Autumn is a second spring where every leaf is a flower. ~ Albert Camus
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Unconscious Mutterings Week 300
Unconscious Mutterings ~ link
Word & Thought Associations
here's mine:
Technorati Tags: Unconscious Mutterings,words
The leaves & cold of fall
Yesterday afternoon I stopped by Boarders Books in northland to see local poet Rebecca Stallard read from her new book of poetry and and sign copies. The book, And the Birds are Singing is available here.
This morning I mowed the front lawn. The air was crisp and fallen leaves laced the lawn. Just a preview of more to come.
This time of year is a mixture of things I like and things I dislike. Usually about October I start feeling the effects of the shorter days and it manifests itself in the form of feeling melancholy, especially in the early hours after rising in the morning. I use a special lamp which has lessened to some degree the impact but the period October through say March can be rough. This is not to say I don't find enjoyment in fall and winter. I prefer the cooler temperatures to hot summer days. I love the multicolored landscapes that we have available to us in Missouri.
After the end of the World Series I miss that baseball goes away. Football just doesn't have the same magic that baseball has.
It seems that fall is ripe for writing. I don't know if it is the stark changes that occur but there is something that seems transformative and this seems to feed the creative process. I seem to often get a boost in my writing output. I don't mean quantity so much as I do that I seem to be happy with more of what I write.
I've actually given thought to signing up for nawrinomo but I don't know if I can break myself away from poetry for a month to write [insert shudder here] fiction.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Md. Police Listed Green Group As Terrorist : NPR
Md. Police Listed Green Group As Terrorist : NPR: "Nation
Md. Police Listed Green Group As Terrorist
by Libby Lewis
Audio for this story will be available at approx. 7:00 p.m. ET
All Things Considered, October 24, 2008 · Three staff members of a Chesapeake environmental group were surprised to learn they were spied on by Maryland State Police and named as suspected terrorists on a state list. The state police has acknowledged it spied on anti-death penalty and anti-war activists."
Gee you just never know do you. So many terrorists and so little time.
We went through this kind of shit during the Nixon years. It gets old.
Md. Police Listed Green Group As Terrorist
by Libby Lewis
Audio for this story will be available at approx. 7:00 p.m. ET
All Things Considered, October 24, 2008 · Three staff members of a Chesapeake environmental group were surprised to learn they were spied on by Maryland State Police and named as suspected terrorists on a state list. The state police has acknowledged it spied on anti-death penalty and anti-war activists."
Gee you just never know do you. So many terrorists and so little time.
We went through this kind of shit during the Nixon years. It gets old.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Three Poetry Events in a Row in Kansas City
| Thursday 10-23 6:30 PM | Charles Simic Reading | Mabee Theater | Rockhurst University 54th Street and Troost Avenue |
| Friday 10-24 8:00 PM | Dan Jaffe Reading | Writers Place | 3607 Pennsylvania |
| Saturday 10-25 1:00-PM | Rebecca Stallard Reading and book signing | Boarders Boardwalk Shopping Dist. | Just off N.W. Barry Rd & I -29 |
Technorati Tags: Kansas City Poetry Events
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
The space inside the poem
Inside my empty bottle I was constructing a lighthouse while all the others were making ships. - Charles Simic
Monday, October 20, 2008
Like they say, if you don't play you can't win.
Patting myself on the back for submitting work to a venue I've never tried before. More because I submitted than anything else. Last year I submitted a lot of work early in the year and had great success. Then there was a brick wall. as a result, this year I have been lax in sending material out. Not lax in writing, so I'm not feeling like I've been lazy or anything, just not so focused on the administrative side of things and more on the art itself. That is a good thing isn't it? I think so. Still a balance between the two would perhaps be more desirable.
