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Tuesday, October 31, 2006
October 31st forum announcement
Happy Halloween, Poetry Fans,
Poetry & Poets in Rags
We have some Halloween poetry in the mix. Unfortunately, we have some blood-curdling Poetic Obituaries as well. A beautiful young poet's head was found in a pot in the French Quarter.
Our obits are full again. Sixteen if my count is right. In one, we in the online community find ourselves mourning the passing of Sandi Blakemore-Baig, or Giggster, the name she often signed on with.
News at Eleven was very difficult to select. As I do when the going gets tough, I decided to use articles with poems in them. This became problematic, because there was so much else newsworthy. Here we are with a total of 48 articles for one issue, and I am cutting great stuff. But, I decided to be sure the headliners were there, along with looks at both the dead poets, and the living ones.
Great Regulars is so huge it's scary. Included are articles by our friends Linda Sue Grimes (who offered to help the IBPCommunity following Katrina when we needed it) and Robert Pinsky (who has helped IBPC line up quality judges, some to come next year), former judges Sarah Crown and Frank Wilson, and current judge David Kirby, this time with an item in Newsday.
We also have two promising new Great Regulars. Check out The Scotman's Poem of the Week and The Santiago Times editor Cate Setterfield with Chile's Poets in Translation (guess).
Yours,
Rus
Our links:
IBPC: Poetry & Poets in Rags
Poetry & Poets in Rags Blog
IBPC Home
IBPC Newswire
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetry & Poets in Rags
We have some Halloween poetry in the mix. Unfortunately, we have some blood-curdling Poetic Obituaries as well. A beautiful young poet's head was found in a pot in the French Quarter.
Our obits are full again. Sixteen if my count is right. In one, we in the online community find ourselves mourning the passing of Sandi Blakemore-Baig, or Giggster, the name she often signed on with.
News at Eleven was very difficult to select. As I do when the going gets tough, I decided to use articles with poems in them. This became problematic, because there was so much else newsworthy. Here we are with a total of 48 articles for one issue, and I am cutting great stuff. But, I decided to be sure the headliners were there, along with looks at both the dead poets, and the living ones.
Great Regulars is so huge it's scary. Included are articles by our friends Linda Sue Grimes (who offered to help the IBPCommunity following Katrina when we needed it) and Robert Pinsky (who has helped IBPC line up quality judges, some to come next year), former judges Sarah Crown and Frank Wilson, and current judge David Kirby, this time with an item in Newsday.
We also have two promising new Great Regulars. Check out The Scotman's Poem of the Week and The Santiago Times editor Cate Setterfield with Chile's Poets in Translation (guess).
Yours,
Rus
Our links:
IBPC: Poetry & Poets in Rags
Poetry & Poets in Rags Blog
IBPC Home
IBPC Newswire
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven: The poets and verse
associated with Queen's University in Belfast are celebrated in a new anthology, edited by Franks Ormsby.
Among the writers featured are Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney, Philip Larkin and John Hewitt. Below are a selection of the [five] poems included in the book, The Blackbird's Nest.
Church Going, by Philip Larkin
from BBC News: Poetry from The Blackbird's Nest
~~~~~~~~~~~
Among the writers featured are Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney, Philip Larkin and John Hewitt. Below are a selection of the [five] poems included in the book, The Blackbird's Nest.
Church Going, by Philip Larkin
from BBC News: Poetry from The Blackbird's Nest
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven: They were astonished. This is
on a par with the section in The Dynasts where he [Thomas Hardy] considers the effect of troop movements at Waterloo on the local hedgehogs, moles and snails, or with his refusal to have the trees round his house lopped because it would hurt them, or with the tea parties he gave for the neighbourhood cats.
from The Sunday Times: Down among the women
~~~~~~~~~~~
from The Sunday Times: Down among the women
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven: [Tomas] Tranströmer has said "My poems
are meeting places." The metaphor is persuasive, and singularly apt. He is interested, as all poets are, in epiphanies: the moments of sudden, spiritual manifestation where we are aware of an intimate connection being made with our landscape, our history, or with each other.
from The Guardian: Meeting of minds
~~~~~~~~~~~
from The Guardian: Meeting of minds
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven: What [Don] Paterson has done,
simple as it might sound, is make quite clear the ways in which [Rainer Maria] Rilke's sonnets are actually extraordinary poems rather than the cluttered and vapid musings of an aspiring mystic.
from The Guardian: Finally found in translation
~~~~~~~~~~~
from The Guardian: Finally found in translation
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven: [Anna] Journey said the sonnet,
written in 1955 when [Sylvia] Plath was a senior at Smith College, demonstrates the disciplined hard work that Plath undertook in her early years to prepare herself for a life as a poet.
from Richmond Times-Dispatch: Unpublished Plath poem to appear online
~~~~~~~~~~~
from Richmond Times-Dispatch: Unpublished Plath poem to appear online
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven: "Those were the poets," she [Sharon Olds] says,
"whose lives I loved and whose work I loved. Although I felt, once I read her, that Plath was a great genius, with an IQ of at least double mine, and though I had great fellow feeling for Anne Sexton being the woman in that world, their steps were not steps I wanted to put my feet in."
from The Independent: Sharon Olds: Blood, sweat and fears
~~~~~~~~~~~
from The Independent: Sharon Olds: Blood, sweat and fears
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven: Despite [Hart] Crane's "genuine and deep
admiration for Mr. Eliot's work," as he explains in a letter to Louis Untermeyer, the goal of his own poem "For the Marriage of Faustus and Helen" is to "erect an almost antithetical spiritual attitude to the pessimism of The Waste Land . . . It has been my conviction . . . that ecstasy and beauty are as possible to the active imagination now as ever. (What did Blake have from the 'outside' to excite him?)"
from The Washington Times: Poet whose life was short but whose poems endure
~~~~~~~~~~~
from The Washington Times: Poet whose life was short but whose poems endure
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven: "Cité Sportif"
is a documentary of a society where violence and leisure run together: "the flat soles cushioned,/the Uzi clips were shucked". Nightmarish montage concludes in a lucid dream of a members-only afterlife: "A dining club door squelches back to let him pass".
from The Guardian: Plotting some reality
~~~~~~~~~~~
from The Guardian: Plotting some reality
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven: White Swan Road
By Thomas Summers
from Straus Newspapers: Vernonite's book published after winning poetry prize
~~~~~~~~~~~
from Straus Newspapers: Vernonite's book published after winning poetry prize
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven (Back Page): "Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror"
is 15 pages of beautiful poetry made even more beautiful by the fact that it inspires in readers a rare artistic synesthesia that less ambitious works couldn't bring about. Therefore, I'm sharing this with you for nothing but sheer, crosshatching pleasure.
from The Stranger: Sheer, Crosshatching Pleasure
~~~~~~~~~~~
from The Stranger: Sheer, Crosshatching Pleasure
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: The wretched details of prison life--
"early morning yells/exchanged like ritual blows", the "click of the guard's shoe" that "cannot quite catch up with/its metal tip"--are vividly realised, but it is at the points where [Tim] Liardet's language begins to tug against the reality he portrays that his poems come alive on the page.
from Sarah Crown: The Guardian: He's got form, sarge
~~~~~~~~~~~
from Sarah Crown: The Guardian: He's got form, sarge
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: Young Mothers
[by Wendy Matarese ]
from Bill Diskin: York Daily Record: Poetryork: Poet's book comforts domestic violence victims
~~~~~~~~~~~
from Bill Diskin: York Daily Record: Poetryork: Poet's book comforts domestic violence victims
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: [Robert] Farnsworth teaches writing
and literature at Bates College and lives with his wife and two sons in Lewiston.
