The latest issue of THE DOS PASSOS REVIEW is out.
Volume 4, No. 1.
The journal is a publication of Longwood University
www.longwood.edu/dpr/
The editor is Mary Carroll-Hackett.
Poets and fiction writers might want to submit work.
E-NOTES: WHEN THE NEWS IS NOT ENOUGH. THE BLOG OF E. ETHELBERT MILLER
Monday, July 02, 2007
Party Like It's....
Washington DC Branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) will have on Friday, July 6 at 7 p.m.
The Black Panther Party: Who They Were and What We Can Learn.
It will include screening of movies from the Black Panther Party archives, and reports and discussion.
It takes place at 1247 E Street SE, Washington, DC (the corner of 13th and E Streets, SE, just a few blocks from the Potomac Avenue Metro Station on the Blue/Orange line). Admission is free. If people want more information they can call 202-543-4900, or email dc@SocialismandLiberation.org. Our web site, www.pslweb.org has more information about PSL as well.It should be an interesting evening, with good discussion.
Washington DC Branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) will have on Friday, July 6 at 7 p.m.
The Black Panther Party: Who They Were and What We Can Learn.
It will include screening of movies from the Black Panther Party archives, and reports and discussion.
It takes place at 1247 E Street SE, Washington, DC (the corner of 13th and E Streets, SE, just a few blocks from the Potomac Avenue Metro Station on the Blue/Orange line). Admission is free. If people want more information they can call 202-543-4900, or email dc@SocialismandLiberation.org. Our web site, www.pslweb.org has more information about PSL as well.It should be an interesting evening, with good discussion.
Sunday, July 01, 2007
A Dunn Deal:
Read Stephen Dunn's poem "The Mermaid" in the latest issue of The American Poetry Review. It's the best of the nine poems. I like Dunn's "Little Craft Manifesto." Here are 3 excerpts:
Craft is an orchestration of words and desired effects. Essentially, its job is to reveal content. It's in the business of heightening, subordinating, pacing. It controls rates of disclosure, degrees of importance; it manages tone. Like a compass, it's what you need when you're lost, but it is not sufficient.
If you're a serious poet, every poem you write is part of a long unspoken dialog with the poets who preceded you. Craft is part of that dialog, also preferably unspoken. As you write, you need not be conscious of your forebears and their work but the poem should in some way reflect that you 've been standing on the shoulders of those giants.
Craft is nothing if not an agent of the possible. Sloppiness is its main nemesis. Certainly the carpenter who poorly frames a door doesn't go around saying how well it shuts. Sloppiness embrarrasses him. But who hasn't heard poets defending the equivalent of a poorly made door? And doesn't the carpenter's apprentice know he's an apprentice and therefore, tend to be keenly aware of what he has yet to master? Beginning poets take note: the artisan never believes that how he feels is more important than how he executes.
Read Stephen Dunn's poem "The Mermaid" in the latest issue of The American Poetry Review. It's the best of the nine poems. I like Dunn's "Little Craft Manifesto." Here are 3 excerpts:
Craft is an orchestration of words and desired effects. Essentially, its job is to reveal content. It's in the business of heightening, subordinating, pacing. It controls rates of disclosure, degrees of importance; it manages tone. Like a compass, it's what you need when you're lost, but it is not sufficient.
If you're a serious poet, every poem you write is part of a long unspoken dialog with the poets who preceded you. Craft is part of that dialog, also preferably unspoken. As you write, you need not be conscious of your forebears and their work but the poem should in some way reflect that you 've been standing on the shoulders of those giants.
Craft is nothing if not an agent of the possible. Sloppiness is its main nemesis. Certainly the carpenter who poorly frames a door doesn't go around saying how well it shuts. Sloppiness embrarrasses him. But who hasn't heard poets defending the equivalent of a poorly made door? And doesn't the carpenter's apprentice know he's an apprentice and therefore, tend to be keenly aware of what he has yet to master? Beginning poets take note: the artisan never believes that how he feels is more important than how he executes.
The Writing Life:
Read Martha Southgate's essay in The New York Times Book Review (July 1, 2007). It's about the problems of African American "literary" writers. Her essay fails to discuss the reading habits of the African American community. I could go into any bookstore in America and I could judge a black book by its cover. Many of the black books look like pork. And you wonder why we suffer from hypertension and problems of the heart? Remember when a "serious" black book had a Jacob Lawrence or Romare Bearden cover? Give me the old Downbeat blindfold test and I bet you I can always find a play by August Wilson. The next time you walk by a vendor in the street selling books - sniff the pork. The good chops are always on sale. Black romance readers are simply eating high on the hog. Those book clubs ain't nothin' but black picnics and family reunions. Will the "black " muslim food critics please step forward.
Read Martha Southgate's essay in The New York Times Book Review (July 1, 2007). It's about the problems of African American "literary" writers. Her essay fails to discuss the reading habits of the African American community. I could go into any bookstore in America and I could judge a black book by its cover. Many of the black books look like pork. And you wonder why we suffer from hypertension and problems of the heart? Remember when a "serious" black book had a Jacob Lawrence or Romare Bearden cover? Give me the old Downbeat blindfold test and I bet you I can always find a play by August Wilson. The next time you walk by a vendor in the street selling books - sniff the pork. The good chops are always on sale. Black romance readers are simply eating high on the hog. Those book clubs ain't nothin' but black picnics and family reunions. Will the "black " muslim food critics please step forward.
Ichiro Watch:
Well, look where Ichiro is right now. 2 pts behind the AL leader. Ichiro is at .368.
Might he slump after the All-Star game? One slump and he won't hit .400. A slump might send his average down to .338 or somewhere there. He could still win an AL batting title but he wouldn't be making history. But this could be his year. Might he break his own single season hit record? Ichiro would have to be hotter than July. He would have to end this month around .395.
Then comes August. I think if Ichiro is going to hit .400, he would have to be hitting over .400 in early September. This would give him a cushion and with the pressure (from the media) still hit a Williams .406. The key thing to watch are his multiple hit games. This is exciting baseball. Bonds who?
Well, look where Ichiro is right now. 2 pts behind the AL leader. Ichiro is at .368.
Might he slump after the All-Star game? One slump and he won't hit .400. A slump might send his average down to .338 or somewhere there. He could still win an AL batting title but he wouldn't be making history. But this could be his year. Might he break his own single season hit record? Ichiro would have to be hotter than July. He would have to end this month around .395.
Then comes August. I think if Ichiro is going to hit .400, he would have to be hitting over .400 in early September. This would give him a cushion and with the pressure (from the media) still hit a Williams .406. The key thing to watch are his multiple hit games. This is exciting baseball. Bonds who?
Where is the ghost of James Brown? I remember after the riots how he was at the White House with Nixon - telling people to be cool. Go home and play some music he said. It seemed so simple then. Folks dancing in the streets. There were no car bombs. Only people crashing into stores for televsion sets. There was no talk of religion. God didn't make anyone riot or set a building on fire. We grew our hair into afros and changed our names and a few things did change.There was always hope that America would be America again. Now we must ask the same thing of the world. Will the world be the world again? How long will we let wars break countries into two? Why do some people believe they have to kill just to get to heaven? Maceo - hit it!
So much going on in the news. Terrorist increase in England. Sleeper cells? Israel's movement into Gaza. More deaths in the Middle East. And somehow we survive. I think of countries that disappear from the news like Haiti. What should one plug into? I see everyone on a cellphone. A tremendous amount of chatter in the world these days. Are we discussing the problems of poverty, healthcare, unemployment, or climate change? Around me nothing but a desire for clothes or the focus on how someone looks or didn't look. We talk about the people we work with. How urgent is the last report? Is it the last bottle of clean water you have? I keep meeting women whose names are Katrina. Strange. Where did they suddenly come from? And why would anyone want to be the president of all this? We could all be in Ellington's band waiting for our solo. If I could just learn how to play that one note that would bring peace back into the world. Help me Buddy Bolden. In a few hours the morning newspaper will be here. Will Bush be doing the funky butt? Horns. And the band keeps playing.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
First book out from Gwyn McVay:
ORDINARY BEANS from Pecan Grove Press:
Box AL
1 Camino Santa Maria
San Antonio, TX 78228
This is what Bruce Weigl has to say about Gwyn's work:
A vividness and lushness of diction- that stubborn willingness to say whatever it takes to bring the poem alive for the reader - distinguishes Gwyn McVay's pomes from the vast majority of young poets publishing today. Combined with a serious and politically charged regard for our world, these poems are mature artistically as well as intellectually. When I came to the end, I wanted more.
ORDINARY BEANS from Pecan Grove Press:
Box AL
1 Camino Santa Maria
San Antonio, TX 78228
This is what Bruce Weigl has to say about Gwyn's work:
A vividness and lushness of diction- that stubborn willingness to say whatever it takes to bring the poem alive for the reader - distinguishes Gwyn McVay's pomes from the vast majority of young poets publishing today. Combined with a serious and politically charged regard for our world, these poems are mature artistically as well as intellectually. When I came to the end, I wanted more.
Supreme nonsense? John Roberts sounds more like George Orwell than a chief justice. How do we make sense out of the following statement he made?
"The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race."
When I was five this was the type of response that made an adult wash your mouth out with soap.
Talkin' Law - Canada recently denied a visa to Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. What would Tubman say?
Congrats to photographer Roland Freeman who was awarded the 2007 Bess Lomax Hawes Award. This is an NEA award - $20,000.
Freeman a fun guy has been doing great work documenting African American folklore. He did some wonderful work for Stephen Henderson and the Instutute for the Arts & Humanities at Howard University in the 1970s and 1980s.
Talkin' art? Mayor Fenty is trageting graffiti. I remember when this stuff hit the South Bronx and every train car was a tube of moving paint. I never cared for graffiti but find it interesting that we target to wipe it out without looking at the cultural implications. Where are the Hip Hop debates? Prison terms and fines for artists? Or is this first an attempt to halt gang growth and violence? Fenty's goal is to slash the amount of time it takes to remove graffiti; from 40 days to 72 hours. Way to go F-Man!
Talk to Me - out soon with Don Cheadle:
www.observer.com/screenings-talk-to-me
Rickie Lee Jones - THE SERMON ON EXPOSITION BOULEVARD...her recent album.
"The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race."
When I was five this was the type of response that made an adult wash your mouth out with soap.
Talkin' Law - Canada recently denied a visa to Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. What would Tubman say?
Congrats to photographer Roland Freeman who was awarded the 2007 Bess Lomax Hawes Award. This is an NEA award - $20,000.
