December 4th 9:30am live on KUCI 88.9fm - Director Anna Toomey talks about her Powerful film, Left Behind, an inspiring story of a group of determined moms who band together to create the first public dyslexic school in the largest school district in America, New York City.

 

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Left Behind is the inspiring story of a group of determined moms who band together to create the first public dyslexic school in the largest school district in America, New York City.

Approximately 200,000 New York City public school students are dyslexic, yet there is no public initiative that provides the specialized skill and care necessary for these learners.

Frustrated that they had to remove their own kids from the public school system, a group of determined moms band together to do something that’s never been done before – open New York City’s first public school for dyslexic students. The journey is not a smooth ride, and they face both institutional and personal hurdles as they try to upend a system .

A new mayoral candidate bolsters their fight after he reveals his own dyslexia. But will they be able to convince a bureaucratic education system to overhaul outdated politics to ensure a brighter future for the city’s dyslexic youth?

DIRECTOR ANNA TOOMEY

Anna Toomey an Emmy Award-winning producer with 20 years of experience. She has worked for ABC News, Good Morning America, ABC News’ long-form unit, and Peter Jennings Reporting. She creates compelling, character-driven stories with passion and integrity.

Anna’s credits include Emmy Award-winning The Gun Fight, an inside look at the National Rifle Association, as well as The American Game, The Century and The Beatles Anthology.

As a producer on the six-part series In the Jury Room, Anna spent months in the field covering murder trials and combing through hours of footage to develop an intriguing story line, which culminated in a prime time six-hour series aired on ABC News.

Anna won two Daytime Emmy Awards at Good Morning America. She directed multiple camera shoots, including a roundtable discussion with Robin Roberts and Sheryl Sandberg for her book Lean In. She also produced a series of breast cancer awareness segments, including ABC News Correspondent Amy Robach’s emotional journey after her diagnosis.

Anna lives in New York with her husband and two children. She owns her own production company, Sandy Dog Productions.

https://www.leftbehindthefilm.com/

“Powerful…Inspiring…Left Behind is an urgent call to action to help dyslexic kids.”

– Anderson Cooper, CNN

“One of the best truly political documentaries of this or any other year.”

– DOMINIC PATTEN, DEADLINE

New York, NY, Los Angeles, CA -- Abramorama announced they have acquired North American theatrical rights to the documentary Left Behind, directed by Emmy Award winner Anna Toomey and produced by David Beal, Emmy Award winner Sian Edwards-Beal, Chris Farrell and Larry Mullen Jr.

A film awards contender this year, Left Behind will kick off the theatrical release on January 17, 2025, with a week-long engagement at NYC’s QUAD Cinema. The film will expand to select theaters nationwide thereafter.

This gripping new feature documentary tells the story of five tenacious mothers determined to establish the first public school in New York City for children with dyslexia. Addressing a learning disability that impacts an estimated 200,000 students in NYC, and roughly 20% of the public at large, the mothers’ struggle to upend the nation’s largest public school system and garner support to open the South Bronx Literacy Academy in September 2023.

The world premiere festival screening of Left Behind was held at the 25th annual Woodstock Film Festival this October, followed by a Q&A hosted by one of the film’s executive producers Juju Chang (Emmy Award-winning co-anchor of ABC News Nightline). Producer Larry Mullen, Jr. was also in attendance for the Q&A. Mullen Jr. collaborated with GAYLE to create an original song for the film, “Between The Lines”. The Metropolis Competition screening in NYC is set for November 20 & 21 as part of DOC NYC, with screenings at Village East by Angelika and IFC Center. Tickets and more information here.

Director Anna Toomey stated, “Our goal for this film has always been reaching the most number of viewers; partnering with the Abramorama team to bring this film to theaters will allow us to shed light on this important issue. It is a travesty that so many struggling readers are left behind and able unable to reach their full potential. This film is deeply personal to me and all of the filmmakers involved and we hope that by bringing awareness to this issue we can change the lives of millions of kids across the country and the world. ”

Producers added, “We were honored to take this journey with Anna Toomey on her first film. Anna’s incredible passion for this story, combined with the drive of the moms and the authentic power of Larry and GAYLE’s song makes this a remarkable film. Abramorama is the perfect theatrical distributor for this film.”

