HCCC inaugural Student Poet Laureate, Natalie Akel. Â
The HCCC Student Poet Laureate program, and its inaugural Student Poet Laureate, are featured in the College’s ‘Out of the Box’ podcast.
February 24, 2022, Jersey City, NJ – Merriam-Webster defines “poet laureate†as a poet honored for outstanding creative achievement. The laureate title dates to ancient Greek and Roman times when the accomplishments of poets, athletes, and heroes were honored with a crown of greenery from the laurel tree, which was associated with Apollo and considered sacred.
The tradition of poet laureate has continued over the centuries as countries, states, municipalities, arts organizations, and even universities confer the title on those who produce superior works. For example, Joy Harjo is the present United States Poet Laureate and the first Native American to hold that title. Amanda Gorman, who famously read her moving poem at the inauguration of President Biden and Vice President Harris, is our nation’s very first Youth Poet Laureate. The position of Jersey City Poet Laureate was initiated by the Municipal Council in 2018 with Rashad Wright named the City’s inaugural Poet Laureate.
Fulop Administration Furthers Commitment to Burgeoning Arts Community
Mayor Steven M. Fulop joins City Council members andthe Jersey City Arts and Culture Trust Fund Committee to announce the opening of applications for the first allocation of critical funding generated by the Jersey City Arts and Culture Trust Fund. As the first municipality in New Jersey to establish an Arts and Culture Trust Fund, the distribution of $850,000 in grants – including $100,000 in Artist Fellowships distributed by the Jersey City Arts Council – provides meaningful support to help local artists and arts organizations throughout Jersey City grow and thrive.
Provides Family Fun and COVID-19 Vaccines for Children and Teens
Hudson County Community College “Kids Fair†is a fun-filled event that will include characters, entertainment, snacks, and most importantly, free COVID-19 vaccines for children and teens.
Hudson County Community College in partnership with North Hudson Community Action Corporation.
Saturday, February 26, 2022, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
HCCC Student Center, 81 Sip Avenue, Jersey City, NJ – right across the street from the Journal Square PATH Transportation Center.
About Hudson County Community College
Hudson County Community College serves more than 18,000 credit and non-credit students annually. The College offers nearly 80 degree and certificate programs, including award-winning English as a Second Language, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), Culinary Arts/Hospitality Management, Nursing and Health Sciences, and Fine and Performing Arts. The HCCC Culinary/Hospitality Management program was ranked number six in the U.S. by Best Choice Schools. Over 94% of HCCC Nursing program graduates passed the NCLEX the first time out, placing the program’s graduates in the top tier of two- and four-year nursing programs nationwide. In 2017, the Equality of Opportunity Project ranked HCCC in the top 5% of 2,200 U.S. higher education institutions for social and economic mobility.
HCCC has partnerships with every major four-year college and university in the greater New Jersey-New York area and beyond, accommodating seamless transfer of credits for further undergraduate and graduate education.
Restaurant Week returns February 28-March 11. And here is the list of participating restaurants for this winter. You can check restaurant details for days of participation and hours. And we recommend making a reservation with the restaurant.
JCTC presents an online staged reading from South African playwright Warren Neb
Jersey City Theater Center (JCTC) announces a live-streamed staged reading of “Lockdown” from South African playwright Warren Nebe on Saturday, February 12, at 12:00 p.m. E.T. The play, directed by Jacquelyn de Villiers, continues JCTC’s Voices International Theatre Festival. “Lockdown” explores the impact of violence on children, their innate relationship to the natural world’s healing powers, and how children’s voices matter. Using layers of South African theatricality and cyclical storytelling, Nebe weaves powerful messages of loss and grief, prejudice and violence, and fear and love.  “Voices International Theatre Festival connects local and global audiences through shared human experiences. Warren’s play is an incredible example of healing through the power of our imagination, stories, and theatre. Navigating trauma and finding faith are universal concepts that resonate with audiences and artists – now more than ever.” The origins of “Lockdown” emerged in the Unga Klara and Drama for Life Writing for Children’s Theatre Workshop that included mentorship for writers. In addition, prominent Swedish playwright, screenwriter, and theater dramaturg Erik Uddenberg mentored Nebe. The Embassy of Sweden (South Africa) and Arts Research Africa, University of the Witwatersrand supported the project. Cast and Crew Playwright: Warren Nebe Director: Jacquelyn de Villiers Stage Direction: Gys de Villiers Cast: Margie Pankhurst as Auntie Maddie (South Africa), Leila Henriques as Mom (South Africa), Tefo Omhile Paya as Taio (Botswana), and Zane Gillion as Anbu (USA). Following “Lockdown,” JCTC will present Deborah Vieyra’s play “The Bluebottles” on Saturday, March 12, and Palesa Mazamisa’s “Lazy Boy” on Saturday, May 14. Both live-streamed performances begin at 12:00 p.m. E.T. Tickets ($10) are available for purchase at www.jctcenter.org. Accessibility accommodations for all events include closed captioning. In addition, a transcript can be made available in accessible large print or Braille, and sign language interpretation is also available upon request. About Jersey City Theater Center Founded in 2006, Jersey City Theater Center is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) arts organization committed to inspiring conversations about important issues of our times through the arts.
