Is this a face
you'd trust with a line-item Veto?
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Monday, March 06, 2006
A Full Weekend
Saturday, My wife and I and "race-cycling crazy" daughter, Meghan, drove to Lawrence, Kansas for a race. Meghan "The Beast" is seen here in pre-race warm-up (I use the term warm loosely). She placed - which made her very happy. She'll be back at it again next weekend.I was able to craft a couple of decent poem drafts Saturday and Sunday. I've got several pieces now that are in Multiple draft stages.
My wife and I started to watch a movie Saturday night - Weatherman staring Nicholas Cage. The movie is presented as a comedy but it is one of the most depressing things I've watched. I can do dark comedy, even enjoy it. There was nothing amusing about this movie. We could not finish it. It sucked! Normally I really like Cage in movies and Gone in Sixty Seconds is one of Cathy's favorites.
I am guessing that Stickpoet will hit the 20,000 unique visitor mark sometime today (Monday) and I'm excited about that. It has also been fun taking note of some of the far away places some of the readers have some from. Besides a healthy dose of local (Kansas City area) readers, they have been coming from California to New York and places between. There are often Canadian readers, several that check in from Great Britain, Australia, China, India, Germany, Poland, Italy, the list goes on. Thanks to all of you, the near are the far. It is always great the get comments from readers as well.
I'll close today's post with a poetry quote from Marianne Moore -
"I am governed by the pull of a sentence as the pull of a fabric is governed by gravity. I like the end-stopped line and dislike the reversed order of words, like symmetry."
Friday, March 03, 2006
Life Distilled: Four Decades of U.S. Poet Laureates
Life Distilled: Four Decades of U.S. Poet Laureates
SPECIAL SERIES ON PUBLIC RADIO
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Many casual fans of poetry do not know who the U.S. poet laureate is or, for that matter, what the poet laureate does. Who appoints the poet laureate? What are his or her official duties? More importantly, why should you care? New Letters on the Air, a nationally syndicated literary arts program, answers those questions and more with the series Life Distilled: Four Decades of U.S. Poet Laureates.
This special five-episode series of one hour programs features readings and conversations with 16 of the U.S. poet laureates, using archive interviews from one of the longest-running literary shows in public radio, thanks to a reversioning grant from the Public Radio Exchange (http://www.prx.org/). The series spans over four decades of poet laureates, from the late Howard Nemerov, who held the position in 1963, to the current laureate, Ted Kooser.
Many poets laureate have used the position to expose new audiences to poetry. Billy Collins discusses his Poetry 180 program for American high schools. He says, “I picked 180 poems that I think are clear and interesting and smart and contemporary, and I encouraged high schools to have the poem read as part of public announcements every day. So you don’t have to respond to the poem at all. You just have to listen to it.”
Life Distilled: Four Decades of U.S. Poet Laureates also includes former laureates Rita Dove, Robert Pinsky, and Maxine Kumin, who read some of their most famous work and give insight into the creative process that drives them to write. James Whittemore, William Stafford and Stanley Kunitz talk about the political power of poetry, while Joseph Brodsky explains how poetry helped keep his mind active while serving time in a Soviet prison. Gwendolyn Brooks recalls meeting Langston Hughes as a young girl and recollects his encouraging words that inspired her to continue writing. In a rather cantankerous interview, Howard Nemerov reads “On the Occasion of National Mourning,” a poem about the space shuttle Challenger disaster, as well as some humorous poems about his dog.
Even if listeners don’t think they’re into poetry, this series has something to offer. “Most people have a creative streak, whether they’re interested in writing or not,” says Angela Elam, host of New Letters on the Air. “I hope by exploring the writer’s process and hearing work that captures the essence of life, this series will inspire listeners to do something creative in their own way,”
The shows will be available for preview at www.prx.org beginning in March. Individuals interested in hearing the series should contact the program director of their local public radio station, and ask if the series is airing for National Poetry Month in April. For more information about the series, visit the New Letters homepage at http://www.newletters.org/ or call toll-free (888) 548-2477.
Tags: Poetry poets Poet Laureates
SPECIAL SERIES ON PUBLIC RADIO
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Many casual fans of poetry do not know who the U.S. poet laureate is or, for that matter, what the poet laureate does. Who appoints the poet laureate? What are his or her official duties? More importantly, why should you care? New Letters on the Air, a nationally syndicated literary arts program, answers those questions and more with the series Life Distilled: Four Decades of U.S. Poet Laureates.
