Our Zoom Readings will be recorded and shown on our website
Our Zoom Readings will be recorded and shown on our website
Spoken word poetry Artist Akay is an up and coming Poet who has been taken Long Island by
storm with her powerful words . Akay who was born , Ahkyra Jackson is a 33 year
African-American woman and mother of three beautiful girls ages 12,11 and 5 years old.
Ahkyra was born and raised in Huntington New York where difficulties and her home life caused
her to run away and ultimately have two suicide attempts. Durning her recovery in the hospital
Ahkyra was introduced to writing , journaling , and poetry. She began to privately write in her
own as she continued to deal with life battles . Throughout all of these adversities Ahkyra was
placed into group homes throughout Suffolk County Long Island where she managed to
graduate a year early from Brentwood high school. It was there that Ahkyra continued on her
education receiving her associate's degree in criminal justice From Stanford Brown Institute and
becoming a young mother. Ahkyra used her hard work and determination to climb the ladder in
retail to land her a position in management. Ahkyra worked in this field for years until she
decided to take an appointment with a career counselor at the department of labor who
informed and educated her on civil service and the various positions. Ahkyra soon transitioned
from retail management to local government where she was able to work for her true passion
for advocating and providing resources for young minorities and youth. Ahkyra experiences as
a youth fuel the passion for advocacy for those like herself felt unheard for so long. Ahkyra has
now worked for The county executive Edward Romaine in the Suffolk County Department of
human services as a departments neighborhood aide for 4 years. In this position Ahkyra is the
go to person for the SC Youth Council: Leaders of Tomorrow, as she serves as the Program
Director/ Coordinator , Office of Minority affairs and certifying your business as a MWBE. On
her personal time Ahkyra is also a Mentor For the woman lead organization Moxie mentoring
foundation where she mentors young women who are in college . She is also a member of the
Suffolk County sheriffs community advisory board which she has served on for 3 years. As a
single mother ahkyra has shown great dedication and great strife in making a change in the
youth and in minority communities. Ahkyra makes it her mission to advocate and provide
resources and to be a helping hand to all those who need her support as well as being a great
role model to her three younger children. Ahkyra serves as a member of the National Coalition
of Negro Women : Huntington Chapter and the Mothers Club of Wheatley Heights. This past
year faces of Long Island a social media platform of Newsday interviewed Ahkyra on her
hardships as a youth and how she’s overcome them. Ahkyra performed for the first time in
February 2023 for the Suffolk County’s Black history month celebration. Since then Ahkyra has
been on the move booked as the featured artist performing her poetry all over Long Island and
Queens NY.
v.j.(Vinnie) Calone, formalist poet.
Winner 1st place P.P.A. Poetry contest 2023
Studied under Lewis Turco author, The New Book of Forms. BA SUNY Oswego '95.
Submission Editor at THE SCENE thescene.life poetry/art zine (June 2023- )
Major work to be released: The Old Wooden Bench and other poems,
slotted to be released Summer 2024.
You can reach Vin directly @ jeweliasdad@aol.com and thescene.life
Susan Semerade, also known as Surya in the yoga and Buddhist communities, teaches classes on Buddhism and leads meditation at the Long Island Buddhist Meditation Center, as well as the Riverhead Library.
As a yoga instructor for over 30 years, her days are spent having fun leading chair yoga classes to those who want to keep their mature/aging bodies moving and enjoying life to its fullest.
A lover of animals since she was a child, Susan shares her home with a small menagerie of senior animals that she has rescued and lets them live out their remaining years in comfort and love.
As a little girl, Susan entertained her family with poems and short stories she wrote about animals and nature. She is grateful for Poetry Street that has given her the confidence and inspiration to take a pleasurable past time to a deeper level.