I read with Hall Gardner and George Ellenbogen at the National Press Club last night. It was a nice evening. I was going to head home afterwards but found myself at La Tasca on 722 7th Street, NW. A nice place to go for a small plate of food (Tapas) and a drink. If the Wizards could win some games next year the place could be packed during the week. I hadn't been down to "Chinatown" at night in a long time. Is there still a Chinatown? New developments, and stores. Folks out walking around like it was Adams Morgan a few years ago. The future is baseball...

Dental appointment this morning. Have you seen the impact of my smile on the world? Yuri arrived on campus. I introduced him to members of my department. He will have an office on the floor until February 2005. His interest is in the trends found among new African American fiction writers.

I got a couple of letters of recommendations out. I also wrote letters to folks who made recent contributions to the Center.

I have a reading this evening at the National Press Club. I will be reading with Hall Gardner. I haven't seen Hall in about 25 years.
We are both included in Lois Claire Kincannon's anthology SHEETS FOR MEN ONLY. See...www.clairekincannon.com

Yesterday I met with John (director of IPS) and we talked about my becoming chair of the board in November. I love working with the folks at IPS. They are doing wonderful work.
Visit our website: www.ips-dc.org

I had 2 good talks with two students who visited the African American Resource Center. I try to give students advice as well as reading material. I also try to listen to them as much as possible.
It's one of the rewarding things about being at HU.

I had to catch a bus from L'Enfant Plaza and make the trek to Dulles Airport. I try to avoid this place as much as possible. It has to be low on my rankings of airports. I did get a lot of work done (reading manuscripts and answering phone calls) while I waited for Yuri to arrive from Belarus. He will be a visiting scholar until February 2005.

I received in the mail an attractive self-published book by the poet John Warford who resides in Tallahassee, Florida. The title is HAIKU FOR A NEW PEOPLE.

You can lose a debate before it evens begins. By letting the VP sit for 90 minutes keeps him in a strong position. Cheney is at his best sitting down. Edwards is better when he can move around and talk to the jury. Cheney was going to get real nasty until Edwards pull the rug and started talking about his daughter and gay unions. Edwards slipped the VP a "nice" pill and he took his medicine. The VP was never the same afterwards. This debate won't affect anything. Are there really undecided Americans out there? It's like a black person wondering if he/she is black. Really. Folks who are undecided are the folks who just vote depending on which way the wind blows. What would folks do if there were no polls? OK...if the Red Sox win the World Series look for Kerry to win the election. Of course he will have to be in that locker getting his head wet from the celebration. Folks love winners.

I have a few more pages to read in MEMOIR OF THE HAWK by James Tate. I think the best poem in the book is "Rapture." I have his SELECTED POEMS to read next.

In the mail today I received Meena Alexander's new collection RAW SILK. I turned to the first page:

"I thumb through pages packed with syllables and cannot find you.
Tell me your name, come let me write you."

I sent The Pilgrim Press the blurb for STANDING IN THE WHIRLWIND: The Riveting Story of a Priest and The Congregations that Tormented Her by Nancy James.

The new Mosaic magazine is out.
www.mosaicbooks.com

I have to find a way out to Dulles Airport tomorrow to meet Dr. Yuri Stulov. He is flying in from Belarus.

Here is how the Brattleboro Literary Festival went from October 1 -3.
I flew to Hartford where I was met by Tim Mayo. Tim is a recent graduate of Bennington. We had a great time just talking as he drove back to Battleboro. What a cool place. Folks walking around with Kerry buttons and talking about the debate. Everything associated with the Literary Festival is held on Main Street. I stayed at the Latchis Hotel. I went to a reception on Friday afternoon. I spent time talking with Russell Banks, Thom Ward, Chase Twichell and Vijay Seshadri.

On Saturday I went to a morning reading by Russell Banks. He read from his new novel THE DARLING. Around 12:30 I went to a poetry reading at A Candle In The Night. This is a rug store where they turn it into a great place for poets. I listened to Chase Twichell and Vijay Seshadri. I had met Chase last year in Arizona and Vijay is going to be joining the core faculty at Bennington in January.

Around 1:30 PM I joined Wyn Cooper, Jennifer Gates, Hannah Tinti, Ellen Dudley, Thom Ward
for a RT Publishing Panel. I represented Poet Lore magazine and talked about how we operate and what we look for in submissions. The session was well attended and held in the Hooker-Dunham Theater.