Technorati Tags: It's a poet's life
Unconscious Mutterings Week 299
Unconscious Mutterings ~ link
Word & Thought Associations
here's mine:
Magical :: Mystery Tour
Shrimp :: Cocktail
Project Runway :: Fashion
Economy :: Tank
Porch :: Front
State of affairs :: dire
.com :: bubble burst
Fifty cents :: Rap
Ripping :: Christmas
Bull :: Shit
Word & Thought Associations
here's mine:
Magical :: Mystery Tour
Shrimp :: Cocktail
Project Runway :: Fashion
Economy :: Tank
Porch :: Front
State of affairs :: dire
.com :: bubble burst
Fifty cents :: Rap
Ripping :: Christmas
Bull :: Shit
Correction on Rebecca Stallard's Reading
Please note that I made an error with respect to the announcement of Rebecca Stallard's Reading this coming Saturday- Is is at Border's but I was thinking Zona Rosa Shopping district and that would be a competitor to Boarders. It is on the opposite side if I-29. It should read Border's Books - just off N.W. Barry Rd and I-29 in the Boardwalk shopping district in Kansas City North on Saturday, Oct. 25th 1-3PM.
I will make the correction by edit in the original post as well.
I will make the correction by edit in the original post as well.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
The Series I Wanted!!!
Well, assuming I couldn't have my Giants in the World Series, I wanted to see the Phillies and the Rays. Hot Damn!!! They finished off Boston tonight. Great pitching. It's time for fall ball!!!
CHARLES SIMIC - Thursday - Oct 23 - Kansas City - Rockhurst University 6:00 p.m.
The Midwest poets series in Kansas City has once again tapped a top flight reader for its reading series. Poet Laureate Charles Simic, Pulitzer Prize winner, 
MacArthur Fellowship recipient, and winner of the Wallace Stevens Award will be here to read.
Simic has as I count them, something like 28 books (but that is more fingers than have and I may be off by one or two) of which four were released just this year.
The event is at Mabee Theater located at 54th Street and Troost Avenue on the Rockhurst Campus in Kansas City, Missouri. Reception at 6:00 p.m. - Reading starts at 6:30 p.m.
Kansas City - 75,000 turnout for Obama
Following the record crown Obama drew in St. Louis earlier yesterday, he found Kansas City supporters awaiting his arrival 75,000 strong. Recent Rasmussen poll shows Missouri: Obama 52% McCain 46% an important number given the fact that Missouri the last two elections was a red state.
Is the spread that wide in Missouri? I wouldn't call Missouri a safe state for Obama, but if the turnout is high in St Louis and Kansas City, both Democratic strongholds, 2008 might just go blue. A video clip of Obama in Kansas City can be seen here.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Record Crowd in Saint Louis for Obama
Missouri Republicans must be seeing blue tonight.... Over 100,000 turned out in St. Louis earlier today for an Obama rally. This surpassing the previous record crowd of 75,000. 
It is on to Kansas City here in the western part of the state where another large crowd is growing for an evening rally.
Anxious to see what we draw here. I don't expect anything like 100,000 but the crowd has been growing nicely.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Book Reading & Signing Saturday Sat. Oct 25th
Local Kansas City area writer Rebecca Stallard will appear at Boarder's Books - Border's Books - just off N.W. Barry Rd and I-29 in the Boardwalk shopping district in Kansas City North on Saturday, Oct. 25th 1-3PM.
Stallard will read from her book And the Birds are Singing, a poetic narrative that chronicles four generations of a family, their happiness and desire for laughter against a backdrop of their tragic hereditary plight
Rebecca Stallard is a member of the K.C. Metro Verse - a local chapter of the Missouri State Poetry Society. Her book is an extraordinary work of ancestry and poetic style.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Unconscious Mutterings Week 298
Unconscious Mutterings ~ link
Word & Thought Associations
here's mine:
Zoo :: New Zoo Revue
Neighborhood :: watch
Salute :: tribute
Immortality :: uh, poetry :)
Dominion :: dominate
Rhonda :: help me
Parties :: political
Prince of Darkness :: Joker
Garbage :: collection
Standard :: time
Word & Thought Associations
here's mine:
Zoo :: New Zoo Revue
Neighborhood :: watch
Salute :: tribute
Immortality :: uh, poetry :)
Dominion :: dominate
Rhonda :: help me
Parties :: political
Prince of Darkness :: Joker
Garbage :: collection
Standard :: time
Monday, October 13, 2008
Bohemian Ball
Saturday night I attended the the Bohemian Ball - a fund raiser to support the operations of the Writers Place in Kansas City. There were a few in costume and many who weren't. The evening got off to a rocky start when writers arrived to find the building dark and candle laden. The power on the entire block had gone out at the most inopportune. The muse in the end smiled upon us and the night ended in the light. 