Latisha Straker is an HCCC student who is benefiting from the “Hudson Scholars†program.
From left to right: Hudson County Community College’s Gabert Library, North Hudson Campus, STEM Building, and Culinary Arts Institute/Conference Center.Â
Using nationally acclaimed program models, ‘Hudson Scholars’ helps increase student retention and completion, scales up services for four times the number of students enrolled in Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) Program.
February 7, 2022, Jersey City, NJ – Hudson County Community College (HCCC) President Dr. Christopher Reber and his colleagues seem to subscribe to the thinking of Robert F. Kennedy and George Bernard Shaw: “Some see things as they are and ask, ‘Why?’ I dream things that never were and ask, ‘Why not?’â€
Mayor Fulop and Jersey City Together Target Underlying Contributors of Long-term Community Violence Exacerbated by the Pandemic
Mayor Steven M. Fulop joins Jersey City’s Division of Community Development (DCD) to announcethe launch of a new grant-funded Violence Prevention Program designed to acknowledge, target, and respond to the uptick in violence resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The RFP was designed in conjunction with Jersey City Together.
Jersey City has dedicated $500,000 in the first tranche towards the Violence Prevent Program Request for Proposal (RFP). Eligible organizations can apply for funding to launch this program focusing on helping the City’s youth, adults, and seniors within low- and moderate-income areas as defined by HUD. The RFP is open through February 18, 2022.
“We are committed to driving down crime and violence in our area, and this community-based Violence Prevention Program will leverage our local resources to address the underlying conditions that result in long-term violence,†said Mayor Fulop. “With this program, we want to ensure safer, healthier, and equitable communities by providing at-risk residents with the tools to heal from traumatic experiences, while also providing the support and skills to achieve their short- and long-term life goals.â€
The comprehensive Violence Prevention Program will address structural inequities and invest necessary resources. The new initiative will complement programs implemented in the last year, such as Mental Health First Aid efforts, as part of a comprehensive approach to address domestic violence issues, homeless outreach, violence prevention, and mental health support – all of which have seen stark increases since the onset of COVID-19.
“Jersey City Together fully supports allocating and investing in proven violence prevention strategies for our City. Community-based violence reduction models like these use outreach, connecting individuals to social services and other supports to respond to the problems we face, as a proactive approach to prevent violence from occurring,” said Bill Lillis, a member of Jersey City Together’s strategy team.
The program is shaped by community-based prevention frameworks utilizing intervention methods that are proven effective, including:
· Community mobilization efforts
· Youth outreach
· Public education
· Leadership involvement
· Mentorships
· Trained credible messengers
· Social services navigation/support
· Life management action plans
“The program will serve at-risk individuals who experience violence within their community while centering the needs of constituents. This directly aligns with our mission ‘to strengthen Jersey City through fostering strong partnerships and responsibly investing our funding resources in the community,’†said Community Development Division Director Deja Anderson.
The deadline for submitting proposals is Friday, February 18, 2022, at 11:59 pm. Applicants should be proficient in languages found within Jersey City. The Request for Proposal application can be accessed through the Jersey City website here.
Move supported by Bayonne Second Ward Councilman Sal Gullace
(BAYONNE) 一 Following up on her previous calls for action, current Council President and mayoral candidate Sharon Ashe-Nadrowski announced her support for an immediate minimum wage increase for Bayonne municipal employees to $15 per hour. “A $15 minimum wage for Bayonne City employees is a step in the right direction not only for our employees, but for our local economy,†said Council President and Mayoral Candidate Sharon Ashe-Nadrowski. “City employees don’t just work in Bayonne, they live here, spend their money here and raise their families here. An investment in them is an investment in the success of our whole community.â€
The Statewide minimum wage in New Jersey is currently $13 per hour for most private and public sector employees. Studies show that reasonable increases to minimum hourly wages increase living standards, employee morale and consumer spending particularly at small businesses. A 2019 New Jersey state law has these employees on a track to reach a $15 minimum wage by 2024 – a timeline that does not match the needs of Bayonne, according to Ashe-Nadrowski.