Left Behind was produced by Green Hummingbird Entertainment’s David Beal and Sian Edwards-Beal and Velvet Strand’s Chris Farrell and Larry Mullen Jr. Executive Producers Juju Chang (ABC Nightline co-anchor), actor Jean Reno and his wife, producer/philanthropist Zofia Moreno, Lisa Domenico Brooke, Sarah E. Johnson, Ellen Lovejoy, Dan and Stephanie Fougere. Screenwriting by Karen K. H. Sim, director of photography James Fideler, composers Olivier Manchon and Clare Manchon, editor Brittany Kaplan and two original songs by Larry Mullen Jr. and David Baron, “Between the Lines" written with GAYLE and Reed Berin and "One of Us” featuring Donna Lewis.

Abramorama CEO Karol Martesko-Fenster shared, “We are thrilled to work with Anna Toomey, the dedicated producing team, and the extended support groups behind Left Behind, who have collaborated to bring this important subject into the foreground. We’ve seen the film’s conversation-starting power at festivals and special screenings and are looking forward to sharing the film widely and have it inspire many more conversations leading to needed changes.”

Along with the establishment of The South Bronx Literacy Academy, New York City has now committed to opening additional schools focused on struggling readers through the Literacy Academy Collective. It has also begun to provide individual dyslexia testing for students. In recent years, successful people across a range of professions have come forward to share their personal struggles with dyslexia and inspire others. Among them are Anderson Cooper, Salma Hayek, Steven Spielberg, Gwen Stefani, Tim Tebow, Tom Cruise, Octavia Spencer and more. Many dyslexics cite ‘thinking differently’ as a personal superpower for creativity and thinking outside the box.

LEFT BEHIND (USA) 74 minutes, English - Abramorama Presents a Green Hummingbird Entertainment and Velvet Strand Production of an Anna Toomey Film “Left Behind”. Animation by IKARTOONS. Writer Karen K H Sim. Director of Photography James Fideler. Editor Brittany Kaplan. Executive Producers Juju Chang, Lisa Domenico Brooke, Dan Fougere, Stephanie Fougere, Sarah E. Johnson, Ellen Lovejoy, Zofia Moreno & Jean Reno. Producers Anna Toomey, Mari Keiko-Gonzalez, ACE. Produced by David Beal, Sian Edwards-Beal, Chris Farrell, Larry Mullen Jr. Original Score by Olivier Manchon, Clare Manchon. Original Song by Larry Mullen Jr. & GAYLE. Directed by Anna Toomey. An Abramorama North American Theatrical Release. For more information visit www.leftbehindthefilm.com.

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ABOUT LEFT BEHIND
Did you know that 1 out of 5 people have dyslexia? How about that 47-50% of incarcerated people have dyslexia? Left Behind gives eye-opening insight into the ways that the public school system ignores the needs of students with learning disabilities and, in doing so, contributes to the school-to-prison pipeline. No matter how much a person may stand by the power and importance of public schools, there’s just no disputing that the current public education system is not built to help students with learning disabilities to succeed or thrive, and just about every single dyslexia-centered school in the country is privately-owned. Anna Toomey’s gripping documentary chronicles a group of advocates in their struggle to start New York City’s first public school for dyslexia. For more info - www.leftbehindthefilm.com

ABOUT THE FILMMAKER
Anna Toomey is an independent filmmaker who started her career as an Emmy Award-winning producer for ABC News, Good Morning America, ABC News long-form unit, and Peter Jennings Reporting. She worked on projects including The Gun Fight, an inside look at the NRA, The Century, Beatles Anthology, and the six-part series In the Jury Room. Anna developed and directed her first feature length independent documentary Left Behind after her son was diagnosed with dyslexia and she discovered the inadequate resources for millions of children across the country.

ABOUT GREEN HUMMINGBIRD ENTERTAINMENT
Green Hummingbird Entertainment is a boutique studio based in New York and London with co-heads David Beal (former President of National Geographic Entertainment and Palm Pictures) and Emmy Award winning producer Sian Edwards-Beal. With a global development slate, Green Hummingbird is focused on inspirational, thought-provoking entertainment and telling heroic stories that harness the power of music.