Later in the day I went to a reading by Julia Alvarez in the Congregational Church. We hadn't seen each other in over a decade. When she saw me she let out a loud scream in the church and everyone turned around. It was funny. Seeing her again was one of the highlights of the festival for me.

There was a fantastic evening dinner for all the writers at the end of the day. It was a chance for me to talk with Naima Wade. She is an African American woman who lives in Vermont and had read all of my work. Well, she was responsible for introducing me at my reading on Sunday. We laughed like old friends. Naima reminded me very much of one of my cousins in the Virgin Islands. At our table was Thom Ward and Louis Simpson. Simpson didn't remember me from the 1970s when I visited his home on Long Island...it didn't matter because he was so much fun that you just wanted to be in his presence. What a sweet man. The Saturday night bash was one of the best things I've done this year.

On Sunday morning I went to the author's brunch and then the reading by James Tate and Dara Wier. This was held at the River Garden. After listening to Tate read I purchased a couple of his books.

My own reading took place at 3PM. I read a new poem "Going To Meet The Butcher."

Following the reading Naima and I went and had Thai food across the street. We were joined by Tim Mayo.

Coming full circle...Tim picked me up on Monday morning from the Latchis Theater for the trip back to DC. I enjoyed the Brattleboro Literary Festival more than Furious Flower. I had a chance to relax. It was nice to walk down the street and see covers of my book in store windows.
Tim presented me with a copy of the August 12th edition of the Brattleboro Reformer. In it is a long review of my book HOW WE SLEEP ON THE NIGHTS WE DON'T MAKE LOVE. Tim also reviewed Vijay Seshadri's second book THE LONG MEADOW. This book won the James Laughlin Award from the Academy of American Poets.

Arriving home I received an email from Curbstone Press informing me that the Washington Post will be running a review of HOW WE SLEEP... this Sunday.

Well, my desk is a mess with tons of things to sort. More to report later in the day.

I'm back home after attending the Brattleboro Literary Festival. I had to rush home for my "Windows & Mirrors" program at the DC Jewish Community Center. Tonight we presented Steve Oney who wrote AND THE DEAD SHALL RISE. It's an excellent book about the murder of Mary Phagan and the lynching of Leo Frank. Oney gave a good presentation and took questions from the audience.

My son and I watched the Bush/Kerry debate together. We both thought Kerry won. The problem is what happens after these debates when the television stations go back to their studios. Many of the folks given the first opportunity to talk about the debate were Republicans. There is also a simplistic way of reducing 90 minutes to a sound bite for tomorrow headlines.
I thought Jim Lehrer did a good job.

Time to pack and catch a flight tomorrow.

I spent most of the day talking with Walter Rodney's sister in the African American Resource Center.

I did complete the reading of Kevin Young's MOST WAY HOME. I'll slip Major Jackson's LEAVING SATURN into my travel bag.

I should arrive in Vermont around Noon. My next E-note should be on Monday.

Ichiro got 1 hit today. 2 more to make history. Checkout the article on him in the latest issue of Sports Illustrated.

Time to fly.

The new issue of Poet Lore magazine is out. This is the literary journal I edit with Rick Cannon and Jody Bolz. In this issue Contributing Editor David Wagoner introduces the work of Derek Sheffield. Derek serves as creative non fiction editor at Seattle Review and teaches at Wenatchee Valley College. Poet Lore is known for publishing exceptional poetry as well as reviews of poetry books. In the lateist issue Sarah Kanning reviews GRANTED by Mary Szybist.

Yesterday while using public transportation I read most of Kevin Young's MOST WAY HOME.
The second section of this book can be a tasty treat. " The Escape Artist" is my favorite poem.

Yesterday was also a day of talking to students, corresponding with folks I met at Cave Canem and writing letters of recommendation.

I also decided to accept the position of Board chair for IPS. I guess this is where my politics and poetry will find common ground.

DC is getting a baseball team. I can't wait for the games to begin. OK...name 1 person on the Expos. Hmmm. Well, I will get to see Barry Bonds play. Baseball is back.

I'm getting ready for the visit of Dr. Yuri Stulov. He will be a Fulbright Visiting Scholar from Belarus. I've known Yuri for a number of years. It will be good to see him again.

