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E-NOTES: WHEN THE NEWS IS NOT ENOUGH. THE BLOG OF E. ETHELBERT MILLER
Thursday, May 08, 2014
Wednesday, May 07, 2014
Yusef Jones: Man to Watch in 2014
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| Yusef Jones photo by Ethelbert |
Yusef Jones
Videographer
Photographer
Audio Visual Technician
Contact information:
yusefjones.com
yusefwolf@yahoo.com
Library of Congress
Wednesday, May 14, 7:00 PM
Natasha Trethewey will deliver her final lecture to conclude her second term as Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry and the spring literary season at the Library of Congress. Location: Coolidge Auditorium, Thomas Jefferson Building (ground floor) Contact: (202) 707-5394 |
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Tuesday, May 06, 2014
Institute of International Education (IIE)
Yesterday I gave the keynote briefing on "Engaging Youth Through The Performing Arts" for participants in the U.S. Department of State- sponsored International Visitor Leadership Program.
We met at the Residence Inn (downtown DC). Here are excerpts from my comments:
Over the years I often found myself in classrooms in which teachers were excited about their students learning poetry. Before I knew it - a young child was standing in front of me reciting from memory a poem they had composed. Both the teacher and the student happy I was listening.
But what was I listening to? What do we expect from our youth after exposing them to the arts?
How are we to define arts education?
Too often we view art as simply a form or expression. It can either be singing, dancing, painting or reciting a poem. We want our children to appreciate art forms - so we consider it important to visit an arts gallery or concert hall.
But what is the final outcome of this? What do we want the arts to do? How do we measure if we are successful in what we do?
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I believe art is one of the primary ways we celebrate and define beauty. It is a way of understanding nature and man - determining what makes things go. Art is key to the unlocking of the mystery of life and who we are.
I would like to believe art also provides us with the capacity to love. It is a reminder of who we are and our relations to one another.
INTERVIEW WITH NAOMI AYALA
Something to listen to over and over again. Interview with my best literary friend...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPdLwaN2ez8
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPdLwaN2ez8
Sunday, May 04, 2014
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Nothing to Protect | May 4, 2014
Our fundamental problems are our ignorance and ego-grasping. We grasp at our identity as being our personality, memories, opinions, judgments, hopes, fears, chattering away—all revolving around this me me me me. This creates the idea of an unchanging permanent self at the center of our being, which we have to satisfy and protect. This is an illusion.
—Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, “No Excuses”
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Saturday, May 03, 2014
Busboys and Poets owner plans Anacostia restaurant and training program
BY JONATHAN O'CONNELL
May 2 at 8:59 am
Andy Shallal, owner of Busboys and Poets and recent candidate for D.C. mayor. (Photo by Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post)In his Busboys and Poets restaurants, owner Andy Shallal frequently weaves together food and drink with arts, music and performance space.With his newest project he may be adding a new component: education and job training.Shallal recently signed a letter of intent to open a restaurant in a former furniture store on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue Southeast, in Anacostia, according to two sources familiar with the deal. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because a final agreement has not been signed.The property, located at 2004-2010 Martin Luther King, would have a Shallal restaurant on the first floor that would be combined with a culinary training program.The Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), which supports community development projects in D.C. neighborhoods, has signed on as an investor in the project. Shallal declined to comment.Shallal, a recent candidate for D.C. mayor, may soon have restaurants in all corners of the city. If he opens a Busboys at the location it would likely be his seventh in the region and it would be the first of his popular restaurants to open east of the Anacostia River. He is opening a fifth Busboys in Takoma and will open a sixth in Brookland this fall.Shallal made economic development a major part of his mayoral campaign platform, proposing to fund more programs for job readiness and working to