Among the food and drink there were these long flat crackers that were so damn addictive. Picture wine + poets, only more. We just shortened the word cracker by dropping the er.
At one point a chorus of singers did a ditty to the tune of Abbas' Dancing Queen changed to Writing Queen.
Lots of silent auction items. People were carrying out tons of spoils at the end of then evening. The only downer beside the initial dark was the Chardonnay running out quickly. I don't do red wine.
Some upcoming Writers Place events:
Sunday, October 19, 2008 -- 7:00 p.m.
Main Street Rag Poetry Showcase Featuring Tim Pettet and Prometheus Unbound
Main Street Rag hosts a production of "Imagination, Please" featuring the voices of Sharon Eiker, Shawn Pavey, Timothy Pettet and others.
Friday, October 24, 2008- 8 p.m.
Dan Jaffee Reading
Poet Dan Jaffee will read political and social issue poems for the "First Tuesday in November".
Political Poetry
Just in time for the election a new version of the Magnetic Poetry Kit lets you add a bit of political rhetoric to your verse. It comes with 200 nonpartisan words, but you can change that!
Saturday, October 11, 2008
October Surprise
Saw white pumpkins for the first time recently. I guess you never get too old to be surprised.
Surprises can be a good thing. But we often see them in a
negative light. Unpleasant surprises. In politics there is the often dreaded "October Surprise". You probably never want to see a mobile news team pull up unannounced at your business. The present economic turmoil, while somewhat predictable puts us in uncharted waters that continues of offer unpleasant surprises.
I think poetry often embraces surprise. Certainly learning to find the surprise in even the simplest of daily life has been a paramount importance to me as a poet. I think all art is about a perspective of view. Perhaps poetry more than any art form requires us to present unique perspective. It seems to me people that are most appreciative of poetry are the ones who are able fined the surprise elements in verse, who can read something and have that "Ah ha!" experience, seeing something in a different light.
I hope your day is filled with surprises... and I hope they are all good ones!
Technorati Tags: life as a poet,surprise
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Ouch!
I must confess my negligence in not stopping by This is All Your Fault of late. I have no excuse. Of course having seen one of Christine Hamm's latest posts a little self inflicted pain is in order after realizing what I'm missing. My First Death: The High Window ~ such image... wow!
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
Technorati Tags: unconscious Mutterings,words
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.
Technorati Tags: Sarah Palin,Barack Obama,Campaign ethics,Sarah Palin's fitness to serve,McCain Campaign
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.
Technorati Tags: Andre Malraux,Federico Garciaca
Friday, October 03, 2008
Victoria Chang Brings Her Poetry to Kansas City
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
Technorati Tags: journal bits. Michael Wells,life as a poet
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.
Technorati Tags: Victoria Chang
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
- And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson/Peter Parnell
- The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier
- Olive’s Ocean, by Kevin Henkes
- The Golden Compass, by Philip Pullman
- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
- The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
- TTYL, by Lauren Myracle
- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou
- It’s Perfectly Normal, by Robie Harris
- 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
Technorati Tags: Unconscious Mutterings
To MSPS Convention and Back
Returned last night from the Missouri State Poetry Society Convention in Springfield, MO. It was a whirlwind trip down and back with the president of our local chapter, Missi Rasmussen in the Poet Mobil. Missi drove her yellow PT Cruiser and while we were at one of the secessions a reference was made to another local poet who drove the car preferred by poets everywhere. Yep, the PT Cruiser. Who knew?