Toward Hallowe'en
from Elizabeth W. Garber: The Free Press Online!: A Year of Poetry from a Wealth of Maine Poets: As the Last Leaves Drop Us Into Awe (scroll down)
~~~~~~~~~~~
Toward Hallowe'en
from Elizabeth W. Garber: The Free Press Online!: A Year of Poetry from a Wealth of Maine Poets: As the Last Leaves Drop Us Into Awe (scroll down)
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: Emily Dickinson took the study of pain
very seriously, as she analyzed and dramatized it effects in her poetry.
Dickinson's poem, “After great pain” dramatizes for the human reaction to pain. No doubt, her own suffering prompted her to examine that phenomenon. She examined so she could understand, and her poem help us understand our own human predicament:
After great pain, a formal feeling comes --
from Linda Sue Grimes: BellaOnline: Emily Dickinson--Transcending Pain
~~~~~~~~~~~
Dickinson's poem, “After great pain” dramatizes for the human reaction to pain. No doubt, her own suffering prompted her to examine that phenomenon. She examined so she could understand, and her poem help us understand our own human predicament:
After great pain, a formal feeling comes --
from Linda Sue Grimes: BellaOnline: Emily Dickinson--Transcending Pain
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: Poem: "Anger"
by C.K. Williams, from Love About Love.
from Garrison Keillor: The Writer's Almanac: For the week of October 30, 2006
~~~~~~~~~~~
from Garrison Keillor: The Writer's Almanac: For the week of October 30, 2006
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: [Allen] Ginsberg's poetry
has the earmarks of what Columbia professor Edward Mendelson has called "encyclopedic" writing (full range of cultural knowledge, commentary on statecraft, starting point of exile or illegality, giants and gigantism, etc.), which also means it's going to be good and bad in about equal measure, since everything goes into an encyclopedia.
from David Kirby: Newsday: His Beat Goes on
~~~~~~~~~~~
from David Kirby: Newsday: His Beat Goes on
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: Poems of simple pleasure,
poems of quiet celebration, well, they aren't anything like those poems we were asked to wrestle with in high school, our teachers insisting that we get a headlock on THE MEANING. This one by Dale Ritterbusch of Wisconsin is more my cup of tea.
from Ted Kooser: American Life in Poetry: Column 083
~~~~~~~~~~~
from Ted Kooser: American Life in Poetry: Column 083
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: My favorite poem
for Halloween was written in the 16th century: the hundredth poem in "Caelica," a book-length sequence composed over a lifetime by Fulke Greville (1554-1628). He was Lord Brooke, an eminent statesman under Elizabeth I and James I, and a close friend of his fellow poet Philip Sidney.
from Robert Pinsky: The Washington Post: Poet's Choice
~~~~~~~~~~~
from Robert Pinsky: The Washington Post: Poet's Choice
~~~~~~~~~~~
(New to) Great Regulars: In "Discoverers of Chile," Neruda's
contrasting interests are very much evident; we see his lovingly depicted nature scenes, his vision of an unblemished America, and his anger at the destruction of the land by colonisers.
Descubridores de Chile
By Pablo Neruda
from Cate Setterfield: The Santiago Times: Chile's Poets in Translation: Pablo Neruda
~~~~~~~~~~~
Descubridores de Chile
By Pablo Neruda
from Cate Setterfield: The Santiago Times: Chile's Poets in Translation: Pablo Neruda
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: The word 'Upanishad' is derived
from Sanskrit word 'Upa' (Near), 'Ni' (Down), and 'Shad' (to sit). Groups of people sat neat the teacher in ancient India to learn from him the truth by which ignorance is destroyed. There are over 200 Upanishads, although the traditional number is 108.
from V Sundaram: News Today: Timeless universality--II
~~~~~~~~~~~
from V Sundaram: News Today: Timeless universality--II
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: Atheists are unlikely
to be persuaded by [Francis S.] Collins or [Owen] Gingerich, and [Richard] Dawkins is deluding himself if he thinks The God Delusion would impress any reasonably informed theist. He seems completely unaware, for example, of the works of the great mystics, or of seminal works such as Rudolf Otto's The Idea of the Holy. His characterization of God and religion amounts to caricature.
from Frank Wilson: Philadelphia Inquirer: Three scientists take on religion
~~~~~~~~~~~
from Frank Wilson: Philadelphia Inquirer: Three scientists take on religion
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: "In my own poetry, I remain
fascinated by form and language, and desire always to get a rhythm going that works," [Douglas] Barbour says. "I wanted to play out the possibilities inherent in the term/idea 'gap.' The commercialization of life also played a part; what gaps are and how some become abysses in our lives. . . ."
from Edmonton Journal: The Poetry Project
~~~~~~~~~~~
from Edmonton Journal: The Poetry Project
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: In this poem, [Meghan] Harford
uses a mix of allusions, contrasting a potentially dangerous direction portrayed through Greek myth, with a hope for a safer course, or salvation, through the Christian mythos. Using very well-known stories (the Sirens and the Crucifixion) ensures that most readers will understand the references.
from Portsmouth Herald News: Spotlight Poems from the Hoot
~~~~~~~~~~~
from Portsmouth Herald News: Spotlight Poems from the Hoot
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: Laura [L. Andraschko] loved being with her family,
especially her precious son Bobby. She enjoyed cooking and was always creating a new dish for family gatherings.
She was an avid reader and enjoyed writing poetry. One of her favorite poems follows:
For Bear Bear
from Appleton Post-Crescent: Andraschko, Laura L.