reduce poverty by creating good jobs. He repeatedly pledged to open a restaurant east of the river and said recently that he was considering multiple locations in Anacostia.Unlike many neighborhoods in Northwest, where restaurants have been opening at a breakneck pace, Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue has added bits of retail in fits and starts during the past few years. The two-story brick building – long adorned with an America’s Furniture sign — has been vacant in recent years but was purchased in late 2012 by the Far Southeast Family Strengthening Collaborative, for $2.2 million.The former furniture store will be renovated into a Shallal restaurant and office space (Jeffrey MacMillan – Capital Business)The organization, founded in 1996, connects children and families in Ward 8 to safety net services and has been eliciting input from residents about what they would like to see added to the neighborhood.“Once we purchased the property on MLK we engaged the community in a series of conversations to really hear about what they saw as needs in the community, and what they would like to see on the avenue and in the space,” said Perry Moon Jr., executive director of the group.The collaborative plans to build its new offices on the second floor of the building, where it will relocate from the Anacostia Professional Building down the street. Moon declined to discuss the plans for the first floor but said residents wanted “training programs that led to employment” and that part of that meant “bringing retail in the community and opportunities for folks to do stuff in their own community.”Basic demolition work has begun and Moon said that once construction begins it should last about a year.“Most people who live in this community, their desires are pretty similar. So it’s really our goal to help kind of be a catalyst for economic development as part of our mission,” he said.--
The African Section of the
African and Middle Eastern Division, Library of Congress
Presents
Vivian Seton
Co-editor of the Newly Released Memoir
Thursday, May 8, 2014
12:00-1:00
African and Middle Eastern Division Reading Room
TJ-220 (second floor) -- Thomas Jefferson Building
10 First Street, SE
Washington, D.C. 20540
Free and Open to Public
Allow Time to Clear Security
For additional information contact Dr. Angel Batiste
eMAIL: abat@loc.gov; Phone: (202) 707-1980
Request ASL and ADA accommodations 5 days in advance at (202) 707-6362 or ada@loc.gov
POETRY NEWS
My friend Joanna Chen (in Israel) sent me this link:
http://www.transatlanticpoetry.com/.jpg) |
| Joanna Chen |
Friday, May 02, 2014
Library of Congress
Wednesday, May 7, 12:00 Noon
A lecture series as part of the Library’s “A Thousand Years of the Persian Book” exhibition, Jessika Kenney and Dr. Fatemeh Keshavarz will discuss the intersection of poetry and music in Persian literature. This event is free and open to the public, and an audience Q&A will follow. Co-sponsored by the Library of Congress African and Middle Eastern Division and presented in partnership with the Roshan Institute for Persian Studies at the University of Maryland. Location: African and Middle Eastern Division Reading Room, LJ-220, Thomas Jefferson Building (second floor) Contact: (202) 707-5394 |
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Quote of the Day
Here is a sobering exercise for players in the N.B.A., the N.F.L. and Major League Baseball. Take a tour of the front office, and note how many black people the organization employs. How many are in positions of authority? Take a tour of your agent's offices and of the law firms with which they are affiliated.
- William C. Rhoden
- William C. Rhoden
Thursday, May 01, 2014
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Enid Doggett
Thursday, May 1, 2014 (202) 246-3982
TransAfrica President Nicole C. Lee Resigns
First female leader oversaw TransAfrica's renaissance, increased relevance
on contemporary issues impacting Africa and the African Diaspora, and brought TransAfrica into digital age
(Washington,
DC) - Nicole C. Lee, Esq has resigned as president of TransAfrica, the
legendary rights organization which became a nonprofit in 1977 and is
famous for its historic work to free the late Nelson Mandela from
imprisonment. Lee was the first woman to lead the organization. Her
eight-year term was second in length to Randall Robinson, the founder of
the organization.
Lee,
a prominent human rights attorney before assuming the role of
president, said it was the passing of the legendary Nelson Mandela last
December that in part led to her decision. She coordinated the U.S.
national memorial for Mandela held at the Washington Cathedral featuring
Vice President Joe Biden, South African Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool, and
actress Alfre Woodard.