Freeman a fun guy has been doing great work documenting African American folklore. He did some wonderful work for Stephen Henderson and the Instutute for the Arts & Humanities at Howard University in the 1970s and 1980s.
Talkin' art? Mayor Fenty is trageting graffiti. I remember when this stuff hit the South Bronx and every train car was a tube of moving paint. I never cared for graffiti but find it interesting that we target to wipe it out without looking at the cultural implications. Where are the Hip Hop debates? Prison terms and fines for artists? Or is this first an attempt to halt gang growth and violence? Fenty's goal is to slash the amount of time it takes to remove graffiti; from 40 days to 72 hours. Way to go F-Man!
Talk to Me - out soon with Don Cheadle:
www.observer.com/screenings-talk-to-me
Rickie Lee Jones - THE SERMON ON EXPOSITION BOULEVARD...her recent album.
I'm back from Beantown. I went to Boston yesterday to give a reading and workshop at the William Joiner Center at the University of Massachusetts Boston: www.joinercenter.umb.edu.
Flying out of National Airport on Thursday morning was just crazy. The lines were so long - it had that refugee look. I was able to catch my flight because I did the self-serve/carry your stuff on board. Carolyn Forche didn't make it.
Bruce Weigl and I read together at the Harbor Art Gallery/U Mass Boston. My daughter came and it was great to see her. She has a wonderful internship at Harvard this summer. At the reading and workshop were some old friends. I made 2 new ones:
Jennifer Margulies who is the editor of Affirming Flame: Writing by Progressive Texas Poets in the Aftermath of September 11th; and Demetria Martinez author of Confessions of a Berlitz-Tape Chicana. Demetria and I talked and laughed about mutual friends - those Chavez women - Denise and Margo- who continue to bless the Southwest.
I missed Grace Paley and Robert Nichols but did pick-up a copy of their new book HERE AND SOMEWHERE ELSE published by The Feminist Press.
I stayed in Cambridge at a nice place -A Friendly Inn at Harvard (1673 Cambridge ST). My daughter and I walked over to Harvard Square on Thursday night. We had dinner at the Bombay Club. I recommend this place. Good food and a view.
Since the inn I was staying at was not far from my friend M. Srinavason apartment, I visited her and her son on Friday morning. It was her birthday so our breakfast together was special. M once lived in DC and at one time worked for PM Indira Gandhi in India.
Afterwards I went back down to Harvard Square to meet my daughter - I went by Grolier Bookstore but it was closed. I sat in the Au Bon Pain and read The New Times. I drew a funny funnel over the head of Clarence Thomas. Around 1 PM my daughter met me and we took the subway to her apartment. The Boston subway is so crowded I thought I was in Fenway Park.
My daughter and I had lunch at the Island Hopper (Southeast Asian Cuisine). Tasty soft shell crabs. We left the restaurant and walked down to the Boston Public Library. This is the type of Library - DC needs to have. When?
Late afternoon I flew back to DC. I read about half of Anosh Irani's The Song of Kahunsha while on the plane. Hey - you could read an entire collection of short stories (while on the runway) with the way the airlines are operating these days.
While away the mail came in. I have a few things to read this weekend:
The New York Observer
American Poetry Review (Stephen Dunn is on the cover)
NY Review of Books
Flying out of National Airport on Thursday morning was just crazy. The lines were so long - it had that refugee look. I was able to catch my flight because I did the self-serve/carry your stuff on board. Carolyn Forche didn't make it.
Bruce Weigl and I read together at the Harbor Art Gallery/U Mass Boston. My daughter came and it was great to see her. She has a wonderful internship at Harvard this summer. At the reading and workshop were some old friends. I made 2 new ones:
Jennifer Margulies who is the editor of Affirming Flame: Writing by Progressive Texas Poets in the Aftermath of September 11th; and Demetria Martinez author of Confessions of a Berlitz-Tape Chicana. Demetria and I talked and laughed about mutual friends - those Chavez women - Denise and Margo- who continue to bless the Southwest.
I missed Grace Paley and Robert Nichols but did pick-up a copy of their new book HERE AND SOMEWHERE ELSE published by The Feminist Press.
I stayed in Cambridge at a nice place -A Friendly Inn at Harvard (1673 Cambridge ST). My daughter and I walked over to Harvard Square on Thursday night. We had dinner at the Bombay Club. I recommend this place. Good food and a view.
Since the inn I was staying at was not far from my friend M. Srinavason apartment, I visited her and her son on Friday morning. It was her birthday so our breakfast together was special. M once lived in DC and at one time worked for PM Indira Gandhi in India.
Afterwards I went back down to Harvard Square to meet my daughter - I went by Grolier Bookstore but it was closed. I sat in the Au Bon Pain and read The New Times. I drew a funny funnel over the head of Clarence Thomas. Around 1 PM my daughter met me and we took the subway to her apartment. The Boston subway is so crowded I thought I was in Fenway Park.
My daughter and I had lunch at the Island Hopper (Southeast Asian Cuisine). Tasty soft shell crabs. We left the restaurant and walked down to the Boston Public Library. This is the type of Library - DC needs to have. When?
Late afternoon I flew back to DC. I read about half of Anosh Irani's The Song of Kahunsha while on the plane. Hey - you could read an entire collection of short stories (while on the runway) with the way the airlines are operating these days.
While away the mail came in. I have a few things to read this weekend:
The New York Observer
American Poetry Review (Stephen Dunn is on the cover)
NY Review of Books
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Job Opening:
Co-Director Needed
Peace Brigades International - USA
Washington, DC
Peace Brigades International (PBI-USA) is seeking a Co-Director. We are an NGO that protects human rights and promotes nonviolent transformation of conflicts. Our volunteers work with human rights defenders all over the world and provide unarmed accompaniment to those threatened by violence.
The Co-Director will coordinate recruitment of and support volunteers, help formulate and execute fundraising strategy, strengthen political and grass-roots networks, raise PBI/USA's visibility, supervise interns, database maintenance, and produce the monthly newsletter. Qualifications: Fluency in Spanish & English, excellent writing and public speaking skills, fundraising experience, computer skills, and ability to motivate others and lead.
Position is full-time, starting ASAP. Benefits include health insurance and 3 weeks paid vacation. Salary commensurate with exp. 202-232-0142v / 232-0143 fax OR email search@pbiusa.org
Deadline to apply: July 9, 2007 end of business day EST
Co-Director Needed
Peace Brigades International - USA
Washington, DC
Peace Brigades International (PBI-USA) is seeking a Co-Director. We are an NGO that protects human rights and promotes nonviolent transformation of conflicts. Our volunteers work with human rights defenders all over the world and provide unarmed accompaniment to those threatened by violence.
The Co-Director will coordinate recruitment of and support volunteers, help formulate and execute fundraising strategy, strengthen political and grass-roots networks, raise PBI/USA's visibility, supervise interns, database maintenance, and produce the monthly newsletter. Qualifications: Fluency in Spanish & English, excellent writing and public speaking skills, fundraising experience, computer skills, and ability to motivate others and lead.
Position is full-time, starting ASAP. Benefits include health insurance and 3 weeks paid vacation. Salary commensurate with exp. 202-232-0142v / 232-0143 fax OR email search@pbiusa.org
Deadline to apply: July 9, 2007 end of business day EST
The 2nd Miller Classic at Bennington:
This is what Liam Rector (Director, Bennington Writing Seminars) said:
Ethelbert,
The poets won the game and it was a glorious game. (I watched the entire thing.) Ask Victoria for more details on the prize. The game is firmly set as Bennington Tradition (and no one forgets a good softball game, as you know...).
This is what Liam Rector (Director, Bennington Writing Seminars) said:
Ethelbert,
The poets won the game and it was a glorious game. (I watched the entire thing.) Ask Victoria for more details on the prize. The game is firmly set as Bennington Tradition (and no one forgets a good softball game, as you know...).
Quote of the Day:
When everyone has a blog, a My-Space page or Facebook entry, everyone is a publisher. When everyone has a cellphone with a camera in it, everyone is a paparazzo. When everyone can upload video on YouTube, everyone is a filmmaker. When everyone is a publisher, paparazzo or filmmaker, everyone else is a public figure. We're all public figures now. The blogosphere has made the global discussion so much richer - and each of us so much more transparent.
- Thomas L. Friedman
(NY Times Op-Ed, June 27, 2007)
When everyone has a blog, a My-Space page or Facebook entry, everyone is a publisher. When everyone has a cellphone with a camera in it, everyone is a paparazzo. When everyone can upload video on YouTube, everyone is a filmmaker. When everyone is a publisher, paparazzo or filmmaker, everyone else is a public figure. We're all public figures now. The blogosphere has made the global discussion so much richer - and each of us so much more transparent.
- Thomas L. Friedman
(NY Times Op-Ed, June 27, 2007)
The Future? Sometimes you realize there is hope for America. How can you tell? The small things that surprise. Yesterday, I'm sitting in the Mocha and I look over at the table in front of me - a young white kid is talking on his cell phone. I notice the back of his t-shirt - it's an old shirt. It says "1972 Chisholm- Unbought & Unbossed." Priceless.
The title of Shirley Chisholm's 1970 book. 2 excerpts from the introduction:
"That I am a national figure because I was the first person in 192 years to be at once a congressman, black, and a woman proves, I would think, that our society is not yet either just or free."
"Of my two "handicaps," being female put many more obstacles in my path than being black."
The title of Shirley Chisholm's 1970 book. 2 excerpts from the introduction:
"That I am a national figure because I was the first person in 192 years to be at once a congressman, black, and a woman proves, I would think, that our society is not yet either just or free."
"Of my two "handicaps," being female put many more obstacles in my path than being black."
You can't go wrong with Wright. Jay Wright has a new book out with Flood Editions:
http://www.floodeditions.com/new/index.html
http://www.floodeditions.com/new/index.html
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
The days of summer can laugh at you. I try to make each day productive. This morning I learned a favorite coffee place on 18th street was closing. It was a place I visited and took refuge in- not too much of the rudeness of the city came through the door. DC has the feel of a new relief pitcher who can't get the first batter out.
Around noon I met Jo Reed at Union Station and we had a nice lunch across the street. I think this woman does wonderful radio work at WPFW.
I spent time on U Street reading a thesis for one of my George Mason students. The topic is Korean adoptees; very interesting research.