There were two exceptional guests who read their work. Thomas Lux pictured here and Michael Burns.
Lux was educated at Emerson College and the University of Iowa. He was the poet in residence at Emerson College, 1972-75. He was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Award in Poetry in addition to National Endowment for the Arts and Guggenheim Fellowship.
Burns is a retired MSU Professor whose work has appeared in a number of top rate literary journals including Kenyon Review, Paris Review, and The Southern Review. In 1995 he won an NEA fellowship.
Burns did a group workshop an I found him to be a very down to earth instructor. I liked his teaching style. He is someone who really seems to enjoy helping others with their poetry and has a personality that is as genuine as it is rich with humor.
I knew I recognized Thomas Lux by name, but could not place him. That was until he began to read The Refrigerator, 1957. I didn't recognize it by name, but it didn't take long for me to realize this was the infamous Maraschino cherries poem. I first saw this poem maybe 5 or 6 years ago and loved it.
"...right of the middle of the middle door shelf, on fire, a lit-from-within red, heart red, sexual red, wet neon red, shining red in their liquid, exotic, aloof, slumming in such company: a jar of maraschino cherries. Three-quarters full, fiery globes, like strippers at a church social. Maraschino cherries, maraschino, the only foreign word I knew. Not once did I see these cherries employed: not in a drink, nor on top of a glob of ice cream,"
It all went by so fast, but it was a worthwhile trip and it's too bad more of our local people could nit make the trip down.
Technorati Tags: Missouri State Poetry Society Convention,Michael Burns,Thomas Lux,Missi Rasmussen,Michael Wells,Springfield,K.C. Metro Verse
Thursday, September 25, 2008
McCain Camp: Let's Push Back Biden-Palin Match-Up, Too
Yes folks, according to ABC News.... the headline above is theirs and relates to the following:
The McCain campaign told ABC News on Wednesday that John McCain wants to postpone Friday's presidential debate until Thursday, Oct. 2.
The Arizona senator would like the vice presidential debate between Sarah Palin and Joe Biden, which is currently scheduled to take place on Thursday, Oct. 2 in St. Louis, Missouri, to be scheduled for a later unspecified date.
So I guess that gives them more time to work on Palin who's eyes looked like a frightened puppy when she took a whole four questions from the press today.
Unconscious Mutterings Week 295
Unconscious Mutterings ~ link
Word & Thought Associations
here's mine:
Heist :: Diamond
Hack :: Up
Dane :: Great
Stings :: Police
Monkey :: Madness
Junkie :: Dope
Pumped :: Up
Brass :: Knuckles
Fight! :: War
Vouch :: Acknowledge
evidently I was asleep at the switch for week 294
Word & Thought Associations
here's mine:
Heist :: Diamond
Hack :: Up
Dane :: Great
Stings :: Police
Monkey :: Madness
Junkie :: Dope
Pumped :: Up
Brass :: Knuckles
Fight! :: War
Vouch :: Acknowledge
evidently I was asleep at the switch for week 294
Monday, September 22, 2008
Letting Go - Part I
"All truly profound art requires its creator to abandon himself to certain powers which he invokes but cannot altogether control" ~ Andre Malraux, "Goya"
The word all leaves no room for question and requires is a strong verb. So when you think about the above statement it's about as weighty as you can get. Given this, I've been thinking a lot about it this evening. Assuming that this statement is a universal truth about art, it behooves us to learn just exactly what it takes to surrender ourselves to certain powers. And where do these powers come from?
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Back From A Weekend Run To St Louis
Back home after a whirlwind trip to St Louis to See Daughter #2. Haven't done a Journal bits post in a while.... A few things from this past ten days.
- 9-11-08 "I look at a picture on my desk of all four of our kids together and note their facial features and how much they look alike."