ABOUT VELVET STRAND
Velvet Strand is the production company of Irish musician and actor Larry Mullen Jr. and American producer Chris Farrell. Velvet Strand looks to collaborate with filmmakers to bring surprising or unknown stories to the screen, particularly those which celebrate artists and musicians or those seeking to make a positive impact.

ABOUT ABRAMORAMA
Abramorama is a leading innovator in worldwide event cinema, theatrical distribution, marketing and rights management for nonfiction, narrative and music films. For more than 20 years Abramorama has provided strategic services to Intellectual Property owners including filmmakers, networks, record labels, platforms and artists including The Beatles, Dolly Parton, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, Pearl Jam, Neil Young, Melanie Martinez, Laurie Anderson, Jimi Hendrix, Green Day, National Geographic, AARP, Apple, Amazon, HBO, Hulu, Universal Music Group, Atlantic Records, Warner Music Group, and Sony, among others. Abramorama is expert at maximizing reach, engagement and Impact ROI for films created for target audiences. Abramorama creates a unique distribution and audience development plan for each title, engaging a global network of cinemas, digital media outlets, and marketing partners. For more information, visit abramorama.com.

PRESS CONTACT
Adam J. Segal • The 2050 Group - Publicity
212.642.4317 (Office) • 202.422.4673 (Cell)
adam@the2050group.com

Coming up December 4th - 9:00am on KUCI 88.9fm - CREATION LAKE By Rachel Kushner - Longlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize - NAMED A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF 2024 by LitHub, The Millions, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, The Guardian, Publishers Weekly and many others

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Scribner is thrilled to announce the publication of Rachel Kushner’s new novel, CREATION LAKE. Rachel Kushner is one of the most exhilarating writers working today, one who continually upends our expectations about what a novel can do and can be. She is a national and New York Times bestseller and a Booker Prize finalist who has twice been shortlisted for the National Book Award, and her sublime CREATION LAKE is this dazzling writer at her finest.

Rachel Kushner’s New York Times and Indie Bestseller CREATION LAKE is

*A Finalist for the Booker Prize*
*Longlisted for the National Book Award*
*An Instant New York Times and Indie Bestseller*
*A New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice*
*A #1 Indie Next Pick*

“A profound and irresistible page-turner about a spy-for-hire who infiltrates a commune of eco-activists in rural France. The prose is thrilling, the ideas electrifying.”  — The 2024 Booker Prize judges


From Rachel Kushner, two-time finalist for both the Booker Prize and National Book Award, a “vital” (The Washington Post) and “wickedly entertaining” (The Guardian) novel about a seductive and cunning American woman who infiltrates an anarchist collective in France—a propulsive page-turner filled with dark humor.

Creation Lake is a novel about a secret agent, a thirty-four-year-old American woman of ruthless tactics and clean beauty who is sent to do dirty work in France. “Sadie Smith” is how the narrator introduces herself to the rural commune of French subversives on whom she is keeping tabs, and to her lover, Lucien, a young and well-born Parisian she has met by “cold bump”—making him believe the encounter was accidental. Like everyone she targets, Lucien is useful to her and used by her. Sadie operates by strategy and dissimulation, based on what her “contacts”—shadowy figures in business and government—instruct. First, these contacts want her to incite provocation. Then they want more.

In this region of old farms and prehistoric caves, Sadie becomes entranced by a mysterious figure named Bruno Lacombe, a mentor to the young activists who believes that the path to emancipation is not revolt but a return to the ancient past. Just as Sadie is certain she’s the seductress and puppet master of those she surveils, Bruno is seducing her with his ingenious counter-histories, his artful laments, his own tragic story.

Written in short, vaulting sections, Rachel Kushner’s rendition of “noir” is taut and dazzling. Creation Lake is Kushner’s finest achievement yet—a work of high art, high comedy, and unforgettable pleasure.

