The Gnu's Room has just acquired a new assistant director.
Jason Crane was the host and producer of the Jazz Session, an online interview show that focuses on jazz musicians and those that work with jazz musicians.
Tina Tatum, director of the Gnu's Room, said Crane visited the bookstore in June to share poetry and talk about his "Jazz or Bust Tour" and immediately felt at home in Auburn.
"He was so captivated by The Gnu's Room, and our mission as a non-profit organization that he asked me to grant him an interview for his show," Tatum said. "I was one of, if not the only, non-jazz interviews he had chosen to post out of some 400-plus interviews."
Tatum said they formed an almost immediate friendship, and once Crane decided to end his tour, he returned to Auburn for the position.
Crane decided to end his tour from New York to New Orleans after deciding New York living was too expensive.
"It's cool to be living in a small town," Crane said.
Gnu Arts Inc., the nonprofit organization that operates The Gnu's Room and Solomon & George Publishers, aims to encourage literacy and the arts in Auburn's community and nearby areas. Crane has a background in nonprofits and fundraising that he can use to help The Gnu's Room succeed in this task.
Crane will look for applicable grants and corporate and individual donations, Tatum said.
Crane said he is planning on taking The Gnu's Room to the next phase by raising more funds to support the arts.
Crane also plans to start a new show that will include interviews from different types of people, from chefs to musicians.
According to Crane, the most interesting person he interviewed on the Jazz Session was Sonny Rollins, an American jazz tenor saxophonist.
Crane entered the field of broadcasting and social media in radio and was an announcer at NPR's "Morning Edition."
Crane is the first person to hold the position of assistant manager at The Gnu's Room, Tatum said. The position did not exist until the IRS recognized The Gnu's Room as a charitable entity.
"Jason was interested in and accepted the position with the understanding that one of the first orders of business was to research available grants that provide funding to nonprofits, allowing them to pay a salary for a development director," Tatum said.
"He is currently looking for part-time employment to sustain him until a grant or other funding can be obtained to enable Gnu Arts to have him full-time."
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