5PM I met Paul Barrow and his son Mike in front of Busboys. We were joined by Melissa Tuckey and Sarah Browning. Sarah's new book is just out from Wordworks. You might want to purchase a copy. WHISKEY IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN- WWW.WORDWORKSDC.COM
Paul was in town to participate in the ACLU and Amnesty International's Day of Action to support Senator Harkin's bill and pressure Congress to close Guantanamo. Paul videotaped an interview with me, Melissa and Sarah. You'll be able to see this on his hotmedia site soon: www.hotmedia.us
We are talking about poetry,politics and spirituality.
I need to get ready now for my flight to Boston.
Around noon I met Jo Reed at Union Station and we had a nice lunch across the street. I think this woman does wonderful radio work at WPFW.
I spent time on U Street reading a thesis for one of my George Mason students. The topic is Korean adoptees; very interesting research.
5PM I met Paul Barrow and his son Mike in front of Busboys. We were joined by Melissa Tuckey and Sarah Browning. Sarah's new book is just out from Wordworks. You might want to purchase a copy. WHISKEY IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN- WWW.WORDWORKSDC.COM
Paul was in town to participate in the ACLU and Amnesty International's Day of Action to support Senator Harkin's bill and pressure Congress to close Guantanamo. Paul videotaped an interview with me, Melissa and Sarah. You'll be able to see this on his hotmedia site soon: www.hotmedia.us
We are talking about poetry,politics and spirituality.
I need to get ready now for my flight to Boston.
Monday, June 25, 2007
Thanks to Dr. Priscilla Ramsey I have a box of items that document the career of the late poet Ahmos Zu-Bolton. Ramsey recently retired from HU and I guess this material was in her office.
It was funny to walk into the African American Resource Center and see on my desk waiting - poems by Zu. That's how it was in the old days (late 1970s) when we worked together here at Howard. We would be writing poems in the morning and making our typewriters sing. Zu's work always had that sweet craziness called genius -dripping from his.
It was funny to walk into the African American Resource Center and see on my desk waiting - poems by Zu. That's how it was in the old days (late 1970s) when we worked together here at Howard. We would be writing poems in the morning and making our typewriters sing. Zu's work always had that sweet craziness called genius -dripping from his.
Oh No!
Did you see the NY Times today? Frontpage article "Japan Adapts to Tuna Shortage: Waiter, There's Deer in My Sushi."
Tuna shortage means folks are looking for alternatives.
What might we be eating on U Street when the Sushi bar opens?
Do you really want to know? Should everyone remain in the Mocha Hut until we know what's going on?
Did you see the NY Times today? Frontpage article "Japan Adapts to Tuna Shortage: Waiter, There's Deer in My Sushi."
Tuna shortage means folks are looking for alternatives.
What might we be eating on U Street when the Sushi bar opens?
Do you really want to know? Should everyone remain in the Mocha Hut until we know what's going on?
More media nonsense:
Do you really believe Americans would elect Michael Bloomberg as president, as a third-party candidate? Of course not. With a long election to cover, the media keeps selling itself by pushing a new name every few weeks. Who's next, Paris Hilton? Oh - too young. Months ago the focus was on Condi Rice. Another week it was Gore. Can you name all of the Republicans running for President? Of course not. Remember it's not about running, it's about running the country, and running it well.
Do you really believe Americans would elect Michael Bloomberg as president, as a third-party candidate? Of course not. With a long election to cover, the media keeps selling itself by pushing a new name every few weeks. Who's next, Paris Hilton? Oh - too young. Months ago the focus was on Condi Rice. Another week it was Gore. Can you name all of the Republicans running for President? Of course not. Remember it's not about running, it's about running the country, and running it well.
In Japan, vending machine maker Fujitaka is developing models outfitted with software that can assess whether a customer trying to purchase cigarettes is at least 20 years old. The machine will scan a customer's face with a build-in camera, codifying and comparing facial features with data from a huge image bank.
(BusinessWeek - July 2, 2007)
After they test these models they should ship some to the DC area. I guess that guy who carded me a few days ago might be out of a job.
(BusinessWeek - July 2, 2007)
After they test these models they should ship some to the DC area. I guess that guy who carded me a few days ago might be out of a job.
Yipes!
NEWS ALERT from The Wall Street Journal
June 25, 2007
The Supreme Court tightened limits on student speech Monday, ruling against a high-school student and his "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" banner. Justices also barred ordinary taxpayers from challenging a White House initiative helping religious charities get a share of federal money. The court sided with developers and the Bush administration in a dispute with environmentalists over protecting endangered species. The court also loosened restrictions on corporate- and union-funded television ads that air close to elections.
NEWS ALERT from The Wall Street Journal
June 25, 2007
The Supreme Court tightened limits on student speech Monday, ruling against a high-school student and his "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" banner. Justices also barred ordinary taxpayers from challenging a White House initiative helping religious charities get a share of federal money. The court sided with developers and the Bush administration in a dispute with environmentalists over protecting endangered species. The court also loosened restrictions on corporate- and union-funded television ads that air close to elections.
AWP in 2008
I'll be participating in a panel at the AWP conference in NYC next year. Richard Michelson is putting it together. Here are some details:
Event Title: Poets in the Hood
Event Organizer: Richard Michelson.
Moderator: Richard Michelson
Participants: Martin Espada, E. Ethelbert Miller, Richard Michelson.
Neighborhoods in Brooklyn and The Bronx were, and still are ethnic and racial enclaves. E. Ethelbert Miller, a black poet, was born in 1950 in the South Bronx. Richard Michelson, a Jewish poet was born 1953 in East New York, Brooklyn, and Martin Espada, a Hispanic poet was born in 1957, just a few blocks from Michelson. All three poets will talk about the racial and political overtones of their poetry, and how the neighborhoods of their birth have affected their outlook and their voice.
New York is a city of diverse neighborhoods, and ethnicities. Often one group drives out another and other times they are forced by economic circumstances to coexist. These three poets, who have all written about race and poverty and politics in New York City, both in their poetry and essays, would bring a vivid sense of what it takes to rise above circumstances, and how their neighborhoods inspired them, both then and now.
http://www.richardmichelson.com/
I'll be participating in a panel at the AWP conference in NYC next year. Richard Michelson is putting it together. Here are some details:
Event Title: Poets in the Hood
Event Organizer: Richard Michelson.
Moderator: Richard Michelson
Participants: Martin Espada, E. Ethelbert Miller, Richard Michelson.
Neighborhoods in Brooklyn and The Bronx were, and still are ethnic and racial enclaves. E. Ethelbert Miller, a black poet, was born in 1950 in the South Bronx. Richard Michelson, a Jewish poet was born 1953 in East New York, Brooklyn, and Martin Espada, a Hispanic poet was born in 1957, just a few blocks from Michelson. All three poets will talk about the racial and political overtones of their poetry, and how the neighborhoods of their birth have affected their outlook and their voice.
New York is a city of diverse neighborhoods, and ethnicities. Often one group drives out another and other times they are forced by economic circumstances to coexist. These three poets, who have all written about race and poverty and politics in New York City, both in their poetry and essays, would bring a vivid sense of what it takes to rise above circumstances, and how their neighborhoods inspired them, both then and now.
http://www.richardmichelson.com/
I received this information from Charles Johnson:
The Writer's Brush by Donald Friedman
"The itch to make dark marks on white paper is shared by many writers and artists," begins John Updike in his essay in The Writer's Brush, and this stunning collection will amaze lovers of the literary and fine arts alike.
Author Donald Friedman has gathered together reproductions of paintings, drawings, and sculpture—many from private collections, never before published—by a pantheon of great writer-artists, including thirteen Nobel laureates.
The result is astounding. Whether viewing the beautiful landscapes that Hermann Hesse credited with saving his life, the manuscript sketches that Fyodor Dostoevsky made of his characters, or the can-can dancers secretly drawn by Joseph Conrad, readers of The Writer's Brush will gain new insights into the lives and minds of their favorite writers and the nature of the creative process itself.
Accompanying the artwork are fascinating biographies that provide little-known details of the writers' lives in the visual arts and offer the writers' own observations on their art and the relationships they saw between word and image. While written for a broad audience, The Writer's Brush is also an essential reference work, with alphabetical and chronological listings of its subjects (the names boldfaced when they appear in other essays, for easy cross-referencing) and an extensive bibliography.
Friedman notes in his introduction that, for many of the writers anthologized here, a coin toss could have determined whether to spend the day standing in a smock or seated with a pen. The Writer's Brush brings together for the first time—in one, unique, affordable volume—both worlds of these writers in the definitive work on the writer-artist.
FORTHCOMING SEPTEMBER 2007.
The Writer's Brush by Donald Friedman
"The itch to make dark marks on white paper is shared by many writers and artists," begins John Updike in his essay in The Writer's Brush, and this stunning collection will amaze lovers of the literary and fine arts alike.
Author Donald Friedman has gathered together reproductions of paintings, drawings, and sculpture—many from private collections, never before published—by a pantheon of great writer-artists, including thirteen Nobel laureates.
The result is astounding. Whether viewing the beautiful landscapes that Hermann Hesse credited with saving his life, the manuscript sketches that Fyodor Dostoevsky made of his characters, or the can-can dancers secretly drawn by Joseph Conrad, readers of The Writer's Brush will gain new insights into the lives and minds of their favorite writers and the nature of the creative process itself.
Accompanying the artwork are fascinating biographies that provide little-known details of the writers' lives in the visual arts and offer the writers' own observations on their art and the relationships they saw between word and image. While written for a broad audience, The Writer's Brush is also an essential reference work, with alphabetical and chronological listings of its subjects (the names boldfaced when they appear in other essays, for easy cross-referencing) and an extensive bibliography.
Friedman notes in his introduction that, for many of the writers anthologized here, a coin toss could have determined whether to spend the day standing in a smock or seated with a pen. The Writer's Brush brings together for the first time—in one, unique, affordable volume—both worlds of these writers in the definitive work on the writer-artist.
FORTHCOMING SEPTEMBER 2007.
We will always have Paris and that could be the problem later this week. Why is this girl on CNN? Larry King should be dethrone for promoting this nonsense. How many jokes will Jay Leno get out of this?
Look for Paris Hilton to thank Jesus over and over. She has to cry a few times. Has she mastered the one teardrop? That's good for live television as well as still photos the next day.
Oh, and maybe Paris might surprise us with a prison poem. Any book she mentions she read in jail will increase in sales. Rumor has it that a guard gave her a copy of HOW WE SLEEP ON THE NIGHTS WE DON'T MAKE LOVE by E. Ethelbert Miller. I think that's just terrible.
Look for Paris Hilton to thank Jesus over and over. She has to cry a few times. Has she mastered the one teardrop? That's good for live television as well as still photos the next day.