SYNOPSIS
France, 2013: “Sadie Smith” is an American operative working undercover for mysterious and powerful private interests. She is a dissimulator: smart, ruthlessly effective, and beautiful by design, with a “tasteful” breast augmentation and a daily drinking habit. (This drinking, however, does not diminish her ability to see what most other people fail to see, and do what most other people cannot do.) 

The Europe she occupies is deromanticized, a zone of commerce: “truck ruts and panties snagged on a bush: that’s the real Europe.” Sadie has been sent to rural France to surveil, infiltrate and undermine a cagey, possibly subversive anarchist collective. Over the course of her stakeout, she becomes intrigued by Bruno Lacombe, a French philosopher and hero to the younger activists who has left our world and retreated to a massive complex of caves beneath his property. His correspondence with the activists captivates Sadie, offering as it does a glimpse of another world. Sadie is paid – handsomely – to utilize her cruel talents at manipulation to protect wealth and power. But will her entanglements with the collective and Bruno’s seductions threaten her allegiances?


Brilliant on the sentence level and brilliant in its observations, CREATION LAKE is also a total page-turner that subtly and hilariously explores this particular moment of late capitalism. It is an absolute triumph: both serious art and serious fun. In the words of The Guardian, it is both “profound and wickedly entertaining.”


“Surprising and delectable…Kushner’s long fascination with underground rebels and their uprisings attains new depths and resonance in this bravura improvisation on the secret-agent trope; this brain-spinning tale of lies, greed, surveillance, crimes against nature, and ecowarriors; this searing look at our perilous estrangement from nature.”—Booklist, STARRED review


“An undercover agent embeds with radical French environmentalists in this scintillating story of activism and espionage from Kushner...Most of the narrative is dedicated to the activists’ philosophizing and Sadie’s gimlet-eyed observations, which Kushner magically weaves together...Readers will be captivated.”—Publishers Weekly, STARRED review


“Sadie is similar to Kushner’s earlier fictional protagonists—astringent, thrill-seeking, serious, worldly—but here the author has tapped into a more melancholy, contemplative mode that weaves neatly around a spy story….Kushner has captured the internal crisis of ideology that spy yarns often ignore, while creating an engaging tale in its own right. A deft, brainy take on the espionage novel.”—Kirkus Reviews, STARRED review





More Praise for CREATION LAKE:

“An immersive novel about an agent provocateur embedded within a group of environmental activists in south-western France, and slowly becoming mesmerized by the group elder’s theories about Neanderthals. It’s seductive, entrancing, and quite off the wall.”—Mick Herron, The Guardian


“By writing in the unillusioned voice of an ex-FBI agent infiltrating a bunch of rural French subversives, Rachel Kushner has cover to say whatever she damn well pleases. And because Kushner has the most bracing intelligence in American fiction, she rips the skin off what many of us like to think we believe.” —David Hare


“As I read Creation Lake, I was amazed that Kushner was pulling off such a feat. I kept thinking, 'this can’t possibly work’ and yet it kept working. I was completely immersed and mesmerized. It’s a highly plotted fast-paced noir and yet full of ideas and depth. I've never read anything like it. Rachel Kushner is the most exciting writer of her generation.”—Bret Easton Ellis


“Rachel Kushner wrote a secret agent book, and set it in France. What more must we know to anticipate it? Nothing, because no doubt, like nearly everything she writes, it will be an intellectual masterpiece while also reinventing a genre while also being wildly entertaining. That’s kind of her thing.”—Lit Hub, Most Anticipated Books of 2024


“Creation Lake reinvents the spy novel in one cool, erudite gesture. Only Rachel Kushner could weave environmental activism, paranoia, and nihilism into a gripping philosophical thriller. Enthralling and sleekly devious, this book is also a lyrical reflection on both the origin and the fate of our species. A novel this brilliant and profound shouldn’t be this much fun.”—Hernan Diaz, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Trust

Coming up 11/20 9:30am - Meeting You, Meeting Me Feature film, 2024, Written and Directed by Lina Suh

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LOS ANGELES, October 30th -- MEETING YOU, MEETING ME an engrossing drama film about friendship by Korean American director Lina Suh will enjoy a week-long awards’ run from November 15-21st at Laemmle Noho 7. The film previously competed at CAAMFest, the Asian American International Film Festival, Pasadena International Film Festival with a Best Director nomination, and LA Femme International Film Festival where it was nominated for Best Feature.