I accepted the invitation from the Fine Arts Work Center to teach a class there next summer.
My title for the class is "Writing the Political Poem: A workshop in poetry not politics."

I spoke with James Early today about IPS. It's my turn to accept the responsibilities of board chair. Whew...this is going to mean mucho work.

I came home and took a nap using the sleep machine. Not bad. I feel good and ready to go...

OK...Ichiro is down to 5 hits. It would be nice to have one more 5 for 5 game. I hope he gets 3 hits tonight. This will keep the pressure off.
He should break the record by Friday. The online Sporting News had a nice article. If Ichiro had a better April he would be hitting .400 right now.

Help for Haiti and Grenada. The collecting of relief supplies for victims of the recent hurricanes will begin tomorrow at Greater Southeast Community Hospital (1310 Southern Ave, SE) in DC.
From 6AM - 8PM. Until Sunday. Try and donate the following items: Clothes, bottled water, canned food and school supplies. The public is asked to drop these items in the bin near the guard's desk at the front of the hospital.

I had difficulty with the mask last night. It removes what I call the "joy of sleeping." I'll try again. I might just put it on and read first...then fall asleep.

I just received a package of PR material for the film THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES. It's the next movie I want to see. So Che is back. I love the following statement by Ariel Dorfman:

'The powerful of the earth should take heed: deep inside that T-shirt where we have tried to trap him, the eyes of Che Guevara are still burning with impatience'


Other news...

Rita Dove is reading from her new book AMERICAN SMOOTH at the Library of Congress on Thursday, September 30th. The Montpelier Room, Madison Building. 6:45 P.M.

I spent much of yesterday reading KITE RUNNER by Hosseini. Once you start reading this book it's difficult to put down.

Quite a number of things to mail this morning.

Today folks will bring THE MASK. It should help me sleep better.

Good news. My son's team DC Warriors won the Weber Tournament held on the campus of the University of Maryland. It was the last run for the Warriors. Many of these kids will be heading off to college to play basketball. My son has been contacted by a number of colleges as well as the Navy. The last few weeks he has been talking about attending a black college. It's important for children to make their own decisions and obtain support from their parents. Could there be a Howard or Hampton in my son's future?

Today I'll try and get back on track. I'll even have to miss my son's basketball games at the University of Maryland. :-( Look for us tomorrow night to be in front of the television watching the Redskins/Cowboys game.

I expect Ichiro to break the hit record by Thursday. I think he needs 7 more hits.

Here are poetry books I purchased at the Furious Flower Conference. You might want to add them to your reading list too:

...HERE...NEW AND SELECTED POEMS by Everett Hoagland
ANTEBELLUM DREAM BOOK by Elizabeth Alexander
SINGING THE BONES TOGETHER by Angela Shannon
LEAVING SATURN by Major Jackson
DREAMING UNDERGROUND by Monifa A. Love
MOST WAY HOME by Kevin Young

Two poets game me books as gifts:

SMELLS I SEE by F. Geoffrey Johnson
PAUT NETERU by Men Maa Aim Ra


The new Richard Wright Newsletter is out. Folks interested in the Richard Wright Circle should write to : James A. Miller at The George Washington University, Department of English, 801 22nd Street, NW, Washington, DC 20052

Well, I have to start reading THE KITE RUNNER by Hosseini. NPR book discussion coming up.

I made the trip to Furious Flower with Carolyn Joyner. We arrived on the campus of James Madison around 6PM on the 23rd. A bus was leaving for the Blackfriars Playhouse for the production of "The Bard Meets Black and Unknown Bards." There was no way I was going to sit in a theater after coming off the road. I was looking for the Hampton Inn and a bed. Black poets need their sleep. There is no metaphor.

The next day I went to registration and made the opening of the FF conference. Joanne Gabbin was in good spirits and welcoming everyone. A nice visual documentary of the 1994 conference was shown in the College Center Ballroom.

I attended a morning Critics' RT with Trudier Harris, Tony Bolden, Maryemma Graham and Hilary Holladay. Houston Baker, Jr give the keynote address. in the afternoon. This was followed by a poetry reading with Thomas Sayers Elllis, Major Jackson, Yusef Komunyakaa, Tony Medina, Opal Moore and Sharan Strange. I thought Ellis gave one of his best readings. Look for his new book next year.

