War will exist until that distant day when the conscientious objector enjoys the same reputation and prestige that the warrior does today. ~John F. Kennedy
Thursday, June 09, 2005
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
Strangest Place
The strangest place at which I've read poetry was on a bus. I mean, aloud. As in a poetry reading. It was a little bit guerilla, actually. Saw this on Ivy's blog and reminded me that poetess Gloria Vando related to me that she had done this during a poetry month event, I believe in LA. Seemed wild at the time. I enjoy doing readings... I think the idea of doing it on a bus to unsuspecting commuters would however un-nerve me.
Anyone have a stranger place they have read?
Gloria Vando
Anyone have a stranger place they have read?
Gloria Vando
Salon.com | Making Mehlman more comfortable
Salon.com Making Mehlman more comfortable: "Sunday's 'Meet the Press,' featuring RNC chair Ken Mehlman, was another classic example of why host Tim Russert is fast becoming journalism's answer to the E-ZPass, that electronic tag that allows drivers to go through toll booths without having to stop. On the show today, Mehlman was allowed to distort, twist, manipulate, obfuscate and 'disassemble' his way through every stop on the disinformation highway"
BUT that said, the Downing Street memo may finally be finding a home within the American dialogue about per-Iraq War intentions by the Bush Administration.
The story made USA Today - and Tuesday's Washington Post - though not for the first time.
The MEMO information can be seen here as it appeared in the Sunday Times online - May 1, 2005.
While the story is BIG new in London... and has been since it was disclosed, it may now be finding its way into the mainstream media here in the US and hunkering down till it is addressed by the Bush administration. No, I mean really addressed. Not dismissed.
The information really should be no surprise because there has been so much evidence to support the contention for some time. It however may actually represent the smoking gun so to speak that forces the Bush administration out of a pack of lies that it has circled around itself.
Meanwhile, Tony Blair has his hands full defending Cherie's profits from her lucrative speaking engagement while visiting the US.
Blair may have survived the most recent election in Britain, but his political baggage seems only to be getting heavier. Bush of course is a lame duck, but by many accounts his political "capital" as he likes to call it may be well overspent and his political health condition far worse than lame.
BUT that said, the Downing Street memo may finally be finding a home within the American dialogue about per-Iraq War intentions by the Bush Administration.
The story made USA Today - and Tuesday's Washington Post - though not for the first time.
The MEMO information can be seen here as it appeared in the Sunday Times online - May 1, 2005.
While the story is BIG new in London... and has been since it was disclosed, it may now be finding its way into the mainstream media here in the US and hunkering down till it is addressed by the Bush administration. No, I mean really addressed. Not dismissed.
The information really should be no surprise because there has been so much evidence to support the contention for some time. It however may actually represent the smoking gun so to speak that forces the Bush administration out of a pack of lies that it has circled around itself.
Meanwhile, Tony Blair has his hands full defending Cherie's profits from her lucrative speaking engagement while visiting the US.
Blair may have survived the most recent election in Britain, but his political baggage seems only to be getting heavier. Bush of course is a lame duck, but by many accounts his political "capital" as he likes to call it may be well overspent and his political health condition far worse than lame.
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
Newsday.com: China Rejects U.S. Appeal on Tiananmen
Newsday.com: China Rejects U.S. Appeal on Tiananmen: "China rejected a U.S. appeal to account for prisoners "
More on official Chinese response to requests to account for prisoners still detained after the violent 1989 crackdown on the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy movement.
More on official Chinese response to requests to account for prisoners still detained after the violent 1989 crackdown on the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy movement.
4465 PReSS Releases Fiery New African-American Poetry Primer
Springfield, MO (PRWEB) June 7, 2005 -- 4465 PReSS, a new, online publisher of multicultural fiction and non-fiction book titles, has just released Let a New Woman Rise; a poetry primer by the acclaimed poetess, Barbara Haskins.
Haskins, credited for bringing the Kwanzaa holiday celebration to Queens, New York over 25 years ago, has been heralded by legions of cult fans as the 'Nikki Giovanni' of the New Millennium.
