Thursday, April 30, 2009

Stuff I Like: Transplant

Transplant
By Sarah McKinstry-Brown



I cut myself out of your landscape, Albuquerque,
because you thought you had me all mapped out. There
was no canyon or Village Inn, no major intersection
that didn't know where my fault lines rested. So I packed
my suitcase and let the longitude of my grief pull me
across the country.

Of course I missed you. At times it was hard to keep
breathing without your mountains around
to mirror the white crested peaks of my heartbeat.

I don't know if it was mistake or grace that brought me
here. When the Spaniards arrived in the New World,
their boot soles were heavy with dirt from the mother country.
This is how seeds of chickpeas and wheat made their way across the Atlantic.
Maybe I arrived here stuck to the bottom of God's great invisible shoe.
Or maybe, I am more tumbleweed than free willed woman maybe
I docked into the arms of this city, my husband, byway of a careless wind.

Either way, it hasn't been easy to trade in the Rio Grande river
that rolled across your body like the Spanish rrrrrrrrr on the tongue of a Native New Mexican,
for the Missouri.

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Quote of the WEEK

Death tugs at my ear and says: "Live, I am coming!"

- Oliver Wendell Holmes

HAPPY Poem in Your Pocket Day!!

In honor of the last day of National Poetry Month (which I remembered and have been celebrating all month:) I sware), poets.org is asking all fans of poetry to -

1. Select a poem they enjoy
2. Print it out and carry it around all day
3. Whip it out of their pockets at random times during the day
4. Share with co-workers, family, and friends
5. REPEAT:-)


I have chosen a classic poem by Will Shakes

The Seven Ages of Man
William Shakespeare
"All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players,
They have their exits and entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.
Then, the whining schoolboy with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress' eyebrow."

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Don't forget yours!

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Famous Poetry: How Do I Love Thee?

Let me count the ways:-)

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.

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Artist Spotlight: Nikki Giovanni


I just discovered that this dynamic god-mother of poetry - Nikki Giovanni is a local...hooray!! Although she has traveled far and wide during her prolific career, Ms. Giovanni once called Cincinnati home!

"Yolanda Cornelia "Nikki" Giovanni was born in Knoxville, Tennessee on June 7, 1943, and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1960, she entered Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, where she worked with the school's Writer's Workshop and edited the literary magazine. After receiving her bachelor of arts degree in 1967, she organized the Black Arts Festival in Cincinnati before entering graduate school at the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University.

In her first two collections, Black Feeling, Black Talk (1968) and Black Judgement (1969), Giovanni reflects on the African-American identity. Recently, she has published Acolytes (HarperCollins, 2007), The Collected Poetry of Nikki Giovanni: 1968-1998 (2003), Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea: Poems and Not-Quite Poems (2002) Blues For All the Changes: New Poems (1999), Love Poems (1997), and Selected Poems of Nikki Giovanni (1996).



A lung cancer survivor, Giovanni has also contributed an introduction to the anthology Breaking the Silence: Inspirational Stories of Black Cancer Survivors (Hilton Publishing, 2005).

Her honors include three NAACP Image Awards for Literature in 1998, the Langston Hughes award for Distinguished Contributions to Arts and Letters in 1996, as well as more than twenty honorary degrees from national colleges and universities. She has been given keys to more than a dozen cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, Miami, and New Orleans.

Several magazines have named Giovanni Woman of the Year, including Essence, Mademoiselle, Ebony, and Ladies Home Journal. She was the first recipient of the Rosa Parks Woman of Courage Award. She has served as poetry judge for the National Book Awards and was a finalist for a Grammy Award in the category of Spoken Word.

She is currently Professor of English and Gloria D. Smith Professor of Black Studies at Virginia Tech, where she has taught since 1987."

April is NATIONAL POETRY MONTH!


Whoa!! As a self-proclaimed lover of poetry, I am embarrassed to admit that I almost (key word almost) forgot that April was National Poetry Month...ooops.

