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Tuesday, June 27, 2006
June 27th forum announcement
Dear Poetry Fans,
Poetry & Poets in Rags
We start from the other side of the sphere from here, in Burma, where not only writing, but publishing the wrong poem got two people 19-year prison terms, one a 14-year sentence, and another a 7-year term. We travel through many places, times, languages, poems, and thoughts on poetry from that flashpoint.
We have an addition to Great Regulars this week. It is the Hopkinton Crier's new Poem Prescription column. Such a column gets an automatic pass into Great Regulars, for bringing poetry into the world through a newspaper, what Poetry & Poets in Rags has always been about. Along these lines, here's a blog post you might be interested in: Getting a Poetry Column. How about it? Could you?
Yours,
Rus
Our links:
IBPC: Poetry & Poets in Rags
Poetry & Poets in Rags Blogspot
IBPC Home
IBPC Newswire
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetry & Poets in Rags
We start from the other side of the sphere from here, in Burma, where not only writing, but publishing the wrong poem got two people 19-year prison terms, one a 14-year sentence, and another a 7-year term. We travel through many places, times, languages, poems, and thoughts on poetry from that flashpoint.
We have an addition to Great Regulars this week. It is the Hopkinton Crier's new Poem Prescription column. Such a column gets an automatic pass into Great Regulars, for bringing poetry into the world through a newspaper, what Poetry & Poets in Rags has always been about. Along these lines, here's a blog post you might be interested in: Getting a Poetry Column. How about it? Could you?
Yours,
Rus
Our links:
IBPC: Poetry & Poets in Rags
Poetry & Poets in Rags Blogspot
IBPC Home
IBPC Newswire
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven: Delhi-based Burmese news
website,"Mizzima.com" reported on 15 June that Aung Than, member of opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) and Zeya Aung, a student from Pegu University student each received a sentence of 19 year imprisonment for publishing a book of poems titled "Dawn Mann", literally means "the fighting spirit of the peacock". The peacock is the symbol of pro-democracy movement and of the NLD party.
from Southeast Asian Press Alliance: Four dissidents sentenced up to 19 years in prison for anti-government poems
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from Southeast Asian Press Alliance: Four dissidents sentenced up to 19 years in prison for anti-government poems
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News at Eleven: Despite the ease
with which she [Anna Akhmatova] began her own affairs, she excelled in expressing the wounds of being wronged by a man, one reason almost every Russian woman can cite lines from her.
"Since I can't have love, and I have no peace," Akhmatova appeals in one famous poem about poetic achievement and failed romance, "Allow me a bitter glory."
from The Philadelphia Inquirer: A poet who gave voice to Russia's suffering
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"Since I can't have love, and I have no peace," Akhmatova appeals in one famous poem about poetic achievement and failed romance, "Allow me a bitter glory."
from The Philadelphia Inquirer: A poet who gave voice to Russia's suffering
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven: In later years,
[Isaiah] Berlin was embarrassed by [Anna] Akhmatova's conviction that "by the mere fact of [their] meeting," they had "started the cold war and thereby changed the history of mankind." But Stalin's paranoid imaginative genius really did make much of this episode.
from The Nation: The Passion of Anna
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from The Nation: The Passion of Anna
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News at Eleven: [Czeslaw Milosz] described himself
as "one of many poets in the San Francisco Bay Area. Most of them write in English, but there are also those who write in Spanish, Greek, German, Russian. Even if one has some renown, he is, in his everyday dealings with people, anonymous, and so is, again, one among many."
from The Berkeley Daily Planet: Czeslaw Milosz: The Poet in His Times
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from The Berkeley Daily Planet: Czeslaw Milosz: The Poet in His Times
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News at Eleven: In England, he [Donald Hall]
spent four days with poet Ezra Pound. "He had lost it without knowing it," Hall said. "And he was feeling regret for his anti-Semitism and other things. He said things like, 'I guess I was off base all of the time' and 'Do you think they should have hanged me?'
from Los Angeles Times: It all leads back to Eagle Pond
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from Los Angeles Times: It all leads back to Eagle Pond
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News at Eleven: The speaker in Donne's poetry
is a theatrical character, constantly in different situations, and using different roles to suit the action. He can take on the role of the womanizer, as in "The Indifferent," or the faithful lover from "Lover's Infiniteness," but the speaker in each of these poems is always John Donne himself.
from The Westender: Dramatic Self-Presentation of John Donne: Insight into the "infinite"
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from The Westender: Dramatic Self-Presentation of John Donne: Insight into the "infinite"
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News at Eleven: So I am able to aver
with a clear conscience that poets like James Applewhite and Peter Makuck, Betty Adcock and Eleanor Ross Taylor stand shoulder to shoulder with the best in the country. If their names are not so well known as those of John Ashbery, say, or Mary Oliver, that fact is much more an accident of geography and fashion than a gauge of quality.
from The News & Observer: Fred Chappell's last poetry column
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from The News & Observer: Fred Chappell's last poetry column
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News at Eleven: Declining readership, proliferating
competition (especially on the Web with its vast free content) and increased financial burdens all have conspired to make what he [George Core] does harder. "Everything's against the quarterly," he said by telephone recently from his Tennessee office, "but it continues to provide the linchpin that joins the academy with the literary marketplace."
from Mobile Register: Publishing the best: a talk with George Core, editor of The Sewanee Review
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from Mobile Register: Publishing the best: a talk with George Core, editor of The Sewanee Review
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven: "The poets are addressing
perennial issues in the Eritrean psyche: the constant presence of war and dispute, first the 30-year war for independence, from 1961 to 1991, and then the 2-year border war, from 1998-2000. Even today, Eritrea and Ethiopia are still wrangling over the border agreement," says [Charles] Cantalupo, professor of English, comparative literature and African studies at Penn State's Schuylkill Campus in northeastern Pennsylvania.
from Penn State Live: Penn State professor helps bring Eritrean poetry to global attention
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from Penn State Live: Penn State professor helps bring Eritrean poetry to global attention
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven: One dedicated man
from Yen Lam Village, Yen Dinh District of Thanh Hoa Province, Ha Minh Du, has singlehandedly amassed a priceless anthropologic collection of Muong ethnic minority culture spanning 3,000 pages of documents.
from Viet Nam News: Muong culture, language preserved
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from Viet Nam News: Muong culture, language preserved
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News at Eleven (Back Page): So, when I married
my partner recently, less than two months after the law came into effect, Westminster council already had a suggestion on a poem we might use, "The Confirmation" by Edwin Muir.
