Thursday, October 09, 2008
Ouch!
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
Bohemian Ball 2008
This Saturday night - 6:00 to 9:00 PM all of the serious local writers in the Kansas City area will be in one place... The Bohemian Ball!
Food and Beverage Director for the Nelson-Atkins Museum
- Theater tickets - American Heartland, KC Rep, and The Unicorn
- Gift certificates from popular stores and boutiques
- Feasts at favorite restaurants
- Gift baskets for holidays, cat lovers, kids, homes
- massage, yoga , language lessons, creativity coaching, computer repair
- One-on one sessions with some of Kansas City's best writers
Proceeds from The Bohemian Ball support The Writers Place’s community literary programs, readings, and workshops.
Sunday, October 05, 2008
Unconscious Mutterings Week 297
Unconscious Mutterings ~ link
Word & Thought Associations
here's mine:
don't bother being poetical
A true poet does not bother to be poetical. Nor does a nursery gardener scent his roses. ~Jean Cocteau
Palin's Campaign Continues Disturbing Aspects
The polls have widened and the days till the election are fleeting. This morning I noticed further indication in the desperation of the McCain campaign as they have seen Sarah Palin out to deliver messages of unsubstantiated fear. Fear is what people often turn to when things are not going well in a campaign. Fear and innuendo becomes the hallmark of political desperation.
According to Reuters news service, Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin Palin told of supporters at a rally in Carson, California that, "There is a time when it's necessary to take the gloves off and that time is right now." Pain went on to a accuse Obama of "palling around with terrorists." The remarks were referencing a New York Times story referencing Bill Ayers, a former Vietnam War-era militant that served on a Charity Board along with Obama. The story went on to conclude that Ayers, now a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Obama were not close.
On the heels of the Katie Couric interview in which Palin was asked what she relied on to informs her she relayed that she read magazines and newspapers. When Couric inquired what publications, Palin offered not a single name. At the Carson rally she noted, "There has been a lot of interest in what I read, and what I read lately well, was reading my copy of today’s New York Times... OK, now I get to bring this up not to pick a fight, but it was there in the New York Times, so we're gonna talk about it."
It would appear that either Palin is intentionally misrepresenting the story, or she is skimming articles and has a comprehension issue. If it is the latter, I'm not attempting to suggest that Palin is a moron or anything, as I would expect her schedule these days is hectic and required a good deal of multi tasking. So if it the that latter, than she is perhaps not quite up to the riggers of the job. If in fact it is not the latter, it must be considered misrepresentation of this story to interject fear into the campaign in the final weeks. Saying there is a Friendship between Obama and Terrorists gets big headlines. The McCain campaign is wrong to suggest it. Be it lies or lack of competence. As evidenced by the stakes in this election this country can ill afford a President and Vice President of either stature.
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.