But, better late than never:-) According to the Academy of American Poets website -

"National Poetry Month is a month-long, national celebration of poetry established by the Academy of American Poets. The concept is to widen the attention of individuals and the media—to the art of poetry, to living poets, to our complex poetic heritage, and to poetry books and journals of wide aesthetic range and concern. We hope to increase the visibility and availability of poetry in popular culture while acknowledging and celebrating poetry’s ability to sustain itself in the many places where it is practiced and appreciated.

The Academy of American Poets has led this initiative from its inception in 1996 and along the way has enlisted a variety of government agencies and officials, educational leaders, publishers, sponsors, poets, and arts organizations to help."

so...enjoy the last few days of National Poetry Month by creating, enjoying, or sharing some poetic works of your own! Happy Poeting!

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Newsprint: Why Michelle Obama inspires women around the globe


Apparently, I'm on a Michelle O kick this week:-) I just found this great article on how the first lady is inspiring women around the world to realize their full potential. For the first time women of color around the world are able to see someone who reminds them of themselves held up as an international icon!

My favorite line in this article is - "but no one calls her cursed." She is standing tall and giving us all a reason to walk with our heads held high. Keep on working it First Lady!


"Heather Ferreira works in the slums of Mumbai, India, where she has watched thousands of women live under a "curse."

The women she meets in the squalid streets where "Slumdog Millionaire" was filmed are often treated with contempt, she says. They're considered ugly if their skin and hair are too dark. They are deemed "cursed" if they only have daughters. Many would-be mothers even abort their children if they learn they're female.

Yet lately she says Indian women are getting another message from the emergence of another woman thousands of miles away. This woman has dark skin and hair. She walks next to her husband in public, not behind. And she has two daughters. But no one calls her cursed. They call her Michelle Obama, the first lady."


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Talk about

Monday, April 27, 2009

Just For Fun: Michelle, As Well


This love poem to Michelle Obama's wardrobe brings a smile to my face every time...:-)

"I write this poem on matters slight
By which I mean, Inaugural Night.

My shallow values hence exposed,
But someone’s got to mention clothes.

I’ll take you back as I digress
To Iowa and that black dress.

A silver belt around her waist
Opponent’s pantsuits in disgrace.

I viewed her garb and then I knew
She won’t wear suits in royal blue.

Man-tailored jackets grow on trees,
And no more rhinestone flag pins, please.

She won’t-nor will her dazzling girls-
Be seen in Barbara’s two-strand pearls."


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Newsprint: Swine Flu Gone Wild

WHO raises pandemic alert level; more swine flu cases feared

This is no joke friends and fam! Avoid non-essential travel south of the border and get checked out, even if you think it's just a common cold. The life you save might be your own!

Stuff I Like: HBO's Brave New Voices

Reason No. 1,001 why I need to get HBO!

Check out the very talented young peeps in this new Russel Simmons show - Brave New Voices. Thanks to SKJ for the heads up.



Straight from the site -


All over the United States, a new generation of poets is emerging. This new HBO series captures teenagers picking up the pen and taking hold of the microphone with passion, intelligence, creativity, honesty and power. These voices of 21st Century America transcend race, class, gender, orientation, and red state/blue state politics as they show us all what the next generation of leaders looks and sounds like.
Brave New Voices is a new seven-part series that features teenage poets and their mentors from San Francisco, Philadelphia, New York, Santa Fe, Ft. Lauderdale, Honolulu and Ann Arbor as they prepare for Youth Speaks' 2008 Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam Finals.
These young poets represent a growing national movement featuring thousands of teenagers writing and performing spoken word as a way to have voice in their communities and in the nation as a whole. These are the Brave New Voices and the organizations that support them.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Great Links: PoetCD


There's no better way to stay warm on those cold, lonely nights than picking up some hot poetry cds...

This is great for finding cds of old favs and international talents and for discovering new gems!