MEETING YOU, MEETING ME tells the story of two women from different walks of life who both need a friend in this moment, when they cross paths by chance and form an unlikely friendship.

MEETING YOU, MEETING ME is written and directed by Suh, produced by Sharon Sunjung Park, with executive producers Anna Park and Samuel Yeunju Ha, co-executive producers Junghwan Kim and Hyojung Shin, and associate producer Paul Ji Hoon Lee. The film stars Annika Foster (Deadly Girls Night Out), Sam Yim (Transformers: The Last Knight) and Patrick Luwis (Cobra Kai). Cinematography is by Heyjin Jun and Dawn Suhyun Shim, editing by Daniele Joi and Yu Jung Hou, and music composed by Henry O.

“This film is a testament of so many friendships, old and new, that enabled this, from the writing of the script through production, all the way to sharing it in theaters now. It’s surreal and exciting when people say they see their own friendships reflected back at them through these characters,” says Suh.

Meeting You, Meeting Me (2024)

Sam Yim and Annika Foster in Meeting You, Meeting Me (2024)

Lina Suh grew up in Seoul, Korea; the American Midwest; and New York. She directed short films SO F*CKING HAPPY FOR YOU and GOOD FACE, the latter developed as a TV series with Sony Pictures TV and HBO Max. Lina is in development to write and direct film and TV projects with an eye towards co-productions with Korea. She was the story editor on DR. BRAIN, Apple TV+'s first Korean language series. MEETING YOU, MEETING ME is Lina’s first feature film as a writer and director. She received a BFA from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts in Dramatic Writing and an MFA from the USC's School of Cinematic Arts in Film Production.

MEETING YOU, MEETING ME will screen from Friday, November 15 – Thursday November 21 at the Laemmle Noho 7, 5240 Lankershim Blvd,, North Hollywood, 91601.

Watch the Trailer

Tickets can be bought at https://www.laemmle.com/theater/noho-7?date=2024-11-15



For more information, or to interview Lina Suh, please contact Deborah Gilels at gilelsdeborah@gmail.com or at 818-648-9513.
“Meeting You, Meeting Me”

Film Synopsis

 An unexpected, much-needed friendship arrives at your doorstep. Two women from very different walks of life -- a Korean American divorce attorney who is very rooted in her immigrant family's upbringing, and a Californian college dropout searching for herself after being canceled online -- both desperately need a friend in this moment, when they cross paths by chance and form an unlikely friendship.

Filmmaker Bio 

Lina Suh grew up in Seoul, Korea; the American Midwest; and New York. Lina produced several fiction shorts in New York and Los Angeles, and directed a short humanitarian documentary FLOW ON THROUGH in Cambodia that was in a World Bank-issued “Water and Sanitation” guide distributed to NGOs in developing countries.

She has taught screenwriting at ESRA (Ecole Superieure de Realisation Audiovisuelle) a French film school satellite in NYC. She directed short films SO F*CKING HAPPY FOR YOU and GOOD FACE which was later developed as a TV series with Sony Pictures TV and HBO Max.

Lina is in development to write and direct film and TV projects with an eye towards co-productions with Korea. She was the story editor on DR. BRAIN, Apple TV+'s first Korean language series. MEETING YOU, MEETING ME is Lina’s first feature film as a writer and director. She received a BFA from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts in Dramatic Writing and an MFA from the University of Southern California in film production.


Lina Suh - Director Statement 

My closest friendships have been the guiding forces throughout my life. Foremost are my two sisters who grew up with me across continents in Korea and in America. Then, my high school best friend is Mexican American living in Minnesota, and my college best friends are from Calcutta in India, Nebraska, New Jersey, Washington -- of Indian, Irish, Taiwanese, Lebanese descent. 

These women are all so different from each other, and different from me, but they have each challenged me with the ways they think and live their lives, they ground me with their awareness, we belly laugh together, they annoy me, they cry with me, they listen, and we have continually chosen to spend copious amounts of time together. A glimpse into a friendship like this, perfect with its imperfections, specific, intimate, surprising in its subtleties, is the story I want to share. I want the audience to walk away from this film, recognizing themselves and their closest friends in the characters Sav and Simone, and be moved by the transformative effect different people can have in our lives when we let them in.

