April 4, 1928 - May 28, 2014) was one of the most renowned and influential voices of our time. Hailed as a global renaissance woman, she was a celebrated poet, novelist, educator, dramatist, producer, actress, historian, filmmaker, and civil rights activist. Born on April 4th, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri, Dr. Angelou was raised in St. Louis and Stamps, Arkansas. In Stamps, Dr. Angelou experienced the brutality of racial discrimination, but she also absorbed the unshakable faith and values of traditional African-American family, community, and culture. As a teenager, Dr. Angelou’s love for the arts won her a scholarship to study dance and drama at San Francisco’s Labor School. At 14, she dropped out to become San Francisco’s first African-American female cable car conductor. She later finished high school, giving birth to her son, Guy, a few weeks after graduation. As a young single mother, she supported [...]
Lucian Spataro Jr., author of the acclaimed book The Long Ride, is an environmentalist, businessman, educator, and adventurer whose accomplishments are international in scope and local as well. Dr. Spataro earned a B.S. from the University of Arizona and a M.S. and Ph.D. in Environmental Studies from Ohio University and he has held engineering, management, and educational positions around the world. While working as the Director of the Program on Sustainable Development at the University of Arizona's International College, he was a pioneer for sustainability in the Arizona-Sonora region and authored numerous studies and grants in this same area of research. Lucian has continued with his equestrian and environmental interests and is active in preservation projects in the McDowell Mountain Park and with the Sonoran Institute and their environmental restoration efforts in the Colorado River delta. He calls Scottsdale home, where he lives in the shadow of the McDowell Mountains [...]
After leaving war-torn Germany, Claudia Oxee and her family immigrated to New York in the early 50′s with German and Ukrainian being my principle languages. At an early age Claudia was already enamored with cultural diversity. Throughout her many years of stringent parochial schooling, she traveled extensively. Among the myriad of memories, her fondest was living in Vienna, Austria with her daughter. There, Claudia taught middle school, with her daughter being one of her students. Upon returning to the US, a contentious divorce ensued and as a single mom, Claudia secured a full-time modeling job in New York City’s fur district. After several years and despite her lucrative income, in 1985 she traded in the furs for a uniform and the runway for a jetway. Claudia’s impassioned career began at JFK Airport. TWA, Iberia and Pan Am were her stepping stones before being promoted to the position of Station Manager for [...]
Kevin C. Fitzpatrick is an independent historian who founded the Dorothy Parker Society in 1999. He is a graduate of Northeast Missouri State University and served in the U.S. Marine Corps. After his hitch he entered journalism and worked in newspapers, magazines, advertising agencies, and television in New York. Kevin is a licensed New York City sightseeing guide and gives walking tours of city landmarks, literary sites, watering holes, cemeteries, and unusual locations. He frequently is a guest speaker at libraries, salons, and private clubs. A Journey Into Dorothy Parker’s New York (Berkeley: Roaring Forties Press, 2005) was his first book. Publisher’s Weekly said, “Part biography, part walking tour, Fitzpatrick’s meticulously researched first book is an eye-opening account of the life and times of Dorothy Parker and a paean to Old Gotham.” Kevin was co-editor of The Lost Algonquin Round Table (New York: Donald Books, 2009), the first collected book [...]
Terence Rosemore is an award winning Filmmaker and Actor who has worked with some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry including Robert Duvall, Halle Berry, Don Cheadle, John Hurt, Lil Wayne, Usher and Laurence Fishburne amongst others. As an Actor, he has appeared in dozens of Feature Film and Television movies such as The Apostle, Candyman 2, A Lesson Before Dying, Dark Angel, and Pride. Terence Rosemore starred in HBO’s critically acclaimed series Treme as Deputy Chief Eugene Marsden. He has appeared in theatrical stage productions in New York, Europe and Asia. His stage credits include The Piano Lesson (New York), My Father’s Father (Paris), and Colored Museum, in which he won the 1992 Black Theater Festival’s Best Actor award. He has toured extensively across the U.S. and abroad as a Drummer and Percussionist with Donald Harrison’s Mardi Gras Indian tribe Guardians of The Flame. His Directing and [...]
Mary Matalin is one of the most celebrated and popular conservative voices in America. As an author, television and radio host, and widely sought after political contributor, pundit and public speaker, she has become noted for her straightforward manner and insightful political repartee. Among her many roles and accomplishments, she has served under President Ronald Reagan, made her mark as George H.W. Bush's Campaign director and most recently as assistant to President George W. Bush, and as assistant and counselor to Vice President Dick Cheney, making her the first White House official to hold that double title. Mary Matalin has been active in politics since college, starting at the grassroots level in local and statewide campaigns in her native Illinois. In 1980, after graduating from Western Illinois University, Matalin joined a re-election campaign for Illinois Lt. Governor David O'Neal at the request of a former professor. She was so successful, that [...]
James "The Ragin' Cajun" Carville is America's best-known political consultant. His long list of electoral successes evidences a knack for steering overlooked campaigns to unexpected landslide victories and for re-making political underdogs into upset winners. His winning streak began in 1986, when he managed the gubernatorial victory of Robert Casey in Pennsylvania. In 1987, Carville helped guide Wallace Wilkinson to the governor's seat in Kentucky. Carville continued his winning streak with wins in New Jersey with Frank Lautenberg elected to the US Senate. He next managed the successful 1990 gubernatorial campaign of Georgia's Lieutenant Governor Zell Miller, including a tough primary win over Atlanta mayor Andrew Young, and in 1991, Carville—who had already become prominent in political circles—drew national attention when he led Senator Harris Wofford from 40 points behind in the polls to an upset landslide victory over former Pennsylvania Governor and U.S. Attorney General Richard Thornburgh. But his [...]
Stacy Jewell Lewis is an actress, playwright and survivor of human trafficking turned dynamic speaker who motivates audiences around the world to stand against injustice and create purpose out of life's experiences. As a survivor of domestic sex trafficking, Stacy used her dramatic life experiences and turned back her roots in the arts to find a sense of solace. She found that her greatest strength was through her creative expression and continues to use her gift to speak truth and wow audiences of all backgrounds. From her Spoken Word piece 10 years & 1 Day to her one woman play 7 Layers Captive, Stacy Jewell Lewis has mesmerized audiences across America. Using her powerful voice and dynamic creative expression, Stacy captivates the soul with every performance. Stacy believes that entertainment and media are powerful forms in creating public awareness and helping survivors & advocates find their voice through creative expression [...]
Holly Austin Smith is a survivor of child sex trafficking and an advocate against all forms of human trafficking. In order to raise awareness about human trafficking, Holly has appeared on the Dr. Oz show and has been featured in Cosmopolitan magazine. Holly is requested on a regular basis to provide testimony and input to law enforcement officials, social service providers, human trafficking task forces, legislators, educators, and journalists. Holly Austin Smith was the keynote speaker for the 2012 Trafficking in Persons Symposium in Salt Lake City, UT, an event hosted by the United States Department of Justice. Holly works with survivors and anti-human trafficking organizations across the country. When she isn't speaking, Holly is working on an academic book about trafficking, which is under contract with Palgrave-Macmillan and slated for publication in late 2013 or early 2014. Holly earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology with a Minor in Writing [...]