~~~~~~~~~~~
She was an avid reader and enjoyed writing poetry. One of her favorite poems follows:
For Bear Bear
from Appleton Post-Crescent: Andraschko, Laura L.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: Described by family members as a poet,
painter, sketch artist, lecturer, voracious nonfiction reader and a "big ham" who could "tell stories about anything," Mr. [Lionel] Ashcroft authored books on filmmaking in Marin County and the history of San Quentin. He was past president of the Marin County Historical Society.
from Marin Independent Journal: Lionel Ashcroft, 1931-2006: Historian was steadfast in his support of San Rafael
~~~~~~~~~~~
from Marin Independent Journal: Lionel Ashcroft, 1931-2006: Historian was steadfast in his support of San Rafael
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: [Raymond Barrow] had an uncanny knack
for words and put them to good use when he wrote several poems as part of his anthology. Several Belizean children have recited his poems and sadly, hundreds more along with poets of today didn't have the slightest idea who Raymond Barrow was.
from The Reporter: Raymond Barrow--attorney & Prolific poet dies at 86
~~~~~~~~~~~
from The Reporter: Raymond Barrow--attorney & Prolific poet dies at 86
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: The poet Francis Berry, who has died
aged 91, found an audience, as John Milton put it, "fit... though few", and outlived his most fervent admirers. A professor of English at Sheffield University (1967-70) and the professor of English at the University of London's Royal Holloway College (1970-80) he was best known for his narrative and dramatic poems.
from The Guardian: Francis Berry
~~~~~~~~~~~
from The Guardian: Francis Berry
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: Sandi [Blakemore-Baig] was a friend
of mine. Today, this world became too much for her and she shot herself. This board will miss the wonderful poetry of our giggster, the searching analyses she gave us, and the oh-so-human being we have lost.
from The Critical Poet: Sandi Blakemore-Baig--RIP, October 29th, 2006
~~~~~~~~~~~
from The Critical Poet: Sandi Blakemore-Baig--RIP, October 29th, 2006
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: [Carl Clark's] family says that
he was a good kid who lost his life by the hand of a gun. Now the once poet will never write again.
Detectives say they are still investigating and need help from the public.
from WWAY NewsChannel 3: Man gunned down on street, police investigating
~~~~~~~~~~~
Detectives say they are still investigating and need help from the public.
from WWAY NewsChannel 3: Man gunned down on street, police investigating
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: [Leon Cooper] "used to love literature
as well and his love of poetry has inspired me to start doing some recently.
"Three weeks before he died he seemed to be doing much better, but then a week later he got worse again."
from Trinity Mirror Southern: Actor killed himself after health battle
~~~~~~~~~~~
"Three weeks before he died he seemed to be doing much better, but then a week later he got worse again."
from Trinity Mirror Southern: Actor killed himself after health battle
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: Shayna Ornellas, a senior at Eagle Valley High School, said
[Josesh] Creek had a tough-guy facade, but was a completely different person once you got to know him. He was a talented poet and artist, she said.
"He was a good person," she said. "He had a funny personality. He was a lot of fun to hang around."
from Vail Daily: Eagle teen struck, killed by ambulance
~~~~~~~~~~~
"He was a good person," she said. "He had a funny personality. He was a lot of fun to hang around."
from Vail Daily: Eagle teen struck, killed by ambulance
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: "Through [supporting] music, politics,
and social issues, Daddy was able to improve the lives of thousands of people," says [Askia Moshe] Hale.
[Ebon] Dooley was also a writer who published a collection of poetry, Revolution: A Poem in 1968 on Third World Press.
from Creative Loafing: Radio silence: WRFG's broadcast director Ebon Dooley dies
~~~~~~~~~~~
[Ebon] Dooley was also a writer who published a collection of poetry, Revolution: A Poem in 1968 on Third World Press.
from Creative Loafing: Radio silence: WRFG's broadcast director Ebon Dooley dies
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: On Tuesday, [Zackery] Bowen jumped
to his death from the Omni Royal Orleans Hotel, leaving a note in his pocket in which he confessed to killing [Adriane "Addie"] Hall on Oct. 5. When police went to the North Rampart Street apartment Bowen listed in his suicide note, they found a dismembered and cooked corpse, body parts in the oven, on the stovetop and in the refrigerator.
A poet and dancer
from The Times-Picayune: In Quarter, victim's artistic side shined
~~~~~~~~~~~
A poet and dancer
from The Times-Picayune: In Quarter, victim's artistic side shined
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: The demise of prominent artist, art critic,
poet, and art teacher Syed Liaquat Husain (SL Hussain) has been condoled by his colleagues, friends and artists, writers and intellectuals.
The people are justified in raising a really pertinent question: why did a former Art Director of the Arts Council, an art teacher, and a man whose works’ solo exhibitions and groups exhibition had been held not only in Pakistan, but abroad, including Dubai and India, have to die amid such pitiable conditions.
from The News: An illustrious artist who died amid privations
~~~~~~~~~~~
The people are justified in raising a really pertinent question: why did a former Art Director of the Arts Council, an art teacher, and a man whose works’ solo exhibitions and groups exhibition had been held not only in Pakistan, but abroad, including Dubai and India, have to die amid such pitiable conditions.
from The News: An illustrious artist who died amid privations
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: [Laura D. "Her Highness" Janz] was born
July 9, 1985, in Painesville.
She enjoyed electronics and working on her car. She also loved writing poems and fishing, but most of all she loved spending time with her son, Devin.
from The News-Herald: Laura D. "Her Highness" Janz
~~~~~~~~~~~
She enjoyed electronics and working on her car. She also loved writing poems and fishing, but most of all she loved spending time with her son, Devin.
from The News-Herald: Laura D. "Her Highness" Janz
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: Renowned poet and columnist Zia-ul-Qasmi
who passed away in Karachi on Wednesday night due to cardiac arrest has been laid to rest in Guilistan-e-Jauhar graveyard here today.
from Pakistan Times: Noted Pakistani poet Zia-ul-Haq Qasmi passes away
~~~~~~~~~~~
from Pakistan Times: Noted Pakistani poet Zia-ul-Haq Qasmi passes away
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: Robert Rosenberg, author, poet,
Internet pioneer and journalist, died of cancer Wednesday in Tel Aviv. He was 54.
from Haaretz: Journalist and Internet pioneer Robert Rosenberg dies at 54
~~~~~~~~~~~
from Haaretz: Journalist and Internet pioneer Robert Rosenberg dies at 54
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: Mrs. [Dorreen] Ward, who was widely known
in the community as "Nana Dot", was a nurse for more than 30 years and a keen writer of poetry. Mrs Jenkins said she had penned a verse of thanks to the hospital staff on her ward just days before her death which they had pinned to the wall.
from York Press: Death of a crime victim
~~~~~~~~~~~
from York Press: Death of a crime victim
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: [Brad] Will, 36, of South Williamsburg,
was killed while reporting for the independent media organization Indymedia.org. Friends described him Saturday as a talented poet, singer, filmmaker and writer dedicated to exposing injustice.
from Newsday: Slain journalist remembered as courageous activist
~~~~~~~~~~~
from Newsday: Slain journalist remembered as courageous activist
~~~~~~~~~~~
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
October 24th forum announcement
Dear Poetry Fans,
Poetry & Poets in Rags
Our headliner is a link to just one of a section of poetry articles from New Statesman. There begins our series of thoughtful and thought-provoking articles from around the globe. This is an excellent week for poetry in the news.
