Boca Raton resident Landon Sessions is an FAU Sociology graduate student and the author of a new book titled “Living Bipolar.” Sessions recently sat down for an "On the Spot" profile to talk about the book, his past experiences living with bipolar disorder and his future as an author who helps others.

Can you tell me about the book “Living Bipolar?”
“I started the book about a year ago. I had to suffer for years
because I didn’t know what was wrong… It’s a combination of my story
and a how-to-manual using five principles. Each story in the book
highlights one of the principles. ‘B’ is for behavior and behavior is
vital because as a bipolar
person I must be aware of how my behavior affects the people in my
life, whether it be family, friends or work.”

Is it a solution-based book? Did you interview people with bipolar disorder?

“It’s a solution-oriented book, a one-stop shop for people with
bipolar disorder. I interviewed parents with bipolar children, four
people living with bipolar and a husband with a bipolar wife.
Education is important; the point of this book is a manual for
parents, family or friends, managing the one they love’s bipolar
disorder.”

When were you first diagnosed with bipolar disorder?

“I had a manic episode in 2000. When I was younger I regulated the
bipolar disorder with drugs and alcohol. I was living in Atlanta at
the time and had to leave there (due to problems with drugs and
alcohol). At age 21 I was diagnosed. I came to Florida Atlantic
University and started a communications degree program. I was put on
medicine for the bipolar disorder, but in order for the medicine to
work I had to quit drugs and alcohol. I’ve been sober for nine years
now.”

Are there any positives about being bipolar?

“The best thing is that people with bipolar take on big tasks. In
writing this book or college work that can be a big positive.”

What’s your goal in life?

“I want to be an author/advocate for people with bipolar.”

When will the book hit the stands?
“Well it’s about 275 pages right now and I’m at the literary agent
phase. I hope to get it out as soon as this process allows me to do
so.”

Visit Landon Sessions blog: at www.landon_livingbipolar.blogspot
For more information on “Living Bipolar” call Landon Sessions at 561-414-9684

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He doesn’t drink, doesn’t smoke and is a philanthropist who launched a website, IsThereSomethingICanDo.com that is a Google for finding charities.
No, he’s not a Jonas brother or even Mother Teresa, but Grammy-nominated artist Akon.
The hip-hop collaborator from Senegal took time off from his busy schedule to talk with Forum Publishing Group writers Mike Rothman and Dave Dipino about the Second Annual Think Pink Rocks Charity Concert coming up Oct. 3 at Mizner Park in Boca Raton.

He also discussed his inspirations, past and present, and even let the world know for the first time about his new album “Stadium Music,” set for release before the World Cup in 2010.

MR: Hey Akon, what’s going on? Where are you calling us from right now?

Akon: I’m at home in Atlanta.

MR: We just wanted to thank you for taking time out to talk with us and I am going to throw things over to Dave to get this started.

DD: With the album “Freedom” what were your goals and aspirations, and almost one year after the album’s release, do you feel like you’ve accomplished those goals?
Akon: With the “Freedom” album my goals were to expand my horizons with the Euro Market. A year later I’m very happy with the cross marketing we’ve done outside the domestic markets.
DD: Can you talk about the song “Keep You Much Longer” and where you were coming from as an artist when you wrote that song?
Akon: It’s about trying to make it [in my career] while I’m heavily involved with my girlfriend. But, there’s no time for her and eventually the tables turn and she has no time.
MR: I read on your website that you are currently working on your next album. After your last album “Freedom” in 2008 with its autobiographical, heartfelt nature, what kind of identity do you want for this album?

Akon: Every album is a different situation. This album is more experienced-based with the more experiences I have had. The album is called “Stadium Music” and I am setting this whole album up for the World Cup 2010. I’m making a bunch of crowd, stadium-type dances and anthems that will be for the soccer hype. When the World Cup in 2010 comes along, people will have that party music to dance to.

MR: You have worked with hundreds of amazing artists, including T-Pain, Eminem and Michael Jackson. Is there anyone in particular that you were extremely excited or in awe of working with?

Akon: Oh MJ, hands down. I was shocked that he even wanted to work with me. I was working my career so that I could one day work with him and then found out that he already had plans and wanted to work with me. It happened so naturally.

DD: Is there anyone you’ve yet to work with that’s on your list?
Akon: No. I’ve already covered everyone on my list. I can’t think of anyone I haven’t worked with… It’s forcing me to actually create new artists and try to find new talent.
MR: Obviously you are a very charitable person with initiative like the Konfidence Foundation and the website, IsThereSomethingICanDo.com. How did you get connected with Think Pink?

