The Community Access Speakers Series, Our Community, Our Story, is the centerpiece of our organization’s efforts to educate our community about the experiences, daily life struggles and healing process of individuals who are living with chronic, mental illness.
For 35 years, Community Access’ programs have paved ways for individuals to heal from mental illness, and to lead healthy, productive lives—without fear or stigma that too often is a barrier towards recovery and independence. Our organization has helped thousands of New York’s most vulnerable citizens gain access to housing, job training, mentoring, arts therapy, and counseling programs that empower them to reach their potential. Our new Speakers Series is a celebration of the impact that Community Access makes in the community—and an opportunity for our friends and supporters to meet artists and writers whose works reflect the human condition that binds together people everywhere.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
February 25, 2010: Walking with Emmett: Award winning playwright Ifa Bayeza, author of the acclaimed epic drama, “The Ballad of Emmett Till,” talks about her ten-year odyssey, bringing this seminal American saga to the contemporary stage, and reads excerpts from the play hailed as “riveting ... triumphant,” “a masterful look at history” and “a major American work.” The event will take place at the Peter Glenville Theater at Professional Children’s School, 132 West 60th Street, New York, New York.
April 22, 2010: Robert Whitaker, Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of Mad in America, will debut and discuss his new book, Anatomy of an Epidemic: Magic Bullets, Psychiatric Drugs, and the Astonishing Rise of Mental Illness in America, which investigates a medical mystery: Why has the number of adults and children disabled by mental illness skyrocketed over the past fifty years? What is going on? The event will take place at The National Arts Club, 15 Gramercy Park South, New York, New York.
June 24, 2010: Ifa Bayeza and Ntozake Shange give a sneak preview reading from their new novel, Some Sing, Some Cry, which will be published by St. Martin’s Press this fall. The two have paired up to create an exciting new novel, an epic story of mothers, daughters, sisters, wives, cousins, friends and lovers. Tracing the course of one family from enslavement to freedom, from the heady days of emancipation to the dawn of the 21st century, Some Sing, Some Cry chronicles seven generations of women, the men and the music in their lives. The event will take place at The Riverside Theater at Riverside Church, 490 Riverside Drive, New York, New York.
MEET THE ARTISTS — VIP Reception at 6:00 p.m.
Attend an intimate cocktail reception prior to each performance where you will meet the artists and receive a complimentary copy of their work. VIP tickets for the reception and performance are $125 per event.
GENERAL ADMISSION — Performance at 7:00 p.m.
Individual tickets are $60 per event. A limited number of tickets and membership seats are available for each performance. Tickets are available on line at www.communityaccess.org/speakerseries.
CONTACT
Kim Milian, Events Specialist, via telephone at (212) 780-1400, ext. 7793.