Oh, and maybe Paris might surprise us with a prison poem. Any book she mentions she read in jail will increase in sales. Rumor has it that a guard gave her a copy of HOW WE SLEEP ON THE NIGHTS WE DON'T MAKE LOVE by E. Ethelbert Miller. I think that's just terrible.
Sports:
No one is talking about it yet. It might begin at the All-Star game. Ordonez and Ichiro are on a roll. The next .400 hitter? Two players trying to do it might be good for both. Like Mac and Sosa. Instead of folks trying protect those Ted Williams days, the media might be encouraging. We love races. In this Bonds of a year, baseball might just focus on the .400 hitter -the "pure" hitter. No steroids here. Catch A Fire.
The other baseball story might just be those Nationals. The addition of Watson in CF and hitting in the bottom of the batting order - might just be what this team needs. The team also needs to keep Chad out of games unless he is really needed. It's obvious that this guy's concentration is off when he believes he has a cushion of a lead. Oh and let's just Nook the Nook. Logan's bonehead running is just as bad as his bonehead outfield play. This kid looks lost in the majors.
This guy is looking at minors this week. With Watson playing like a young Jackie Robinson the Nook has been nooked. The kid means well but right now the errors are mental. He also needs some batting tips too. Hey coach- work with him.
No one is talking about it yet. It might begin at the All-Star game. Ordonez and Ichiro are on a roll. The next .400 hitter? Two players trying to do it might be good for both. Like Mac and Sosa. Instead of folks trying protect those Ted Williams days, the media might be encouraging. We love races. In this Bonds of a year, baseball might just focus on the .400 hitter -the "pure" hitter. No steroids here. Catch A Fire.
The other baseball story might just be those Nationals. The addition of Watson in CF and hitting in the bottom of the batting order - might just be what this team needs. The team also needs to keep Chad out of games unless he is really needed. It's obvious that this guy's concentration is off when he believes he has a cushion of a lead. Oh and let's just Nook the Nook. Logan's bonehead running is just as bad as his bonehead outfield play. This kid looks lost in the majors.
This guy is looking at minors this week. With Watson playing like a young Jackie Robinson the Nook has been nooked. The kid means well but right now the errors are mental. He also needs some batting tips too. Hey coach- work with him.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
6th National Conference of African American Librarians will be meeting August 2-5, 2007 in Fort Worth, Texas. www.bcala.org
While at the ALA conference, Patrick Oliver gave me a copy of SHINE YOUR LIGHT. This is a life skill workbook written by Sheron Smith (mother of Mos Def). This is a book I would recommend for folks. In fact I'm shipping my copy off to my son tomorrow morning. It's a nice way to bring order to one's life. The book is published by Say It Loud! It sells for $9.95.
While at the ALA conference, Patrick Oliver gave me a copy of SHINE YOUR LIGHT. This is a life skill workbook written by Sheron Smith (mother of Mos Def). This is a book I would recommend for folks. In fact I'm shipping my copy off to my son tomorrow morning. It's a nice way to bring order to one's life. The book is published by Say It Loud! It sells for $9.95.
Quote of the Day:
It's absurd, reflecting his view from the first day he got into office that laws don't apply to him.
- Representative Henry Waxman (CA) talking about VP Dick Cheney.
I bet you Dick Cheney owns a dog. Iraq as a park? Just something to think about...
Speaking of laws. I picked up a copy of Revolution newspaper this morning after having breakfast at The Diner on 18th Street (with my friend Carin in town for the ALA). A copy of the paper had either been discarded or was on the ground waiting for the revolution. I noticed that the page it was opened to was an article about Barry Bonds and steroids. Nothing new in the article but it did make me go back and look at the comments made by Mark McGwire. It sounded so much as if McGwire had been blacklisted by Hollywood and not Major League baseball. Do you remember how 1950 his statement was?
"I will use whatever influence and popularity that I have to discourage young athletes from taking any drug that is not recommended by a doctor. What I will not do, however, is participate in naming names and implicating my frriends and teammates.
I do not sit in judgement of other players - whether it deals with their sexual preference, their marital problems or their personal habits - including whether or not they used chemical substances. That has never been my style, and I do not intend to change just because the cameras are turned on."
This seems like a swing against a witchhunt. McGwire might not make it into the hall of fame but I can see a playwright putting his life on stage. You don't have to be an Arthur Miller to see the connection.
It's absurd, reflecting his view from the first day he got into office that laws don't apply to him.
- Representative Henry Waxman (CA) talking about VP Dick Cheney.
I bet you Dick Cheney owns a dog. Iraq as a park? Just something to think about...
Speaking of laws. I picked up a copy of Revolution newspaper this morning after having breakfast at The Diner on 18th Street (with my friend Carin in town for the ALA). A copy of the paper had either been discarded or was on the ground waiting for the revolution. I noticed that the page it was opened to was an article about Barry Bonds and steroids. Nothing new in the article but it did make me go back and look at the comments made by Mark McGwire. It sounded so much as if McGwire had been blacklisted by Hollywood and not Major League baseball. Do you remember how 1950 his statement was?
"I will use whatever influence and popularity that I have to discourage young athletes from taking any drug that is not recommended by a doctor. What I will not do, however, is participate in naming names and implicating my frriends and teammates.
I do not sit in judgement of other players - whether it deals with their sexual preference, their marital problems or their personal habits - including whether or not they used chemical substances. That has never been my style, and I do not intend to change just because the cameras are turned on."
This seems like a swing against a witchhunt. McGwire might not make it into the hall of fame but I can see a playwright putting his life on stage. You don't have to be an Arthur Miller to see the connection.
Information:
African American Women Writers in New Jersey, 1836-2000.
A Biographical Dictionary and Bibliographic Guide by Sibyl E. Moses
Order from Rutgers University Press
www.rutgerspress.rutgers.edu The book seslls for $23.95.
Moses was at the ALA Confernce and she slipped the above information into my hand. Pass it on...
African American Women Writers in New Jersey, 1836-2000.
A Biographical Dictionary and Bibliographic Guide by Sibyl E. Moses
Order from Rutgers University Press
www.rutgerspress.rutgers.edu The book seslls for $23.95.
Moses was at the ALA Confernce and she slipped the above information into my hand. Pass it on...
Lately I've noticed that when I go to certain places downtown. A "kid" will stop me at the door and ask for an ID. Now do I look that young or do I look that black? You make the call; especially when everyone entering the place is not being asked to show their ID. So are we back to carrying passbooks like in the old South African days? This is another way of keeping "certain " people out of a place. It has nothing to do with how much beer or wine I might drink.
Nelson Mandela is free but what about Miller? Which brings me back to that Bucciarelli quote in the City Paper:
"This city is changing, and the poeple have to change with it."
I feel like a leopard trying to change his spots. In the new dog world big cats will have problems too. Help me - I'm having another Fanon moment.
Nelson Mandela is free but what about Miller? Which brings me back to that Bucciarelli quote in the City Paper:
"This city is changing, and the poeple have to change with it."
I feel like a leopard trying to change his spots. In the new dog world big cats will have problems too. Help me - I'm having another Fanon moment.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
A long day but a fun day. I was on morning panel at the American Library Association Conference - "Break on Through to the Other Side: Cultural Programming for New Librarians"
organized by Kara Giles, program officer for ALA in Chicago. On the panel were old friends, Katie Strotman (Fairfax County Public Library), Frances Ashburn (Director, North Carolina Center for the Book) and Tom Phelps (NEH).
After a nice lunch at Clydes I walked over to the Convention Center and visited the exhibit hall. This is the heart and soul of the conference. So many old friends walking around or sitting behind tables and booths. Oh- and there was Naomi Ayala reading her poems in the center of things. I gave my buddy mucho hugs. Other hugs were saved for the NEA Lit dream team. They had a booth filled with tapes, posters and books about THE BIG READ program they sponsor. There was Lady Erika Koss and Madame Molly Hicks being beautiful and a joy to be around. After a Big Read there should be time for laughter.
While in the exhibit hall I stopped by the Black Classic Press table and rubbed the back of Paul Coates' head. It's always good to do this to your publisher now and then. It's just as important as writing. Paul was sharing space with Africa World Press. Their founder Kasahun was there and we also hugged like brother who had been separated for over 20 years. We couldn't remember the last time we saw each other. It was another out of Africa experience for both of us.
The ALA conference was good for seeing folks like Reggie Harris, Lisa Moore, C.M. Mayo, Brenda Mitchell-Powell and Judy Cooper. Oh- and Ron Kavanaugh with his special Gwen Brooks issue of Mosaic. Don't miss this one: www.mosaicmagazine.org
The highlight of ALA (for me) was sharing the stage on Friday night with the author Anosh Irani. I love his work. He is the author of THE SONG OF KAHUNSHA and THE CRIPPLE AND HIS TALISMANS. Irani was born and raised in Bombay and moved to Vancouver in 1998. You can obtain his work from Milkweed: www.milkweed.org
organized by Kara Giles, program officer for ALA in Chicago. On the panel were old friends, Katie Strotman (Fairfax County Public Library), Frances Ashburn (Director, North Carolina Center for the Book) and Tom Phelps (NEH).
After a nice lunch at Clydes I walked over to the Convention Center and visited the exhibit hall. This is the heart and soul of the conference. So many old friends walking around or sitting behind tables and booths. Oh- and there was Naomi Ayala reading her poems in the center of things. I gave my buddy mucho hugs. Other hugs were saved for the NEA Lit dream team. They had a booth filled with tapes, posters and books about THE BIG READ program they sponsor. There was Lady Erika Koss and Madame Molly Hicks being beautiful and a joy to be around. After a Big Read there should be time for laughter.
While in the exhibit hall I stopped by the Black Classic Press table and rubbed the back of Paul Coates' head. It's always good to do this to your publisher now and then. It's just as important as writing. Paul was sharing space with Africa World Press. Their founder Kasahun was there and we also hugged like brother who had been separated for over 20 years. We couldn't remember the last time we saw each other. It was another out of Africa experience for both of us.
The ALA conference was good for seeing folks like Reggie Harris, Lisa Moore, C.M. Mayo, Brenda Mitchell-Powell and Judy Cooper. Oh- and Ron Kavanaugh with his special Gwen Brooks issue of Mosaic. Don't miss this one: www.mosaicmagazine.org
The highlight of ALA (for me) was sharing the stage on Friday night with the author Anosh Irani. I love his work. He is the author of THE SONG OF KAHUNSHA and THE CRIPPLE AND HIS TALISMANS. Irani was born and raised in Bombay and moved to Vancouver in 1998. You can obtain his work from Milkweed: www.milkweed.org
Friday, June 22, 2007
Required reading this week has to be Dave McKenna's article in The City Paper (June 22, 2007). See page 16 -"Pull Up a Stool." The battle over dog parks? Nothing but colonization if you read this piece. Folks just took down signs saying no dogs allowed on athletic fields. Who cares about the law?