Akon: A friend brought it to my attention three years ago and told me how it was for breast cancer and a good cause. I told him to just count me in.

DD: Has cancer affected you or someone you know with in your life?
Akon: No absolutely not. I was blessed actually because no one in my family has even been affected. I would like to be able to know more about it and be able to about it when it happens or if it happens.
DD: What do you hope to accomplish and what can the fans of your music expect for the Oct. 3, Think Pink Concert?
Akon: We had a great time last year. I know this year will be an incredible time. As for collaborating, we’ll see who’s down in Florida that I’ve collaborated with and ready to jump on stage with me. Kardinal Offishall always pops up when I go somewhere. He’s always there.
DD: Can you tell me about your record labels?
Akon: Kon Live and Konvict Muzik are my two record labels. Kon Live is more pop with Lady Gaga as the franchise [over there] at the moment. Of course T-Pain is on Konvict Muzik.
MR: One of your most recent single, “Sexy Bitch” has an insanely contagious beat that I have had stuck in mead head the entire morning. Thank you by the way.

Akon: No problem.

MR: With “Sexy Bitch,” what were the inspirations there?

Akon: That song is actually also going to be on “Stadium Music.” I put it on David Guetta’s album because I am not dropping an album this year, and I wanted get everyone familiar with what they are about to hear from me next year with “Stadium Music.”

MR: I also heard you don’t drink or smoke, how does this affect or help your concentration with your music?

Akon: It definitely helps me focus on my music that I don’t drink or smoke. This way I don’t make any bad decisions.

The Second Annual Think Pink Rocks Charity Concert is set for 7 to 11 p.m. Oct. 3 at Mizner Park, off Federal Highway, between Palmetto Park and Glades roads. Tickets are on sale for $30 and can be bought at www.thinkpinkrocks.com.

Mike Rothman can be reached at mkrothman@tribune.com or 954-871-1233.

Dave Dipino can be reached at ddipino@tribune.com or 954-621-5000.

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Sugar Sand Park, 300 S. Military Trail, will be hosting open auditions for "Shriek Week" from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 3. Special event coordinator Stacee Cooney said the auditions are open to both professional and novice actors.
“Shriek Week runs from October 27-31, and the volunteers fill out forms indicating their availability. During the week, there will be evening hours, and we will also be open during the day on the 31st,” she said.
For more information, visit www.sugarsandpark.org.

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Sitting Down With Aaron Kula, FAU director of music collections and performance

www.fau.edu/library

1. Were you always musically inclined and was it emphasized in your youth?

Yes. Music was part of my family's culture and played a significant role in my everyday life. I began piano lessons in second grade and continued to study guitar, recorder, and accordion in New York City. My parents took my older brother and I to the opera and Broadway and each week I would listen to my father sing with his choir in the synagogue. I think my inclination towards music was a combination of nurture and nature.

2. Can you speak a bit about your experiences in Boston?

Boston really set the tone and standard for my professional career. The performance and educational level was incredibly high, and as graduate students we worked with the best musicians in the world attending world class master classes. I was fortunate to work with artists such as Yo-Yo Ma and Richard Stoltzman, conduct orchestras for New England Conservatory and Boston Ballet, and take master classes with members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

3. How long have you been at FAU?

I began in 1997 conducting the FAU Symphony and teaching music theory and Klezmer music. Then in 2003, the Dean of the FAU Library asked if I would join the library as director of music collections and performance and begin processing music in the archives. The library had been collecting music for over 15 years and had hundreds of boxes filled with precious music that needed to be reviewed and processed.

4. You founded the Klezmer Orchestra in 1997 I believe. How did that come to be?

KCO was my brainchild and grew out of my desire to revitalize archived music with performance. I proposed that my work include both preservation and performance since music is a creative art that needs to be heard and the library should take advantage of having a professional ensemble in residence. We use the phrase "from shelf to stage" to explain our activities.

5. I know you have received several awards and recognition. Do any stand out as being particularly special?

The most recent award we received was on August 29th in Nashville, TN for our latest CD called "Beyond the Tribes." The competition was amazing with 42,000 albums and 560, 000 songs. We won 2009 Best Klezmer Album and 2009 Best Klezmer Song for Second Avenue Hoedown.. The awards show was held by Just Plain Folks Music organization, the largest grassroots international music organization in the world.