"I
am proud of what TransAfrica was able to accomplish during my term.
Now I want the opportunity to work more closely with other international
movements and organizations and work with communities here at home in
understanding international affairs." said Lee.
Under
Lee's leadership the organization became a dynamic policy force,
lobbying on Capitol Hill for a myriad of causes to benefit African and
Caribbean nations. Lee led a diverse team and provided in depth
analysis of policy issues for a broad spectrum of African organizations,
policy makers and thought leaders. She oversaw the modernization of the
organization's communications infrastructure and enhanced its social
media platforms allowing for more engagement with NGOs overseas. Lee
also led TransAfrica in embracing relevant social issues. Most recently
Lee was instrumental in bringing rights activist Frank Mugisha to the
U.S to meet with rights leaders concerned with Uganda's anti-gay
policies.
In
her letter to the Chairman of TransAfrica's Board of Directors, actor
Danny Glover, Lee stated: "Upon assuming my role, and with the Board's
encouragement and stated support, we set out to build upon TransAfrica's
legacy as a voice for social justice, and create a body of work that
was true to its Pan African and civil rights history. Today,
TransAfrica stands as a renowned thought leader on issues relating to
the African Diaspora, and serves as 'the voice' of advocacy with regards
to matters of social, political, and economic justice for members of
the Diaspora ."
Nicole C. Lee, Esq.
President
TransAfrica
Sterling A. Brown 1901-1989
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STERLING BROWN AND THE BROWNING OF MY LIFE
On May
11, 1984 , Sterling A. Brown was officially named the Poet Laureate
of the District of Columbia .
It was the highest honor the city had ever bestowed on a poet.
The event coincided with the opening of the 2nd
Annual Larry Neal Writers’ Conference
and was held on Capital Hill.
It took place ten days after his 83rd birthday
and 15 years after I first met him on the campus of Howard University Washington ,
D.C.
Between 1969 and 1984 my life would be linked to Sterling
Brown’s. His life in many ways shaped my own literary career and resulted in my
decision to become a literary activist.
Perhaps even the idea of becoming a poet might be linked to
hearing Brown read his poems on campus
around 1969. Growing up in the South Bronx I
had never attended a poetry reading or heard someone read poetry in public. What
I recall about my first Brown reading
was the fascinating “lies” he told in between poems. The “lies” was an
introduction to his skill as a storyteller; listening to them one became
witness to Brown’s wit and wisdom. Brown introduced me to what one might define
as a distillation of the black experience. My introduction to what Brown called his Southern Road occurred at a
time when I had just left New York
and my family’s West Indian roots. I became aware of Brown’s poetry at the same
time I had started reading books like Black Power by Stokely Carmichael and
Charles Hamilton, Soul on Ice by Eldridge Cleaver, The Wretched of the Earth
and Black Skin White Masks by Frantz Fanon and the early poetry books of Sonia
Sanchez, Don L.Lee, Norman Jordan and Amiri Baraka.
The Sterling Brown poems I found memorable were:
Long Gone
Ma Rainey
Old Lem
These were the poems I enjoyed hearing Brown recite. These
are the Sterling Brown poems I now and then read at my own readings. Not included
on my list is “Strong Men” which many might consider Brown’s signature poem. It
was a poem he would often conclude his readings.
This change probably took place in the late sixties and early seventies.
According to a comment made by Michael Thelwell (one of Sterling ’s students), Brown once ended his
readings with the poem “Old Lem.” It might be interesting to speculate why the
change. The poem “Strong Men” can be
viewed as a long riff on a line composed
by Carl Sandburg. It is a poem however that should be noted for its historical
summary of the black experience as well as being visionary. Brown refers or
gestures to the future by describing how the strong men cannot be held back and
that they are coming on.. The result is a poem that unlocks the door of
transformation and embraces a future of infinite possibilities. Little did I
know this when I was an undergraduate student at Howard University
I do recall in 1969, Sterling Brown being mistaken for white
during the evening activities of the “Towards A Black University
Conference.” His entrance into the
Howard gymaniusm for a cultural evening was met with opposition from black
militant security guards. This incident
perhaps (if nothing else) served as a reminder that if this was a “Towards A
Black University Conference” which direction were black people actually heading
in.