What shall I call you? A fountain in a waste,
A well of water in a country dry,
Or anything that's honest and good, an eye
That makes the whole world bright.
from The Guardian: 'We two boys together clinging'
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What shall I call you? A fountain in a waste,
A well of water in a country dry,
Or anything that's honest and good, an eye
That makes the whole world bright.
from The Guardian: 'We two boys together clinging'
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: Sonata for Rain and Basso Incontinuo
[By Rebecca Gonzalez]
from Bill Diskin: York Daily Record: Poetryork: Gonzalez blessed with a love for language
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from Bill Diskin: York Daily Record: Poetryork: Gonzalez blessed with a love for language
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: Belfast-born poet Gary Lawless
is publisher of Blackberry Books, co-owner of Gulf of Maine Books with his partner Beth Leonard, and traveling poet who has read all over the U.S. and Europe. In this poem, he writes of his life at Chimney Farm in Nobleboro, once the home of the writers Henry Beston and Elizabeth Coatsworth and their daughter Kate Barnes.
Chimney Farm, June 1987
from Elizabeth W. Garber: Village Soup: A Year of Poetry from a Wealth of Maine Poets: When the Blessings of Lupines Fill the Meadows
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Chimney Farm, June 1987
from Elizabeth W. Garber: Village Soup: A Year of Poetry from a Wealth of Maine Poets: When the Blessings of Lupines Fill the Meadows
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: Visiting a familiar
and once dear place after a long absence can knock the words right out of us, and in this poem, Keith Althaus of Massachusetts observes this happening to someone else. I like the way he suggests, at the end, that it may take days before that silence heals over.
from Ted Kooser: American Life in Poetry: Column 065
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from Ted Kooser: American Life in Poetry: Column 065
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: [Sally] Ball's use
of the word "pitched" may be a deliberate tribute to Hopkins, as may phrases such as "there are darks" and "a sick/careen." In any case, her poem deserves the compliment of the comparison, and the two works together illustrate how poetry has resources that resemble--and create--the expressive tones of voice that people use every day.
from Robert Pinsky: The Washington Post: Poet's Choice
~~~~~~~~~~~
from Robert Pinsky: The Washington Post: Poet's Choice
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: For our purposes,
there's a noteworthy difference between these two literatures: in the Bible people are hardly ever said to be mad as such, whereas in Greek drama they go off their rockers with alarming frequency. It was the rediscovery of the classics that stimulated the long procession of literary madpeople of the past four hundred years . . .
from Daily Times: Purple Patch: Of sanity and mental illness --Margaret Atwood
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from Daily Times: Purple Patch: Of sanity and mental illness --Margaret Atwood
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: If you would get money
as a writer or lecturer, you must be popular, which is to go down perpendicularly. Those services which the community will most readily pay for, it is most disagreeable to render. You are paid for being something less than a man.
from Daily Times: Purple Patch: Life without principle --Henry David Thoreau
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from Daily Times: Purple Patch: Life without principle --Henry David Thoreau
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: I.M. Birtwistle, lyric poet
and gallery owner, had been anticipating meeting her maker for some years. “Probably our last season, so be sure to visit” the sign outside her north Norfolk art gallery read.
from The Times: I. M. Birtwistle
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from The Times: I. M. Birtwistle
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: Antonio Cardoso, one of the leading
literary lights of Angola's independence movement in the 1960s, has died of prostate cancer, Angola's state-run media reported today. He was 73.
from SABC News: Antonio Cardoso, Angolan writer, dies at 73
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from SABC News: Antonio Cardoso, Angolan writer, dies at 73
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: A poet and rapper, [Darryl] Jones
was working on his demo tape in the studio. He dreamed of attending college and becoming a rapper or a sports analyst. But his aspirations were abruptly cut short.
"He was simply at the wrong place at the wrong time," said Homicide Detective Sgt. James P. Lonergan.
from Buffalo News: Violence takes another innocent life
~~~~~~~~~~~
"He was simply at the wrong place at the wrong time," said Homicide Detective Sgt. James P. Lonergan.
from Buffalo News: Violence takes another innocent life
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: [Leo R. Landrey] had been an avid
rose gardener, his son Gregory said, and was a member of the American Rose Society. He loved writing poetry and singing hymns and patriotic songs, his son said, and was a member of the men's choir at Riddle Village.
from The Philadelphia Inquirer: Leo R. Landrey: Physicist, 88
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from The Philadelphia Inquirer: Leo R. Landrey: Physicist, 88
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: As a young child, she [Virginia Lee "Sis" Martin]
wrote short stories and at age 15 she began writing poetry. At age 84, she submitted her first poem for publication.
from Green Bay Press-Gazette: Martin, Virginia Lee "Sis"
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from Green Bay Press-Gazette: Martin, Virginia Lee "Sis"
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: The celebrated Konkani poet,
popularly known as 'Lok-Kavi', Dr Manoharrai Laxmanrao Sardessai passed away in a city hospital after a brief illness late tonight.
from The Navhind Times: Eminent Konkani poet, Manoharrai Sardessai dead
~~~~~~~~~~~
from The Navhind Times: Eminent Konkani poet, Manoharrai Sardessai dead
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: Suradha shot to limelight
with his creative poems besides penning songs for scores of films.
His soul-searching lyrics Aadi adankum vazhaiyada in the film Neerkumizhi is noteworthy. Nadodimannan, Thangamalai Rahasiyam, Naanal were some of his other films.
from News Today: Poet Suradha passes away
~~~~~~~~~~~
His soul-searching lyrics Aadi adankum vazhaiyada in the film Neerkumizhi is noteworthy. Nadodimannan, Thangamalai Rahasiyam, Naanal were some of his other films.
from News Today: Poet Suradha passes away
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: [Jonathan Wordsworth's] books range
from critical editions to searching discussions of Wordsworth's work, notably The Borders of Vision (1982) and The Visionary Gleam (1996). He also wrote guides for Dove Cottage, which he ran, along with the museum next door to it.
from Telegraph: Jonathan Wordsworth
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from Telegraph: Jonathan Wordsworth
~~~~~~~~~~~
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
June 20th forum announcement
Dear Poetry Fans,
Poetry & Poets in Rags
The poetry headline of the week, as everyone knows by now, is Donald Hall becoming the next poet laureate. I found three excellent and different articles that give breadth to this story. He is beginning to formulate and talk about his plans already.
