Summer Writer’s Workshops at Marietta House Museum

By STACEY HAWKINS
Marietta House Museum

This summer two Writer’s Workshops are offered by The Write Women Bookfest partnering with Marietta House Museum and the Prince George’s County Historical Society.  The workshops at Marietta House Museum will put you on the path to becoming a published author!

Sunday, June 30, 11 a.m.–4 p.m., Heather Brooks will present “A Day Retreat for Women Writers: Manifesting an Author’s Life” Participants will learn how to work past imposter syndrome, find your writing tribe, and live a writerly life.

Sunday, July 21, 11 a.m.–4 p.m., Heather Brooks and Cardyn Brooks will present “Make Your Idea into a Manuscript: A Workshop for First Time Authors”.  Participants will learn how to turn their book ideas into book manuscripts. Heather and Cardyn will lead participants through the first steps of creating a manuscript for publication and including traditional and self-publishing pathways.

Heather Brooks is an author and founder of The Write Women Book Fest and founder of The Write Women Network. Cardyn Brooks is an award-winning author and outreach coordinator for The Write Women Book Fest, and a book reviewer.

For each presentation, please bring a notebook or laptop, and a packed lunch. Light snacks will be provided. $20/person. Ages 18 and up. Please register at this direct link: https://tinyurl.com/mrx99sr7  

WINE & JAZZ AT MARIETTA

Celebrate the 11th Annual “Wine & Jazz at Marietta” on Saturday, August 3, 2–7 p.m. (Rain date Aug. 10)

Please join us for a leisurely day on the grounds of Marietta House Museum! Bring your lawn chairs and blankets. Listen to local popular artists AJQ Plus 1 Jazz Ensemble, and The Lovejoy Group.  Local vendors will be onsite with food trucks, artwork, and crafts.

Free parking on-site. Ages 21 and up. $10 per person. Please register in advance at this direct link: https://tinyurl.com/mry4h2fa. Cash only at the door.

For more information on both programs, please call 301-464-5291 or email mariettahouse@pgparks.com. Marietta House Museum is located at 5626 Bell Station Road, Glenn Dale, MD, 20769 and is a property of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission.

TOP OF PAGE

Imji: Creatures of Imagination Collaborative Art Show Announced by Department of Parks and Recreation, Prince George’s County

By PRESS OFFICER
M-NCPPC, Department of Parks and Recreation

Riverdale, Md. (June 17, 2024)—Harmony Hall Arts Center, part of the M-NCPPC, Department of Parks and Recreation in Prince George’s County, is excited to announce the opening of “Imji: Creatures of Imagination Collaborative Art Show”, featuring the whimsical imagination of artist Kelsey Joyce, alongside fiber artist Christine Wolfe Strong, glass blower David Zimmerman, and mixed media artist Camila Tapia. The exhibition introduces viewers to a fantasy world inhabited by cute, curious, and friendly creatures; each with a unique power used for good.

These 3-D creatures, from the mind of Joyce from Montgomery County, Maryland, transform the gallery into a colorful and immersive environment designed to captivate and inspire. This multi-sensory exhibition also features fiber art, blown glass, and mixed media.  Together, they create a vibrant and unique experience that encourages visitors to relax and escape into a world of enchantment and imagination.

Imji runs June 29–August 24, 2024. To celebrate this captivating and imaginative exhibition, an opening reception will be held June 29 from 2–4 p.m. at the Center. The event is free and open to all ages. To learn more, visit www.pgparks.com/event_list/kelsey-joyce-imjicreatures-of-imagination

TOP OF PAGE

Free Entrepreneur Training for Veterans
Must be a Prince George’s County resident

By PRESS OFFICER
Project Opportunity

Is Entrepreneurship the right choice for you?

Do you have a business idea but not sure where to start?

Do you have a business and want to take it to the next level?

Want to know more, register for the Project Opportunity Prince George’s Fall 2024 Orientation Session which will be held on Monday, August 12, 2024 from 6:30–8:30 p.m. at Prince George’s Community College Lanham Hall (Room 203), 301 Largo Road, Largo, Maryland.  www.project-opportunity.com/class/registration

Attendance at the Orientation Session is a mandatory and a vital step in our application process.  If you are interested in this class but unable to attend you must contact Program Director Joe Giordano, joe.giordano@project-opportunity.com

Classes Begin Monday September 16, 2024.  Project Opportunity is an intensive curriculum based 10-week cohort program. The Fall 2024 program will meet every Monday September 16–November 18 2024 from 6:30–9:30 p.m. at Prince George’s Community College Lanham Hall Room 203.  Sponsored By Employ Prince George’s this program is free to all veterans. The curriculum and material are facilitated by small business professionals and subject matter experts.  The program concludes with a formal business pitch and Graduation Ceremony on Monday, 

November 25, 2024.