This special five-episode series of one hour programs features readings and conversations with 16 of the U.S. poet laureates, using archive interviews from one of the longest-running literary shows in public radio, thanks to a reversioning grant from the Public Radio Exchange (http://www.prx.org/). The series spans over four decades of poet laureates, from the late Howard Nemerov, who held the position in 1963, to the current laureate, Ted Kooser.
Many poets laureate have used the position to expose new audiences to poetry. Billy Collins discusses his Poetry 180 program for American high schools. He says, “I picked 180 poems that I think are clear and interesting and smart and contemporary, and I encouraged high schools to have the poem read as part of public announcements every day. So you don’t have to respond to the poem at all. You just have to listen to it.”
Life Distilled: Four Decades of U.S. Poet Laureates also includes former laureates Rita Dove, Robert Pinsky, and Maxine Kumin, who read some of their most famous work and give insight into the creative process that drives them to write. James Whittemore, William Stafford and Stanley Kunitz talk about the political power of poetry, while Joseph Brodsky explains how poetry helped keep his mind active while serving time in a Soviet prison. Gwendolyn Brooks recalls meeting Langston Hughes as a young girl and recollects his encouraging words that inspired her to continue writing. In a rather cantankerous interview, Howard Nemerov reads “On the Occasion of National Mourning,” a poem about the space shuttle Challenger disaster, as well as some humorous poems about his dog.
Even if listeners don’t think they’re into poetry, this series has something to offer. “Most people have a creative streak, whether they’re interested in writing or not,” says Angela Elam, host of New Letters on the Air. “I hope by exploring the writer’s process and hearing work that captures the essence of life, this series will inspire listeners to do something creative in their own way,”
The shows will be available for preview at www.prx.org beginning in March. Individuals interested in hearing the series should contact the program director of their local public radio station, and ask if the series is airing for National Poetry Month in April. For more information about the series, visit the New Letters homepage at http://www.newletters.org/ or call toll-free (888) 548-2477.
Tags: Poetry poets Poet Laureates
Poetry Workshop - Kansas City
The Poetry Workshop Series
Conducted by
Missi Rasmussen
March 8th, 15th, and 22nd Wednesdays
6:30p.m. - 8:30p.m. $45.00 (includes all 3 workshops)
The Poetry Workshop Series is a series of three 2-hour workshops where poets of all levels will get together to compose poems, enhance poems, and give and receive feedback from other poets.
Workshop 1 - During this workshop poets will do a series of mini-exercises designed to get the poetic words on the page. Poets will leave this workshop with approximately 10 new poems on their pages. Poets will also be asked during this workshop to bring up to ten pages of poems to exchange with other members for feedback.
Workshop 2 - During this workshop members will experiment with different ways to enhance poems they may feel dissatisfied with. Poets are asked to bring at least three poems to be enhanced. Poets will then be able to read aloud their finished works for verbal feedback from other members. The workshop will begin with a mini-exercise session to get the poetic muses stirring.
Workshop 3 - During this workshop poets will create poems using more thorough exercises. A final read-around of finished works for feedback will conclude these workshops.
**Poets are expected to leave the workshops with approximately 15 new poems he or she has composed during the workshops, in addition to the several he or she has brought to enhance. Poets will also have written feedback on up to ten of their poems, in addition to the verbal feedback they’ve received.
Please call (816) 468-4766 to reserve your spot in the Workshops.
Coach's Bio: Missi Rasmussen is a poet and writer whose work has appeared in numerous literary journals and the anthology Under the TellingTree: An Anthology of Verse and Voice. She is a Production Editor for The Scribe literary journal and a state board representative of the Missouri Poetry Society as well as the president of the Kansas City Chapter of the Missouri Poetry Society. Her first collection of poems, Like a Madman is due out this summer.
Thursday, March 02, 2006
Desperate people do stupid things
If you ever wondered what often drives men to do stupid things, we have a perfect example before us right now. A president of the most powerful nation on earth is faced with the following:
- Slumping popularity in the polls
- Scandal and ineptness all around him (Libby, Brown, Chertoff, et al)
- A preemptive attack on a nation over WMDs it did not have
- Unconstitutional eavesdropping against American citizens
- Troops committed to a war that over 2/3 now believe we should withdraw from
- A nuclear arms crisis brewing in Iran and North Korea
- 8 billion dollars a month committed to the war effort
- Impending Civil war in Iran
- The recent controversy over the Arab company Dubai Ports
With not idea what to tackle or where to start, the President has run off to India to offer them a sweet nuclear deal in the name of making the world safer. That is right, if India will separate it's nuclear energy program from it's weapons program, we'll give them more nuclear material. The idea is that somehow, separating these two programs and giving us the option to inspect the weapons facility from time to time makes the world a safer place.