I leave the surfing for you to get to, except to mention what might not be obvious, that there are poems in the Poetic Obituaries this week, and what will become obvious, that that section is longer than ever. While on the subject of the obituaries of poets, note the important and excellent contribution the LA Times consistenty, consciously, and conscientiously makes.
Thanks very much for clicking in. And stay tuned for some real fine developments at IBPC. News that has been leaking will be breaking soon--and more good things, as usual, are in the works.
Yours,
Rus
Our links:
IBPC: Poetry & Poets in Rags
Poetry & Poets in Rags Blog
IBPC Home
IBPC Newswire
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetry & Poets in Rags
Our headliner is a link to just one of a section of poetry articles from New Statesman. There begins our series of thoughtful and thought-provoking articles from around the globe. This is an excellent week for poetry in the news.
I leave the surfing for you to get to, except to mention what might not be obvious, that there are poems in the Poetic Obituaries this week, and what will become obvious, that that section is longer than ever. While on the subject of the obituaries of poets, note the important and excellent contribution the LA Times consistenty, consciously, and conscientiously makes.
Thanks very much for clicking in. And stay tuned for some real fine developments at IBPC. News that has been leaking will be breaking soon--and more good things, as usual, are in the works.
Yours,
Rus
Our links:
IBPC: Poetry & Poets in Rags
Poetry & Poets in Rags Blog
IBPC Home
IBPC Newswire
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven: Bookshops have drastically reduced
their ranges of poetry. Publishers have scrapped or shortened their poetry lists and are taking on very few new authors. Small presses have folded. Yet, paradoxically, public interest in poetry has never been higher.
from New Statesman: Give poetry back to people
~~~~~~~~~~~
from New Statesman: Give poetry back to people
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven: "Ruth Lilly gave this wonderful gift
to the poetry world, and our job is to protect that gift," said John Barr, president of the Poetry Foundation, who estimated that the charities lost $100 million because of investments not made by National City.
The appellate judges upheld a ruling by Marion Superior Court, Probate Division, that endorsed the bank's plans for Lilly's estate, which oversees two charitable trusts in Ruth Lilly's name.
from The Indianapolis Star: 2 charities lose in Lilly estate ruling
~~~~~~~~~~~
The appellate judges upheld a ruling by Marion Superior Court, Probate Division, that endorsed the bank's plans for Lilly's estate, which oversees two charitable trusts in Ruth Lilly's name.
from The Indianapolis Star: 2 charities lose in Lilly estate ruling
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven: A minor government officer in Southwest China
has been arrested for mocking officials in mobile and internet messages, reported Friday's The Beijing News.
Qin Zhongfei, an official with the Pengshui county education commission in Chongqing, sent a satirical poem to several friends by phone and internet in August.
from China Daily: Man arrested for satirical poem about officials
~~~~~~~~~~~
Qin Zhongfei, an official with the Pengshui county education commission in Chongqing, sent a satirical poem to several friends by phone and internet in August.
from China Daily: Man arrested for satirical poem about officials
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven: One wishes [Henry Howard, Earl of] Surrey had had
the sense to see his true vocation was poetry--for which, as Childs shows, he had very considerable talent. The poems show us, pathetically, a man who for all his vainglory was haunted by a sense of loneliness, separation and unworthiness.
from The Guardian: Tudor attitudes
~~~~~~~~~~~
from The Guardian: Tudor attitudes
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven: I'm a little bit ashamed about
my revisions. I'm ashamed that I didn't see what had to be done soon enough. Or, to put it another way, I published my poems before they were completely done. Once a thing is in print, all its faults seem to leer out at you. And then I have no alternative but to try to fix them. So it happened with this "Ode and Elegy." [--Galway Kinnell to Alice Quinn]
from The New Yorker: Working Poets
~~~~~~~~~~~
from The New Yorker: Working Poets
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven: I'm not setting up a crude opposition
between the two writers here; [Arun] Kolatkar admired [Salman] Rushdie's novel, as Rushdie does Kolatkar's work. But I am suggesting that there is another lineage and avenue in Indian writing in English than the one Midnight's Children opened up, along with an obsession with the monumental; and its source lies in Jejuri.
from The Guardian: Pilgrims' progress
~~~~~~~~~~~
from The Guardian: Pilgrims' progress
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven: We have Allen Ginsberg to thank
for all of it, although I’m sure he would have blanched at the sight of Kerouac as a Gap model. Were it not for this openhearted son of an amateur poet, Morgan tells us, Kerouac and Burroughs would not have published these two aforementioned ur-Beat novels, and other poets, like Gary Snyder, Philip Whalen and Gregory Corso, would have been forever stuck in the coffeehouse ghetto.
from LA Weekly: Search for Satori
~~~~~~~~~~~
from LA Weekly: Search for Satori
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven: In the meantime, she's living
in a sort of precarious tenement tree house.
In 1962, when [Hettie] Jones moved into the top floor of the former rooming house with her then-husband, LeRoi Jones (now Amiri Baraka), "it had been vacant for more than ten years," she says. They had no gas, no heat, and no sink, and the rent was $100 a month.
from New York Magazine: High-Rise Eats Tenement
~~~~~~~~~~~
In 1962, when [Hettie] Jones moved into the top floor of the former rooming house with her then-husband, LeRoi Jones (now Amiri Baraka), "it had been vacant for more than ten years," she says. They had no gas, no heat, and no sink, and the rent was $100 a month.
from New York Magazine: High-Rise Eats Tenement
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven: The crime columns of the London newspapers
that week in March 1969 ran items about the strangling of a wife in her home and the death of a girl who set fire to herself in Paris, but there was no word of the deaths of Assia and Shura Wevill in Clapham Common. Only one local paper, the South London Press, violated what amounted to a hush-up. Even there, the story was at the bottom of page 13, and omitted any hint of an intimate connection between the poet and the deceased.
from The Guardian: Written out of history
~~~~~~~~~~~
from The Guardian: Written out of history
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven: My candle burns at both ends;
it will not last the night;
but ah, my foes, and oh, my friends--
it gives a lovely light!
That candle supplied a metaphorical flame. The flames on Sanibel on May 2, 1936, were all too real and not lovely. Although she lost the manuscript, [Edna St. Vincent] Millay was able to rewrite "Conversation at Midnight" from memory.
from The News-Press: Poet lost years of work in Sanibel fire
~~~~~~~~~~~
but ah, my foes, and oh, my friends--
it gives a lovely light!
