Two Voices Lost this Week

Harold Pinter's death on Christmas eve marks the second loss in less than a week of British writers known for their outspoken criticism of war. The other was poet Adrian Mitchell who died a last Saturday.

Pinter's career as a playwright earned him the 2005 Nobel Prize for Literature. He was outspoken publicly and often critical of the United States and even his homeland for their various foreign policies and was blisteringly critical for their parts in the Invasion of Iraq.
At one point of his life, he wrote poetry under the name "Harold Pinta."

Adrian Mitchell was a prolific poet. Like Pinter, often in the public eye with critical words for the misuse of political power and a champion of the underprivileged. I happened to be reading last Sunday at an event and chose one of his poems written during the invasion of Iraq titled "Playground." In a 2005 poll conducted by a poetry organization, his poem, "Human Beings" was voted the poem that people most wanted to send into space in the hope that it would be read a century later

From Me to You....

Just an quick note to wish readers a safe and joyous holiday season.

Peace to one and all.....

Inaugural Poet Below Radar to Most

When President-elect Obama is sworn into office the nation will hear from a poet that few of us have even heard of. Elizabeth Alexander's Wikipedia bio is shot and clearly substantiates the argument that her recitation on January 20, 2009 of a poem written by her, especially for this occasion will constitute he 15 minutes of fame.

Alexander was born in Harlem, New York in 1962. She grew up in Washington, D.C. so the so she is no stranger to the nation's capital. She received a B.A from Yale University, an M.A from Boston University, and a Ph.D. in English from the University of Pennsylvania. She currently teaches ay Yale.

Alexander is not without honors. Her fourth poetry book "American Sublime" was a finalist for the 2005 Pulitzer Prize, and she was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts creative writing fellowship as well as an Illinois Arts Council award.

Reading several of her poems today, I was not on the whole impressed. Of the ones I read, only Blues from her book, Body of Life struck my fancy. Of course I've not read but a half dozen of her poems, and she'll be writing one specifically for the occasion, so there is hope that in those few minuets she will shine. What I am most happy about is that Obama has again placed poetry in a prime time slot for America.

Technorati Tags: Inaugration,Obama,poetry,Elizabeth Alexander

Poetry Roller Coaster 0r the Ups and Downs of the Poetry Market

Last night my wife and I watched a DVD rental from Red Box. Out of respect to my wife, I will not mention the title. She thought it was so bad, that she remarked, "Dear God, the sad thing is there is a paper trail that links us to it."  It was in fact pretty bad, but as I reviewed what was available, it sounded like a good idea at the time.

More good news / bad news on the poetry economics front...

• Poets & Writers, a nonprofit literary organization, has received a $2 million donation to support its Jackson Poetry Prize, a $50,000 award founded in 2007 for emerging American poets. The money comes from the Liana Foundation, a philanthropic organization based in Far Hills, N.J. 
• Staff Cut at Farrar, Straus & Giroux according to NY Observer these are only the beginning.

Cecilia Woloch emailed me with news of a new Literary Journal so I'm passing the information on to all my readers Check out San Pedro River Review.  I'll scoot over there and check it out myself and suggest our readers do as well.

It's getting late, I'm off to journal a bet yet for the night.

 

Technorati Tags: poetry exonomics,San Pedro River Review

Mark Your Calendar - Local Poetry Events

Main Street Rag Poetry Showcase

December 21, 7PM

Join Shawn Pavey, co-founder of The Main Street Rag Literary Journal, for an open mic reading and holiday party at The Writers Place. The cost of admission will be a snack tray or any of your other holiday favorites, beverage of your choice, or any other holiday cheer that you wish to bring.  There's no sign up list, and the party goes until we're out of poems or can no longer stand, whichever comes first. 

New Year's Celebration Reading- 4th Annual!!!

January 1, 12PM-12AM

Start the New Year off right at The Writers Place with our fourth annual New Year's Celebration Reading and Open Mic. Sign up to perform original music or your own poems and short stories. $5 suggested donation.

www.writersplace.org Questions: director@writersplace.org 816-753-1090

Technorati Tags: Kansas City Poetry Events,Wroters Place

From my journaling this past week

Journal bits—

Saturday, Dec. 6th -(listening to an interview by of Katie Lederer, Hedge Fund Poet and editor of Fence) It’s important for writers and other artists to report – our work can be a form of anthropology.

Monday, Dec. 15th-You threw out a song like a bouncer / throws out disgruntle patron / who’s drink privileges were cut shout / not soon enough.//

not to oversimplify, but our massage / is not as harsh as it sounds / but it is with the honesty of clothing / hung out on a line.//

Wednesday, December 17th- I am amazed at the orderly disintegration of both wealth and the overall economy all around me. It’s like there is so much inter connection of the economic fabric of society that everything can’t quite collapse because not everyone can account for their assets at the moment at hand. But you know it is coming.

Wind , Wind go Away

The wind is unmerciful. Yesterday we drove to Columbia, Missouri - a quick down and back trip and the cross winds on I-70 were a awful. Lat night they tore the top off our covered swing on the deck and they are bringing sharply colder temperatures. I suppose winter will not be denied.

I wrote for two hours late last night and the writing itself was a positive thing but I was working on a rewrite of a poem that I admit I am trying to force through in spite of the fact that I am well aware this approach never works well for me.  I've backed off it again and vow not to even look at it today. I'll revisit it in the future.

An email today from the infamous Dana Guthrie Martin Funnelcake reports on Splash Poetry and I'm pretty sure they weren't in Miami. Kudos to Mimi for organizing the event. She unfortunately lost her glasses in the dive.

Dana writes: 

O! And Mimi lost her $400 glasses in the lake during the dive. I propose that we raise funds to get her a new pair. Doesn’t she deserve it? She organized this entire event, after all. Maybe I will go around to some eyewear stores with the Seattle Times story in hand and see if any of them want to come to her rescue. It could be a whole thing: the Glasses for Poets Project. Poets like Mimi need to see, after all. They have vision.

E-mail me if you want to chip in for Mimi’s glasses: mygorgeoussomewhere (at) gmail (dot) com.

Also see, For poetry's sake they jumped in the lake

Other Poetry news...

• In his regular feature - Missouri Poet Laureate Walter Bargen features Missouri poet Wayne Zade
• Express Yourself with PoemVids.com

Technorati Tags: Poemvids,Walter Bargen,Wayne Zade,Polar Bear Poetry Splash