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Saturday, October 04, 2008

Letting Go (part two)

As a follow up to my initial "Letting Go" post, I've continued to contemplate the Andre Malraux quotation about what profound art requires. Revisiting the whole idea of abandonment of the control of certain powers (pertaining to art) when writing, I'm reminded of a common topic of discussion which often centers around poetry of the Beat era. There has been a school of through that many of the beat writers relied heavily upon their initial written inspiration. That a higher value seemed to be placed upon the minds first reflections and some writers were hesitant to mess much with original words committed to paper.

I cannot subscribe to the idea that such writing is never enhanced by revision, but I will agree that a mind that allows a truly uninhibited freedom to explore is a desirable foundation from which to begin any poetry.

The Spanish Poet Federico García Lora championed the idea that great art depended upon a vivid awareness of death,  and an acknowledgment of the limitations of reason. Certainly one can draw distinct comparison between what Lora espoused and the later argument made by Andre Malraux and quoted in part one of this blog post.

I'm wanting to to find that unfettered awareness that sometimes can be hidden beneath the surface.  I want to write without self censorship and then; I want to be able to work to shape this rough language into the best work while retaining the strength and power of what originally came to me.

Friday, October 03, 2008

Victoria Chang Brings Her Poetry to Kansas City

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In a reading before an appreciative crowd at the Central Branch of the Kansas City Public Library, Thursday night, California poet Victoria Chang shared poems from Her books, Circle and Salvinia Molesta.

Chang was the lead off guest of Park University's 2008-2009 Ethnic Voices Poetry Series. Her voice often on the dark side but not disparagingly so, offers a credible balance to a whole host of story lines including that of family history, the business world, relationships and more. While soft spoken, Victoria is quite accomplished with empowering words to their fullest.

It was another excellent Library Poetry Reading experience. The Central Branch Library has established quite a reputation now for poetry readings. The only downer for the night was the local bookseller Rainy Day Books which was advertised as being present was a no show. Instead a small handful of Victoria's book were swooped up right away and many wanting autographed copies were left in the cold.

And I still made it home in time for the debate. Wahoo!

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

Visiting My Journal

Bumper Sticker seen tonight on car in Target parking lot:  Spiritual people inspire me / Religious people scare me.

Few Journal Bits this week:

notes to self....

topics to inspire future poetry

  • Grandma fishing at Muscle Fork
  • the act of shaving
  • peanut shells on the floor
  • geese on the ball field
  • pill routine

polite conversation drizzled us/two scoops of vanilla ice cream, side by side with chocolate syrup

flies behaving badly in a seedy joint

I should like to have been there./Been somewhere emotion ruled/even if to have been speechless/but in the body./To witness a pair of long exposed legs/and feel some kind of movement.//

the stakes in the garden lean from the westerly fall winds

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Decisions - Decisions

Victoria Chang
or
Tina Fey impersonator debates Joe Biden.

Victoria Chang is in town for a reading as part of 2008-2009 Park University Ethnic Voices Poetry Series.  Going to be hard to pass on the Debate live, but I'll have to rush home and watch recording.

October 2, 2008
Kansas City Library
14 W. 10th Street -Kansas City, MO

Reception at 6:30pm
Presentation at 7:00 p.m.

Book signing follows

Chang's work has appeared in many literary journals, and she won a Ploughshares Cohen Award for best poem of the year. Her first book of poetry, Circle, won the Crab Orchard Review Award Series in Poetry and the Association of Asian American Book Studies Award and was also a finalist for the 2005 PEN Center USA Literary Award and the Foreword Magazine Book of the Year Award. The University of Georgia has just published her second book, Salvinia Molesta, and she edited the anthology, Asian American Poetry: the Next Generation.

Victoria Chang web site

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Banned Books Week



A reminder to everyone that this

is Banned Book Awareness week

“Censorship reflects a society's lack of confidence in itself. It is a hallmark of an authoritarian regime.”—Potter Stewart, Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court

The 10 Most Challenged Books of 2007

  1. And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson/Peter Parnell
  2. The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier
  3. Olive’s Ocean, by Kevin Henkes
  4. The Golden Compass, by Philip Pullman
  5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
  6. The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
  7. TTYL, by Lauren Myracle
  8. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou
  9. It’s Perfectly Normal, by Robie Harris
  10. The Perks of Being A Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky

The reasons for the challenges varies. In some instances it's religious viewpoints, in others it may be language, sexuality, racism. Between 2000 and 2007 some frequently challenged titles have included:

  • Harry Potter - J.K. Rowling
  • Of Mice and Men - John Stinebeck
  • Forever - Judy Blume
  • The Giver - Lois Lowry
  • We All Fall Down - Robert Cromier
  • To Kill A Mockingbird - Harper Lee
  • Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut
  • Brave New World - Aldous Huley
  • One Flew Over The Cuck00's Nest -Ken Kesey
  • Anastasia Again - Lois Lowry
  • Are You There God? It's Me Margaret - Judy Blume
  • Freaky Friday - Mary Rodgers

Be alert and aware of efforts in your own community to ban books in Schools, Libraries and Universities. Don't be silent!

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Unconscious Mutterings Week 296

Unconscious Mutterings ~ link
Word & Thought Associations

  • Hearing :: Aid
  • Aggression :: Therapy
  • Charged :: Battery
  • Traveler :: Insurance
  • Hydrate :: Water
  • Detox :: Drug
  • Qualify :: Loan
  • Prison :: Escape
  • Frontal :: Nudity
  • Pep talk :: High School
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    OMG this is funny

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