Black History Celebration at Belle Chasse Academy

Posted on February 15, 2013 by

Belle Chasse AcademyThanks to Mr. Kael Saloy and my new BFF Ms. Treva for getting me out to Belle Chasse Academy’s Black History Celebration today. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and I hope I left the kids with a life altering message. I had the privilege of seeing The Wild Tchoupitoulas Mardi Gras Indians dance and learned more about the history of the Indians as they spoke. I also met a wonderful singer named Rachel who has a beautiful voice and at 17, she’s well on her way to doing big things. After the celebration, I had the opportunity to read to the 1st graders and 5th graders. I’ve never seen 5th graders so interested in story time. Both classes enjoyed The Little Who Dat, Who Didn’t and hopefully I’ll be back soon to read Snowballs for All! To see more pics visit my Facebook page here!

The End! (This is the part where you start clapping.)

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Fat Monday at the French Market – Reading “The Little Who Dat, Who Didn’t” at 1pm

Posted on February 10, 2013 by

Arabi Elementary - fixedBring the kids out to the French Quarter’s Lundi Gras celebration… FAT MONDAY AT THE FRENCH MARKET to hear me read The Little Who Dat, Who Didn’t. My reading begins at 1pm. The event will take place at 1008 N. Peters St, RIGHT IN THE FRENCH MARKET, on Monday, February 11th from 10am to 4pm. There will be other children authors sharing their stories, live music, FREE kid activities, a king cake eating contest and LIVE music. Plus, there will be a Farmer’s Market so that you can get yourself some nice, healthy, local food! After my reading, I’ll be signing copies of my book at the book tent. I hope to see you all there. See more details on Monday’s event below.

11-12:30 pm. Tornado Brass Band  
12:45-2:15 p.m. Lagniappe Brass Band
2:30-4:00 p.m. Storyville Stompers

FARMERS MARKET STAGE
10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Royal & Dumaine Hawaiians perform a mix of Mardi Gras and trad jazz
11 a.m. Seguenone Kone presents a children’s performance featuring musical styles from around the world with audience participation encouraged
12 noon Colette Le Blanc Tatum, author of  Mardi Gras: An Alphabet Parade
12:30 p.m. Children’s author Cecilia Dartez, Jenny Giraffe goes to Mardi Gras           
1:00 p.m. Children’s author Alex McConduit, The  Little Who Dat Who Didn’t
1:30-2:00 p.m. Children’s author Diane de Las Casas , Dinosaur Mardi Gras and more! 
2:00-2:45 Nari the world famous puppeteer will be performing a variety of colorful voices and amazing stories
2:45-3:05 KING CAKE EATING CONTEST featuring King Cake Cupcakes by THE CUPCAKE FAIRIES.  Limited to 10 participants.
3:15-4:00 Nari the world famous puppeteer will be performing a variety of colorful voices and amazing stories

KIDS ACTIVITIES WITHIN AND NEXT TO THE FARMERS MARKET:

Facepainter Irina decorates faces and hands for free!
Balloon Artist   &  Juggler  from CARL MACK PRESENTS

CRAFT BOOTHS (Kids make stuff to take home—FREE!) 10 am to 4 p.m.

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Alex McConduit hosting Future Focus TONIGHT w/ guest Dr. Jee Yeoun Ko

Posted on February 7, 2013 by

dr jee yeoun koTonight, my friend Delfeayo Marsalis has given me the opportunity to take over as host of Future Focus. We’ll be going LIVE tonight on NOA-TV Ch 8 at 9pm. Our guest for tonight’s show will be Dr. Jee Yeoun Ko.  Dr. Jee Yeoun Ko, a native Korean cellist, began piano at age 5 and won first prize at age 7 in the Young Artist Competition in Seoul, Korea.  She also studied a Korean traditional percussion instrument “Jango” for three years before she began cello at age 13. She went on to study at the Staatliche Hochschule fuer Musik in Mannheim, Germany.  During her studies in Germany, she was also an active chamber musician with her international piano trio and cello ensemble. After earning Künstlerisches Aufbaustudium degree in Germany, she was recruited by a German American cellist, Babara Thiem, to study in the United States. Ko earned her doctoral degree majoring in cello performance, minoring in orchestral conducting at Louisiana State University where she was teaching as an assistant of Professor Dennis Parker. She was the Associate Principle in Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra and member of the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra in Lafayette. Since August 2008, Jee Yeoun Ko joined New Orleans Center for Creative Arts as an artist teacher and was appointed as chair of the classical instrumental department in May, 2009.

