For the first One Breath Rising event for 2019, please join Bernard Block and Diane Block for an afternoon of words and sound among the artwork in the gallery.

Bernard Block will read from his book Am I My Brother’s Keeper, which includes poems about growing up in Brooklyn in the '50s. Violinist and poet Diane Block will read her poems reflecting on nature, myth and transfiguration, while her violin will weave through this tapestry of music and poetry.

Suggested Donation $10

Bernard Block, born and raised in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, hitch-hiked to California and lived in Haight-Ashbury in the mid '60s. Upon his return to New York, he studied with the poet Colette Inez, all while making a living as a caseworker for the NYC Bureau of Child Welfare. He has read at all the major spoken-word venues in NYC, Philadelphia, South Carolina and South Wales. Bernard has hosted the “From Whitman to Ginsberg” series at Cornelia Street Café. His published work is available on Amazon and directly from the author.

Diane Block is a professional violinist who studied at the Manhattan School of Music, with a Master’s Degree in Violin Performance. At MSM she developed a passion for the art of poetry which, for her, is intimately connected to classical music. Diane has featured her poetry at all the major venues in NYC and Long Island and in Philadelphia and Laugharne, South Wales. Her poems are published in the prestigious European literary journal, Levure Littéraire No. 9 and numerous anthologies. Diane and cellist Terry Batts comprise the violin/cello duo, Gemini Journey.