- 9-11-08 Quite from Rainer Maria Rilke ~ "If my devils are to leave me, I am afraid my angels will take flight as well."
- 9-13-08 evening... "There is in you what is beyond you" ~ Paul Valery
- 9-14-08 The blackened windows was unyielding./There is another side to this- I dispute,/the blank stare, dark and framed/in a plague of crippling lies./
- 9-15-08 "conscripted fantasy"
- 9-16-08 I am better suited for productivity this morning as I am not zoned out on carbs. Life is a balancing act to get enough but not too many.
- 9-16-08 The language that we cling to is a monument that testifies to the organized progress of man. It is so exciting to be linked to this feat, this act of human achievement by the very use of it on a daily basis.
- 9-19-08 I got my ass kicked good a the office today.
- 9-20-08 ...had dinner, tacos from Jack-in-the-Box.
- 9-21-08 "a box store full of false hope/discount prices and depressed wages
Friday, September 19, 2008
How I See Election Night Unfolding
Words to Stroll By
As a Capricorn, I like to think of myself as an earthy sort of person. It is true I like a safety net, the secure feeling. Still, I do like a good shakeup once and a while. A little something new can be a good thing under the right circumstances. Even to a Capricorn. So when I saw an article about a man in St. Paul, Minneapolis that was bringing poetry to the people in a new way, I sat up and took note.
It seems that poetry has taken up a rather permanent position around the city on sidewalks. The project was conceived by Marcus Young who was looking for a way to integrate art into the public view.
Working with twenty poets and the Department of Public Works in St. Paul, Young was able to orchestrate poems etched into the concrete where repairs were being made in public walkways. Presently there are about 50 poems completed in various parts of the city and another fifty to go.
I thought about during next poetry month doing poems in chalk on sidewalks but this is way more cool, and lasting.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Right Here In River City
Sunday I read at the Writers Place in Kansas City for the second CD release party sponsored by both the Writers Place and the Johnson County Library. The two events were an excellent opportunity for the public to hear and meet some of our many local poets and I especially appreciated the fact that the events spanned our Missouri - Kansas boarder. I don't recall ever reading in the Kansas side before, though I have attended a number of readings there. Anyway, the local poets featured in the CD project owe a big thanks to these two sponsors.
Speaking of events... there are a number of exciting happenings that are coming together locally in the months ahead. Two poets I first discovered via poetry blogland will be coming to read as part of an Ethnic Poetry Reading Series in conjunction with Park University. The first one is Victoria Chang who will be here October 2nd, 2008 and the other is Aimee Nezhukumatathil who will be in town on March 26th, 2009. I'll do another post on each closer to their event. Also in October - on Thursday the 23rd, Poet Laureate Charles Simic will be in town as part of the Midwest Poet Series. So there, everyone mark your calendar in advance. I promise to remind you of each event later.
Technorati Tags: Aimee Nezhukumatathil,Victoria Chang,Charles Simic,poet laureate,readings,Kansas City
What's That You Say?
A critic can only review the book he has read, not the one which the writer wrote. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960
Monday, September 15, 2008
Art & The Elections
If you are an artist or feel the arts are important in the fundamental education of American children then consider this information passed along from Kelli Russell Agodon on her blog about the presidential candidates:
Barack Obama- favors an Artist Corps in the Schools. An "Artist Corps" of young artists would work in low-income schools and their communities to bring exposure of the arts into the educational process of these students. The results of which are of course more job opportunities for artists, but most importantly this would effectively integrate positive art experiences in the education system in this country. In so many school districts art has had to take a back seat to other subjects. It's important to reach these students when they are young because otherwise they are not likely to learn to appreciate art on their own as adults. [read more in depth]
John McCain - his record is one disfavoring the promotion of the arts publicly. In 1999 he was one of 16 senators who supported the Smith-Ashcroft amendment which would have eliminated funding for the National Endowment for the Arts. Fortunately this amendment failed. He tried again in 2000. He was one of 27 senators who voted to reduce the National Endowment for the Arts budget by $7.3 million. Again, "Maverick McCain" and the others were unsuccessful. It should be noted that the National Endowment for the Arts is not just a glitzy art organization, but has been a positive vehicle for promoting literacy programs in America for people of all ages. [ I thought I'd be fair and link any specifics from McCain's campaign here, but his official site seems void of any reference to the Arts]
Pass this information on to other artists that you know. There is a lot at stake in this election.