That candle supplied a metaphorical flame. The flames on Sanibel on May 2, 1936, were all too real and not lovely. Although she lost the manuscript, [Edna St. Vincent] Millay was able to rewrite "Conversation at Midnight" from memory.
from The News-Press: Poet lost years of work in Sanibel fire
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven (Back Page): Life's Just Not Fair
By Ariel Lewis-Hashimoto
from The Honolulu Advertiser: 'Washing dishes by the seashore with sand and sea water . . .'
~~~~~~~~~~~
from The Honolulu Advertiser: 'Washing dishes by the seashore with sand and sea water . . .'
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: "This fills me with inconsolable sorrow,"
sighs Blogographos at Horror Vacui. "For already it has begun, the praising and lauding of Pamuk the political figure: Pamuk, the Good Turk; Pamuk, the writer we need: a warm, conscientious, liberal, multi-cultural, nominally-Islamic voice of reason (even Reason?) in these troublous times ... What shall be lost, Readers, is that plain and frankly irrelevant fact in the Age of Spectral Mechanics, namely: Pamuk is a brilliant author. . . ."
from Sarah Crown: The Guardian's Culture Vulture: Best of the literary blogosphere
~~~~~~~~~~~
from Sarah Crown: The Guardian's Culture Vulture: Best of the literary blogosphere
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: Part of the small wave of Maine poets
who slip into magical realism, [William] Carpenter, who lives in Stockton Springs, is the author of three volumes of poetry and two novels and is one of the founders of College of the Atlantic, where he teaches.
The Husbands
from Elizabeth W. Garber: The Free Press Online!: A Year of Poetry from a Wealth of Maine Poets: Leaf Peepers
~~~~~~~~~~~
The Husbands
from Elizabeth W. Garber: The Free Press Online!: A Year of Poetry from a Wealth of Maine Poets: Leaf Peepers
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: [William Cullen] Bryant's dedication
to his literary career as well as to his homeland could not be emphasized any better than by the poet himself when he said, "We are not without the hope that those who read what we have written, will see in the past, with all its vicissitudes, the promise of a prosperous and honorable future, of concord at home, and peace and respect abroad; and that the same cheerful piety which leads the good man to put his personal trust in a kind Providence, will prompt the good citizen to cherish an equal confidence in regard to the destiny reserved for our beloved country."
from Linda Sue Grimes: BellaOnline: William Cullen Bryant--October
~~~~~~~~~~~
from Linda Sue Grimes: BellaOnline: William Cullen Bryant--October
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: Poem: "Sometimes We Don't Talk Much, Debbie And I"
by Greg Kosmicki, from Some Hero of the Past. © Word Press. Reprinted with permission.
Sometimes We Don't Talk Much, Debbie And I
from Garrison Keillor: The Writer's Almanac: For the week of October 23, 2006
~~~~~~~~~~~
Sometimes We Don't Talk Much, Debbie And I
from Garrison Keillor: The Writer's Almanac: For the week of October 23, 2006
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: Many poems celebrate the joys
of having children. Michigan poet Jeff Vande Zande reminds us that adults make mistakes, even with children they love, and that parenting is about fear as well as joy.
Clean
from Ted Kooser: American Life in Poetry: Column 082
~~~~~~~~~~~
Clean
from Ted Kooser: American Life in Poetry: Column 082
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: There's a forgiving element,
a sad shrug and smile, in the idea that the vulnerabilities, failings and dreams of our early 20s persist, somewhere in us, for the rest of life. And though worldly, that notion attributed to Freud suggests the opposite of "disillusion": the beautiful albeit deluded youth inside us endures, and keeps wanting the world.
from Robert Pinsky: The Washington Post: Poet's Choice
~~~~~~~~~~~
from Robert Pinsky: The Washington Post: Poet's Choice
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: A lot of thinking and remembering
happen overtly in "Public Gestures," [Matt] Yurdana's first book, particularly in its first and third sections. Pervasive as it is among contemporary poets, that particular poetic gesture can seem, when isolated, more tic than tactic.
from B.T. Shaw: The Oregonian: Poetry
~~~~~~~~~~~
from B.T. Shaw: The Oregonian: Poetry
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: Harold Pinter's Nobel Prize acceptance Speech
in December 2005 will rank among the greatest orations in World History. He spoke like Socrates; he spoke like Plato; he spoke like Aristotle; he spoke like William Tell; he spoke like Thomas More; he spoke like Winston Churchill. Even as Churchill exposed the horrors of Nazi Germany, Harold Pinter has exposed the brutalities of Bush and the bestialities of Blair.
from V Sundaram: News Today: A beam of light amidst the encircling gloom
~~~~~~~~~~~
from V Sundaram: News Today: A beam of light amidst the encircling gloom
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: While we in India today consider Sanskrit
a dead language, the Westerners consider it as a fascinating language, a language in which the genius of human civilization was perfected to its highest level through the glory of Sanskrit, one of the most perfect and wonderfully sufficient literary instruments--majestic, sweet, flexible, vibrant and subtle--developed by the human mind.
The only question that I would like to ask is whether the Cambridge University would have dared to abolish the Chairs in Arabic or Persian?
from V Sundaram: News Today: Is England becoming 'Little England'?
~~~~~~~~~~~
The only question that I would like to ask is whether the Cambridge University would have dared to abolish the Chairs in Arabic or Persian?
from V Sundaram: News Today: Is England becoming 'Little England'?
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: Arthur Schopenhauer was completely overwhelmed
by the majesty of thought and beauty and loftiness of expression in the Upanishads. He was so impressed by their philosophy that he declared with passion, 'The Upanishads are the production of the highest human wisdom and I consider them almost superhuman in conception. The study of the Upanishads has been a source of great inspiration and means of comfort to my soul. From every sentence of the Upanishads deep, original and sublime thoughts arise, and the whole is pervaded by a high and holy and earnest spirit. In the whole world there is no study so beneficial and so elevating as that of the Upanishads. The Upanishads have been the solace of my life and will be the solace of my death.' Schopenhauer always kept a copy of the book Oupnekhat (Upanishad) open on his table and he invariably studied it before retiring to rest every day.
from V Sundaram: News Today: Timeless universality--I
~~~~~~~~~~~
from V Sundaram: News Today: Timeless universality--I
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: The Pattern
and Chaitanya by Arun Kolatkar
from The Guardian: Original poetry: The Pattern and Chaitanya by Arun Kolatkar
~~~~~~~~~~~
from The Guardian: Original poetry: The Pattern and Chaitanya by Arun Kolatkar
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: The work takes us beyond the frame
of the painting, back to a story of how these boats arrived at that point on the sand from having delivered "the crying woman, hands wrapped with rags/ that smell of myrrh". In such a journey, the painting is now mythic, and the words explore immense ideas, enlivened by the narrative's touching on the absences echoing within each pitch of the brush.