If you can take down a sign you can put one up. And you wonder who invented those -No Coloreds and White Only signs. How many years ago was that? Not many if you ask me. This looks like more than a poop battle. I love this city but as Dylan said "You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows." The wind lately smells like...
If you can take down a sign you can put one up. And you wonder who invented those -No Coloreds and White Only signs. How many years ago was that? Not many if you ask me. This looks like more than a poop battle. I love this city but as Dylan said "You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows." The wind lately smells like...
Thursday, June 21, 2007
DON'T JUST WISH FOR PEACE - WORK FOR IT.
The next thing to monitor in the DC area are conflicts between Latinos and African Americans.
As landscape identity becomes a crisis - people being moved out one neighborhood and into another - look for numerous misunderstanding to take place. Groups to target right now before too many incidents open a pandora box are youth and the semi-unemployed; people with entry level job skills. Here are where the small battles take place. Let's not make ugly incidents make the city turn ugly.
So Wal-Mart is going to give folks who don't have bank accounts preppaid Visa Debit cards.
The future cashless society is also going to be one where folks might become Wal-Mart sharecroppers.
This company seems to be targeting the people who have little money mangement skills.
New magazines that came in the mail today are:
Black Enterprise
Creative Nonfiction
Best Life
Poets & Writers
Slam (basketball magazine a friend dropped by - Durant/Oden on the cover)
The next thing to monitor in the DC area are conflicts between Latinos and African Americans.
As landscape identity becomes a crisis - people being moved out one neighborhood and into another - look for numerous misunderstanding to take place. Groups to target right now before too many incidents open a pandora box are youth and the semi-unemployed; people with entry level job skills. Here are where the small battles take place. Let's not make ugly incidents make the city turn ugly.
So Wal-Mart is going to give folks who don't have bank accounts preppaid Visa Debit cards.
The future cashless society is also going to be one where folks might become Wal-Mart sharecroppers.
This company seems to be targeting the people who have little money mangement skills.
New magazines that came in the mail today are:
Black Enterprise
Creative Nonfiction
Best Life
Poets & Writers
Slam (basketball magazine a friend dropped by - Durant/Oden on the cover)
The 100 Black Men of Metropolitan St. Louis is hosting a pre-Prostrate Cancer Walk Reception on Monday, June 25, 2007,
at 6 p.m.
This is the first opportunity the community has to sign-up for the 5th Annual Prostrate Cancer Walk, which will be held on Saturday Aug. 18. Registration will begin at 7 a.m. in Keiner Plaza and the Walk will begin at 9 a.m. All men over the age of 40 who sign-up for the Walk will receive a free prostrate cancer screening, courtesy of Siteman Cancer Center, and free admission to the Missouri Black Expo, August 18 and 19, at America's Center.
The pre-Prostrate Cancer Walk Reception on Monday, June 25, 2007 at 6 p.m., will be held at the 100 Black Men Headquarters, 4631 Delmar, Blvd. Refreshments will be served.
For more information, please call 314-367-7778 or visit www.100bmstl.org
The 100 Black Men of Metropolitan St. Louis gratefully thanks their supporters: ExpressScripts, Missouri Black Expo, and Siteman Cancer Center.
at 6 p.m.
This is the first opportunity the community has to sign-up for the 5th Annual Prostrate Cancer Walk, which will be held on Saturday Aug. 18. Registration will begin at 7 a.m. in Keiner Plaza and the Walk will begin at 9 a.m. All men over the age of 40 who sign-up for the Walk will receive a free prostrate cancer screening, courtesy of Siteman Cancer Center, and free admission to the Missouri Black Expo, August 18 and 19, at America's Center.
The pre-Prostrate Cancer Walk Reception on Monday, June 25, 2007 at 6 p.m., will be held at the 100 Black Men Headquarters, 4631 Delmar, Blvd. Refreshments will be served.
For more information, please call 314-367-7778 or visit www.100bmstl.org
The 100 Black Men of Metropolitan St. Louis gratefully thanks their supporters: ExpressScripts, Missouri Black Expo, and Siteman Cancer Center.
Poets In The House. Poets In The City:
Wednesday, June 20th, 7:00pm
POETIC CITY: Celebration on the Waterfront
WITH:
Chris Abani, Thomas Sayers Ellis, Suji Kwock Kim,Carol Muske-Dukes, U Sam Oeur, Mark Strand & Franz Wright.
Join us for an unforgettable evening on the "front lawn" of the future Poets House, as the words of seven preeminent poets andthe tunes of the soul-infused, hip-hop artist Taylor McFerrin resound over the Hudson River at sunset.
@ Rockefeller Park in Battery Park City(1, 2, 3, A, C, E to Chambers St., walk west on Chambers untilyou reach the park on the waterfront).
Admission free--Presented by Poets House, in conjunction with the River to RiverFestival and Battery Park City Authority. Poetic City is made possible, in part, by the NEA and the Lower Manhattan CulturalCouncil.
Lee Briccetti, Executive DirectorPoets House72 Spring Street, 2nd FloorNew York, New York 10012212-431-7920 x2217212-431-8131 (fax)www.poetshouse.org
Wednesday, June 20th, 7:00pm
POETIC CITY: Celebration on the Waterfront
WITH:
Chris Abani, Thomas Sayers Ellis, Suji Kwock Kim,Carol Muske-Dukes, U Sam Oeur, Mark Strand & Franz Wright.
Join us for an unforgettable evening on the "front lawn" of the future Poets House, as the words of seven preeminent poets andthe tunes of the soul-infused, hip-hop artist Taylor McFerrin resound over the Hudson River at sunset.
@ Rockefeller Park in Battery Park City(1, 2, 3, A, C, E to Chambers St., walk west on Chambers untilyou reach the park on the waterfront).
Admission free--Presented by Poets House, in conjunction with the River to RiverFestival and Battery Park City Authority. Poetic City is made possible, in part, by the NEA and the Lower Manhattan CulturalCouncil.
Lee Briccetti, Executive DirectorPoets House72 Spring Street, 2nd FloorNew York, New York 10012212-431-7920 x2217212-431-8131 (fax)www.poetshouse.org
The Sweet Browning of America:
Release Party/Reading
Whiskey in the Garden of Eden by Sarah Browning
Sunday, July 15, 6-8 pm
Langston Room, Busboys & Poets
14th & V Streets, NW
Washington, DC
U Street/Cardozo on the Metro green line
www.busboysandpoets.com, 202-387-POET
Release Party/Reading
Whiskey in the Garden of Eden by Sarah Browning
Sunday, July 15, 6-8 pm
Langston Room, Busboys & Poets
14th & V Streets, NW
Washington, DC
U Street/Cardozo on the Metro green line
www.busboysandpoets.com, 202-387-POET
Sports:
A note from Victoria C at Bennington about the 2nd Miller Classic Softball Game at Bennington:
The poets creamed the prose writers, of course. I don’t remember the final score, but truly it was a total annihilation. Twenty one students played, on a perfect day—not too hot, except for the thrill of the leather, the crack of the bat! We worried a bit about the windows in Dewey House, but no smashes of glass.
A note from Victoria C at Bennington about the 2nd Miller Classic Softball Game at Bennington:
The poets creamed the prose writers, of course. I don’t remember the final score, but truly it was a total annihilation. Twenty one students played, on a perfect day—not too hot, except for the thrill of the leather, the crack of the bat! We worried a bit about the windows in Dewey House, but no smashes of glass.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Beyond Race? Courtland Milloy's words in today's Post is typical DC. Black Folks are always whispering about race. I talk LOUD quite a bit about it myself - I majored in African American Studies. Remember when folks wondered what you could do with a degree in that subject? I think it's important to talk about race in DC because of the changing political climate. Let's not even go cultural right now...
Yes-The Fenty Era will dilute blackness when it comes to the holding of power positions. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? I think the answer can be found when you look at Africa and the state of all African nations after political independence.
Some people benefit from blackness but many people don't. Too often we have seen black people move into positions of power and only fill their pockets with money. What's in your freezer? Poor black people get played with a black nationalist card and no table. Programs for the black poor are first job employment opportunties for the black middle class. Someone has to run things - right?
As soon as there are cuts to some of these positions - racism is shouted and the phones ring and the conferences are held and the same 50 black leaders fly in. These folks eat well and party like it's still 1999. They seem to always be flying -spreading their wings and getting out of the ghetto.
Meanwhile, the conditions of most Black people remains the same. I think Fenty is off to a good start in DC and I didn't vote for the guy. But I like how he is handling power. This is (and will always be) the major key.
Power and black people is what C.L.R. James talked about after Walter Rodney's death. How does one handle power? Think of the mistakes made by Nkrumah and compile your list of top 5.
How does a black leader use power to improve the lives of black people? Well it's back to "grounding" with one's brothers and sisters. ONCE Barry knew this as did Adam Clayton Powell. The key is keeping your feet on the ground and your head small. How do you stay humble? How do you balance the material things that suddenly appear? Or maybe you start running with the stars. Limo time?
Blackness is being redefined in the 21st century. A NEW black leader might have a white parent - should that overshadow fighting poverty and unemployment? I like how Fenty has borrowed the Bloomberg checklist approach to running a government. Make a list and then get things done. Simple. Very simple.
If you can find people willing to work to improve the lives of black people- Check the box and hire them. If they are black that means bonus points. It's not the only thing one should look for. If black people are going to sit around and not claim the future then we will prove those 1970s Black gatherings correct - Who Needs The Negro?
Yes-The Fenty Era will dilute blackness when it comes to the holding of power positions. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? I think the answer can be found when you look at Africa and the state of all African nations after political independence.
Some people benefit from blackness but many people don't. Too often we have seen black people move into positions of power and only fill their pockets with money. What's in your freezer? Poor black people get played with a black nationalist card and no table. Programs for the black poor are first job employment opportunties for the black middle class. Someone has to run things - right?
As soon as there are cuts to some of these positions - racism is shouted and the phones ring and the conferences are held and the same 50 black leaders fly in. These folks eat well and party like it's still 1999. They seem to always be flying -spreading their wings and getting out of the ghetto.
Meanwhile, the conditions of most Black people remains the same. I think Fenty is off to a good start in DC and I didn't vote for the guy. But I like how he is handling power. This is (and will always be) the major key.