Artist Spotlight: Marc Marcel




Marcel started writing in April of 99, and since, has compiled thousands of unreleased poems, as well as several novels. Originally beginning by writing novels, he started writing poetry several months afterwards, and since, has just released his 5th Spoken Word CD. He sees life, as nothing less than finding a passion and being dedicated to it, and in his work, he promises to capture the emotions and feelings of a number of different issues, from politics, love, self revelations, and the struggles that come with life.



Marc Marcel has had poems published in several anthologies, and has guest featured on numerous other artists CDs around the world. He has appeared on television on such shows as The Poet’s Corner, and has appeared on many radio stations across the nation, either talking about his travels or having tracks from his CDs being played in rotation. Marcel has had articles and interviews printed in magazines like, The Rolling Out, Good News Magazine, and St. Louis Argus Newspaper. He was also a member of the 2004 Pensacola, and 2005 St. Louis SLAM teams.

He took his first steps into the world of poetry when he first hit the Spoken Word scene in January of 2000, where since, he has traveled across the country, exploring all 4 regions (over 60 cities) performing and living off his poetry. Marcel has also performed, done workshops, or spoke at colleges such as Harvard, MIT, Buffalo State, Georgia Southern, Louisiana State University, and Tennessee State University, along with appearing at many high schools, and Correctional facilities. Within the years that he has started performing, he has compiled a list of many historical venues that he has been featured. In the summer of 2004, Marcel then traveled across seas to perform in London, Bristol, Munich, and Prague.

check out more

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Great Links: Malaria Awareness Day

In honor of Malaria Awarenedd Day, check out MalariaNoMore





Malaria No More was born of a simple, startling insight: that ending malaria's death grip on Africa is the best humanitarian investment we can make in the world today. Nothing else can have the same impact on as many people's lives and livelihoods as quickly or cheaply.

Stuff I Like: All I Have Ever Done

Former Poet Laureate of Queens, New York Ishle Yi Park speaks the truth about loving and losing.

Friday, April 24, 2009

Stuff I Like: Carlos Andres Gomez

another great dance/ culture poem...so good!

"and they were called slave when the sun rose,
but those nights
belonged to them"


Great Links: Solving Africa

Nigerian born Born Kingsley Kanu Jr. dreams of seeing a changed Africa. He has spent the past few months traveling the continent and talking to young people about their visions for the continent. Great stuff! He's also working on a book. Check him out at - Solving Africa

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Stuff I Like: Roger's "Calypso"

"I lost my virginity to calypso"


Great Links: Poetz.com

I have the distinct honor and pleasure of being in NYC every few months. I havent yet been able to take advantage of the shows on this list, but you should if you're ever in the city!


Poets.com

Stuff I Like: Aaron Trumm "Blink"

For some reason, I'm really, really feeling the love poems right now. Here's another really good one...

"I dance around the subject with
poems to be prepared
and songs that must be sung
and contacts to be made
and business to be done
there are dreams to be accomplished..."


Just For Fun: Joe's BBQ and Foot Massage

"As long as its fry-able or edible, we're gonna make it decic-ible"


HILARITY


Newsprint: Afghanistan's women find their voice

Despite being called a prostitute and a bitch by furious madrasa students, Shinkai Karokhail, one of Afghanistan's 68 MPs with seats constitutionally reserved for women, described what happened on Wednesday morning as "a wonderful occasion".

"It was the first time in the history of Afghanistan that women were aware of their rights," she said. "It was a fantastic statement that women will demand equal rights."



The previous evening one of Afghanistan's most powerful Shia clerics, Mohamad Asif Mohseni, published an order on his personal television station that members of his sect must not allow their wives and daughters to attend the unprecedented and historic demonstration in Kabul against a law the UN says legalises marital rape.

But among the people who tuned in to the broadcast on Tamadon was a young woman called Adila. She lives in a large Shia neighbourhood on the outskirts of Kabul and was enraged by what she saw as an attempt to stop her going to the protest the following morning.

"He had no right to tell us what to do - these are our rights. I knew that this was my responsibility to go to the gathering," she said.

So, fearing her parents would stop her leaving and that Mohseni's followers would prevent her from boarding public buses, she sneaked out of the house in the early hours and walked for nearly three hours.