Thirty-eight articles altogether this week, including two new Great Regulars, Karl Kirchwey with one out of the Philadelphia Inquirer, and George Hirst of Magnetic Island News in Australia, who is starting a poetry series there. Kirchwey is a bit overdue to Great Regulars. He was helpful to the IBPC judging cause at Katrina time, and has had numerous articles in News at Eleven. In case anyone has been wondering about the connection two poets had from last week, Kirchwey and Elizabeth Bishop are linked through Bryn Mawr College.
Speaking of IBPC judges, we currently have two. I want to mention again, what most IBPC poets will already know, that Judy Kronenfeld, our new friend from UC Riverside (our new association), has done a remarkable job for us in choosing the Poem of the Year for 2005. Here is a podcast interview with her:
Cloudy Day Art #53: Interview with poet Judy Kronenfeld
Our current monthly judge, of course, is the terrific guy, and terrific poet, and editor of Poetry Northwest, David Biespiel. Here is a comprehensive review of its first issue back:
Bud Bloom Poetry: Diving Back in with David Biespiel
Yours,
Rus
Our links:
IBPC: Poetry & Poets in Rags
Poetry & Poets in Rags Blogspot
IBPC Home
IBPC Newswire
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetry & Poets in Rags
The poetry headline of the week, as everyone knows by now, is Donald Hall becoming the next poet laureate. I found three excellent and different articles that give breadth to this story. He is beginning to formulate and talk about his plans already.
Thirty-eight articles altogether this week, including two new Great Regulars, Karl Kirchwey with one out of the Philadelphia Inquirer, and George Hirst of Magnetic Island News in Australia, who is starting a poetry series there. Kirchwey is a bit overdue to Great Regulars. He was helpful to the IBPC judging cause at Katrina time, and has had numerous articles in News at Eleven. In case anyone has been wondering about the connection two poets had from last week, Kirchwey and Elizabeth Bishop are linked through Bryn Mawr College.
Speaking of IBPC judges, we currently have two. I want to mention again, what most IBPC poets will already know, that Judy Kronenfeld, our new friend from UC Riverside (our new association), has done a remarkable job for us in choosing the Poem of the Year for 2005. Here is a podcast interview with her:
Cloudy Day Art #53: Interview with poet Judy Kronenfeld
Our current monthly judge, of course, is the terrific guy, and terrific poet, and editor of Poetry Northwest, David Biespiel. Here is a comprehensive review of its first issue back:
Bud Bloom Poetry: Diving Back in with David Biespiel
Yours,
Rus
Our links:
IBPC: Poetry & Poets in Rags
Poetry & Poets in Rags Blogspot
IBPC Home
IBPC Newswire
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven: Donald Hall
is to be the nation's new poet laureate, Librarian of Congress James Billington will announce today. And like many of his recent predecessors, the 77-year-old Hall intends to make his position more than an honorary one.
"It's an opportunity to plug poetry," Hall said. "Other laureates have done a good job, and I'm trying to figure out what I should do."
from The Washington Post: Set to Verse: Donald Hall Is New Poet Laureate
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"It's an opportunity to plug poetry," Hall said. "Other laureates have done a good job, and I'm trying to figure out what I should do."
from The Washington Post: Set to Verse: Donald Hall Is New Poet Laureate
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven: Robert Siegel talks with [Donald] Hall,
who was appointed poet laureate on Wednesday by the Library of Congress.
The new poet laureate also reads from three of his poems: "Old Roses," "Man in the Dead Machine," and "Weeds and Peonies," which is about his late wife, the poet Jane Kenyon.
from National Public Radio: U.S. Poetry's New Chief: Donald Hall
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The new poet laureate also reads from three of his poems: "Old Roses," "Man in the Dead Machine," and "Weeds and Peonies," which is about his late wife, the poet Jane Kenyon.
from National Public Radio: U.S. Poetry's New Chief: Donald Hall
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven: I have thought of satellite radio,
with its many, many channels, possibly being willing to include one. You could have a new poet on each day. I don't know if that would be perfectly silly, but they have a superfluity of channels, as I understand.
from Newsweek: Stoic laureate
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from Newsweek: Stoic laureate
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News at Eleven: You, quote, find your voice, unquote,
when you are able to invent this one character who resembles you, obviously, and probably is more like you than anyone else on earth, but is not the equivalent to you.
It is like a fictional character in that it has a very distinctive voice, a voice that seems to be able to accommodate and express an attitude that you are comfortable staying with but an attitude that is flexible enough to cover a number of situations. [--Billy Collins]
from Guernica: A Brisk Walk
~~~~~~~~~~~
It is like a fictional character in that it has a very distinctive voice, a voice that seems to be able to accommodate and express an attitude that you are comfortable staying with but an attitude that is flexible enough to cover a number of situations. [--Billy Collins]
from Guernica: A Brisk Walk
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven: Farm workers use the pitchfork
in the production of grain; [Seamus] Heaney talks about "the grain of things" in his reference to reality; it is a further reference to shape, texture and actual integrity. Then it goes even further in the poem to suggest craft, or even art.
from Stabroek News: Seamus Heaney: An anchor in reality
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from Stabroek News: Seamus Heaney: An anchor in reality
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven: Only now, after reading
the Daily Mirror's campaign for second-offence paedophiles to be locked up for life, have they courageously decided to speak out about the terrible effects for abuse victims.
And for the first time, they have opened up Bryony [Lane]'s collection of writing, penned during her darkest moments.
from Mirror.co.uk: Paedo Victim's Tragic Suicide Poem
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And for the first time, they have opened up Bryony [Lane]'s collection of writing, penned during her darkest moments.
from Mirror.co.uk: Paedo Victim's Tragic Suicide Poem
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven: As [Robert] Pinsky said,
"In her poem, [Elizabeth] Bishop actually makes us feel respect for the often-ridiculed notion of parental instruction in behavior."
MANNERS
from Tewksbury Advocate: A poem for all dads
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MANNERS
from Tewksbury Advocate: A poem for all dads
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven: In a shocker of a decision,
many such popular rhymes, including Johny, Johny Yes Papa and Baa Baa Black Sheep, have been tagged as "too western" for the children and dropped from the Class I syllabus of the MP Board of Secondary Education (MPBSE) course from this academic year.