Power and black people is what C.L.R. James talked about after Walter Rodney's death. How does one handle power? Think of the mistakes made by Nkrumah and compile your list of top 5.
How does a black leader use power to improve the lives of black people? Well it's back to "grounding" with one's brothers and sisters. ONCE Barry knew this as did Adam Clayton Powell. The key is keeping your feet on the ground and your head small. How do you stay humble? How do you balance the material things that suddenly appear? Or maybe you start running with the stars. Limo time?
Blackness is being redefined in the 21st century. A NEW black leader might have a white parent - should that overshadow fighting poverty and unemployment? I like how Fenty has borrowed the Bloomberg checklist approach to running a government. Make a list and then get things done. Simple. Very simple.
If you can find people willing to work to improve the lives of black people- Check the box and hire them. If they are black that means bonus points. It's not the only thing one should look for. If black people are going to sit around and not claim the future then we will prove those 1970s Black gatherings correct - Who Needs The Negro?
The New Yorker- Talk of the Town is on target. Yes, George Bush can point to success when it comes to changing the Supreme Court. Conservatives rule. So look for legal changes:
- Expand executive power
-End racial preferences intended to assist African Americans
-Speed executions
-Welcome religion into the public sphere
-Reverse Roe v. Wade
Laws change and things can be twisted very quickly. A new book out to remind us:
DRIVEN OUT: THE FORGOTTEN WAR AGAINST CHINESE AMERICANS by Jean Pfaelzer.
Random House. $27.95
Rachel Shea reviewed this book in yesterday's Washington Post. Her first paragraph just knocked me down:
"Between 1850 and 1906, thousands of Chinese were systematically expelled from roughly 100 towns in the Pacific Northwest. Chinatowns were burned to the ground, their residents sent on forced marches to the next settlement. Chinese laborers were murdered at work or in their beds. Some were lynched. Others were starved out as white citizens fired them from their job and refused to sell them food."
Can something like this happen again? Meanwhile in Guantanamo Bay...
New exhibit opening in Philadelphia. Askia Muhammad, journalist and News Director at WPFW has a photo show at The New Africa Center/Muslim American Museum & Archive. The location is 4243 Lancaster Avenue. Askia's show is "Western Sunrise, The Nation of Islam in the West."
- Expand executive power
-End racial preferences intended to assist African Americans
-Speed executions
-Welcome religion into the public sphere
-Reverse Roe v. Wade
Laws change and things can be twisted very quickly. A new book out to remind us:
DRIVEN OUT: THE FORGOTTEN WAR AGAINST CHINESE AMERICANS by Jean Pfaelzer.
Random House. $27.95
Rachel Shea reviewed this book in yesterday's Washington Post. Her first paragraph just knocked me down:
"Between 1850 and 1906, thousands of Chinese were systematically expelled from roughly 100 towns in the Pacific Northwest. Chinatowns were burned to the ground, their residents sent on forced marches to the next settlement. Chinese laborers were murdered at work or in their beds. Some were lynched. Others were starved out as white citizens fired them from their job and refused to sell them food."
Can something like this happen again? Meanwhile in Guantanamo Bay...
New exhibit opening in Philadelphia. Askia Muhammad, journalist and News Director at WPFW has a photo show at The New Africa Center/Muslim American Museum & Archive. The location is 4243 Lancaster Avenue. Askia's show is "Western Sunrise, The Nation of Islam in the West."
E-Notes are created each day by taking in information from as many sources as possible. I hope to get the E-MAG back on track soon.
I think Thomas Friedman's OP-ED in The New York Times today is one of the more insightful things I've read in the last few months. Friedman examines why folks in the Middle East and elsewhere wear masks. I'm glad he wrote about this. He quotes Oscar Wilde:
'Give a man a mask and he'll tell you the truth.'
Here are two excerpts from Friedman's essay that I found very interesting:
"The mask both protects you against shame and liberates you to kill your brother - and their children.
Putting on a mask is also a way to gain power and enhance masculinity. People in black masks are always more frightening- not only physically, but because their sheer anonymity suggests that they answer to no one and no laws. In our society, it's usually only burglars, rapists or Ku Klux Klansmen who wear masks - either to terrorize others or make it easier to break the law. The mask literally says: "I don't play by the rules. Be afraid. Be very afraid."
Friedman also quotes Yaron Ezrahi a political theorist:
"Just as this new violence doesn't have a front, it doesn't have a face. It doesn't have boundaries."
As soon as you see someone in your neighborhood wearing a ski mask and there is no snow or cold weather - then the world's problems are at your doorstep.
I think Thomas Friedman's OP-ED in The New York Times today is one of the more insightful things I've read in the last few months. Friedman examines why folks in the Middle East and elsewhere wear masks. I'm glad he wrote about this. He quotes Oscar Wilde:
'Give a man a mask and he'll tell you the truth.'
Here are two excerpts from Friedman's essay that I found very interesting:
"The mask both protects you against shame and liberates you to kill your brother - and their children.
Putting on a mask is also a way to gain power and enhance masculinity. People in black masks are always more frightening- not only physically, but because their sheer anonymity suggests that they answer to no one and no laws. In our society, it's usually only burglars, rapists or Ku Klux Klansmen who wear masks - either to terrorize others or make it easier to break the law. The mask literally says: "I don't play by the rules. Be afraid. Be very afraid."
Friedman also quotes Yaron Ezrahi a political theorist:
"Just as this new violence doesn't have a front, it doesn't have a face. It doesn't have boundaries."
As soon as you see someone in your neighborhood wearing a ski mask and there is no snow or cold weather - then the world's problems are at your doorstep.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Ichiro Watch:
Ichiro is now second in batting in the AL. Ordonez on Detroit is hitting .370. Ichiro is at .356.
I expect Ichiro to catch him before the month is over.
Ichiro has 100 hits (already) and leads the AL. Two behind the NL leader (Holliday,Col).
Ichiro is third in steals with 19.
Ichiro is tied for 7th in runs scored.
Ichiro is now second in batting in the AL. Ordonez on Detroit is hitting .370. Ichiro is at .356.
I expect Ichiro to catch him before the month is over.
Ichiro has 100 hits (already) and leads the AL. Two behind the NL leader (Holliday,Col).
Ichiro is third in steals with 19.
Ichiro is tied for 7th in runs scored.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Poetry at the Folger next season. Here is the batting order:
David Wojahn
John Ashbery
Richard Howard
Kay Ryan
Gerald Stern & Ross Gay
Galway Kinnell & Mark Doty
Quincy Troupe & Tyehimba Jess
Lucille Clifton
I've been invited to introduce Troupe and Jess on April 7, 2008.
www.folger.edu/poetry.cfm
David Wojahn
John Ashbery
Richard Howard
Kay Ryan
Gerald Stern & Ross Gay
Galway Kinnell & Mark Doty
Quincy Troupe & Tyehimba Jess
Lucille Clifton
I've been invited to introduce Troupe and Jess on April 7, 2008.
www.folger.edu/poetry.cfm
Two good things in the mail today. One is THE DARFUR ANTHOLOGY published by Elgin Community College in Elgin, Illinois. The proceeds of this book go to International Rescue Committee
www.theire.org
Some of the contributors include:
Tim Seibles
David Mura
Martha Cooley
Michael Waters
Bob Shacochis
I have 4 new poems in this collection.
If you want to order copies contact Rachael Tecza at: rtecza@elgin.edu
The other item in the mail was the new NEA CD for The Big Read. This one is a discussion of the novel THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER by Carson McCullers. The CD is narrated by Dana Gioia and feature comments by:
Edward Albee
Alan Arkin
Virginia Spencer Carr
Blake Hazard
E. Ethelbert Miller
P.J. O'Rourke
Mary-Louise Parker
Gore Vidal
Jim White
www.theire.org
Some of the contributors include:
Tim Seibles
David Mura
Martha Cooley
Michael Waters
Bob Shacochis
I have 4 new poems in this collection.
If you want to order copies contact Rachael Tecza at: rtecza@elgin.edu
The other item in the mail was the new NEA CD for The Big Read. This one is a discussion of the novel THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER by Carson McCullers. The CD is narrated by Dana Gioia and feature comments by:
Edward Albee
Alan Arkin
Virginia Spencer Carr
Blake Hazard
E. Ethelbert Miller
P.J. O'Rourke
Mary-Louise Parker
Gore Vidal
Jim White
FRED'S PLACE:
From Fred Joiner, host of Intersections, the new poetry series at Honfleur:
Hello Lovers of Poetry, Art and Music!This is a friendly reminder about the second session of INTERSECTIONS for the month of June; Wednesday June 20th at 7:30 PM at the Honfleur Gallery 1241 Good Hope Rd. SE Washington , D.C. 20020
Refreshments will be provided. Suggested donation is $2
If you missed the last INTERSECTIONS you really missed a special evening. It was truly an in evening of intersections and influences. A group of poets from the Washington Middle School for Girls read to us from their original works created in their poetry workshop facilitated by Monet Cooper.
Patrick Washington and Joel Dias Porter traded sets of poem that were rich in music and imagery It was really exciting to see these two poets present their work together particular because Washington cited Porter as one of the reasons he writes poetry.
Also, Paris based artist Delphine Perlstein added volumes to the discussion, as she explained how she uses text and poetry in her paintings.
This Wednesday June 20th promises to be equally as engaging, as INTERSECTIONS welcomes Melissa Tuckey & Carolyn Joyner.
Melissa Tuckey is an activist, poet, and teacher. Her poems have been published in Beloit Poetry Journal, Painted Bride Quarterly, Poet Lore, Southeast Review, and others. Her chapbook "Rope as Witness" is published by Pudding House Publications. She's the Events Coordinator for DC Poets Against the War and teaches writing at George Mason University.
Carolyn Joyner is Cave Canem Fellow and has performed her poetry in the DC area at several venues, including Heart & Soul Cafe, It's Your Mug, the House of Ruth, Mangos, Cafe Bloom, Culture Cafe and Sankofa Books and Video. She also performed at the 7th Annual Black Writers Conference at Chicago State University. In March of 1998 she toured England with "Collective Voices," a DC-based Female Poetry Group. Carolyn holds a Master of Arts degree in writing, with a focus on poetry, from Johns Hopkins University.
As always, the Reading Series will conclude with a discussion and 30-minute open mic session. Get there early to reserve your spot.
This event will be held at the Honfleur Gallery located at 1241 Good Hope Rd SE in Washington DC., 202-889-5000 x 141.
