Discussion with Brian Turner - Poet & Veteran

Transcript of Washington Post Discussion
Book World: 'Here, Bullet'
Iraq War Poetry

with Poet and Veteran

Brian Turner

Poet Laureate of the Blogosphere Election Started Today

Voting has started today for Poet Laureate of the Blogosphere. This is the fourth year the election has been held.

I [ Michael Wells ] was nominated for Stick Poet Superhero, and am on the ballot along with 22 others. Last year over 800 votes were cast for this. The candidate had to have been blogging on poetry for at least a year. You can see all the candidates and cast your vote by going to this site

We Missed - Broadside

My Second Annual Poetry Month broadside is still available.... email me with name and address to receive a copy.

Poetry news bits...

The Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Michael Dirda who writes for the Washington Post on books, literature and the likes, talks about staying power of Contemporary Poetry.

Louisiana Poet Laureate Darrell Bourque travels the state making a tough sell to young people.

Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Robert Hass sheds new light on a world of relationships.

I'm still sending out my Poetry Month broadsides on request. Received the following kind note this week from a recipient:

Your broadside arrived safely. It's absolutely lovely! Your graceful poem
and the image of the coffee cup stain marry perfectly. Thank you so
much!

Saturday Night

A little writing today. Read quite a few poems. Sketched something tonight. Yes, as in drawing. I amused myself.

Local Poetry Sceen

The Writers Place here in Kansas City has a new director - Anne Calvert Bettis. Congratulations Anne on your new position.

A few upcoming events:

Sunday April 20th - Poets at Large - featuring a panel of experts discussing the Beat writers and their influence on later writers. Starts @ 2:00p.m. followed by an open mic @5:00p.m. Anyone can sign up to read a poem by a Beat poet or a poem inspired by a Beat writer.

Monday April 28th 8:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. is the Writers Place Open Mic hosted by Sharon Eiker from

Executions Around the World

Amnesty International announced the annual totals for executions by country in 2007 yesterday. These figures in many instances are estimates and actual numbers are likely higher. A link to the report and specifics about the data can be found here.

The Top Five Countries are:

• China 470+
• Iran 317+
• Saudi Arabia 143+
• Pakistan 135+
• USA 45

It should be noted that the number of U.S. executions last year had been slowed by pending court action before the U.S. Supreme Court about the constitutionality of the use specifically of a type of lethal injection used by many states. The majority opinion of the court ruled today in favor of this type of execution which will likely put many executions on a fast track in the U.S.

China will be the focus of a lot of attention with respect to crackdown on dissidents in China and Tibet. China is known for harsh sentences where protests are concerned. The upcoming Olympics has placed China under a spotlight and it appears that China is tightening the flow of news in and out of the country.

In many instances the issue with capital punishment is not limited to the moral question of state ordered executions, but in many cases it goes as well to the fairness of their system of justice since there is no means of correcting errors.