Cast - Leads Annika Foster Sam Yim Cast - Additional Patrick Luwis Jennifer Pak Bornila Chatterjee Steve Greist Rachel Byrd Nicole Teeny Alex Egan Jamie Roy 

Suspended by No String: A Songwriter's Reflections on Faith, Aliveness, and Wonder by Peter Himmelman - a Grammy and Emmy nominated singer-songwriter, visual artist, best-selling author, film composer, entrepreneur, and rock and roll performer

 Suspended by No String

A Songwriter’s Reflections on Faith, Aliveness, and Wonder

A thought-provoking collection of spiritual reflections echoing the lyricism of Leonard Cohen and the uplifting messages of Anne Lamott

Suspended by No String is for readers of all spiritual stripes: those who are consistently devout, those who aren’t sure what to believe, and those who may not be religious in the traditional sense but who nevertheless want to view the world as something other than a place of randomness and build a relationship with a force infinitely beyond themselves.

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Echoing the lyricism of Leonard Cohen and the lighthearted poignance of Anne Lamott, Suspended by No String is a thought-provoking anthology of spiritual reflections that will inspire readers to reclaim their childlike sense of wonder.

Suspended by No String is a collection of essays, personal narrative, and poetical reflections for readers of all spiritual stripes—those who are devout, those who aren’t sure what to believe, and those who may not be religious in a traditional sense but who nevertheless want to build a relationship with a force infinitely beyond themselves.

ABOUT

Peter Himmelman is a Grammy and Emmy nominated singer-songwriter, visual artist, best-selling author, film composer, entrepreneur, and rock and roll performer with over 20 critically acclaimed recordings to his credit.

In addition to his own creative work, he is the founder of Big Muse, a company, which helps organizations to leverage the power of their people’s innate creativity. Clients include The Wharton School, The UPennCLO Executive Doctoral Program, 3M, McDonald’s, Adobe, and Gap Inc. His most recent book, Let Me Out (Unlock your creative mind and bring your ideas to life) was released in October, 2016.

Peter also holds an Advanced Management Certificate from The Kellogg School of Business, at Northwestern and a Certificate of Leadership Development from the United States Army War College.

UCI Basic Needs Center announcers Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week recognized annually across the country to bring awareness to critical issues surrounding hunger and homelessness

Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week is recognized annually across the country to bring awareness to critical issues surrounding hunger and homelessness. In light of this week, the Basic Needs Center's commitment to supporting students in meeting their fundamental needs addresses food- and housing-insecurity head on.

We acknowledge the existence of hunger and homelessness on our campus. At UCI, 46% of undergraduate students and 37% of graduate students face food-insecurity, while 6.5% of undergraduates and 4.8% of graduates experience homelessness. These numbers are a result of the 2023 UCGSES Survey and 2024 UCUES Survey section on Basic Needs and Affordability.

Any student facing food- and housing-insecurity are encouraged to make use of the resources the Basic Needs Center has to offer. We are dedicated to ensuring access to vital basic needs services for the student body.


Resources at the Basic Needs Center

FRESH and Mobile Pantry Services
Currently enrolled UCI students can access our pantry services once a week where food items and toiletries are provided. The FRESH Pantry is located at our center, while the Mobile Pantry operates on the first Friday of each month at a designated location.

Visit our Pantries webpage to view service hours and book an appointment.


CalFresh Application Assistance

CalFresh (also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP) is a nutrition assistance program sponsored by the USDA that helps people purchase healthy foods. The program issues monthly electronic benefits on an EBT card that can be used at most grocery stores and farmers markets. Eligible students can receive up to $292 per month to buy groceries.

Our trained Basic Needs Advocates provide application assistance through confidential 1-1 sessions both in-person and virtually over Zoom.

Visit our CalFresh Application Assistance webpage to learn more about eligibilities, the application process, and book an appointment.


