RUMI: "TO UNITE - THAT IS WHY WE CAME" Brief Biographies of the presenters... http://www.lightmillennium.org - June 8, 2007 - NYC The 800th Birthday of RUMI and the 7th Anniversary of the Light Millennium PRESENTERS Mr. ANGUS-CLARK: Business Consultant / Intermediary, in Finance, Foreign Trade, Real Estate Sales & Development, Precious Stones, Promotion of the Performing Arts, with emphasis on aspiring Opera Singers and assorted Philanthropic endeavors. In 1975 & 1976 produced two World Premiere Operas in Lincoln Center, "Los Rosas" and "Folk Songs for Gotham City."   Christopher ARABADJIS: Artist who has recently had work in Fast Forward Flushing (Flushing Town Hall) and Homomuseum (Exit Art). An Assistant Director of Multimedia at the Pratt Institute Library. Lives in Manhattan. Kamal AYYILDIZ: Writer and photographer living between New York and Istanbul. Has a BA in English from Hampshire College and an MA in English and Creative Writing from Hollins University. Received fellowships from the MacDowell Colony, Edward Albee Foundation and the VCCA. His first book, The Cistern, was awarded the Nazim Hikmet Poetry Prize by the Daughters of Ataturk. Alberto Oscar CAPPAS: Poet and entrepreneur in several diverse areas. The author of Echolalia, a collection of poems (1989), Disintegration of the Puerto Ricans (1997), and The Pledge: A Guide for Everyday Living (2001). His poetry has been included in many publications and anthologies in the US and Canada. Cappas is the recipient of the "Keepers of Our Culture" Award for Literature, presented to him by the New York State Hispanic Heritage Month Committee on September 15, 1994. Sul tan CATTO: Ph.D., Yale University (Mathematical Physics), has made important contributions to the development of elementary particle physics and mathematics. He is a professor at CUNY Graduate School and at the Rockefeller University in New York. He is also on the permanent International Advisory Board of the "International Conferences on Differential Geometric Methods in Theoretical Physics", "International Conferences on Symmetries and Strings," and "International Wigner Symposia", together with internationally renowned scientists and Nobel Laureates. He has run "Poetry Cafe" at Yale University for over ten years, and published two volumes of his collected works. Edward FOSTER: The recipient of many awards, Edward Foster is the author of Answerable to None (2000), The Angelus Bell (2001), Mahrem: Things Men Should Do for Men (2003), and What He Ought to Know: New and Selected Poems (2006). With Joseph Donahue, he edited The World in Time and Space: Towards a History of Innovative American Poetry in Our Time (2002). The founding editor of Talisman House, Publishers and Talisman: A Journal of Contemporary Poetry and Poetics, he is the dean for administration in the College of Arts and Letters at the Stevens Institute of Technology. John HIGH: The author of eight books, including his award-winning trilogy of poetic The Desire Notebooks (a Village Voice Literary Supplement top 25 books of the year), his selected writings, Bloodline, and most recently the long poem Here and the novel Talking God's Radio. He has received four Fulbright Fellowships, two National Endowment for the Arts fellowships, and writing awards from the Witter Bynner Foundation, Arts International and the Academy of American Poets, among others. A translator of several books of contemporary Russian poetry, he was the chief editor for Crossing Centuries-The New Russian Poetry. He is also the founding and former editor of the Five Fingers Review. Michael LEVY: Author of seven books, a mystical poet, inspirational philosopher and wellness/healthy living speaker on cruise ships, radio, TV and seminars. He is a regular wellness columnist for Positive Health Magazine, the leading wellness magazine in the UK. The Royal College of Psychiatry continues to publish selected essays and poetry of his. Andrea LIBIN: A graduate of the Columbia University MFA writing program where she was awarded a teaching fellowship, she has served as co-fiction editor of Columbia: A Journal of Literature & Art. She is currently working on a novel.Timothy LIU: The author of six books of poems, most recently Of Thee I Sing and For Dust Thou Art. A new book, Polytheomgamy, is forthcoming. His poems have been translated into seven languages, and his journals and papers are archived in the Berg Collection at the New York Public Library. He lives in Manhattan.   