Barack Obama- favors an Artist Corps in the Schools. An "Artist Corps" of young artists would work in low-income schools and their communities to bring exposure of the arts into the educational process of these students. The results of which are of course more job opportunities for artists, but most importantly this would effectively integrate positive art experiences in the education system in this country. In so many school districts art has had to take a back seat to other subjects. It's important to reach these students when they are young because otherwise they are not likely to learn to appreciate art on their own as adults. [read more in depth]
John McCain - his record is one disfavoring the promotion of the arts publicly. In 1999 he was one of 16 senators who supported the Smith-Ashcroft amendment which would have eliminated funding for the National Endowment for the Arts. Fortunately this amendment failed. He tried again in 2000. He was one of 27 senators who voted to reduce the National Endowment for the Arts budget by $7.3 million. Again, "Maverick McCain" and the others were unsuccessful. It should be noted that the National Endowment for the Arts is not just a glitzy art organization, but has been a positive vehicle for promoting literacy programs in America for people of all ages. [ I thought I'd be fair and link any specifics from McCain's campaign here, but his official site seems void of any reference to the Arts]
Pass this information on to other artists that you know. There is a lot at stake in this election.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Writers Place - Sunday -Sept. 14 6:00-PM Reading and CD Poetry CD Give-Away.
A repeat of sorts to the event last Monday at Johnson County Library.
At the Writers Place - 3607 Pennsylvania, K.C., MO there will be another reading and CD release party. First 50 get a free CD!
Dana Gioia Takes Another Direction
The arts have truly had an Ambassador in Dana Gioia who has served as Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts since 2003. But Dana who wrote poetry quietly while working in corporate America has announced that he plans to depart from his second term at National Endowments early next year and will join The Aspen Institute, an international nonprofit organization founded in 1950 as the Aspen Institute of Humanistic Studies. The position at Aspen will be a a half-time position. Dana plans to return to his writing as well. He has been both a poet and a critic. In fact leaving to accept this new position is really about freeing up time to write. About his decision, Gioia noted, "I announce my departure with mixed feelings," he added. "I will never have a more interesting job. But I am a writer. If I don't return to poetry soon, the Muse will never have me back."
At Aspen Institute he will be the Director of The Harman/Eisner (H/E) Program in the Arts. A new program of the Institute the purpose of which is to deepen the Institute's work by incorporating leading artists and to use the Institute's convenings to support and promote the arts.
Technorati Tags: Dana Gioia,National Endowment for the Arts,Poet,writing,Aspin Institute,Harman/Eisner Program
Saturday morning and lots going on in my mind
I can't help but wonder what the ultimate damage assessment and loss of life will look like on the Gulf coast from the savage path of Ike. It all seems sorrel having so much news coverage and yet we know so little of the human tragedy yet. It's still all drama and yet you know the loss is there.
Then too there is the horrific train collision in the LA area. Yet another reminder how fragile life can be even in the daily grind.
If you look past all this, there is still a campaign going on, though the candidates attempt to tip-toe through the human suffering so as not to offend.
In reality an election is going to happen in the end and it is perhaps one of profound importance when you consider where this nation has been in the past 8 years. Our economy has gone from one of deficit reductions in the years prior to Bush taking office to one that is historic in terms of national debit. At the same time we are seeing banks and major investment houses collapse in their own debt write-offs for losses that not only are corporate losses but translate to shareholder losses as well. And those share holders are not all wealthy individuals who can sustain the risk of their investments, but in many cases baby boomers whose retirement pensions are often tied to such investments.