In his own words, Brown saw himself as a minor poet and a
major teacher. His legacy some believe can be found by looking at his students
or the numerous intellectuals he influenced. I find it difficult to accept
Brown as a minor poet and this is why it’s so important to continue to examine
and write about his life.
One might ask what did Brown consider to be his best poetry
and did others agree.
In his own anthology The Negro Caravan published in 1941)
and co-edited with Arthur P. Davis and Ulysses Lee. We find the following poems
included in the anthology:
Long Gone
Slim in Hell
Southern Road
Old Lem
Break of Day
Strong Men
Did Brown select these poems or did his co-editors?
In 1971 when Arthur P. Davis and Saunders Redding edited
Cavalcade: Negro American Writing From 1760 to the Present, they included
Brown’s poems:
Odyssey of Big Boy
Old Lem
Sister Lou
Slim in Atlanta
Remembering Nat Turner
How an author’s work is represented in anthologies plays a
significant role in how a writer will be taught and remembered. Anthologies
however capture not only the views and politics of the editor, they also
reflect the times during which they are edited and published. We see this
happening to the poetry of Sterling Brown around the time I met him.
In 1968 Abraham Chapman released Black Voices. This
anthology of black literature would become a very popular book in the
curriculum of newly created black studies programs. In Black Voices, Chapman
includes 9 poems by Brown. Here we find the poems “Southern Cop” and “The
Ballad of Joe Meek.” two poems in which police violence is the central theme. In
2014 these poems seem to echo the sad news we continue to hear across the country
in which incidents take place between police and black youth. At the same time
it illustrates that Brown’s work remains timely and extremely important. But
what should one teach “Southern Cop”or “Strong men?”
Sterling Brown was one of several elders who changed my life
between 1969 and 1984.
The others were: Stephen Henderson, C.L.R. James, Arthur P.
Davis and Leon Damas.
Threre are a few memorable moments during my student days at
Howard that involved
Brown.
One took place when I was selling copies of The Black
Collegian magazine. I remember going into Brown’s third floor office in
Founders Library and asking if he wanted a copy.
Brown purchased 4 issues. It would be much later that I
realized he was helping me out- he was being supportive.. He was placing money
in my pocket. This small gesture – speaks loudly of a generation of black men
who are pillars of their community.
I also liked Brown’s style. He was a poet with a jacket and
tie. Like Leon Damas – one of the founders of the Negritude Movement – these
men dressed the part of intellectuals. They were men of letters. How they
smoked a pipe of cigarette was often done with a jazz musician’s cool. (See photograph taken by Roland Freeman).
Think of Miles or Lester Young – think of Brown’s friendship with Duke
Ellington.
It was Brown’s pipe that in May 1972 was the reason for
Steve Jones and I paying a visit to Brown’s Northeast home. Jones who resided
next door to me in Cook Hall dormitory was close to Margaret Burroughs who ran
the DuSable Museum Chicago . Burroughs instructed Jones to visit
Brown to see if he might donate something her museum. In the early Seventies I
was working in the African American Studies Reading Room and had access to
video tape equipment. On May 4, and 14, 1972 (not 1978 as mentioned in Robert
O’Meally annotated bibliography) I recorded Brown.
These early recordings of Brown and the documenting of his
life would have a significant impact on my mentor Stephen Henderson. Henderson
who had taught at Morehouse in Atlanta
and had also been connected with the Institute of the Black World, came to
Howard around 1970. He joined the Department of Afro-American Studies and
taught two courses that I took, Blues, Soul and Black Identity and Problems of
the Black Aesthetic. Henderson
had just published his groundbreaking anthology Understanding The New Black
Poetry. He had a deep respect and
interest in Brown’s work because of its connection to the blues.