From Fred Joiner, host of Intersections, the new poetry series at Honfleur:
Hello Lovers of Poetry, Art and Music!This is a friendly reminder about the second session of INTERSECTIONS for the month of June; Wednesday June 20th at 7:30 PM at the Honfleur Gallery 1241 Good Hope Rd. SE Washington , D.C. 20020
Refreshments will be provided. Suggested donation is $2
If you missed the last INTERSECTIONS you really missed a special evening. It was truly an in evening of intersections and influences. A group of poets from the Washington Middle School for Girls read to us from their original works created in their poetry workshop facilitated by Monet Cooper.
Patrick Washington and Joel Dias Porter traded sets of poem that were rich in music and imagery It was really exciting to see these two poets present their work together particular because Washington cited Porter as one of the reasons he writes poetry.
Also, Paris based artist Delphine Perlstein added volumes to the discussion, as she explained how she uses text and poetry in her paintings.
This Wednesday June 20th promises to be equally as engaging, as INTERSECTIONS welcomes Melissa Tuckey & Carolyn Joyner.
Melissa Tuckey is an activist, poet, and teacher. Her poems have been published in Beloit Poetry Journal, Painted Bride Quarterly, Poet Lore, Southeast Review, and others. Her chapbook "Rope as Witness" is published by Pudding House Publications. She's the Events Coordinator for DC Poets Against the War and teaches writing at George Mason University.
Carolyn Joyner is Cave Canem Fellow and has performed her poetry in the DC area at several venues, including Heart & Soul Cafe, It's Your Mug, the House of Ruth, Mangos, Cafe Bloom, Culture Cafe and Sankofa Books and Video. She also performed at the 7th Annual Black Writers Conference at Chicago State University. In March of 1998 she toured England with "Collective Voices," a DC-based Female Poetry Group. Carolyn holds a Master of Arts degree in writing, with a focus on poetry, from Johns Hopkins University.
As always, the Reading Series will conclude with a discussion and 30-minute open mic session. Get there early to reserve your spot.
This event will be held at the Honfleur Gallery located at 1241 Good Hope Rd SE in Washington DC., 202-889-5000 x 141.
I can't read the work of Mary Anastasia O'Grady without laughing sometimes. It would be dangerous to have this writer working for the State Department or White House. How many wars would she lead us into?
Check this opening paragraph from her Wall Street Journal porch:
"Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega wants to party like it's 1979. And why not? He's back at the helm of his country, which is once again prime real estate for enemies of the U.S."
Prime real estate for enemies of the US??? O'Grady sounds like a developer in DC who can't sell a condo right now.
Check this line of thinking:
"Like Soviet communism before it, Islamic fundamentialism has a strategic interest in establishing a foothold in the Western Hemisphere."
What island would O'Grady have us bomb? Blockade?
The problem in this hemisphere is that the US keeps holding on to old policies and 20th century thinking. Cold War thinking is just not going to make it anymore. The US should be trading with Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela. We should be sending baseball teams down to these nations to help improve cultural ties. Increase trade. Put an end to regional poverty. Think about serious land reform. Why keep pushing nations into the arms of Iran by failing to trade with them. We also need to stop treating other nations like babies or kids. Nicaragua is not behaving - so spank Ortega? Please. What is going to happen when these nations become adults?
Oh, and yes there are parties in Nicaragua. I remember going to one in Managua - in the 1980s and dancing with Rosario ---Ortega's wife who is also a poet. Dancing might just keep us out of wars. Who will be the next DJ in the White House?
Check this opening paragraph from her Wall Street Journal porch:
"Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega wants to party like it's 1979. And why not? He's back at the helm of his country, which is once again prime real estate for enemies of the U.S."
Prime real estate for enemies of the US??? O'Grady sounds like a developer in DC who can't sell a condo right now.
Check this line of thinking:
"Like Soviet communism before it, Islamic fundamentialism has a strategic interest in establishing a foothold in the Western Hemisphere."
What island would O'Grady have us bomb? Blockade?
The problem in this hemisphere is that the US keeps holding on to old policies and 20th century thinking. Cold War thinking is just not going to make it anymore. The US should be trading with Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela. We should be sending baseball teams down to these nations to help improve cultural ties. Increase trade. Put an end to regional poverty. Think about serious land reform. Why keep pushing nations into the arms of Iran by failing to trade with them. We also need to stop treating other nations like babies or kids. Nicaragua is not behaving - so spank Ortega? Please. What is going to happen when these nations become adults?
Oh, and yes there are parties in Nicaragua. I remember going to one in Managua - in the 1980s and dancing with Rosario ---Ortega's wife who is also a poet. Dancing might just keep us out of wars. Who will be the next DJ in the White House?
Notes from the Past:
Google News Alert for: E. Ethelbert Miller
Gifted Black male writers flex their intellects - criticism on an ...Diverse - Fairfax,VA,USAby E. Ethelbert Miller In the opening essay of "Speak My Name," titled, "How Does It Feel To Be A Problem?" novelist Trey Ellis...
Google News Alert for: E. Ethelbert Miller
Gifted Black male writers flex their intellects - criticism on an ...Diverse - Fairfax,VA,USAby E. Ethelbert Miller In the opening essay of "Speak My Name," titled, "How Does It Feel To Be A Problem?" novelist Trey Ellis...
What about the mental health of people in DC?
With the city changing so quickly in terms of race and culture - what happens to the people who feel displaced? What happens to their sense of identity which is often linked to neighborhoods and friends? Depression? Anger? Who will measure this? Everyday I feel as if I'm having a Fanon moment. Help - pass me a pill.
With the city changing so quickly in terms of race and culture - what happens to the people who feel displaced? What happens to their sense of identity which is often linked to neighborhoods and friends? Depression? Anger? Who will measure this? Everyday I feel as if I'm having a Fanon moment. Help - pass me a pill.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Heat wave coming. Hot on the streets too. DC becoming a Gaza of a place. What is black on black crime but another civil war. We don't need black masks in order to kill. Where does our rage come from? The only theft seems to be the taking of a life...so you can't even say the cause is economics. I have a feeling that too many killers are employed. Are the murders gang-related? What is a gang -five guys without a basketball? Or one gun as a ref?
Ichiro Watch:
Ichiro is hitting about .350 now. Can he raise his average to .400 by September?
I think it's possible. The key is his number of multiple hit games. I predict maybe 1-2 small slumps. He can afford to drop maybe 10 points during these periods
Could this be the baseball story of the year? Bonds who?
Ichiro is hitting about .350 now. Can he raise his average to .400 by September?
I think it's possible. The key is his number of multiple hit games. I predict maybe 1-2 small slumps. He can afford to drop maybe 10 points during these periods
Could this be the baseball story of the year? Bonds who?
But what did you really learn in America?
In yesterday's Washington Post there was an article about teens from the Middle East. 650 Middle Eastern high school students had been participating in a 10 -month exchange program in the US sponsored by the State Department. I was struck by a comment made by Mouloud Mouhoubi of Algeria. While living in LaFayette, GA he had a chance to attend a KKK meeting in Alabama. According to Mouhoubi he heard someone at the meeting say "So black people are still here; we need to take them down." Mouhoubi is quoted in the paper as saying "I was like, the Civil War is still alive."
Maybe so, the leader of Iraq was just a few days ago quoting Lincoln. Go figure.
I wonder about the other 649 teens. What impressions will they take back to their countries about race relations? Young ambassadors will some day grow old.
In yesterday's Washington Post there was an article about teens from the Middle East. 650 Middle Eastern high school students had been participating in a 10 -month exchange program in the US sponsored by the State Department. I was struck by a comment made by Mouloud Mouhoubi of Algeria. While living in LaFayette, GA he had a chance to attend a KKK meeting in Alabama. According to Mouhoubi he heard someone at the meeting say "So black people are still here; we need to take them down." Mouhoubi is quoted in the paper as saying "I was like, the Civil War is still alive."
Maybe so, the leader of Iraq was just a few days ago quoting Lincoln. Go figure.
I wonder about the other 649 teens. What impressions will they take back to their countries about race relations? Young ambassadors will some day grow old.
Quote of the Day:
"As testament to his status, or to his isolation, Bonds maintains a large corner locker made virtually private by its close proximity to a wide pillar. The space includes a lounge chair, a large television and an unwelcoming ambience that signals to teammates: There is only one Giant."
- Dan Barry (NY Times, June 17th, 2007).
"As testament to his status, or to his isolation, Bonds maintains a large corner locker made virtually private by its close proximity to a wide pillar. The space includes a lounge chair, a large television and an unwelcoming ambience that signals to teammates: There is only one Giant."
- Dan Barry (NY Times, June 17th, 2007).
It's Father's Day. My father was not into holidays, gifts or celebrations. He was always in the back room of the house. Watching television or talking to himself. I would sometimes listen to his one man conversations but could never determine the plot; I did know my father was bitter about things. Life? I learned from my brother that my father was a religious man. So I guess he was talking to God all the time. Maybe he had a good relationship with him. When I look at my childhood I guess my father did have a friend somewhere. I pretty much had a happy time growing up. I had toys and clothes. The one thing I never had was my own room.
I was the third child- the baby of the family. So I had baby space. The closet in the hallway. Maybe 2 shelves where I could keep things that were special to me. Baseball cards and books.
Maybe my father was always talking about moving his family to a better apartment, a place where everyone could have a place; and we did move once - from 938 Longwood Avenue to 665 Westchester Avenue. From the growing El Barrio to the projects. The move to the St.Mary's projects in the South Bronx must have been a big moment in my father's life. Finally, he was placing his family where there was daily heat and hot water if one needed it. The roaches and bugs would no longer turn the television on and watch their own shows. We would take an elevator to our new apartment and looking out the window - we would see LaGuardia Airport. I remember turning away from the window once and asking my father if he ever wanted to fly on a plane. No he said and I knew that he was happy to view the world from the 17th floor. I would learn to fly and bring things back to my father.The writing life would take me to many places overseas my father could only imagine. I called him from Baghdad back in the early 1980s. I was in Iraq attending a poetry festival. A missile from Iran had exploded near the hotel where I was staying.
I wanted to return home as soon as possible. I didn't know until much later how my voice had affected my father. My mother told me that when he got off the phone all he could say was "trapped again." Now many years later I realized my father was talking about-us- him and me. My father was trapped too - in his life and outside his dreams. His life was lived through his children and he had lost one already (my brother) and now my life was in harm's way. I was in a war zone and missiles were falling. My father had no desire to fly or even look at the sky - I guess in his wisdom he knew there were moments in a man's life when the sky falls and breaks. One can either try to pick-up the pieces and risk cutting one's hands on the jagged edges or one can look into the huge hole in the sky and try to catch a glimpse of heaven. But like too many of us - my father walked around with blood on his hands and the blues coming from his voice.