Meanwhile, we continue to spend $10 billion a month (not even counted in the federal budget) for the ongoing military action in Iraq. A war that was a mistake from the very conception. All this time, things grow worse in Afghanistan, the country with the real connection to 9-11, not Iraq.
Quietly on the home front, the Bush administration continues to pursue a course of action that threatens our very constructional protections. One by one eroding our rights as citizens. The most recent example seeks to take us back some 30 years to the Nixon era when it was necessary to clean up the constitutional abuses of a very paranoid president who felt it necessary to abuse powers to spy on the American people.
This week, as a perhaps final legacy of this administration, the FBI announced it is seeking to implement new rules as of October 1 that would allow agents pursuing national security leads to employ physical surveillance, deploy informants and engage in "pretext" interviews with their identities hidden to assess the danger posed by a subject. Such assessments could be initiated even without a particular fact or concrete lead that a person had engaged in wrongdoing. Additionally. as in the days of Nixon, it is suggested that changes still could be made in some areas, including ground rules for FBI agents who secretly infiltrate activist groups or collect intelligence at public demonstrations and events without a suspected terrorist threat.
It's a lot to chew on this Saturday morning. The underlying question now is, can I clear my head and write today?
Technorati Tags: Afghanistan,Iraq,Bush,Nixon,national debit,investments,financial institutions,FBI,civil liberties,Ike,war,election
Friday, September 12, 2008
Tricked
Ornamental excuses abound.
Window dressings, all of them
to purchase the justification
necessary to have his way
when validation was a rabbit
no where near the scene
of the black top hat.
Window dressings, all of them
to purchase the justification
necessary to have his way
when validation was a rabbit
no where near the scene
of the black top hat.
Aren't You Felling More Assured?
In an interview last night with ABC's Charles Gibson, it was noted that Republican presidential candidate John McCain has defended his running mate's qualifications, citing her command of the Alaska National Guard and Alaska's proximity to Russia. When asked by Gibson about what insights into recent Russian actions she gained by living in Alaska, Palin responded, "They're our next-door neighbors and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska."
Now we know she will be able to find it on a map.
Now we know she will be able to find it on a map.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
LOCAL POETS ON CD
The Monday night event at Johnson County Library was well done. Thanks to both Johnson County Library and The Writers Place for their part in making it a success and allowing many local poets greater exposure in the community. The CD produced by their joint efforts includes works from the following poets:
- Katie Manning
- Marie Asner
- Bob Fisher
- Jo McDougal
- Michael Wells
- Tina Hacker
- Maria Vasques Boyd
- Martin Zehr
- Carol Bettis
- Chalise Bourque
- Donald Caswell
- Elizabeth Upperon
- Timothy Pettit
- Jan Duncon O'Neill
- Peg Nichols
- Chloe Wagner
- Sylvia Kofler
- Meril Crabtree
- William Trpwbridge
- Albert James Dow
- Greg Germon
- Gloria Martinez Adams
- Tom Gray
- Carol Hamilton
- Margarita Vallazza
- Mark Scheel
- Jose Faas
- Missi Rasmussen
- Sally Jadlow
- Maryfrancis Wagner
- Mary Rogers-Grantham
- Genie Wilson
At the Writers Place - 3607 Pennsylvania, K.C., MO - This Sunday, September 14th, 2008 6:00PM there will be another reading and CD release party. First 50 get a free CD!
Monday, September 08, 2008
Cheney Supports McCain-Palin Ticket
Cheney tells the press he's behind the McCain-Palin Ticket, the ticket John McCain says represents change from the past 8 years of the Bush-Cheney administration. The administration that was notably absent in any mention during the GOP Convention.Why would this be? Perhaps, because McCain-Palin aren't really agents of change but more of the same. The same they don't want to talk about. The same they hope you'll forget.
Cheney believes Palin is up to the job. This is a man whose opinion on the subject Americans should take? Seriously folks, what is wrong with this picture?
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