Emergency Meal Swipes
Emergency Meal Swipes (EMS) is an application-based service that helps students who are experiencing food insecurity and/or a student-related emergency, access several healthy and well-balanced meals offered at UCI’s Dining Commons.

For more information, visit our Emergency Meal Swipes page.

Short-Term Grocery Card Support
Any student facing food-insecurity and challenges obtaining food assistance can apply for the Grocery Card Support Program. Eligible students will receive an electronic grocery card for use at any Albertsons Stores (Pavilions, Vons, etc.).

For more information, visit our Short-Term Grocery Card Support page


Basic Needs Sponsored Housing
Basic Needs Sponsored Housing provides up to 30-days of temporary housing with a meal plan at UCI for students who are currently facing homelessness per the McKinney-Vento definition.

For more information, visit our Basic Needs Sponsored Housing page.


Campus Social Worker Consultations
Any student experiencing food/housing insecurity, financial stress, and other stressors can connect with a Campus Social Worker to receive support navigating these challenges.

For more information and to book an appointment, visit our Campus Social Worker page.

Tune in 11/13 for Janeane's conversation with Brad Tolinski and Jaan Uhelszki about their new release: MC5: An Oral Biography of Rock’s Most Revolutionary Band

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MC5: An Oral Biography of Rock’s Most Revolutionary Band

by Brad Tolinski, Jaan Uhelszki, and Ben Edmonds

A riveting oral biography of the proto-punk Detroit rockers MC5, based on original interviews with the band and key members of their inner circle out October 8, 2025 from Hachette Books

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to today's show

featuring Brad Tolinski and Jaan Uhelszki.

New York, NY, October 8, 2024 – Today Hachette Books releases MC5: An Oral History of Rock's Most Revolutionary Band by Brad Tolinski, Jaan Uhelszki and Ben Edmonds. This riveting oral biography of the proto-punk Detroit rockers MC5, is based on original interviews with the band and key members of their inner circle.


About the book:

Few bands have dared to ignite a revolution through their fusion of activism and art like MC5. Managed by the charismatic radical and hippie spokesman, John Sinclair, MC5 wasn’t just a band; they were a thunderous proclamation of dissent, amplifying the voices of the marginalized long before it was fashionable. From championing racial equality to rallying for cannabis legalization, they fearlessly thrust their beliefs onto the world stage. For their efforts, the rabble-rousing musical arm of the White Panther Party, the scourge of J. Edgar Hoover's FBI and other defenders of public decency, were often beaten with clubs, threatened at gunpoint, tossed into jail, and even unceremoniously dumped by their record company, right as their album was storming up the charts—and all while the Sex Pistols were still on training wheels.

What has been lost amidst this notoriety is MC5 itself, a band worth remembering not because they were bad boys, but because they were so damn good. In MC5: An Oral Biography of Rock’s Most Revolutionary Band​, music journalists Brad Tolinski and Jaan Uhelszki invite readers to reconsider this legendary group. Centered around a series of interviews with MC5, their manager, and their inner circle—many of whom are no longer with us—that Tolinski and Uhelszki inherited from CREEM Magazine founding staffer and Mojo's US editor Ben Edmonds prior to his death, this book presents a genuinely candid, funny, and moving portrait of rock’s most uncompromising and articulate band. MC5 also features a virtual “who’s who” of 1960s rockers, including Iggy and the Stooges, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, promoter Bill Graham, John Lennon, the Jefferson Airplane, and political firebrands like Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, Tom Hayden, and Black Panther Eldridge Cleaver.

As innovative, insightful, and inspiring as the band itself, MC5 is a fitting testament to the legacy of these iconic rock pioneers—told in their very own words.


Find it at Hachette and on Amazon.



