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Cultural Achievement Award ~

Ramona Jan and Yarnslingers

 

Ramona Jan epitomizes cultural achievement as a multi-media artist, writer, musician, art teacher, puppeteer, Callicoon roving history tour guide, and storyteller.

 

There’s her colorful background as a 1970s New Wave punk rocker and a pioneering female audio recording engineer who still performs music today with her husband Andre Turan as the duo JANTURAN.

 

She was a 2006 finalist on HGTV’s “Design Star”, appeared on the TV show “Wife Swap” as the so-called art mom, has had at least one song written about her courtesy of The Ramones, and was the subject of numerous music publications seeking insight into her experiences.

 

The vintage bling style of art she creates is uniquely her own, with an educational background qualifying her to teach classes at schools, libraries, local camps, and arts centers.

 

She writes a column for the Sullivan County Democrat every Tuesday titled “Ramona’s Ramblings” and is a published author.

 

Believing that a great way to hone her own writing skills was to hear how others craft their pieces, Ramona founded Yarnslingers in 2012 as a performing writers’ group. She remains its volunteer director.

 

Yarnslingers are defined as people who tell fantastic true stories. The fluid membership is open to both experienced and novice memoirists with no meetings, dues, or critiques. Participants are simply given a common theme to write about in the first person and the forum to read their stories out loud.

 

Yarnslingers continue to do free performances at venues all over the river valley and beyond, engaging and inspiring audiences while fostering self-expression and strengthening the empathic power of communities.

 

We’re pleased to honor Ramona Jan and Yarnslingers.