from The Guardian: Poetry Workshop: Words on pictures
also The Guardian: Poetry Workshop: Words on pictures (part two)
~~~~~~~~~~~
from The Guardian: Poetry Workshop: Words on pictures
also The Guardian: Poetry Workshop: Words on pictures (part two)
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: Eugene E. Cantrell, 79, of Gatlinburg,
died Sunday, Oct. 15, 2006, at Fort Sanders Sevier Medical Center. He was a talented artist, wood craftsman and poet.
from The Mountain Press: Obituaries for 10/18/06: Eugene E. Cantrell
~~~~~~~~~~~
from The Mountain Press: Obituaries for 10/18/06: Eugene E. Cantrell
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: With limited funds but boundless
determination, she [Mayme Clayton] eventually amassed what experts today regard as a valuable and eclectic collection of black Americana. Its most glorious holding is a signed copy of the first book published by an African American: ex-slave Phillis Wheatley's "Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral" of 1773.
from Los Angeles Times: A Champion of Black History
~~~~~~~~~~~
from Los Angeles Times: A Champion of Black History
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: Mr. [Joseph] Cribben was known in the labor
movement for his writing, said his son Patrick Cribben of Charlottesville.
After retiring in 1990, Mr. Cribben continued to write. He took classes in memoir and poetry writing at senior centers. He started compiling a memoir about his military service.
from The Washington Post: Joseph Cribben, 79; Political Director
~~~~~~~~~~~
After retiring in 1990, Mr. Cribben continued to write. He took classes in memoir and poetry writing at senior centers. He started compiling a memoir about his military service.
from The Washington Post: Joseph Cribben, 79; Political Director
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: Though Mr. [Edward R. "Ned"] Davis was a
top lobbyist, often discussing legislation with the powerful Sen. [Nancy W.] Cook, she does not identify him through his profession.
"He was so much more than a lobbyist," she said.
"He was a fisherman, a hunter, a Democratic national committeeman, he liked poetry and would recite poetry to us, and he was quite a writer.
"He was an intellectual. There are so many things that Ned was."
from Delaware State News: Dean of lobbyists Davis dies
~~~~~~~~~~~
"He was so much more than a lobbyist," she said.
"He was a fisherman, a hunter, a Democratic national committeeman, he liked poetry and would recite poetry to us, and he was quite a writer.
"He was an intellectual. There are so many things that Ned was."
from Delaware State News: Dean of lobbyists Davis dies
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: Mr. [Daryl] Duke got his start
at the National Film Board after some of his poetry--he studied philosophy and English at the University of British Columbia--caught the attention of a senior NFB producer.
"He read one of [the poems] and described it as very visual," Mr. Duke said in 2003 in an interview with The Globe.
from The Globe and Mail: Thorn Birds director Daryl Duke dies
~~~~~~~~~~~
"He read one of [the poems] and described it as very visual," Mr. Duke said in 2003 in an interview with The Globe.
from The Globe and Mail: Thorn Birds director Daryl Duke dies
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: As Ernest [Ford] himself said
of his humble beginnings: "I set myself thinking of my dog at home and lo and behold found myself tap, tap, tapping my way through my first completed poem.
"As I had been speaking dialect words since birth I now discovered that I had a natural flair to write them down." From little acorns...
Ow Do by Ernest Ford
from The Bolton News: Life and times of the king of Lanky dialect
~~~~~~~~~~~
"As I had been speaking dialect words since birth I now discovered that I had a natural flair to write them down." From little acorns...
Ow Do by Ernest Ford
from The Bolton News: Life and times of the king of Lanky dialect
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: "Where are you in this paper?
I want to hear your voice," he told her.
[Gwen] Griffin said [Bud] Hirsch became a mentor, friend and colleague.
Before he died, Griffin called Hirsch every night and read poems, sang songs and read him the box scores for the Cubs and White Sox.
from The University Daily Kansan: Memorial honors English professor
~~~~~~~~~~~
[Gwen] Griffin said [Bud] Hirsch became a mentor, friend and colleague.
Before he died, Griffin called Hirsch every night and read poems, sang songs and read him the box scores for the Cubs and White Sox.
from The University Daily Kansan: Memorial honors English professor
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: Thich Man Giac [a.k.a. poet Huyen Khong],
the Supreme Patriarch of the Vietnamese United Buddhist Churches of America, died Oct. 13 at Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles. He was 77.
from Los Angeles Times: Thich Man Giac, 77; U.S. Buddhist Leader
~~~~~~~~~~~
from Los Angeles Times: Thich Man Giac, 77; U.S. Buddhist Leader
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: On July 8, [Lance Cpl. Nicholas J.] Manoukian
married his longtime girlfriend, Danielle, at the National Shrine of the Little Flower Catholic Church in Royal Oak.
The couple met eight years earlier at a friend's Halloween party.
During their courtship, Manoukian often penned poems for Danielle, and surprised her with love notes on her car windshield.
from The Detroit News: Two Michigan GIs killed in Iraq war
~~~~~~~~~~~
The couple met eight years earlier at a friend's Halloween party.
During their courtship, Manoukian often penned poems for Danielle, and surprised her with love notes on her car windshield.
from The Detroit News: Two Michigan GIs killed in Iraq war
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: She played three kinds of saxophones,
guitar and piano. "Oh, and she sang wonderfully."
Irené McAlevy published about 40 poems, according to a relative's count. Here is one of her poems.
"The Holder of the Pen" by Irené McAlevy, March 20, 1993.
from Greeley Tribune: Mother of five was poet, artist
~~~~~~~~~~~
Irené McAlevy published about 40 poems, according to a relative's count. Here is one of her poems.
"The Holder of the Pen" by Irené McAlevy, March 20, 1993.
from Greeley Tribune: Mother of five was poet, artist
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: Patrick "Tim" Moore passed away
peacefully in his home of an HIV/AIDS-related illness on Sept. 27. He was 51.
Moore was a creative soul; he was a poet, playwright, musician, artist, and costumer.
from Windy City Times: Patrick 'Tim' Moore
~~~~~~~~~~~
Moore was a creative soul; he was a poet, playwright, musician, artist, and costumer.
from Windy City Times: Patrick 'Tim' Moore
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: [Sharon Maxine Noland] was an amateur poet
and songwriter. Her devotion to her family and friends extended to her pets and all other creatures, great and small.
from The Mountain Press: Obituaries for 10/18/06: Sharon Maxine Noland
~~~~~~~~~~~
from The Mountain Press: Obituaries for 10/18/06: Sharon Maxine Noland
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: In 1988 Brownie's [Hugh Henry Perry's] book
of poems Reflections of a Rambler was published.