FF had many concurrent sessions. This made it difficult to decide where to go, still it was good to see so much criticism of poetry being done by new scholars.

I read my poems on Thursday night. Also on the program were Brenda Marie Osbey, Kevin Young, LucilleClifton, Nikki Giovanni, and Haki Mahdubuti.

On Friday, Julia Galbus gave a paper on my work- "What Does The E Stand For?
I went to another Critics RT with Daryl Dance, Velma Pollard, Mark Sanders, Eleanor Traylor and Omekongo Dibinga.

FF was a time for readings. A big one took place on Friday afternoon with Amiri Baraka, Rita Dove, Dolores Kendrick, Eugene Redmond, Sonia Sanchez and Askia Toure.

I took shelter in my room and chilled on Friday night. I watched the Yankees beat the RedSox.

On Saturday I joined a panel chaired by Opal Moore. We discussed the lack of creative writing programs at black colleges. Don't get me started...

I just got back from the Furious Flower Conference. It was a nice event; a chance to see folks I hadn't seen in many years. The last FF Conference was 10 years ago. After I unpack my bags I'll do an E-Note about the event.

Right now I'm heading off to the University of MD to see my son play in a basketball tournament. I need a game after all the poetry readings and talks.

I'm off to Furious Flower today. I exchanged a couple of emails with Charles Rowell. He's excited about his next Callaloo magazine. He is highlighting several "emerging" African American writers. It should be interesting.

I packed and shipped all of my June Jordan letters and poems to the Givens Collection at the University of Minnesota. I think they can protect them better than I can.

Ichiro - 5 for 5 baby. Yeah!

I have an upcoming NPR book discussion to prepare for. The book up for discussion is THE KITE RUNNER by Khaled Hosseini. I'll have to read the book by October 20th.

What a wonderful day full of surprises. My dear beloved friend Judy called after a 2 year absence...she swears it hasn't been that long. It was great connecting again. The other surprise was Walter Rodney's sister walking into the African American Resource Center. I loved Rodney. I still consider him to be one of the major thinkers in the world. His book HOW EUROPE UNDERDEVELOPED AFRICA is a classic. When he was assassinated the entire Black world lost its favorite son. Rodney's scholarship and political vision touched Africa and black people throughout the diaspora. I keep a poster of Rodney in my office.

I also spent the morning talking with development consultant Nancy Withbroe about the future of IPS.

I completed reading Barbara Berman's manuscript...will ship this afternoon.

A trip to the dentist this morning. I'm still having problems with my jaw and ear.

I got a few letters of recommendation out for folks. I went over and took a look at the Faculty Art Exhibit at Howard. A couple of pieces I want to take another look at. I think the most talented department on the HU campus is the Art Department. The school needs a much larger gallery as well as new studio space for students.

I like the Savory cafe that opened across the street from the Takoma Metro Station. So far it's nice and quiet. I can sit there after work and have a smoothie. I can also see when the bus I take home is coming. I told the woman behind the counter they should have poetry readings in the evening. I left a card.

I completed the reading of Kemp's book. We exchanged a couple of emails today. I think it's cool that he named one of his children Mingus.

I have to read and write a blurb for STANDING IN THE WHIRLWIND: The Riveting Story of a Priest and the Congregations Who Tormented Her by Nancy James. I received the manuscript from The Pilgrim Press.

On my desk are manuscripts to return to Barbara Berman (SF), Venus (DC) and Sanderia (FL).

Good reporting about Sudan by Dora Muhammad in The Final Call newspaper. See the issue for September 21, 2004.

My mom's birthday today. She is 85 and doing well after a rough 2003. I watched the Redskins fall from grace. No QB debate in this town. Was that guy throwing the interceptions the starter last year? It figures. Poor Gibbs. Anyway many teams will be 1-1 after 2 weeks. Good for the league. And what about those Mystics? They are going to the playoffs.

Ichiro got no hits today. :-( He needs a couple of 3 hit games this week if he is going to break the hit record. Not impossible. He can't afford a slump right now...

I just read Julia's Furious Flower paper. She did a wonderful job writing about my work. So many things I can't remember...I'm grateful for her research. It's good for my memory and gives me the motivation to do new things.

I'm knocking out some letters of recommendations. I'll look at a couple of manuscripts folks have sent to me before the night ends.

Dentist tomorrow.