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Great Links: IndieFeed



Mongo , the host of this awesome podcast, is the absolute authority on all things spoken word. Every day that I listen, i get even more inspired, discover new (soon to be) fav artists and rediscover my love of poetry. It's easy as pie to subscribe to it and, I promise, you will never be the same again! Check it out!

Stuff I Like: Eternal Embrace Foreseeing

I rediscovered this poem in a book that was given to me by my baby bro. So tragic...yet so sweet.

Archaeologists in Italy have discovered a couple buried 5,000 to 6,000 years ago, hugging each other.
Rome (Reuters), Tuesday, February 6, 2007

That's the way I want to go
In her arms, teeth intact

Discovered in five thousand years
a beacon to the loveless masses of the future

Our femurs and tibias co-mingled
a love only bones could know

We'll be like black and white movies
an innocent portrayal of a time long gone

They knew how to do it back then, they'll say
just imagine if they still had eyes

-BY RICK LUPERT, The Last American Valentine

Quote of the WEEK

You can buy breasts, but you can't buy brains


my bff...speaking the absolute gospel:-)

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Stuff I Like: My Dear Marty

I got to see this wonderful talent last weekend in a cute cafe in Columbus. She didnt do this poem, but she still delivered hot fire on stage! This awesome poetress is my inspiration this week...

Do not let this universe regret you!


Saturday, April 11, 2009

Just For Fun: Last Day of the Facebook Fast!


I am quite happy to know that others are as addicted to Facebook as me and, as such, decided it was worthy of giving up for Lent.

To commemorate my last day sans FB, meet Kevin Shine A 39 year old firefighter who also gave it up...funny stuff.

Mr. Shine sounds a bit bewildered as he says this, as though he can't quite believe he's in this fix. Social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace are far more popular among teens and college students. Nearly half of all 18-to-24 year olds visit such sites at least daily, compared to just 13% of Internet users overall, according to the Pew Research Center.

But a significant population of adults has also been hooked. They start by looking up old friends or flames. They scroll through co-workers' online photo albums. They post random tidbits about their days. Mr. Shine recently found himself telling all 157 of his online "friends" about the vomit a stray dog left on his porch


ps...when did old people take over FB? Remember when you had to be in college? Not hating...just wondering:-)

Quote of the WEEK


Ignorance is still running rampant!

Texas Rep Betty Brown asked that voters of Asian descent should adopt names that are "easier for Americans to deal with." Her exact quote was:

Rather than everyone here having to learn Chinese -- I understand its a rather difficult language -- do you think that it would behoove you and your citizens to adopt a name that we could deal with more readily here?


For those of you who think we're moving to a post-racial society, this is my PSA. This is further proof that a color blind society is really a call for assimilation. It always comes at the expense of individuality.

Just for Fun: Mow The Lawn Too Racy?

This would fall under the TMI category, but I guess its as clean as you can really make an ad about shaving "the down there." No further comment...

Newsprint: Robin Hoodin' Main Street


Due to the current economic climate, local governments have resolved to steal from the poor to give to themselves...hmmm..

Ohio’s governor has proposed a budget with more than 150 new or increased fees, including a fivefold increase in the cost to renew a livestock license, as well as larger sums to register a car, order a birth certificate or dump trash in a landfill. Other fees take aim at landlords, cigarette sellers and hospitals, to name a few.
Cities Turn to Fees to Fill Budget Gaps

I mean...I realize that cities don't run on cotton candy and wishes, but are fees really the only answer? Especially considering the number of people losing their jobs and homes...

Friday, April 10, 2009

The Plunge!


My New Year's resolution was to start a blog...and since I never resolved to actually populate the blog, I allowed my performance anxiety to keep me away from the keyboard. For over four months! eek! No more.

I am RE-resolving to start...and regularly update this darn thing! Most of what I write may turn out to be crap, but at least it'll be mine:-)

I hope that you find this blog both entertaining and thoughtful. Enjoy learning (way too much) about me and the things that interest me.

sb