Over the years in his spare time Brownie learned to braid using horsehair, rawhide and leather.
He created many beautiful head stalls, reins, quirts, and his miniature saddles were exquisite.
Many articles can be seen in the Museum of the Cariboo Chilcotin.
from The Williams Lake Tribune: In loving memory of Brownie Perry--December 14, 1921-September 5, 2006
~~~~~~~~~~~
Over the years in his spare time Brownie learned to braid using horsehair, rawhide and leather.
He created many beautiful head stalls, reins, quirts, and his miniature saddles were exquisite.
Many articles can be seen in the Museum of the Cariboo Chilcotin.
from The Williams Lake Tribune: In loving memory of Brownie Perry--December 14, 1921-September 5, 2006
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: Even after seven children and 5 1/2
decades of marriage, Mr. [Jerome Glen "Jerry"] Smock spent time in his final year writing poetry about the love of his life, Aurora Rocha Smock, who declined an interview.
"My father was in love with my mother up until the day he passed away," said daughter Debbie Speziale. "We cherished that. He inspired us that even that type of relationship could exist to this day. He always treated her like she was a princess."
from The Indianapolis Star: Man expressed love for his wife daily
~~~~~~~~~~~
"My father was in love with my mother up until the day he passed away," said daughter Debbie Speziale. "We cherished that. He inspired us that even that type of relationship could exist to this day. He always treated her like she was a princess."
from The Indianapolis Star: Man expressed love for his wife daily
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: Their mother [Georgina Steinsky-Sehnoutka]
was a prolific poet who expressed her sadness through verse. She wrote in Czech under the pen name Inka Smutna, which translates to "sad Inka."
from Toronto Star: Georgina Steinsky-Sehnoutka, 83: Poet loved her homeland
~~~~~~~~~~~
from Toronto Star: Georgina Steinsky-Sehnoutka, 83: Poet loved her homeland
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: [Cpl. Kenny F. Stanton Jr.'s] family has erected
a memorial in the living room, with flickering candles and photos of Kenny, a nice-looking kid with a sweet smile. He loved words, say his parents. He worked for the school newspaper and wanted to be a writer, a poet and teacher. But he chose to join the Army first.
from The Los Angeles Times: Quietly accepting another Iraq death
~~~~~~~~~~~
from The Los Angeles Times: Quietly accepting another Iraq death
~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetic Obituaries: A child of poverty, Lindalee Tracey
ran away from home as a young teenager, made a living as a stripper and exotic dancer in Montreal and forged an award-winning international career as a writer and documentary filmmaker.
from The Globe and Mail: Lindalee Tracey, 49
~~~~~~~~~~~
from The Globe and Mail: Lindalee Tracey, 49
~~~~~~~~~~~
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
October 17th forum announcement
Dear Poetry Fans,
IBPC: Poetry & Poets in Rags
South Africa's poet laureate Mazisi Kunene died August 11th this year. I have been waiting for a substantial article to be published online, to headline with ever since. Nothing has come. This week, however, as we still await something more substantial and penetrating, The Guardian has come through wonderfully with a very good profile on him. This is second click this week.
We headline with Orhan Pamuk getting the Nobel in Literature. Often, News at Eleven will link to two or three items on such a story. But most articles were either brief, or contained essentially the same controversy, covering it from one side or another. The Washington Post, however, gets the coveted P&P in Rags prize this week for including some of his writing. What they're missing is that France is moving politically to counter Turkey's speech restrictions by mandating the entire country drive down the other side of the genocide road.
This month is when Donald Hall officially took the wreath from Ted Kooser as the poet laureate of the USA, and we have two terrific articles with audio links of Hall. You'll find the link to one in News at Eleven, and the other in our Great Regulars. Speaking of which, we have a new Great Regular: Olivia Cole, who writes for the The Times. Sometimes it takes me a little while to catch onto, not only who's great, but who's regular.
Lots and lots of other important news to poetry this week. Thanks for clicking in.
Yours,
Rus
Our links:
IBPC: Poetry & Poets in Rags
Poetry & Poets in Rags Blog
IBPC Home
IBPC Newswire
~~~~~~~~~~
IBPC: Poetry & Poets in Rags
South Africa's poet laureate Mazisi Kunene died August 11th this year. I have been waiting for a substantial article to be published online, to headline with ever since. Nothing has come. This week, however, as we still await something more substantial and penetrating, The Guardian has come through wonderfully with a very good profile on him. This is second click this week.
We headline with Orhan Pamuk getting the Nobel in Literature. Often, News at Eleven will link to two or three items on such a story. But most articles were either brief, or contained essentially the same controversy, covering it from one side or another. The Washington Post, however, gets the coveted P&P in Rags prize this week for including some of his writing. What they're missing is that France is moving politically to counter Turkey's speech restrictions by mandating the entire country drive down the other side of the genocide road.
This month is when Donald Hall officially took the wreath from Ted Kooser as the poet laureate of the USA, and we have two terrific articles with audio links of Hall. You'll find the link to one in News at Eleven, and the other in our Great Regulars. Speaking of which, we have a new Great Regular: Olivia Cole, who writes for the The Times. Sometimes it takes me a little while to catch onto, not only who's great, but who's regular.
Lots and lots of other important news to poetry this week. Thanks for clicking in.
Yours,
Rus
Our links:
IBPC: Poetry & Poets in Rags
Poetry & Poets in Rags Blog
IBPC Home
IBPC Newswire
~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven: These families into which we were born,
these countries and cities to which the lottery of life has assigned us--they expect love from us, and in the end we do love them from the bottom of our hearts; but did we perhaps deserve better? [--Orhan Pamuk in "Istanbul: Memories and the City" translated by Maureen Freely]
from The Washington Post: Turkish Novelist Wins Nobel Prize
~~~~~~~~~~~
from The Washington Post: Turkish Novelist Wins Nobel Prize
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven: In 2005, he [Mazisi Kunene] was named
South Africa's poet laureate.