Instead, the children will now be fed with English rhymes -- penned by Indian poets.
from Hindustan Times: Nursery rhymes get saffron sack
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Instead, the children will now be fed with English rhymes -- penned by Indian poets.
from Hindustan Times: Nursery rhymes get saffron sack
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven: An American poet, John Balaban,
who first came to Vietnam as a conscientious objector during the war and who has nurtured a love affair with the country ever since, is leading a drive to revive the script, which he says will unlock a trove of hidden Vietnamese culture.
from The New York Times: Deciphering the Code to Vietnam's Old Literary Treasures
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from The New York Times: Deciphering the Code to Vietnam's Old Literary Treasures
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven (Back Page): Anne Anderson taught
for 35 years at Fall Brook Elementary School before she retired, and all she was looking for was a work area to practice her poetry and painting.
"It started out as a fixed up shed but then we started doing some research and realized we could use the space to recreate a one room school house," said Anderson.
from Leominster Champion: Preserving history in their own backyard
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"It started out as a fixed up shed but then we started doing some research and realized we could use the space to recreate a one room school house," said Anderson.
from Leominster Champion: Preserving history in their own backyard
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: Thinking of the influence
of his early Catholic education, he [Michael Collier] recently said, "The idea that you came to an understanding of your purpose in life by listening to a voice that was both inside and outside of you was appealing to me because it was so mysterious." The emotion in "Confessional" seems overwhelmed by that mystery, too, as it unveils what can and cannot exist in a single human life.
from David Biespiel: The Oregonian: Emotion can move with authority or ambiguity
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from David Biespiel: The Oregonian: Emotion can move with authority or ambiguity
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: I sing of Sea self
a glittering breathing
in a turquoise dress
Constantly stitched and restitched
by the bright seamstresses of flying-fish.
The image of the flying fish stitching sea to sky is deliciously vivid; like Cariwoma herself, they are at home in all elements, and capable of bringing things together.
from Sarah Crown: The Guardian: Seamstress of the Caribbean
~~~~~~~~~~~
in a turquoise dress
Constantly stitched and restitched
by the bright seamstresses of flying-fish.
The image of the flying fish stitching sea to sky is deliciously vivid; like Cariwoma herself, they are at home in all elements, and capable of bringing things together.
from Sarah Crown: The Guardian: Seamstress of the Caribbean
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: Thirty years later,
I find those waves while driving are one of the treasures of back-road traveling in Maine.
In the following poem, Wesley McNair explores the full dimensions of what we are doing when we wave, from our waves goodbye to the waves from behind the steering wheel.
from Elizabeth W. Garber: Village Soup: A Year of Poetry from a Wealth of Maine Poets: Heading down the road with a wave or honk
~~~~~~~~~~~
In the following poem, Wesley McNair explores the full dimensions of what we are doing when we wave, from our waves goodbye to the waves from behind the steering wheel.
from Elizabeth W. Garber: Village Soup: A Year of Poetry from a Wealth of Maine Poets: Heading down the road with a wave or honk
~~~~~~~~~~~
(New to) Great Regulars: To lead by example
this editor is taking the first plunge by presenting his poem and song in search of a tune.
At the end of the day
from George Hirst: Magnetic Island News: Welcome to magnetictimes.com poetry
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At the end of the day
from George Hirst: Magnetic Island News: Welcome to magnetictimes.com poetry
~~~~~~~~~~~
(New to) Great Regulars: But the fact is,
whether out of sloth, or diffidence, or scrupulousness ([Elizabeth] Bishop was notoriously exacting about her own work), or because of the usual hard knocks of submission and rejection, Bishop did not publish these poems during her lifetime. And so the decision by another--in this case, New Yorker poetry editor Alice Quinn--to publish the work resembles playing God, in spite of the approval of some, including Robert Giroux and Frank Bidart, who knew Bishop well.
from Karl Kirchwey: Philadelphia Inquirer: History will be judge of poet Bishop's status
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from Karl Kirchwey: Philadelphia Inquirer: History will be judge of poet Bishop's status
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: Storytelling binds the past
and present together, and is as essential to community life as are food and shelter. Many of our poets are masters at reshaping family stories as poetry. Here Lola Haskins retells a haunting tale, cast in the voice of an elder. Like the best stories, there are no inessential details. Every word counts toward the effect.
from Ted Kooser: American Life in Poetry: Column 064
~~~~~~~~~~~
from Ted Kooser: American Life in Poetry: Column 064
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: Modersohn-Becker stands stripped
to the waist, cradling her pregnant belly, eyeing the viewer with a look that is at once beguiling and accusatory. Everything about the picture confronts the maleness of the tradition of which it forms a part, including its reference to Dürer's half-naked self-portrait.
from Andrew Motion: The Guardian: 'Cult of the self'
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from Andrew Motion: The Guardian: 'Cult of the self'
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: The contemporary poet
Charles Harper Webb belongs in such honorable company. Webb is sometimes funny in his poems, which often present the author's defects, but he rises above the kind of modesty--often described as "wry"--that asks to be admired.
from Robert Pinsky: The Washington Post: Poet's Choice
~~~~~~~~~~~
from Robert Pinsky: The Washington Post: Poet's Choice
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: With "Get Back in the Box:
Innovation From the Inside Out," media theorist Douglas Rushkoff has written a business book that even a poet can appreciate.
For one thing, Spenserian sonnets appear before the introduction is half over. For another, "Get Back in the Box" is refreshingly free of acronyms and jargon.
from B.T. Shaw: The Oregonian: Forget 'outside the box'; think cooperatively
~~~~~~~~~~~
For one thing, Spenserian sonnets appear before the introduction is half over. For another, "Get Back in the Box" is refreshingly free of acronyms and jargon.
from B.T. Shaw: The Oregonian: Forget 'outside the box'; think cooperatively
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: [Bill] Kauffman is a
pretty good writer, though perhaps a little too self-consciously a stylist given to quaint locutions ("War, kens Hannah...") and sometimes overreaching for an epigram. He suggests, for instance, that "making poetry is a far more beautiful and also more useful endeavor than making laws." Really?
from Frank Wilson: Philadelphia Inquirer: Alternative history's big helping of scorn
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from Frank Wilson: Philadelphia Inquirer: Alternative history's big helping of scorn
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Great Regulars: Sixty years after
Edmund Wilson told us that verse was dying, Joseph Epstein in Commentary revealed that it was murdered. Of course, Epstein's golden age—Stevens, Frost, Williams--is Wilson's era of "demoralized weariness." Everything changes and everything stays the same.
from Daily Times: Purple Patch: Death to the death of poetry --Donald Hall
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from Daily Times: Purple Patch: Death to the death of poetry --Donald Hall
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: 'The circumstances with which
you must surround your workmen are those' of modern American life, 'because the designs you have now to ask for from your workmen are such as will make modern' American 'life beautiful.' The art we want is the art based on all the inventions of modern civilisation, and to suit all the needs of nineteenth-century life.
