I received a nice note and package from Merrill Leffler this week. He sent me a copy of Yossel Birstein's And So Is The Bus  Jerusalem Stories.

Leffler also sent me a list of the poems that will be part of the Spring for Poetry in Takoma Park, an urban poetry walk sponsored by the Friends of the Takoma Park Maryland Library. Poster designs are by students at the School of Art and Design, Montgomery College, Takoma Park.

My poem " Car Problems" will be featured with " I Know a Man" by Robert Creeley. I think that's nice.  Many years ago I did a poetry reading in New Orleans with Creeley and Amiri Baraka.

Next week I will be speaking at THE COURAGE TO FIGHT VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN conference on the campus of American University. Events will be held at the Katzen Arts Center.
I will be reading poems at 11:50 AM on Saturday, March 5, 2016.

I'm reading THE POETRY OF HEALING by Rafael Campo.  It pulls one back into the AIDS crisis.

Yesterday I interviewed Dean Bernard Richardson (HU Dean of Rankin Chapel) for The Scholars.
It went very well. We had a chance to talk about Howard Thurman and various faith issues.
I think this might be a very popular interview to place on the social media outlet.

I have a meeting at the LOC today. Glad to see Obama nominated Carla Hayden for the head position.  It will be interesting to see what the Republicans do with her nomination.
So much politics...

This morning I wrote to Quincy Troupe and told him to pull the June Jordan essay I submitted.
I decided not to add all the personal stuff about a previous relationships. Let our biographers do that...

Well, the next few weeks will be very busy.  New book, new radio show to begin hosting, travel to LA.  Then a hectic April with book events for the Collected Poems.

So much going on.  Time to get back to my E-Notes. This morning I read the preface (again) of Charles Johnson's THE WAY OF THE WRITING LIFE: NOTES ON CRAFT AND STORYTELLING.  It will be published by Scribner in December 2016. I see this book as being very popular and essential to people who pursue the writing path. Johnson offers good practical advice. Hopefully folks teaching creative writing will recommend this title.

Next week I'll be interviewing Dean Bernard Richardson (Dean of the Rankin Chapel at Howard) for The Scholars (UDC-TV)

A number upcoming readings I need to post and promote.

Hopefully I should have the galleys to my Collected Poems next week.

Soon it will be time to pack for LA.  Yes, I'll be at the AWP Conference.  More later...

Right now reading  OFF THE WALL - Interviews with Philip Whalen.

Just received the latest issue of Sojourners - March 2016.
They published my essay on The Beatitudes.
"The Nakedness of the Open Soul."

Did some FaceTime with Matthew my grandson yesterday. He is one
week old today. The little guy was sleeping when I first saw him. Fun to see
someone checking out the world for the first time.

There is that tendency and desire to unplug from the political
outlet. Listening to the various presidential campaigns it's easy
to understand why it was so difficult to end slavery and so easy to place
Japanese Americans in camps. We tend to be fear/silly during
election time. I fear the pundits are clowns in search of a circus.

While reading the latest issue of The New York Review of Books
I came across this incredible statement:

Once out of bed, we check our phones
221 times a day - an average of every 4.3
minutes - according to a UK study.

THE SAD AND AWFUL NEWS

There is no doubt that thousands of Flint residents will need monitoring,
medical supervision and educational support for many years to come.
Some 8,000 or more children under the age of 6, whose developing 
brains can suffer irreversible damage from exposure to lead, drank
the poisoned water, and some are already showing symptoms.

EDITORIAL 
THE NEW YORK TIMES
FEBRUARY 6, 2016

Too much going on. I need to pace myself.
Looking forward to flying west to pickup a literary award.
More about this next month.

March is also when I become the new host for the radio program - ON THE MARGIN - WPFW.
I've been thinking about radio format and show structure the last few days.

COLLECTED POEMS should be out by late March.
Several readings in the DC area.
The big event will probably be at Marymount University.
Thanks once again to Kirsten Porter for making so many things possible.


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