Keep in mind these three things:
- India never signed the nuclear nonproliferation treaty.
- They already have nuclear weapons.
- They presently are finding it difficult to access additional nuclear material.
So the President, in the name of some great benefit to the security of the world, is going to reward a nation that has refused to be a partner over all these years to the nonproliferation treaty, by giving them privileged treatment and awarding them more nuclear material. What kind of precedence will this establish? How will you say no to other nations, and how is this going to stabilize nuclear powers and make us all safer?
This is the kind of stupid thing that desperate people do. Now we can make a reality TV show called Desperate Presidents.
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
It's Wednesday, What do you want?
On this fine Wednesday morning, when the weather here in K.C. is beautiful, I'll take a stroll around the world at what is going on.
First, there is Frist. Senator Frist is busy trashing American civil liberties. Meanwhile, Bush has turned in the lowest rating of a two term President in the polls since Nixon prior to his resignation. Still, Bush isn't worried about the polls, he has "ample capital" according to an ABC interview. But capital or not, he now finds that his Iraq War effort is not even supported by the troops in the field.
Overnight, Bush made a surprise stop in Afghanistan on the way to India. While there, Afghan President Hamid Karzai asked the $64,000 question, "Where's Osama bin Laden?"
In India, the president is busy with a plan to make the world safer.... "Both of us have to convince our respective people in the interest of having a civilian nuclear program that's separate from a military nuclear program," Bush said. [scratching my head, WTF? They already have the bomb!] And thousands turn out to protest. But then [click here] and now I get it!
In Baghdad it gets diecy. But Bush denied Iraq was sliding into civil war, despite the worst sectarian strife since a U.S. invasion. It's the denial thing all over again ::sigh:: - but perhaps he realizes we are close to one at home? No, I doubt it.
Back in the states, Imani Perry, a Law Professor seeks the meaning of Rap. It it, or is it not poetry? And North Carolina's poet laureate believes it's the best way to learn verse.
And last, this just in!!! HUSAYBAH, Iraq - News travels slowly to American troops deployed in the desert plains of western Iraq. Days after the bombing of a Shiite shrine convulsed the country in religious violence, word hadn't reached U.S. Marines some 160 miles away. In fact, some are just now learning Bush was re-elected. Not!
Tags: Bush Iraq Bill Frist Civil liberties Patriot Act Poetry
First, there is Frist. Senator Frist is busy trashing American civil liberties. Meanwhile, Bush has turned in the lowest rating of a two term President in the polls since Nixon prior to his resignation. Still, Bush isn't worried about the polls, he has "ample capital" according to an ABC interview. But capital or not, he now finds that his Iraq War effort is not even supported by the troops in the field.
Overnight, Bush made a surprise stop in Afghanistan on the way to India. While there, Afghan President Hamid Karzai asked the $64,000 question, "Where's Osama bin Laden?"
In India, the president is busy with a plan to make the world safer.... "Both of us have to convince our respective people in the interest of having a civilian nuclear program that's separate from a military nuclear program," Bush said. [scratching my head, WTF? They already have the bomb!] And thousands turn out to protest. But then [click here] and now I get it!
In Baghdad it gets diecy. But Bush denied Iraq was sliding into civil war, despite the worst sectarian strife since a U.S. invasion. It's the denial thing all over again ::sigh:: - but perhaps he realizes we are close to one at home? No, I doubt it.
Back in the states, Imani Perry, a Law Professor seeks the meaning of Rap. It it, or is it not poetry? And North Carolina's poet laureate believes it's the best way to learn verse.
And last, this just in!!! HUSAYBAH, Iraq - News travels slowly to American troops deployed in the desert plains of western Iraq. Days after the bombing of a Shiite shrine convulsed the country in religious violence, word hadn't reached U.S. Marines some 160 miles away. In fact, some are just now learning Bush was re-elected. Not!
Tags: Bush Iraq Bill Frist Civil liberties Patriot Act Poetry
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