Do you think, for instance, that we object to machinery?
from Daily Times: Purple Patch: Art and the handicraftsman --Oscar Wilde
~~~~~~~~~~~
Do you think, for instance, that we object to machinery?
from Daily Times: Purple Patch: Art and the handicraftsman --Oscar Wilde
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: Joe Holt Anderson loved
the written word. He loved the sound of words, their rhythm and their flow. He loved the look of them, their size, their weight. He loved the power of words: their ability to inform, to incite, to inspire.
from The Washington Post: A Passionate Editor Who Delighted In the Written Word, and Its Trappings
~~~~~~~~~~~
from The Washington Post: A Passionate Editor Who Delighted In the Written Word, and Its Trappings
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: Raymond Devos, a Belgian comic
whose whimsical wordplays entertained and delighted generations of French-speaking fans, died Thursday. He was 83.
from BBC News: Belgian comic Raymond Devos dies
~~~~~~~~~~~
from BBC News: Belgian comic Raymond Devos dies
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: Miss [Patricia J.] DeVito
loved animals. She cared for and raised Collie dogs. She enjoyed crafts, writing of all types to include poetry and songs.
from newzjunky.com: Patricia J. DeVito
~~~~~~~~~~~
from newzjunky.com: Patricia J. DeVito
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: Barbara Epstein,
co-editor and founder of the biweekly magazine The New York Review of Books, died the morning of June 16. The cause of death was lung cancer. She was 77.
from The New York Review of Books: Barbara Epstein, 1928-2006
~~~~~~~~~~~
from The New York Review of Books: Barbara Epstein, 1928-2006
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: For Kelly [Baker], the fact [Paul Mahoney]
her father could not finish didn’t matter--she would do it for him.
"When she told me she found the poem my heart stopped," Baker said of the phone call from her mother.
Marilyn Mahoney suggested her daughter, who had her father’s talent for writing, someday finish the poem.
from MetroWest Daily News: A father’s loving last words: Daughter finishes final poem, meant as gift for her
~~~~~~~~~~~
"When she told me she found the poem my heart stopped," Baker said of the phone call from her mother.
Marilyn Mahoney suggested her daughter, who had her father’s talent for writing, someday finish the poem.
from MetroWest Daily News: A father’s loving last words: Daughter finishes final poem, meant as gift for her
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: [Jose Guadalupe Rodriguez Melendez] was
a poet at heart and left pieces of writing in several notebooks. The works spoke of lost love, separation, faith, never losing hope and respect.
Yet it was evident that someone lacked respect for life Saturday night. The gunman changed the family's life in a way Rodriguez struggled to describe.
from San Bernardino County Sun: Dad slain on walk home
~~~~~~~~~~~
Yet it was evident that someone lacked respect for life Saturday night. The gunman changed the family's life in a way Rodriguez struggled to describe.
from San Bernardino County Sun: Dad slain on walk home
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: At the funeral of Napier poet
and retired english and drama teacher David Monrad in Napier's St John's Cathedral last Wednesday, a feature was the cross-section of people who had come to pay their last respects.
Although it was more than 30 years since health issues forced him into premature retirement from teaching at Napier Boys' High School, there were many who had come from those classroom days.
from Hawke's Bay Today: Former pupils never forgot teacher and poet
~~~~~~~~~~~
Although it was more than 30 years since health issues forced him into premature retirement from teaching at Napier Boys' High School, there were many who had come from those classroom days.
from Hawke's Bay Today: Former pupils never forgot teacher and poet
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: [Ndabezinhle Sigogo's] poetic genius
became evident when his numerous poems graced virtually all Ndebele poetry anthologies; Imbongi Zalamhla Layizolo, (1959), UGqozi Lwezimbongi (1973), Inkundla Yezimbongi (1979) Umdumo Wezinkondlo (1983) Ezivusa Usinga (1989), Giya Mthwakazi (1990), Izinkondlo Zalamhla (1996).
from Sunday News: Ndabezinhle Sigogo dies
~~~~~~~~~~~
from Sunday News: Ndabezinhle Sigogo dies
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: Noted Tamil poet and film
lyricist Subbu Rathinadasan popularly known as Suradha died here this morning after a prolonged illness. He was 83.
from News Today: Poet Suradha passes away
~~~~~~~~~~~
from News Today: Poet Suradha passes away
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: [Emerson Wulling] published 30
books and countless essays and poems on the press, called the Sumac Press, which was the longest running private press in the world, according to the Minnesota Historical Society.
from La Crosse Tribune: A life Remembered: Emerson and Jean Wulling
~~~~~~~~~~~
from La Crosse Tribune: A life Remembered: Emerson and Jean Wulling
~~~~~~~~~~~
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Midweek breaking Line: The announcement of Mr. [Donald] Hall's
appointment is to be made by James H. Billington, the Librarian of Congress. Mr. Billington said that he chose Mr. Hall because of "the sustained quality of his poetry, the reach and variety of things he talks about."
from The New York Times: Outspoken New Englander Is New Poet Laureate
~~~~~~~~~~~
If he attended poetry readings in 1989 with unblinkered eyes, he would watch twenty-year-olds undergoing quasi-religious emotions--one of whom, almost certainly, will write an essay in the 2020s telling the world that poetry is moldering in its grave.
Worship is not love. People who at the age of fifty deplore the death of poetry are the same people who in their twenties were "taught to exalt it."
from Daily Times: Purple Patch: Death to the death of poetry --Donald Hall
~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~
from The New York Times: Outspoken New Englander Is New Poet Laureate
~~~~~~~~~~~
If he attended poetry readings in 1989 with unblinkered eyes, he would watch twenty-year-olds undergoing quasi-religious emotions--one of whom, almost certainly, will write an essay in the 2020s telling the world that poetry is moldering in its grave.
Worship is not love. People who at the age of fifty deplore the death of poetry are the same people who in their twenties were "taught to exalt it."
from Daily Times: Purple Patch: Death to the death of poetry --Donald Hall
~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
June 13th forum announcement
Dear Poetry Fans,
Poetry & Poets in Rags
This week's News at Eleven could easily carry the title "The Life of a Poet," words lifted from our third, and really neat article on David Biespiel. Or rather, "Lives of Poets," because more than looking at their poetry, this week's news was, quite coincidentally or with sychronicity, flooded with their lives.