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The Boca Museum of Art is participating in the fifth annual Museum Day on Sept. 26, and admission will be free all day. Close to 200,000 people visited museums across the country last year for Museum Day, and Boca Museum curator of education Claire Clum said there will be an additional feature.
“In conjunction with this celebratory day, the museum presents the film ‘Raoul Dufy: Painter and Decorator.’ Dufy’s colorful works are on view in the museum’s Permanent Collection, and they reflect the excitement of the day,” she said.
Visit www.smithsonian.com/museumday to download the admission card, which is good for two people. For more information about the Boca Museum of Art, visit www.bocamuseum.org.

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Retired Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator David Paulison will be the keynote speaker at a countywide 9/11 commemoration ceremony that begins at 9 a.m. Sept. 11 at the Mizner Park Amphitheater.
Fire Rescue public information officer Frank Correggio said 10 different departments will be represented.
“We have Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, Deerfield Beach and several other agencies from the tri-county area coming. We have departments coming from as far away as Orlando as well,” he said.
There will be several speakers, and recording artist Amber Leigh will perform the National Anthem. There will also be a U.S. Navy flyover. For more information, call Frank Correggio at 561-982-4012.

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Florida Atlantic University, 777 Glades Road, is hosting "Recovery Shines in 2009, Together We Learn, Together We Heal" from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sept. 12 in the FAU Arena. The free event will focus on addiction and recovery community resources, and there will be free entertainment, children’s activities and food.
“There are 85 licensed treatment providers in Palm Beach County, and recovery is serious, but this event will be fun and encouraging,” said Palm Beach County Substance Coalition executive director Doris Carroll.
National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month will be celebrated across the country Sept. 12. For more information, call Doris Carroll at 561-844-5952.

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The Archer Disability Foundation is the largest disability mentoring program in the state, and the goal is to foster social inclusion for students with disabilities through job mentoring and other programs. They are hosting a 2009 Disability Mentoring & Employment Awareness Kick Off event Sept. 11, and foundation president and founder Rose Lee Archer said the proceeds will support career exploration and job placement for people with disabilities.
“These young people face such adversity when entering adulthood, and they really need help and resources to begin establishing independence and a career. So many companies have come on board to provide mentoring opportunities, some of which turn into careers,” she said.
CVS has come on board, and workforce initiative manager Marsha Lynch said Archer is a ball of energy.
“She is such an amazing woman with such passion for helping young people with disabilities. Her ideas are top-notch, and CVS is involved in similar projects, but this is the fist time in this area of the state,” she said.
Lynch said students will spend time at the store shadowing employees and learning all the tricks of the trade. The kick-off event is at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 11 in the Ascension Catholic Church Family Center, 7250 N. Federal Highway. Tickets cost $20. For more information, call 561-241-7987 or e-mail roseleea@aol.com. For more information about the foundation, visit www.archerdisabilityfoundation.org.

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Delray Beach resident Ann Fonfa, 62, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2001, but has been cancer free for eight years. The New York City native said that in 2001 she bypassed traditional treatment methods including radiation and hormone therapy in favor of a natural approach.
“I didn’t even use the insurance I had at the time for those costly treatments. I moved to South Florida in 2003 and have had an unbelievably hard time finding health coverage,” she said.
Fonfa had MRIs done in 2003 and 2005, both of which came back negative for cancer. “It seems ridiculous that this is listed as a pre-existing condition after all of these years, and I am now paying over $700 for individual insurance. My deductible is $5,000, so I basically have emergency only insurance,” she said.
Fonfa will be telling her tale at 7 p.m. Sept. 2 at Spanish River Park in Boca (Spanish River Boulevard/A1A) during a healthcare candlelight vigil hosted by MoveOn.org. The event is one of hundreds to be held simultaneously across the country. For more information, visit www.pol.moveon.org/event/events/event.html?event_id=98132&id

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South Florida Business Connections and Stepping Out Florida are co-sponsoring a job fair from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Aug. 31 at the Pavilion Grille in the Stonegate Bank Building, 301 Yamato Road.
Event organizer Alan Fuerman said there will be a good smattering of local and national companies, along with tips on improved job search methods and educational opportunities.
“We have local companies, nationwide staffing agencies, government agencies including Workforce Alliance and many more. There will also be representatives from Kaplan and DeVry Universities discussing retraining options and degree programs,” he said.
Fuerman said there will also be a bankruptcy and foreclosure attorney on hand to chat with those hardest hit by the recent economic downturn. There will also be free appetizers, two-for-one drinks and free chair massages. Admission and parking are free. For more information and a list of exhibitors, visit www.sflbusinessconnections.com or call 561-674-4300.

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