Upon accepting the directorship of the Institute for the
Arts and Humanities at Howard in 1973, Henderson
would encourage a more systematic study and documentation of Sterling Brown’s
life. This would first consist of Brown coming out of retirement and becoming
the Senior Research Associate at the Institute. I was chosen to be the Junior
Research Associate. From 1973 to 1974 I would video tape a number of Brown’s readings,
lectures and interviews.
This documentation of Brown’s life, along with Leon Damas
being on the advisory board of the Institute for the Arts and Humanities – and
pushing for better preservation of black history and culture resulted in the
building of a documentation unit within the structure of the Institute and
developed and headed by Harold Burke.
Because I had interviewed Sterling Brown I was encouraged by
Henderson to
interview the writer Frank Marshall Davis which I did on October 24, 1973 . This interview would be helpful to the
literary scholar John Edgar Tidwell who in 1992 edited, Frank Marshall Davis –
Livin’ The Blues: Memoirs of A Black Journalist and Poet.
Frank MarshallDavis during the 1970s was a mentor to our
President Barrack Obama -while Obama was
growing up in Hawaii .
Obama writes about Davis
in his memoir- Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance.
Listening to Sterling Brown talk about his life was more
exciting than reading John Hope Franklin’s From Slavery to Freedom. Looking
from behind a camera served as an early reminder that I couldn’t just write
poems –but that I needed to live the legacy. I needed to preserve the memories
of people that came before me.
My early beginnings as a literary activist started with the
promotion and documentation of the work of Sterling Brown.
Brown made this statement about my work on May 4, 1978 :
I would like to bear
brief witness in this tribute to E. Ethelbert Miller. I am one of his
creditors. I am deeply in his debt. I hope I can last long enough to repay him.
Others will praise Ethelbert’s own poetry, his editing, his Ascension series of
readings. I want to add my praise for his own work and his devoted, generous
backing of the works of others.
In my many days I have
known those who have greatly influenced and supported the development of our
poets. I knew and prospered from the advice and backing of such mentors and
friends as Will Marion Cook, James Weldon Johnson, Charles S. Johnson,
Montgomery Gregory, and Alain Locke; but these were all older men than I, and I
owe much to them. But now, will wonders never cease! I find as a sponsor a
youngster, a mere tad of a boy who was not even born when I traveled the
Southern Road. Together with Steve Henderson, James Early and Niani Kilkenny he
sponsored the WHUR tribute to me and was one of the key participants on the Pacifica
Thanks, thanks my good
friend, I am in your debt.
When Brown makes reference to Niani Kilkenny in his tribute
to me, he opens the door to the additional research Sterling Brown scholars
need to explore. There are a number of women who helped promote the work and
career of Sterling Brown. They include Betty Parry, Grace Cavalieri, Myra Sklarew,
Effi Barry, Dottie Green , Eleanor Traylor and Marquette Folley Regusters. A
couple of these woman are deceased but the ones still living probably have a
head full of Sterling lies that might be funny as well as sad. I mention Dottie Green because she would be
responsible for editing a Brown tribute aired on National Public Radio.
In 1981, I served on a D.C. Arts Commission panel that
awarded Sterling Brown one of the first Mayor’s Arts Awards.
By this time African American scholars and poets around the
country would begin to celebrate Brown’s work and honor him.
Joanne Gabbin, Michael Harper, Charles Rowell, John Edgar
Tidwell and Mark Sanders
are some of the individuals that continue to keep Brown’s
memory alive.
Today, the Sterling Brown Papers housed at Howard University
Finally, Sterling Brown never saw himself as part of the
Harlem Renaissance or New Negro Movement. When folks said he might have missed
the boat, Brown reminded them that he never went down to the dock.
-
E. Ethelbert Miller
-
April
30, 2014
Watha T. Daniel Public Library