FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Alexus Rhone
EMAIL: info@alexusrhone.com
WEBSITE: www.alexusrhone.com 

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CREATIVITY, THRIVING & MENTAL HEALTH:

A STORYTELLING AND JAZZ CELEBRATION OF NINA SIMONE

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[WINSTON-SALEM, NC, JULY 9, 2024] - Storytime isn't just for children. Adults also need space to unpack our chaos safely (and entertainingly). In celebration of flowers that grow from concrete, Truth Meet Story, LLC, presents "Jesus, Jazz & Dessert Wine: A Tribute to Nina Simone," an evening of jazz and adult storytelling, at 5 PM, Sunday, July 28, 2024, at Melrose Coffee & Wine Lounge, in Winston-Salem, NC. Artistic theologian Alexus Rhone will host the event.

 

Lynnette Barber, the JJDW minister of flava & musical vibes, will provide jazz vocals accompanied by keyboardist phenom Samuel Obie of Durham, NC. Following the storytelling set, Barber and Obie will perform a musical tribute to North Carolina native Nina Simone. Rhone describes it as an "homage to our native daughter who battled mental illness later in life. The tribute will celebrate Nina's musical brilliance."

 

The event format includes story, song, and creative expression, where Rhone "tells it like it is." "This is not an evening of preaching, lecturing, or selling anything to the audience. Our mission," says Rhone, "is to gather, hear stories, let the mystery of music wash over us, and send us back out into the world better for the experience."

 

A resident of Raleigh, Rhone will be in town for the 2024 IBTF Film Festival, where her documentary/digital storytelling series "Religion, Philosophy & Mental Health in Black Americans" will screen at noon, Tuesday, July 30, and 10 AM, Thursday, August 1, at a/perture cinema (Studio 1) in downtown Winston-Salem. "I was thrilled to be selected as a featured filmmaker in IBTF's Film Festival! The topic of mental health in Black Americans is so important. I wanted to curate as many opportunities to have this conversation as possible. JJDW is a popular event. Every city where I have a creative project featured, I look for collaborators and venues to host it."

 

While many may think the event would be appropriate at a church, Rhone insists that the best JJDW spots are where people are open-minded and comfortable sipping a glass of wine while listening to stories. She describes 'story' as the most palatable way to reach across ideological lines. "Truth, when dressed in a story, expands empathy," Rhone insists.

 

At JJDW, Rhone melds her three favorite loves - Jesus, jazz, and dessert wine - to bring together her three favorite types of people - the spiritual but not religious, jazz lovers, and wine drinkers.

 

JJDW: A Tribute to Nina Simone is free and open to the public. Doors open at 4 PM, and the event begins promptly at 5 PM. Seating is limited, so grab your tickets early. For accommodation requests, email info@alexusrhone.com.

JJDW is the public-facing celebration of the digital storytelling series "Religion, Philosophy & Mental Health in Black Americans," an official selection and feature in the 2024 IBTF Film Festival. The series will screen on Tuesday, July 30, and Thursday,

August 1, at a/perture Cinema in Winston-Salem. 

 

JJDW: A Tribute to Nina Simone
5 PM, Sunday, 7/28
Melrose Coffee & Wine Lounge, 1608 S. Stratford Rd, Suite C, Winston-Salem, NC
Free parking | Free event (NOTE: donations accepted)
www.alexusrhone.com

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