The significance of Haskins' presence at the recent American Booksellers' convention in New York City was evidenced by the overwhelming demand for signed copies of her current book by distributors and competing authors, alike.
Let A New Woman Rise is featured in the concurrent edition of the New York Amsterdam News. Writer L. Nzinga Strickland has devoted upwards of an entire page of the prestigious African-American newspaper to discuss and revere this unique body of literary work; as well as expound upon the newsworthy achievements of Ms. Haskins.
In addition to being a poetess, Barbara Haskins (also known as Barbara Scott) is a public speaker and educator. Her commitment to preserve African-American self esteem is apparent through her countless array of cumulative, civic and political citations.
citation: the above is entirely from the prweb press release
Haskins, credited for bringing the Kwanzaa holiday celebration to Queens, New York over 25 years ago, has been heralded by legions of cult fans as the 'Nikki Giovanni' of the New Millennium.
The significance of Haskins' presence at the recent American Booksellers' convention in New York City was evidenced by the overwhelming demand for signed copies of her current book by distributors and competing authors, alike.
Let A New Woman Rise is featured in the concurrent edition of the New York Amsterdam News. Writer L. Nzinga Strickland has devoted upwards of an entire page of the prestigious African-American newspaper to discuss and revere this unique body of literary work; as well as expound upon the newsworthy achievements of Ms. Haskins.
In addition to being a poetess, Barbara Haskins (also known as Barbara Scott) is a public speaker and educator. Her commitment to preserve African-American self esteem is apparent through her countless array of cumulative, civic and political citations.
citation: the above is entirely from the prweb press release
Monday, June 06, 2005
Gendering Poetry
This weekend I read a review of Gendering Poetry: Contemporary Women and Men Poets, Vicki Bertram, Pandora Press - 2004 p. 256. The review, written by Renuka Rajaratnam, quotes the poet Elizabeth Bishop, "art is art and to separate it into two sexes is to emphasize values in them that are not art." The reviewer, in pointing to Bishop's quote seeks to establish this view as a traditional benchmark from which to start and suggests that Bertram with this book is challenging this assessment. Rajaratnam presents the potential for invention and interpretation as a point of Bertram's argument against such traditional view.
This seems fair enough to me as I fail to see how a person, writer or reader, can implicitly divorce themselves from life experiences, long held views and gender influences when it comes to poetry. You simply are going to bring these things with you to some degree and impact poetry with it both on the creation side and the consumer side, even if it is unintentional.
The review presents Vicki Bertram's work as a responsible look at gender studies and an attempt to put the issue on the map of mainstream criticisms. Of course, I would like to read this work first hand in order to adequately form my own assessment of her contribution to such.
In the grand scheme of things, I believe this is an element of poetics worthy of debate. What happens beyond that discourse becomes a whole different animal. I am always fearful that the outcome of such dialogue can lead to categorizations within poetry that can detract from the art itself. That may well have been what Elizabeth Bishop had in mind.
Still, there seems to be some benefit to the acknowledgment - (if only a personal one for each of us) that we bring a part of ourselves to each poem that no one else carries with them. This is true of both the poem's author and reader.
literary review
This seems fair enough to me as I fail to see how a person, writer or reader, can implicitly divorce themselves from life experiences, long held views and gender influences when it comes to poetry. You simply are going to bring these things with you to some degree and impact poetry with it both on the creation side and the consumer side, even if it is unintentional.
The review presents Vicki Bertram's work as a responsible look at gender studies and an attempt to put the issue on the map of mainstream criticisms. Of course, I would like to read this work first hand in order to adequately form my own assessment of her contribution to such.
In the grand scheme of things, I believe this is an element of poetics worthy of debate. What happens beyond that discourse becomes a whole different animal. I am always fearful that the outcome of such dialogue can lead to categorizations within poetry that can detract from the art itself. That may well have been what Elizabeth Bishop had in mind.
Still, there seems to be some benefit to the acknowledgment - (if only a personal one for each of us) that we bring a part of ourselves to each poem that no one else carries with them. This is true of both the poem's author and reader.
literary review
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