Bluesday Tuesday presents Delta Time, Billy Lavender
Radio station KASU 91.1 FM will present its monthly Bluesday Tuesday concert on June 8 at the Newport Country Club, 703 Walker Drive, at 7 p.m. This concert will feature some of the most accomplished blues musicians of the Memphis Beale Street scene--the group Delta Time, featuring Billy Lavender. There is no admission charge, but KASU will pass the hat to collect tips for the band. The concert is sponsored by ASU-Newport and C- and-C Distributors. Billy Lavender was born in Memphis in 1959 and received his first guitar at about age ten. As a left-hander, he learned to play upside down on a guitar that was  strung for a right-hander. Bluesmen Albert King and Otis Rush used this technique, and Lavender cites them as influences, along with Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and the Beatles. Lavender has been part of the Memphis music scene for years, including gigs with the Beale Street All Stars, the Pocket Rockets, and the Blind Ducks. Primarily a lead guitarist, Lavender is a prolific song writer who occasionally sings his own songs but prefers to let musician friends like Blind Mississippi Morris, Vince Johnson, and Reba Russell sing them while he provides guitar wizardry. Lavender’s most recent album, “Memphis Livin’” features vocal and instrumental support from almost a dozen of Memphis’ current blues stars. The band Delta Time  features Billy Lavender on lead guitar,  Vince Johnson on harmonica and vocals, Leo Goff on bass, Tony Adams on drums, and Brad Webb on guitar. They will perform a play list that reflects the variety and traditions of the Memphis music scene – earthy blues, sweet soul, a bit of funk, and some rock-and-roll gems. Delta Time is part of the musical lineup offered by I-55 Productions in Memphis. KASU Bluesday Tuesday concerts are held the second Tuesday night of each month, from 7-9 p.m. at the Newport Country Club, 703 Walker Drive, in Newport. KASU is the public radio service of Arkansas State University, broadcasting at 91.9 FM and streaming live at www.KASU.org.

Arkansas Delta Writing Project hosts institute June 9
The Arkansas Delta Writing Project (ADWP) will begin its second Summer Writing Institute for Teachers on Wednesday, June 9. The four-week summer institute is being held at Arkansas State University in the Department of Teacher Education. The program concludes Wednesday, June 30. Fourteen teachers, from  locations as varied as Wynne, West Memphis, and Jonesboro, have devoted this portion of their summer vacation to study the latest research and development of effective writing and teaching practice. Participants include teachers from kindergarten to college level. More than 200 National Writing Project (NWP) sites on college campuses in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, will do the same. The chosen educators have received a fellowship for graduate credit at Arkansas State University, free books, and a new network of friends and colleagues through the National Writing Project. The participants will experience technology sessions offered by ASU experts, process-based writing demonstrations, theory about learning and writing, anthology preparation, a writing marathon event, journaling and sharing time, and writing across the curriculum strategies. Central to the writing institute are their own demonstration lessons based upon their expertise and classroom experiences. Teacher leaders and previous summer writing institute participants help facilitate the four weeks of community-building and writing experiences. National research studies confirm significant gains in writing performance among students whose teachers participate in NWP programs. Visit the Arkansas Delta Writing Project online, or e-mail Dr. Dixie Keyes, for more information. For a complete list of this summer's fellows, see the NewsPage release.

Founding director of center to speak on campus June 10
The founding director of the Urban Institute’s Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy in Washington, D.C., Dr. Elizabeth Boris, will be on campus Thursday, June 10, from 1-2 p.m. at the Delta Center for Economic Development, Room 115, to have an informal roundtable discussion about her Center’s most recent findings regarding challenges and opportunities for nonprofit organizations in today’s economy. The Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy maintains the nation’s largest database on nonprofit organizations. The campus is invited, but first call the Delta Center (870) 680-8273 or e-mail Jerry L. Smith, director, Economic Development Administration (EDA) University Center for Regional and Community Development, as seating is limited. 

SBDTC offers workshop on advertising, promotion June 10
The Arkansas State University Small Business and Technology Development Center (ASU SBTDC) along with the Jonesboro Regional Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Jonesboro Association will offer a special workshop, “Advertising and Promotion,” Thursday, June 10, from 1-4 p.m., in Room 103 at the ASU Delta Center for Economic Development, 319 University Loop West, Jonesboro. Experienced marketing professionals with KAIT-TV, KAIT Internet, The Jonesboro Sun, Lamar Outdoor Advertising, Jonesboro Radio Group, SuddenLink and Master Print Group will lead a panel discussion describing how small businesses can use marketing channels to help locate customers. Following the panel discussion, attendees will have an opportunity to meet individually with the panelists to discuss their business and to network with other participants. This interaction session will run from 4-5 p.m. in Room 106. The seminar is free, but registration is required. Seating is limited to 75 attendees. Register online, call the SBDTC at ext. 3517, or e-mail the SBDTC. Become a fan of the ASU SBDTC on Facebook, or see the NewsPage release.

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