Oh...I love the Dylan reggae tape. Get your copy of IS IT ROLLING BOB?

Today I also ran into Fred Strothers. I love the guy. One of the best actors in the area. He was the first guy who told me about the television series Homicide. Fred was in it as well as a couple of other friends. Fred and I stood on a corner laughing like two Black men before the slave ships arrived.

Oh, I had a meal at Spices on Connecticut Avenue. It's an Asian Restaurant and Sushi Bar. I might have to go back for the sushi. The meal I had was one step away from carryout. In other words it might have tasted better if I was eating it in my own home. Go figure. I had sweet/sour soup and Thai Chicken Fried rice. I also had a Thai ice tea that was weak and not made well.

What's the daily?
After jogging I went downtown to DuPont Circle and met with Ed Perlman who teaches creative writing at John Hopkins. I'll be an outside reader for one of his students working on an M.A. Ed and I met at Cosi (North of the Circle) and then walked over to Provisions Library. Checkout their Native American display as well as the art work of Roxanne Swentzell. She has beautiful bronze figures that you just want to hug and talk to.

I sat in the DuPontCircle area for over an hour moving from Cosi to Starbucks...trying to find a good spot to read my Poet Lore submissions. I completed work on 3 packets.

I went into the new Krispy Kreme donut place...what's all the fuss about these donuts? I don't get it. I purchased two and not a box.

Today was also a music day. I'm getting ready to listen to Eternal. Branford Marsalis quartet playing ballads. I also purchased Reggae Gold. Why is Alicia Keys on this? If this woman is not careful she is going to be packaged into doing stuff that is silly. Folks will try to make her sexy and sell her looks, etc. I think she's the most talented young singer and musician out there. I would tie her hands to the piano and not have her dancing around playing Janet Jackson. OK...and what's with the hats? Is is Michael Jackson or Monk? I hope it's Monk since he played piano. Anyway I love Alicia Keys...that's why I purchased the Reggae Gold. Just call me a sucker for this woman.

I'm still reading Kemp Powers THE SHOOTING.

So Bonds hits number 700. Poor guy...he will be remembered the way folks think about Hank Aaron. Do they? It's still the Babe. Folks are chasing a myth more than a record. Aaron is the home run king and folks still believe Babe is a better player. Now you know there is still that "rumor" about Ruth being Black. He He The Alexander Hamilton of baseball? Ah...such crazy stuff let me stop.

I thought I would do something new.
I'll list the poems I will read at my next reading. I will be reading at the Furious Flower Conference (James Madison University) on Thursday 23, 2004. 8 PM in Wilson Hall. I will be reading with Lucille Clifton, Nikki Giovanni, Naomi Long Madgett, Haki Madhubuti and Kevin Young.

I will read the following poems:

Emmett Till Looks At A Photo Album From Iraq (unpublished)
Boxing With Your Mom (on website)
The Equator (How We Sleep On The Nights We Don't Make Love)
The Fifth Inning (Crux Magazine, Catholic University)
Freedom ( Whispers, Secrets & Promises)

So what's the daily?
I enjoyed talking this morning with Zahra from Sudan. She gave me good info and insight into what's going on in her country. She is the woman I met yesterday at the Sudan forum.

I Xeroxed and sent to Julia Galbus copies of all the interviews I did years ago for the Washington Review. I see this perhaps being the core of a future book. I have interviews with Haki Madhubuti, Amiri Baraka, Larry Neal, Michelle Parkerson and several other writers.

Michon dropped off the Miguel Pinero & James Early tape. She converted the reel tape to video cassette. We might air this program on DCTV.

I finally obtained a copy of IS IT ROLLING BOB? A REGGAE TRIBUTE TO BOB DYLAN. A must buy. I love what folks have done to the lyrics. BobDylanBobMarley...I & I. I'm listening to it right now and I feel like I'm Knockin on Zion's Door.