Advanced Praise:

"MC5: An Oral Biography of Rock's Most Revolutionary Band is the final, definitive word on one of the 20th century's greatest, most influential and perennially under-recognized groups.”― JEM ASWAD, Variety
“MC5 were synonymous with Detroit rock, and always will be. And this book is a true testimonial to that.” ― ALICE COOPER

“The MC5 were a revelation… The future of rock personified! Fuck, they were great, and so is MC5: An Oral Biography of Rock’s Most Revolutionary Band.”― BILLY IDOL

“The sadly short-lived saga of the MC5 was among the wildest and most intense in rock history. MC5 captures their careening story with a candor and blunt force worthy of the band’s legacy.” ―DAVID BROWNE, Rolling Stone, author of Fire and Rain and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young



About the Authors:

Brad Tolinski was the editor-in-chief of Guitar World magazine, the best-selling magazine for musicians in the world, for over 25 years. His is also the author of Eruption: Conversations with Eddie Van Halen, Light & Shade: Conversations with Jimmy Page, and Play It Loud. He’s based in New York.

Jaan Uhelszki is a co-founder of the legendary music magazine, CREEM, where she became one of the first women to work in rock journalism. As head of the news department at Addicted to Noise, she won the National Feature Writer Award from the Music Journalists Association and three Deems Taylor Awards. She’s based in Palm Desert, CA.

As an editor at CREEM magazine (1971-1975), Ben Edmonds played a pivotal role in shaping the narrative of music culture. His insightful articles also graced the pages of Rolling Stone, and he served as a US correspondent for MOJO magazine. Edmonds authored the acclaimed Marvin Gaye: What’s Going On and the Last Days of the Motown Sound and his achievements include two ASCAP Foundation Deems Taylor writing awards and two Grammy nominations. Tragically, pancreatic cancer claimed Edmonds’s life in 2016, cutting short his final project—a definitive biography of the MC5. This book owes its existence to Edmonds’ meticulous notes, serving as its cornerstone.


PUBLICITY CONTACT:
Roxanne Jones | roxanne.jones@hbgusa.com
Publication Date: October 8, 2024

Arna Vodenos, the WarmLine Clinical Director for NAMI OC and Jennifer Lewis the Walk Manager, join host Janeane to talk about the 20th Anniversary of NAMI Walks OC coming up 11/16

 

Arna Vodenos, NAMI OC WarmLine clinical director and Jennifer Lewis, Walk Manager for NAMI's upcoming walk, join host Janeane. They share details about the upcoming NAMI Walk November 16th at Angel Stadium and how you can get involved!

LISTEN

to this week's show

 with Arna and Jennifer.

NAMI is the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness.

COMING UP NOVEMBER 16th!
https://www.namioc.org/namiwalks2024

Contact Us:

NAMI Orange County

16480 S Harbor Blvd, Suite #101

Fountain Valley, CA 92708

Jennifer Lewis,

(831)-471-5435

jlewis@namioc.org
714-544-8488

About Arna Vodenos

Arna Vodenos, MA, Ch.t., specializes in holistic psychology with an emphasis on the importance of a balanced mind, body and spirit for optimal wellness. With over two decades in the field of wellness and healing, Arna specializes in many complementary, evidence- based mind-body techniques and integrates mindfulness, imagery healing, biofeedback, clinical hypnotherapy, breathing techniques, art and sound therapy into her practice.


Arna utilizes the combination of both traditional and non traditional modalities for the treatment of anxiety, mood disorders, trauma, along with increasing self-love and self-esteem through a daily self-care practice. Arna has worked with clients from ages 12- 80 years old over the past 24 years.

In addition, Arna has an extensive background in mental health working closely with NAMI, the National Alliance for Mental Health and with families who have a loved one with a mental illness. She is a teacher for NAMI’S Family to Family signature program and regularly volunteers as a trained suicide crisis counselor.

Arna is completing her Psy.D at the Chicago School for Professional Psychology, and earned a M.A. in Spiritual Psychology from the University of Santa Monica and a B.S. in Psychology from Boston University. Arna is currently a Registered Psychological Associate (PSB94027008) under the supervision of Dr. Emi Iijima.

Crisis Resources

If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis,
call or text 988 immediately.

If you are uncomfortable talking on the phone, you can chat the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988lifeline.org.

You can also text NAMI to 741-741 to be connected to a free, trained crisis counselor on the Crisis Text Line.


24/7 WARMLINE: 714-991-6412

Know the Warning Signs and Risk Factors of Suicide
Being Prepared for a Crisis
Read our guide, “Navigating a Mental Health Crisis”
What You Need to Know About Youth Suicide