By the way, each article has a thematic link to the one that follows, so this is no top ten or eleven. I try for that linking, and love when I can do that throughout, getting a perseveration chain going from the headliner to the back page. The most hidden link is when going from Meghan O'Rourke's article on Elizabeth Bishop, to Karl Kirchwey's article on Seamus Heaney. But even this previous sentence is a hint. Two of those four poets are linked.
I've been too long-winded these past few weeks, so I will let you get to the reading. Some very fine articles in all sections, and some very fine poetry in Great Regulars.
Thank you.
Yours,
Rus
Our links:
IBPC: Poetry & Poets in Rags
Poetry & Poets in Rags Blogspot
IBPC Home
IBPC Newswire
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetry & Poets in Rags
This week's News at Eleven could easily carry the title "The Life of a Poet," words lifted from our third, and really neat article on David Biespiel. Or rather, "Lives of Poets," because more than looking at their poetry, this week's news was, quite coincidentally or with sychronicity, flooded with their lives.
By the way, each article has a thematic link to the one that follows, so this is no top ten or eleven. I try for that linking, and love when I can do that throughout, getting a perseveration chain going from the headliner to the back page. The most hidden link is when going from Meghan O'Rourke's article on Elizabeth Bishop, to Karl Kirchwey's article on Seamus Heaney. But even this previous sentence is a hint. Two of those four poets are linked.
I've been too long-winded these past few weeks, so I will let you get to the reading. Some very fine articles in all sections, and some very fine poetry in Great Regulars.
Thank you.
Yours,
Rus
Our links:
IBPC: Poetry & Poets in Rags
Poetry & Poets in Rags Blogspot
IBPC Home
IBPC Newswire
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven: If Ifeanyi Menkiti runs
his new business the way he writes poetry, the venerable Grolier Poetry Book Shop will display a new international flavor.
The Nigerian-born writer who teaches philosophy at Wellesley College purchased the nation’s oldest bookstore devoted exclusively to poetry in April from Louisa Solano.
from The Wellesley Townsman: Investing in the business of poetry
~~~~~~~~~~~
The Nigerian-born writer who teaches philosophy at Wellesley College purchased the nation’s oldest bookstore devoted exclusively to poetry in April from Louisa Solano.
from The Wellesley Townsman: Investing in the business of poetry
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven: It's as if I sculpted
a statue which remained in my studio and I passed it one morning and suddenly saw that I could do some more work on the head and neck, well, that's how I work.
from WNYC: Samuel Menashe: A Poet's House
~~~~~~~~~~~
from WNYC: Samuel Menashe: A Poet's House
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven: [David] Biespiel makes the commute
to OSU from Portland Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and when his is not on campus he is working at The Attic.
"He lives the life of a poet," [his wife Tricia] Snell said. "When we were younger I used to read everything, I was sort of his editor."
from Oregon State Daily Barometer: Living the life of a poet
~~~~~~~~~~~
"He lives the life of a poet," [his wife Tricia] Snell said. "When we were younger I used to read everything, I was sort of his editor."
from Oregon State Daily Barometer: Living the life of a poet
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven: [Robert Smylie] volunteered
for Army service soon after war broke out in 1914, even though he was 40 and married with three children.
A year later he wrote a poem for his three children telling them how he had survived so far and how he longed to be home.
from Sudbury Today: Dad's voice from Somme heart-rending 90 years on
~~~~~~~~~~~
A year later he wrote a poem for his three children telling them how he had survived so far and how he longed to be home.
from Sudbury Today: Dad's voice from Somme heart-rending 90 years on
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven: But the adjectives
are transformative rather than redundant, because they are deployed with such unorthodox precision--as in "tall, uncertain palms," or "feeble pink." Bishop uses adjectives not only to describe, but to anthropomorphize what she's looking at, so that what we see and what is seen are inextricably fused.
from Slate: Casual Perfection
~~~~~~~~~~~
from Slate: Casual Perfection
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven: Humans become,
and rightfully, expressions of that nature from which they have originated and to which, eventually, they must return. They leave behind them a supernatural trace that belongs to the poet, and then to all of his readers. Seamus Heaney has reached this point in his new book of poems.
from Philadelphia Inquirer: A poet circumnavigates his world with words
~~~~~~~~~~~
from Philadelphia Inquirer: A poet circumnavigates his world with words
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven: One day in Verona
Dante was passing a gateway where a group of women were sitting, and one of them said to the others, quietly, yet so that Dante and his company could hear: "Isn't that the man who goes down to Hell, and comes back when it pleases him, and brings back news of them below?"
from The Guardian: The man who goes to Hell
~~~~~~~~~~~
from The Guardian: The man who goes to Hell
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven: Instead, he called it
Who The Hell Is Stew Albert? Who indeed? The title is a quote from Howard Stern, who once responded with that question when one of his on-air gang started talking about Stew as if everyone in the world knew who he was.
from MR Zine: Stirring the Pot: Remembering Stew Albert--1939-2006
~~~~~~~~~~~
from MR Zine: Stirring the Pot: Remembering Stew Albert--1939-2006
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven: I think reclaiming is
an ambitious agenda--if you're beginning to write a poem, will you actually be reclaiming the rights to a land or a nation and other rights to citizenship? So I think the work succeeds more when it's about illuminating this detachment.
from The Electronic Intifada: Interview with Suheir Hammad
~~~~~~~~~~~
from The Electronic Intifada: Interview with Suheir Hammad
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven: One night in 1996,
while attending a gathering at a German diplomat's home, she [Simin Behbahani] was hauled off to jail. "I was slapped around, blindfolded and taken to prison," she recalled. "We were released the next morning. They led us out and dropped us in the middle of the street with our blindfolds still tied."
from The Washington Post: A Poet Who 'Never Sold Her Pen or Soul'
~~~~~~~~~~~
from The Washington Post: A Poet Who 'Never Sold Her Pen or Soul'
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven (Back Page): A legally blind poet [Elizabeth Goldring]
at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has designed a "seeing machine" that allows people with limited vision to see faces of friends, read or study the layouts of buildings they intend to visit.
from Reuters: "Seeing machine" offers legally blind view of world
~~~~~~~~~~~
from Reuters: "Seeing machine" offers legally blind view of world
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: It's no wonder, then,
that one of his [Ed Starkey's] recent books, "Ninety-Nine Whimsical Juvenile Witticisms," reflects the wit and wisdom of a man who has enjoyed a life surrounded by children. The poem, "Higher Altitude" comes from this collection of "Juvenile Witticisms."
from Bill Diskin: York Daily Record: Poetryork:
~~~~~~~~~~~
from Bill Diskin: York Daily Record: Poetryork:
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: Here is a bouquet of poems
about the lilacs that bless us every year with their abundance. Treasure every minute of their blossoming.