“Two years is too long for our working families, and too long for our local business community,†said Council President and Mayoral Candidate Sharon Ashe-Nadrowski. “While my calls for this move were met with resistance by the City Administration in the past, I hope we can come together, assist those in need and set an example for what can be done by public employers across the state without a direct cost to taxpayers.â€
Joining in support of Ashe-Nadrowski’s proposal is current Second Ward Councilman Sal Gullace. “Our City employees work hard and their morale is important,†Gullance stated. “They’re part of our team as a City and it’s time that they earn a living wage.â€
Ashe-Nadrowski plans to introduce a Resolution raising the Bayonne City government minimum wage to $15 at the next Bayonne City Council Meeting scheduled for Wednesday, February 16, 2022
February 22nd will mark the release of Jon D’Amore’s sixth book, “Me & George.†The Hudson County native once again exhibits his unique and varied style with this new tome. Me & George is a funny, entertaining and informative story that, like his previous five books, does not follow a similar genre, proving the versatility of the author. In addition, and perhaps best of all, it unfolds in New Jersey along the Hudson River, captivating the reader with its familiarity.
D’Amore first had the idea for Me & George while attending Union City’s Washington Elementary School. He recognized that the name of one of our Founding Fathers appeared over and over throughout the New York/New Jersey region. Memorials to George Washington abounded; The George Washington Bridge, Washington Square Park, Washington Heights, the three Washington Townships in New Jersey, numerous Washington Streets, Avenues and Boulevards, and signs detailing ‘Washington’s Retreat,’ to name a few. And, as D’Amore pointed out, “Let’s not forget the quarter and the one-dollar bill.â€
The myriad of tributes to George Washington made Jon wonder, “What would the first president of America say if he were to see what became of the thirteen colonies and the government he helped create?â€
In an exclusive interview with the River View Observer, D’Amore said, “I kept the idea for this story locked inside my memory from elementary school, through high school and into college, where I used the library for some early research and to use their IBM Selectric typewriters to write the first few chapters. I had to return to life as a touring and session musician, so those pages went into the bottom of the proverbial drawer for several years. When I entered the corporate world in the late 1980s, I found writing the story to be a relaxing way to pass the time while flying about the country and living in hotels. But it remained unfinished and found its way back into the drawer.â€
Leaving New Jersey in 1999, D’Amore relocated to Hollywood, California to dedicate himself solely to writing. There, he penned the manuscript for what would become his first book, “The Boss Always Sits In The Back – A Memoir,†which, along with the early unfinished chapters of Me & George, had been saved for many years in a Word program. When the manuscript for The Boss was finally completed, the author turned it into a screenplay. His talents were recognized for his editing and formatting ability which landed him a job as a Script Doctor for the next decade, until 2012 when he self-published The Boss.
D’Amore went on to say, “With the success of The Boss, especially in New Jersey and New York, I decided to continue doing what I’ve always enjoyed, which is writing books, live appearances and entertaining audiences. Being self-published is always a risk, but based on the success of my first five books, I made the right decision.â€
Between 2012 and 2020, D’Amore released The Boss, Deadfellas, The Delivery Man, As Long As I Have Lips and Rubdown, each story totally different and unrelated in genres. In early 2021, he decided to open the Me & George file and finish the story he had been pondering for four decades.
D’Amore laughed as he recounted, “Each revision of the manuscript needed to include the newest and latest technology. When I started writing Me & George, there were only land lines and payphones. Even answering machines were rare back then. Later, I added pagers and fax machines, and then early cell phones. Now, I brought in the latest technology, texting, video conferencing, Bluetooth technology that allows cellphones to be connected to our car, and household appliances that take commands and speak.â€
Early previews of Me & George predict it to be another bestseller. Since the pandemic is still not allowing for easy travel, book readings will be via Zoom. Book orders and Discounted Combo Packs are available at www.jondamore.com. The schedule for the Zoom readings will be announced on Jon’s Facebook page, The Books of Jon D’Amore, where you can follow the author, and request to be added to his email list for special events.
The author ended the interview saying, “Writing Me & George was the most fun of any of my books to date, but typing ‘The End’ at its completion brought me even more pleasure than expected. Forty years is a long time to hold a story inside and seeing it to fruition. Finally sharing it with the world was cause for celebration.â€
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