I keep trying to remember the words of my father's song. I keep talking to myself as the space surrounding me continues to grow smaller and smaller. Father's Day and my children grown and
living in distant cities. Maybe tonight I'll get a phone call. The bombs are still falling in Baghdad.
I was the third child- the baby of the family. So I had baby space. The closet in the hallway. Maybe 2 shelves where I could keep things that were special to me. Baseball cards and books.
Maybe my father was always talking about moving his family to a better apartment, a place where everyone could have a place; and we did move once - from 938 Longwood Avenue to 665 Westchester Avenue. From the growing El Barrio to the projects. The move to the St.Mary's projects in the South Bronx must have been a big moment in my father's life. Finally, he was placing his family where there was daily heat and hot water if one needed it. The roaches and bugs would no longer turn the television on and watch their own shows. We would take an elevator to our new apartment and looking out the window - we would see LaGuardia Airport. I remember turning away from the window once and asking my father if he ever wanted to fly on a plane. No he said and I knew that he was happy to view the world from the 17th floor. I would learn to fly and bring things back to my father.The writing life would take me to many places overseas my father could only imagine. I called him from Baghdad back in the early 1980s. I was in Iraq attending a poetry festival. A missile from Iran had exploded near the hotel where I was staying.
I wanted to return home as soon as possible. I didn't know until much later how my voice had affected my father. My mother told me that when he got off the phone all he could say was "trapped again." Now many years later I realized my father was talking about-us- him and me. My father was trapped too - in his life and outside his dreams. His life was lived through his children and he had lost one already (my brother) and now my life was in harm's way. I was in a war zone and missiles were falling. My father had no desire to fly or even look at the sky - I guess in his wisdom he knew there were moments in a man's life when the sky falls and breaks. One can either try to pick-up the pieces and risk cutting one's hands on the jagged edges or one can look into the huge hole in the sky and try to catch a glimpse of heaven. But like too many of us - my father walked around with blood on his hands and the blues coming from his voice.
I keep trying to remember the words of my father's song. I keep talking to myself as the space surrounding me continues to grow smaller and smaller. Father's Day and my children grown and
living in distant cities. Maybe tonight I'll get a phone call. The bombs are still falling in Baghdad.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Check the profile of Mayor Mike in the latest issue of BusinessWeek (June 25, 2007). Mayor Bloomberg of New York reveals how he governs a city like a CEO. Bloomberg's style is the model that Fenty is using in DC. What can you learn from the article?
- The City is A Brand
-The voters are customers
- Hire smart and delegate
- Be Bold, Be Fearless
Bloomberg's approach is to create a checklist and then check. The goal is to get things done as quickly as possible.
- The City is A Brand
-The voters are customers
- Hire smart and delegate
- Be Bold, Be Fearless
Bloomberg's approach is to create a checklist and then check. The goal is to get things done as quickly as possible.
Take Notes:
About 1.5 million people live in Gaza, which is about twice the geographic size of DC.
Youth unemployment in Gaza is 39% for men and 45% for women.
Fatah means - conquest. Hamas means - zeal.
Hamas was founded in 1987 as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist group that formed in Egypt in 1928.
About 1.5 million people live in Gaza, which is about twice the geographic size of DC.
Youth unemployment in Gaza is 39% for men and 45% for women.
Fatah means - conquest. Hamas means - zeal.
Hamas was founded in 1987 as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist group that formed in Egypt in 1928.
Thinking about the future - by 2012 we could be in the middle of WWIII. The Midde East seems to be falling apart. How far are we from the following happening:
- Israel sending troops into Gaza
-The US bombing Iran
- Lebanon becoming another Iraq
- The downfall of the government in Turkey
- The spreading of war into Eastern Africa (Somalia and Kenya)
- Crackdown on dissent within the US
- The election of a new US president who has no clue of what to do. Yipes!
- Israel sending troops into Gaza
-The US bombing Iran
- Lebanon becoming another Iraq
- The downfall of the government in Turkey
- The spreading of war into Eastern Africa (Somalia and Kenya)
- Crackdown on dissent within the US
- The election of a new US president who has no clue of what to do. Yipes!
I walked over to the Savory in Takoma Park. I think I like the place because the people are older - couples with young children. If you sit outside you're not staring at people coming out of a Metro stop. The conversations are not about real estate. I met Brooke Stanley. She's a wonderful fiction writer. We had fun discussing a short story she had written. I like the walk to the Savory (and back) on a day like today. I know I'm getting the exercise I need. During these walks I often realize how much time I spend by myself.
I spent the last two days boxing up personal files for the Gelman Library at George Washington University. I gave them several boxes a few months ago. I'm slowly closing a door and chapter to my life. I came across a funny letter from the SciFi writer Ben Bova. He wrote me back in 1974 talking about how there were no black science fiction writers. I'm so glad I got to witness the future.
I spent the last two days boxing up personal files for the Gelman Library at George Washington University. I gave them several boxes a few months ago. I'm slowly closing a door and chapter to my life. I came across a funny letter from the SciFi writer Ben Bova. He wrote me back in 1974 talking about how there were no black science fiction writers. I'm so glad I got to witness the future.
Herb White dead at 71. I hadn't seen him in many years. This man had a tremendous impact on the DC arts community. Long before Busboys there was Herb's located near DuPont Circle. I might have first walked in there with the writer Dan Moldea. Those might have been the WIW years.
I'm certain it was Dan who introduced me to Herb. The friendship would grow and for many year's I lived in Herb's building on Fuller Street. Back then the apartment was big enough for small kids. Everyone loved the large balcony and one could sit there all day and count drug pushers and busts. It was an amazing block. Something Spike Lee could never find in Brooklyn.
One night we even had a big party with such guests as Gloria Naylor. The balcony was where I would sit with friends like Lori Tsang and Anan Ameri. Once a group of poets walked by and I felt "Alain Locke Happy" that I worked at Howard. I also remember walking home from the Capstone the day I learned my brother had died. I climbed the stars on the side of the building - opened my door and went straight to the bedroom and pulled the covers over my head.
Fuller Street and Herb living upstairs with art parties all the time. I went up there one night and met Paul Winfield. It was that type of place and Herb was that type of guy - generous with everything. I think he might have only raised my rent once while I lived downstairs from him.
I think of Herb riding in his black limo - his close friend Barbara Raskin laughing and this was as close as 1920 I would get. Herb was an arts patron who knew art and loved artists. Yes, I was once part of that circle of writers at the special table at Herb's. Ron Goldfarb hosting the affairs and everyone talking like they worked at the Washington Post. I was the only poet and it was fun and it motivated me to go home and write a memoir just to prove that I could write more than a stanza or two. Herb placed my picture on the wall of his restaurant and I once looked at myself and said maybe he believes in me the way he believed in so many others. Herb will be missed.
I'm certain it was Dan who introduced me to Herb. The friendship would grow and for many year's I lived in Herb's building on Fuller Street. Back then the apartment was big enough for small kids. Everyone loved the large balcony and one could sit there all day and count drug pushers and busts. It was an amazing block. Something Spike Lee could never find in Brooklyn.
One night we even had a big party with such guests as Gloria Naylor. The balcony was where I would sit with friends like Lori Tsang and Anan Ameri. Once a group of poets walked by and I felt "Alain Locke Happy" that I worked at Howard. I also remember walking home from the Capstone the day I learned my brother had died. I climbed the stars on the side of the building - opened my door and went straight to the bedroom and pulled the covers over my head.
Fuller Street and Herb living upstairs with art parties all the time. I went up there one night and met Paul Winfield. It was that type of place and Herb was that type of guy - generous with everything. I think he might have only raised my rent once while I lived downstairs from him.
I think of Herb riding in his black limo - his close friend Barbara Raskin laughing and this was as close as 1920 I would get. Herb was an arts patron who knew art and loved artists. Yes, I was once part of that circle of writers at the special table at Herb's. Ron Goldfarb hosting the affairs and everyone talking like they worked at the Washington Post. I was the only poet and it was fun and it motivated me to go home and write a memoir just to prove that I could write more than a stanza or two. Herb placed my picture on the wall of his restaurant and I once looked at myself and said maybe he believes in me the way he believed in so many others. Herb will be missed.
Friday, June 15, 2007
C.M. Mayo will have a reading, slide show and book signing on June 17th at 5PM.
CANDIDA'S WORLD OF BOOKS
1541 14TH Street, NW (Corner of 14th & Q)
Come breathe - THE MIRACULOUS AIR - Mayo's new book.
www.cmmayo.com
CANDIDA'S WORLD OF BOOKS
1541 14TH Street, NW (Corner of 14th & Q)
Come breathe - THE MIRACULOUS AIR - Mayo's new book.
www.cmmayo.com
Let's go back and look at perhaps another mistake we made in the Middle East. After Hamas won parliamentary elections last year - the US lead a global campaign to isolate Hamas. We also gave aid and arms to Abbas. But let's talk democracy here. Didn't Hamas win a fair election? Didn't the people vote for their leadership? So now someone wearing a mask is sitting in Abbas chair and saying - Hey Condi -you're going to have to talk to me , now.
What if the focus had been on economic trade and development with the Palestinians and putting all political discussion on the backburner? It would be impossible for Hamas to simply organize a press conference and recognize Israel. That's just not going to happen. So why force the issue? Might low key diplomacy have worked better? Where is the moderate position?
Palestinians want peace as much as everyone else. I'm certain there will alway be some radicals seeking a way to attack Israel. I think Israel can (and must) protect itself and secure its borders without oppressing the Palestinians. How can people live in peace, if the leadership and governments keep playing politics. So where do we go from here?
Do we now have a radical Islamic movement sticking in the side of Israel? Are we looking at 2 Palestines: Gaza and West Bank?
What will happen to secularism? Will it crumble with Fatah?
What if the focus had been on economic trade and development with the Palestinians and putting all political discussion on the backburner? It would be impossible for Hamas to simply organize a press conference and recognize Israel. That's just not going to happen. So why force the issue? Might low key diplomacy have worked better? Where is the moderate position?
Palestinians want peace as much as everyone else. I'm certain there will alway be some radicals seeking a way to attack Israel. I think Israel can (and must) protect itself and secure its borders without oppressing the Palestinians. How can people live in peace, if the leadership and governments keep playing politics. So where do we go from here?
Do we now have a radical Islamic movement sticking in the side of Israel? Are we looking at 2 Palestines: Gaza and West Bank?
What will happen to secularism? Will it crumble with Fatah?