Madeline MILLAN: Professor at FIT, SUNY, poet, and short story writer. Some of her books are: Para no morir por segunda vez (Buenos Aires, 2002), De toros y estrellas (Puerto Rico, 2004), and Poetas sin tregua (Rafagas, Spain). Her most recent work can be read in anthologies from Spain and Latin America. Millán is the editor and publisher of Entreextremos, a Latin American Film magazine. She hosts bilingual poetry reading at Cornelia Street Cafe. Z. Esra MIRZE: Assistant Professor of English at The University of Tampa, where she teaches postcolonial literature and world literature. She published articles on Orhan Pamuk and Fatih Akin. Her current project focuses on Muslim immigrant identity in Western cosmopolitan settings.Sharon OLINKA: Her most recent book is The Good City (Marsh Hawk Press, 2006) and it is about the birth of modern Izmir. Her poetry has won a Barbara Deming Memorial Award, and she edited a feature on the theme of "Rich and Poor" for PoetsUSA.com. Before moving to New York, she wrote for newspapers in New Orleans and Los Angeles. Simon PETTET: British by birth, has spent most of his life as a writer in New York, where he has been closely associated with the New York School. He is distinguished for his tightly wrought poems ("perfect poems," in the words of Alice Notley), of which a representative selection is collected in his Selected Poems (1995) and More Winnowed Fragments (2005). He is also written two books with photographer Rudy Burckhardt, Conversations About Everything and Talking Pictures, and edited The Selected Art Writings of James Schuyler. In collaboration with the artist Duncan Hannah, he is the author of Abundant Treasures.TAMIR: Actress and author of three one-woman shows. Some of her roles are: Medea, Maria Callas and Bernarda Alba. Her current performance is "RUMI: The Way of the Heart." TAMIR brings the poetry of Rumi alive in the 21st century.   Ugur UGURAL: Actor and playwright. Born in Ankara, Turkey. Migrated to USA in 1989. He has been staging plays at his theater for 13 years. Writes and stages comedy plays as well as poetry. He is interested in Mesnevi. Bircan UNVER: The Founding President of the Light Millennium Organization. As an independent video producer, director, and editor, she has created over 50 original television programs in English and Turkish for Queens Public Television and her Light Millennium TV series. She is a freelance web producer, writer, and correspondent, and published her book En Kutsali Yaratmak (To create is most sacred) with Say Publishing Company in Istanbul, Turkey. She received the 2004 "Distinguished Woman Award" in New York from the Daughters of Ataturk Society, and won a few awards for her television programs. Bircan holds M.A. in Media Studies from the New School University (NYC), and BA from the University of Mimar Sinan, Fine Arts, Istanbul, Turkey.   MUSICIANS Russell DAISEY: A graduate of The Manhattan School of Music, having studied classical Piano with Miss Constance Keene and Miss Jeanne Behrend. Mr. Daisey•s training includes vocal studies with Miss Uta Graf, Miss Jean Hammons and Miss Stephanie Samaris. Mr. Daisey studied acting/improvisation with Miss Stella Adler, Mr. Steven Strimpell, Donna McKechnie, Tamara Wilcox, Patricia Brooks, Martha Schlamme and Mr. Nikos Psacheropoulos. Ali KAHYA: Professional entertainer, musician, playing and singing in both Eastern and Western styles. Studied the double bass at the State Conservatoire in Istanbul, concentrating on Western music, and performed with the Symphonic Orchestra. After moving to New York City he began performing, and taught music at The United Nations for five years. During his tenure there, he performed for numerous Turkish heads of state, and shared the stage with other notable entertainers. More recently, he has been performing throughout the US. While he is renowned for his renditions of Turkish music, he continues to perform in a wide variety of styles in theatrical and concert settings. For Media Release of the program - June 8, 2007 - NYC Dedicated to: For Unity within self, within country, within the globe. 7th Anniversary - Spring 2007 LIGHTMILLENNIUM.ORG #20th Issue LM - HOME PAGE 7th Anniversary Spring 2007, #20 CONTENTS DEDICATION LM-KIDS CORNER LM-SOUTH LETTER of the 7th Anniversary Issue EVENTS & ACTIVITIES LIGHT MILLENNIUM TV Series ("LMTV") LMTV Videography PUBLISHING CRITERIA PUBLISHING POLICY BIRTH OF THE LM - MANIFESTO ABOUT LIGHT MILLENNIUM 501 (c) (3) PROJECTS OUR SPONSORS HOW TO SPONSOR? WEB SYNERGY TurkishGreekSynergy MANIFESTO 2007 - RUMI VIDEO PRODUCTION AWARDS *New UN/DPI-NGO Profiles 2007 RUMI & CLARKE INSPIRATIONAL WRITING AWARDS WHEN PEACE COMES Poetry Writing Event April 2004 ISIK BINYILI (Türkçe) External Link Fugen GULERTEKIN ***** The Light Millennium has become associated with the Department of Public Information of the United Nations effective December 12, 2005.