She Says
from Elizabeth W. Garber: Village Soup: A Year of Poetry from a Wealth of Maine Poets: The blessing of lilacs
~~~~~~~~~~~
She Says
from Elizabeth W. Garber: Village Soup: A Year of Poetry from a Wealth of Maine Poets: The blessing of lilacs
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: Remember those Degas paintings
of the ballet dancers? Here is a similar figure study, in muted color, but in this instance made of words, not pigment. As this poem by David Tucker closes, I can feel myself holding my breath as if to help the dancer hold her position.
from Ted Kooser: American Life in Poetry: Column 063
~~~~~~~~~~~
from Ted Kooser: American Life in Poetry: Column 063
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: The very triteness of
"ye sometimes have t'roam/Afore ye really 'preciate the things ye lef' behind," the very flatness of "It don't make any differunce how rich ye get t' be" makes those phrases more reassuring, more comfortable than any lines I can think of by [Edgar] Guest's contemporaries Wallace Stevens and Marianne Moore.
from Robert Pinsky: The Washington Post: Poet's Choice
~~~~~~~~~~~
from Robert Pinsky: The Washington Post: Poet's Choice
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: Both C R Das and his father
Bhuban Mohan Das were financially ruined and had to seek the relief of the Insolvency Court in 1906. What is amazing is that as soon as his circumstances permitted it, C R Das took the unusual procedure of applying for the annulment of the Insolvency Order and paid back the entire amount of his and his father's debts. The debts had become time barred, but C R Das considered himself under a moral obligation to repay them.
from V Sundaram: News Today: The great Deshbandhu Das
~~~~~~~~~~~
from V Sundaram: News Today: The great Deshbandhu Das
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: I could not understand why
one arbitrary symbol (a symbol apparently entirely devoid of any religious or philosophical significance) should thus be sprinkled all over my nice walls like a sort of smallpox. The Bible must be referring to wallpapers, I think, when it says, "Use not vain repetitions, as the Gentiles do."
from Daily Times: Purple Patch: Lying in bed --Gk Chesterton
~~~~~~~~~~~
from Daily Times: Purple Patch: Lying in bed --Gk Chesterton
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: Here I want to posit
three roles a poem may take, and to suggest that one of these roles accounts for the stance a poem takes. I offer these three stances not to head off the proper surprise of a new poem but as an exercise in resilience, the way you might strengthen your eyesight by looking at objects near, middling, and far in regular succession.
from Daily Times: Purple Patch: Reasons for poetry --William Meredith
~~~~~~~~~~~
from Daily Times: Purple Patch: Reasons for poetry --William Meredith
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: Nevertheless, there is little
difficulty or danger in suggesting that the “thousand profound scholars” may have failed first, because they were scholars; secondly, because they were profound; and thirdly, because they were a thousand-the impotency of the scholarship and profundity having been thus multiplied a thousand fold.
from Daily Times: Purple Patch: Rationale of verse --Edgar Allan Poe
~~~~~~~~~~~
from Daily Times: Purple Patch: Rationale of verse --Edgar Allan Poe
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: Jockeys, a Perspective
by Roger McGough
from The Guardian: Original poetry: Jockeys, a Perspective by Roger McGough
~~~~~~~~~~~
from The Guardian: Original poetry: Jockeys, a Perspective by Roger McGough
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: Play with imagery as if
you are a sculptor creating an installation from found objects or a painter with a primed canvas. The sun is shining through your window, casting panels of light on the paper. Concentrate until you can no longer hear distracting noises.
from The Guardian: Poetry Workshop: Pascale Petit's workshop
~~~~~~~~~~~
from The Guardian: Poetry Workshop: Pascale Petit's workshop
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: [Peter 'Champ' Clark] was the charter
editor of the Xavier University Herald , Xavier Alumni Voice and Xavier Poetry Society. He broke many racial barriers in the city and state by becoming the first African American radio talk show host in Louisiana.
from Louisiana Weekly: Peter 'Champ' Clark, pioneering black journalist, author, dies
~~~~~~~~~~~
from Louisiana Weekly: Peter 'Champ' Clark, pioneering black journalist, author, dies
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: [Lee Duffy] had last been seen
at 10am the day before the fire.
Deputy coroner Alan Walsh said investigating officers had discovered graffiti written on the walls, such as "Lee Duffy dead", "You can run but you can't hide", and a poem by Mr Duffy called Prison Boy which referred to people finding him dead.
from This Is Lancashire: Drug addict died in home blaze
~~~~~~~~~~~
Deputy coroner Alan Walsh said investigating officers had discovered graffiti written on the walls, such as "Lee Duffy dead", "You can run but you can't hide", and a poem by Mr Duffy called Prison Boy which referred to people finding him dead.
from This Is Lancashire: Drug addict died in home blaze
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: Dean said his brother [Martin Evans],
a former Tonyrefail Comprehensive pupil, was 'brilliant at sport, always picked for everything.'
'Martin was like a Del Boy, always taking the mick out of everybody,' he said.
'He found it hard putting things into words, but he found it easy writing poems.
from icWales: Hanged man was due to become a dad
~~~~~~~~~~~
'Martin was like a Del Boy, always taking the mick out of everybody,' he said.
'He found it hard putting things into words, but he found it easy writing poems.
from icWales: Hanged man was due to become a dad
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: A firebrand as a speaker
and writer trained in the language of Sanskrit and classical Bengali, yet proudly articulate in the language of the common man and woman, my mother [Suraiya Khanum] courageously held on to her public identity as a poet and scholar and champion of the underprivileged in society. Her book of poems in Bengali, Nacher Shobtho (The Sound of Dance), was a revolutionary piece of writing that continues to be regarded as one of the best Bengali works in the poetic genre.
from The New Nation: Tribute to Poet Suraiya Khanum
~~~~~~~~~~~
from The New Nation: Tribute to Poet Suraiya Khanum
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: Not many of us knew
till later that [Zafar] Samdani was also a poet, and was part of Lahore's literary circle and the Tea House crowd before he wandered into journalism. He was a civilised, gentlemanly journalist, but will also be remembered as the quintessential Lahori.
from AsiaMedia: Zafar Samdani--a versatile writer
~~~~~~~~~~~
from AsiaMedia: Zafar Samdani--a versatile writer
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: [Maria Luisa Spaziani] added:
"I wrote regular pieces for Nuovi Argomenti and I always found him to be a highly sensitive and receptive reader and editor" .