I’m honored to have Dr. Jee Yeoun Ko as my guest and very interested in learning more about her career and life. her!

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Saturday 2/2: Book Signing at the Freret Street Market

Posted on January 31, 2013 by

Freret Street Market Flier FebI’ll be signing books at the Freret Street Market THIS SATURDAY from 12 – 5pm. This will be my first time as a vendor at the Freret Street Market and I’m happy to have the opportunity. This will be one of the few (if not the only) markets going on during the Super Bowl and the creators have done some cool things to attract fans and tourists to shop where the locals do. I remember when this market started a few years ago but I never had the chance to sell my books there. I visited as a customer and had a good time. There will be lots of art, artists and food to keep you busy as some of our best local performers keep us entertained. As I’m sure you already know, I will be selling and signing my two books, “The Little Who Dat, Who Didn’t” & “Snowballs for All” AND I’ll also have a few W.R.I.T.E. T-Shirts on hand for anyone who’s interested in picking one up!

I’m looking forward to some great weather and I hope to see you there.

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2/1/13 BOOK SIGNING: at A Tisket A Tasket Books & Gifts in the French Quarter

Posted on January 29, 2013 by

Alex at Bay BooksOnce again, my dear friend Lisa has given me the opportunity to hold a book signing at her store, A Tisket A Tasket Books & Gifts, THIS Friday from 2pm – 4pm! This would usually be a pretty normal Friday but this time it will be a little different BECAUSE IT IS SUPER BOWL WEEKEND! I always have a good time signing books in the French Quarter but I can’t wait to see all the wonderful and interesting people who will be in town for the big game. Plenty of football fans should mean plenty of books for me to sell and plenty of cool people for me to talk to! I expect a lot of Black & Gold hating to go down as I attempt to sell “The Little Who Dat, Who Didn’t” but it will be all good! Come out to see me this Friday, February 1st from 2pm to 4pm and bring a little Who Dat (or little 49er or Raven) for me to sign their book!

Also, I want to give a BIG shout out to my boy Jacoby Jones who will be playing in the Super Bowl for the Baltimore Ravens this Sunday. He and I have a little something in the works. I have a feeling he’s going to have a big game and the Ravens will win 28 – 21… LET’S GO RAVENS….. until next season of course!!

A Tisket A Tasket is located at 910 Decatur Street, New Orleans, LA 70116. I hope to see you there.

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Alex McConduit named Honorary Board Member of First Book-GNO

Posted on January 25, 2013 by

a-book-today-a-friend-foreverLadies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, kids an pets!!! I’m happy to announce that I have been selected as an Honorary Board Member for First Book-Greater New Orleans. That’s a big deal to me and I’m very proud to work with such a great organization. At first, I didn’t really know what to think. I knew about First Book but I didn’t really know the true impact that they have on the communities they work in. First Book provides new books to children in need, addressing one of the most important factors affecting literacy – ACCESS TO BOOKS! I’ve tried to do my part in the Big Easy. Over the past two years, I’ve been reading and donating books to kids all over New Orleans as much as I can and trust me, it hasn’t been nearly as much as I’d like it to be. Sure, I love to sell books and make money but trust me, if I could give them away all the time, that’s what I’d do! So, I am very happy to work with an organization whose goals and values align with my own. First Book has distributed more than 100 million NEW books to children in need, in thousands of communities nationwide. That’s MAJOR! I hope to be an asset to First Book-Greater New Orleans and come up with new, unique ways to get even more books to the kids in our great city!

I would like to give a HUGE thank you to Lynetta Rhodes and Beaula McCoy for giving  me such a wonderful opportunity. I won’t let you down!

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Future Focus with Karl Washington

Posted on January 18, 2013 by

alex and karl washingtonLast night, I filled in for my friend Delfeayo Marsalis on Future Focus and I had the pleasure of interviewing international event producer Karl Washington. We talked about his life, his endeavors and his new event The NOLA Global Youth Festival. After doing some research on Karl I found a lot in him that I have inside of myself. Karl is a HUGE advocate for the youth and works with kids on a nonstop basis. He’s a coach for kids in the 9th ward and his NOLA Global Youth Festival will not only feature young performers from around the world but will also be exclusively be produced by young people from our city. That means the planning, the managing, the directing, the logistics and everything else will all be done by 40 young people that will take part in training during the weeks leading up to the fest.

I was very happy to learn more about Karl and if I can have the impact on children’s lives like he has and will, I’ll feel pretty okay about myself when it’s all said and done! To learn how to donate or be apart of the NOLA Global Youth Festival please email Karl at KarlWash@gmail.com.

 

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