He is survived by his wife, Mathabo, whom he married in 1973, a daughter and two sons.
from The Guardian: Mazisi Kunene
~~~~~~~~~~~
He is survived by his wife, Mathabo, whom he married in 1973, a daughter and two sons.
from The Guardian: Mazisi Kunene
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven: "In order to disrupt this conformity
of Arabic and Islamic identity which is being forced onto them, they are turning to their own heritage and asserting that," she [Sarah Maguire] says. [Al-Saddiq] Al-Raddi's work "as a poet is part of that assertion of his African identity, through trying to make connections, particularly with people in the south who come from different ethnic and linguistic backgrounds."
from The Guardian: 'There is a Sudanese culture'
~~~~~~~~~~~
from The Guardian: 'There is a Sudanese culture'
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven: Later on he [Mahmoud Darwish] invites Mr. Death
to a glass of wine--"Relax a bit"--and softens death up in order to attack it frontally and land the knockout blow: "Death, you have been defeated by art./You have been defeated by the poetry of Mesopotamia. And the obelisks of Egypt/and the tombs of the pharaohs/and the carvings/in temple stones all these have defeated you/and won. Eternal life has evaded/your ambushes . . . "
from Haaretz: Palestine as poetry
~~~~~~~~~~~
from Haaretz: Palestine as poetry
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven: Language is what separates poetry
from music, he [Donald Hall] says, "because language has this everyday meaning, and we use the same language we use in our everyday speech. But we shape it into a work of art." He reads from his poem "The Poem" to illustrate:
from Voice of America: Donald Hall Takes Helm as New US Poet Laureate
~~~~~~~~~~~
from Voice of America: Donald Hall Takes Helm as New US Poet Laureate
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven: In one she wrote prophetically
"Your novel seems sometimes like a child, your own and none of me." Otherwise there are no letters at all from Emma before 1890, when she was 50 years old and the marriage was already deeply in trouble. There are none because she burnt them all in the garden at Max Gate.
from The Guardian: At home in his socks
~~~~~~~~~~~
from The Guardian: At home in his socks
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven: "Hang Up"
By Landis Everson
from U. S. Newswire: Poetry Foundation Announces Publication of 'Everything Preserved' by Landis Everson
~~~~~~~~~~~
from U. S. Newswire: Poetry Foundation Announces Publication of 'Everything Preserved' by Landis Everson
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven: The final version of [Nikki] Giovanni's
poem, written for the event and titled "I Am Cincinnati," referred to Ken Blackwell, the Republican candidate for Ohio governor, as a "son of a bitch" and alluded to him as a "political whore," drawing gasps and applause from onlookers.
from The Enquirer: Poet out of bounds
~~~~~~~~~~~
from The Enquirer: Poet out of bounds
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven: . . . arms grow weak like levees
New Orleans, you are not just where I live
You are who I am
He [Frederick "Hollywood" Delahoussaye] wrote more of it, again in his head, while standing in a long line waiting for a $100 donation card from the Red Cross.
Somewhere between the water line
And the color line is the poverty line
And we stand . . .
from The Times-Picayune: Grand Slam
~~~~~~~~~~~
You are who I am
He [Frederick "Hollywood" Delahoussaye] wrote more of it, again in his head, while standing in a long line waiting for a $100 donation card from the Red Cross.
Somewhere between the water line
And the color line is the poverty line
And we stand . . .
from The Times-Picayune: Grand Slam
~~~~~~~~~~~
News at Eleven (Back Page): In his town workshop, [Thomas] Bewick
turned in memory to the streams and fells, just as Wordsworth recollected the mountains of his boyhood; and the ecstatic feeling that Bewick experienced on his walks up the Tyne had much in common with the intense, physical apprehension of an all-enveloping presence that Wordsworth expressed in "Tintern Abbey".
from The Guardian: Small wonders
~~~~~~~~~~~
from The Guardian: Small wonders
~~~~~~~~~~~
(New to) Great Regulars: In the poem A Reunion,
which has surfaced in a private collection, [Siegfried] Sassoon shows a prescience about the onset of the cold war with the line:
While the face of youth
dissolved and went
I heard the drone of
endless armament.
from Olivia Cole: The Sunday Times: Bomb shocked Sassoon into late burst of poetry
~~~~~~~~~~~
While the face of youth
dissolved and went
I heard the drone of
endless armament.
from Olivia Cole: The Sunday Times: Bomb shocked Sassoon into late burst of poetry
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: Humans sometimes need art
to help see the world more clearly. In this case, poetry helped these writers process their emotions and thoughts. [Marion] Winik thinks that might be due, in part, to the inexplicable nature of this tragedy. "Emotion that is beyond reason sometimes seems beyond prose."
from Bill Diskin: York Daily Record: Poetryork: Poetry helps us process tragedy
~~~~~~~~~~~
from Bill Diskin: York Daily Record: Poetryork: Poetry helps us process tragedy
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: Read Anthony Taylor Dunn’s poem
from Down East slowly, savoring the sounds in the words, how they deepen the feeling in the poem.
Cemetery in the Woods
from Elizabeth W. Garber: The Free Press Online: A Year of Poetry from a Wealth of Maine Poets: October Journeys
~~~~~~~~~~~
Cemetery in the Woods
from Elizabeth W. Garber: The Free Press Online: A Year of Poetry from a Wealth of Maine Poets: October Journeys
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: Henry Timrod's name recently surfaced
when it was discovered that Bob Dylan had plagiarized some of Timrod’s poems in his most recent album, Modern Times. Unlike Allen Tate's original poem which was legitimately inspired by Timrod's poem, Dylan actually lifted lines the Civil War poet’s poems without even mentioning Timrod.
from Linda Sue Grimes: BellaOnline: Poet Laureate of the Confederacy--Henry Timrod
~~~~~~~~~~~
from Linda Sue Grimes: BellaOnline: Poet Laureate of the Confederacy--Henry Timrod
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: Readers of this column during
the past year have by now learned how enthusiastic I am about poems describing everyday life. I've tried to show how the ordinary can be made extraordinary through close and transforming observation. Here Tess Gallagher goes to the mailbox to post a letter. We've all done that, haven't we? But notice how closely she pays attention to this simple experience, and how she fits this one moment into the meaning of her life.
Under Stars
from Ted Kooser: American Life in Poetry: Column 081
~~~~~~~~~~~
Under Stars
from Ted Kooser: American Life in Poetry: Column 081
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: The contemporary poet C.D. Wright
establishes a jaunty, comic air in a lyric poem that, like Clare's, implies the isolation of a single soul, known yet not known, with its unique peculiarities and history. Wright takes her title from a section of the newspaper:
Personals
from Robert Pinsky: The Washington Post: Poet's Choice
~~~~~~~~~~~
Personals
from Robert Pinsky: The Washington Post: Poet's Choice
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: "Listen," says the speaker
at the poem's crucial turning point. I am grateful that back in Andy's dormitory room, in May of 1992, James Tate convinced me to listen, maybe for the first time in my life.
"Deaf Girl Playing"
from Good Times Weekly: Kafka's Axe
~~~~~~~~~~~
"Deaf Girl Playing"
from Good Times Weekly: Kafka's Axe
~~~~~~~~~~~
Great Regulars: 'Cotton Candy Girl'
By Jane Vandervelde
from The Kansas City Star: Poet's Corner: 'Cotton Candy Girl'
also Literary Mama: Special Relativity
~~~~~~~~~~~
from The Kansas City Star: Poet's Corner: 'Cotton Candy Girl'
also Literary Mama: Special Relativity
~~~~~~~~~~~
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