Italian President Giorgio Napolitano said [Enzo] Siciliano "took a leading part in that laboratory of ideas which marked, with a quality recognised in Europe and the rest of the world, our country's artistic and literary life".
from ANSA: Writer Enzo Siciliano dies
~~~~~~~~~~~
Italian President Giorgio Napolitano said [Enzo] Siciliano "took a leading part in that laboratory of ideas which marked, with a quality recognised in Europe and the rest of the world, our country's artistic and literary life".
from ANSA: Writer Enzo Siciliano dies
~~~~~~~~~~~
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
June 6th forum announcement
Dear Poetry Fans,
Poetry & Poets in Rags
Congratulations to our IBPC winners: Ryan Laks, 'Lo Qi' at The Versifier Online Poetry and Art Forum, on his first; Millard R. Howington, just 'Millard' at South Carolina Writers Workshop, for second; Gary Charles Wilkens, 'G.Wilkens' at Poets.org, for third; and, for the HM, G. Lupino (id est G. Lupino) from The Critical Poet.
David Biespiel, has been wonderful, to take on the task of judging three months running. Problem is, he's helping us catch up from a month that two other judges didn't fill. So he judges three months, and yet is on our marquee for two. And we in the online community of poets are so very fortunate to have such an esteemed and gifted poet/editor to join us, and read these poems for us. As I write, I am awaiting the first issue of Poetry Northwest, the great publication he has revived and is now Editor of. Once I have it, I will then begin my collection of all the new Poetry Northwests. Get on board with me. Here is where to subscribe: "Necessary Reading... Don’t Miss a Single Issue."
Sometimes I look at News at Eleven, and wonder how in the world I selected so many items from the USA, even the Northeast. Am I being socio-centric? Or is it just that so much about literature gets published in America? Well, I don't have to worry about that this week. The correct perspective might just put the world capital of poetry somewhere in Yemen, where one of our articles comes from. But, we shall begin with the state of culture in Iraq, and continue our trip around the world from there.
We have some gems in Great Regulars this week, a Billy Collins poem comes by way of the UK for us. Plus two additions. It's been a while since I've linked to Jeff Baker's column at The Oregonian. Before we had a Great Regulars section, he was one. So now that he's writing poetry articles again, he is one. And since his name comes early in the alphabet, he leads Great Regulars off. Finishing the section this week, is a poem from The Times Literary Supplement. As of this week, any time I catch a poem in TLS, it will be in this section.
By the way, it's becoming a cult thing. Have you taken Sarah's quiz?
Yours,
Rus
Our links:
IBPC: Poetry & Poets in Rags
Poetry & Poets in Rags Blogspot
IBPC Home
IBPC Newswire
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetry & Poets in Rags
Congratulations to our IBPC winners: Ryan Laks, 'Lo Qi' at The Versifier Online Poetry and Art Forum, on his first; Millard R. Howington, just 'Millard' at South Carolina Writers Workshop, for second; Gary Charles Wilkens, 'G.Wilkens' at Poets.org, for third; and, for the HM, G. Lupino (id est G. Lupino) from The Critical Poet.
David Biespiel, has been wonderful, to take on the task of judging three months running. Problem is, he's helping us catch up from a month that two other judges didn't fill. So he judges three months, and yet is on our marquee for two. And we in the online community of poets are so very fortunate to have such an esteemed and gifted poet/editor to join us, and read these poems for us. As I write, I am awaiting the first issue of Poetry Northwest, the great publication he has revived and is now Editor of. Once I have it, I will then begin my collection of all the new Poetry Northwests. Get on board with me. Here is where to subscribe: "Necessary Reading... Don’t Miss a Single Issue."
Sometimes I look at News at Eleven, and wonder how in the world I selected so many items from the USA, even the Northeast. Am I being socio-centric? Or is it just that so much about literature gets published in America? Well, I don't have to worry about that this week. The correct perspective might just put the world capital of poetry somewhere in Yemen, where one of our articles comes from. But, we shall begin with the state of culture in Iraq, and continue our trip around the world from there.
We have some gems in Great Regulars this week, a Billy Collins poem comes by way of the UK for us. Plus two additions. It's been a while since I've linked to Jeff Baker's column at The Oregonian. Before we had a Great Regulars section, he was one. So now that he's writing poetry articles again, he is one. And since his name comes early in the alphabet, he leads Great Regulars off. Finishing the section this week, is a poem from The Times Literary Supplement. As of this week, any time I catch a poem in TLS, it will be in this section.
By the way, it's becoming a cult thing. Have you taken Sarah's quiz?
Yours,
Rus
Our links:
IBPC: Poetry & Poets in Rags
Poetry & Poets in Rags Blogspot
IBPC Home
IBPC Newswire
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven: The poet is powerful
and deserves to be translated in full:
"Where Shall I Write your Name????"
I wrote the letters of your name in the sand, and they were washed away by the rain.
And I wrote them on the roads, and they were wiped away by feet.
And I wrote them in the air, and they were blown away by the wind.
And then I wrote them on people's faces, and they were lost to me.
I wrote them as tunes, and they flew away from me.
And again I wrote them in days, but the years erased them.
Shall I write it in the depths so it shall continue to pulse through the veins?
I wonder: Where shall I write your name??
from The Middle East Media Research Institute: Inquiry & Analysis Series--No. 279
~~~~~~~~~~~
"Where Shall I Write your Name????"
I wrote the letters of your name in the sand, and they were washed away by the rain.
And I wrote them on the roads, and they were wiped away by feet.
And I wrote them in the air, and they were blown away by the wind.
And then I wrote them on people's faces, and they were lost to me.
I wrote them as tunes, and they flew away from me.
And again I wrote them in days, but the years erased them.
Shall I write it in the depths so it shall continue to pulse through the veins?
I wonder: Where shall I write your name??
from The Middle East Media Research Institute: Inquiry & Analysis Series--No. 279
~~~~~~~~~~~
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