The Red and Black

Issue date: 2/22/08 Section: Variety

Media Credit: RENE LAUTENSCHLAGER The Rubber Soul Yoga Revolution Studio, located off of Pulaski Street, will host an open mic night on Fridays called "The Last Word," encouraging students' self-expression and creative performance. [Click to enlarge]

A folded yellow piece of paper falls to a table, upon which hot tea is served. A girl picks it up and reads the message scribbled inside: "You are strong, loving, wise, needed, worthy. Don't forget it." The positive message on the slip of paper is one of many inside the "affirmation jar."

The affirmation jar is filled with positive energy in the form of quotes, mantras or small affirmations that remind one of the beauty within.

The jar can be found on a table inside a small room off Pulaski Drive that serves as much more than an ordinary room.

"You are a voice in this world and you deserve to be heard," reads a quote taken from the '80s television sitcom "A Different World." Ladonna Kearney and Tiffany Tunno agree and summarize the story behind not only the jar, but the existence of "The Last Word."

Co-creators of a "variety show of expression," "The Last Word" is a hotspot for artists to share their work with people who "actually are passionate about the art of expression," Kearney said.

"In a town that is so geared towards musicians, we wanted to create an outlet for other types of expression," Tunno said.

Hosted at Rubber Soul Yoga Revolution, Tunno and Kearney agree that the effects of sharing forms of genuine expression can be as therapeutic as the yoga performed there on other days.

"The therapy one experiences here is not inclusive to those who share their work, but extends itself to the listeners as well," Kearney said.

Sitting among pillows and hot teas, performers - magicians, poets and beyond - are encouraged to express themselves in any way they choose.

"You could do cool tricks, tell jokes or read a poem. We want to help give people a voice," Tunno said.

She said there is no reason to feel intimidated about sharing one's work.

"What if your favorite author or favorite painter decided not to create that piece of artwork simply because they were afraid of what someone would say?" Kearney said.

"What would the world be like?"

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