Training Includes: 

• Assessing Your Business Idea 

• Marketing Analysis 

• Financing and Financial Management

• Business Structure and Taxes       

• Development of a Business Plan

TOP OF PAGE

Enroll in VOICES of Black Women to Improve the Lives of Black Women for the Future by Focusing on Lived Experiences
Study to Drive a Deeper Understanding of Cancer Disparities: American Cancer Society Has Launched Largest U.S. Population Study of Black Women with Goal of 100,000 Women—close to 100 women in Maryland and DC have enrolled since May. Nationwide, enrollment is at approximately 1,500.

By PRESS OFFICER
American Cancer Society

The American Cancer Society (ACS) launched of the VOICES of Black Women® study on May 9, 2024. It is the largest behavioral and environmental focused population study of cancer risk and outcomes in Black women in the United States. Designed to better understand the multi-level drivers of cancer incidence, mortality and resilience within this demographic, the long-term study will gather valuable data from Black women between the ages of 25 and 55 from diverse backgrounds and income levels who have not been diagnosed with cancer. The organization aims to enroll over 100,000 Black women across 20 states and D.C. where, according to the U.S. Census, more than 90 percent of Black women in the U.S. reside.

A global leader in cancer research, the American Cancer Society has a 70-year history of funding and conducting some of the world’s largest and most impactful population cohort studies to understand how cancer develops in populations, identify cancer risk factors, and improve survivorship and outcomes after diagnosis. Through these studies, over 2.5 million research participants have contributed to landmark discoveries in cancer science like the linkage of cigarette smoking to lung cancer, obesity to the risk of early death, and red and processed meat intake to higher risk of colon cancer. These and other discoveries have contributed to a 33 percent age adjusted reduction in cancer mortality rates since rates peaked in 1991. But despite these significant strides in cancer research, Black women continue to have the highest death rate and the shortest survival of any racial or ethnic group in the U.S. for most cancers. Led by American Cancer Society researchers, Dr. Alpa Patel and Dr. Lauren McCullough, the VOICES of Black Women® study will partner with communities of Black women and cross-disciplinary experts in Black women’s health to listen and better understand the unique, diverse lived experiences that may affect the risk of developing or dying from cancer. Results will be used to improve the overall health of Black women for generations to come.

“VOICES of Black Women® represents a crucial step toward achieving health equity in a population that is long overdue,” said Patel, co-principal investigator of the study and senior vice president of population science at the American Cancer Society. “The data we’ve uncovered through previous population studies has been critical in reducing the unacceptably high burden of cancer, but that reduction has sadly not been equal. By centering Black women’s voices and experiences, we can dig deeper in uncovering the unique challenges and barriers contributing to cancer disparities and develop tailored interventions to mitigate them.”

Recruitment for the study began in October 2023 with a pilot launch in Atlanta, GA and Hampton Roads, VA. The national launch expands enrollment to Alabama, California, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. Eligible participants must identify as Black, be assigned female at birth or self-identify as women, not have a history of cancer (except basal or squamous skin cancer), and be between the ages of 25 and 55. Enrolled participants will provide informed consent and, over the span of 30 years, answer behavioral, environmental, and lived experience questions through periodic short surveys delivered via a secure online portal. No medication, clinical testing, treatment, or lifestyle changes are part of the study.

The American Cancer Society believes everyone should have a fair and just opportunity to prevent, find, treat and survive cancer. Acting on this belief and fulfilling the organization’s vision of ending cancer as we know it for everyone requires focus on eliminating deeply rooted barriers that have caused long-standing inequities in cancer outcomes. The VOICES of Black Women® study represents a significant stride towards achieving this goal and underscores the organization’s unwavering commitment to health equity and social justice.

For more information about the VOICES of Black Women® study and how to participate, please visit www.voices.cancer.org

The American Cancer Society is a leading cancer-fighting organization with a vision to end cancer as we know it, for everyone. For more than 100 years, we have been improving the lives of people with cancer and their families as the only organization combating cancer through advocacy, research, and patient support. We are committed to ensuring everyone has an opportunity to prevent, detect, treat, and survive cancer. To learn more, visit cancer.org or call our 24/7 helpline at 1-800-227-2345. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. For further information: American Cancer Society, Darrya.lipscomb@cancer.org

TOP OF PAGE