Kemp Powers' uncorrected proof was waiting for me when I got home. Kemp attended Howard a number of year ago. The guy was mucho talented. Writer and artist. His new book is THE SHOOTING. I read the excerpt that was published in Esquire Magazine a few years back. It knocked me down. It's a memoir. Kemp accidentally shot and killed his best friend when he was a young kid growing up in Brooklyn. The story won't let you sleep without telling someone about it. Pub date is January 2005. Thunder's Mouth Press (Imprint of Avalon Publishing Group).
ISBN 1-56858-3320-6

Yesterday went by so fast. Now it's Friday. I had a long conversation yesterday with Ada Diaz a graduate student in Howard's English Department. She is looking at the concept of healing in literature. Before leaving campus I went over to the Ceramics Department and met with Adrienne Bailey. She is another graduate student whose thesis committee I'm serving on. While in the building I saw a number of people in the Art Department I hadn't seen in many years. It felt like homecoming. The place is filled with so much fantastic creative talent.

Sandy my editor at Curbstone sent me a copy of T H E Magazine published in Santa Fe, New Mexico. They reprinted (with the cover design of the book) my poem "Rebecca lets down her hair." The poem is included in HOW WE SLEEP ON THE NIGHTS WE DON'T MAKE LOVE.
It's part of a series of Rebecca poems I wrote about a woman fighting breast cancer.

I just got a note back from Alexs Pate. He plans to give me feedback today on the intro draft I wrote for the new publication of LOSING ABSALOM.

HU Forum on Sudan this morning. I attended the first session. Speakers were Sulayman Nyang, Kojo Nnamdi and Walter Fauntroy. They were suppose to provide a rationale and historical context for what's going on in Darfur. I met a very lovely woman from Sudan who is doing graduate work at HU. The nice thing about this institution is the international presence of so many people. Nyang's talk was good. I consider him to be one of the best scholars at HU. When Fauntroy started quoting Frances Cress Welsing I looked for my Twins baseball cap and left.

Lucille Clifton has a new collection of poems out from BOA. The title is MERCY.

Jessica Hagedorn is coming to town on September 29th. She will be at the Hirshhorn at 6:30 PM. Jessica is the author of DOGEATERS and CHARLIE CHAN IS DEAD.

It was fun talking today to students in Richard McCann's class at American University. I spent most of the period answering questions about my memoir. Very good questions...new ones too.

I made arrangements to get my CPAP machine. This should help me sleep better. Air in the head. Proper sleep for the Muse.

Many phone calls today. Job references for folks, etc. I have 2 more Bennington packets to complete tonight.

The next major project deadline is a Windows & Mirrors program at the DC Jewish Community Center. I have to introduce Steve Oney. He is the author of AND THE DEAD SHALL RISE: THE MURDER OF MARY PHAGAN AND THE LYNCHING OF LEO FRANK. The program is going to be on October 4th at 7PM.

First Gibbs and now Barry is Back. What does this mean? Back to the future? What year is it?
Where's my afro?

So what's the daily?

I'm heading over to American University to visit Richard McCann's class this afternoon. Richard has been teaching FATHERING WORDS the last few years. It should be fun.

So I'm listening to the new Jill Scott CD and she reminds me of a female Issac Hayes rapping her way through a song. Can I do this? I like Jill. I want to like the CD. I'll walk around with it for a few more days.

Interview with E-1 (Danticat) in the latest issue of The Bloomsbury Review. She makes a couple of good comments. One is about home:

"Home shifts a lot when you migrate from one country to another. Then home is not a place anymore but an idea, an attitude, an ideal."

I had Thai food again tonight. This time in the DuPont Circle area of town. Eggplant and shrimp. :-)

Excellent article on Ichiro in the New York Times today. Checkout "An Artist Who Makes The Field His Canvas" by Lee Jenkins.
A25.

I voted. Democratic Primary today. I did my interview with historian Ira Berlin. Berlin is the author of SLAVES WITHOUT MASTERS and MANY THOUSANDS GONE: THE FIRST 2 CENTURIES OF SLAVERY IN NORTH AMERICA. The taping today was made possible because of NEH funds for their WE THE PEOPLE project. Berlin and I discussed the Emancipation Proclamation. I felt the interview went very well. I hope we can use the show in some of the intro courses in African American Studies at Howard. The interview with air on DCTV in February. Many thanks to my producer Michon Boston.

I received a letter from Lit buddy Afaa Michael Weaver. He is putting together The Simmons Chinese Poetry Conference at Simmons College in Boston. Here is the website:
www.chinesepoetryconference.com

The dates for the conference are October 8th -9th.

I received in the mail a copy of TRUST: Reaching the 100 Million Missing Voters by Farai Chideya. This is a Soft Skull Press book. I plan to give it to my daughter. It looks like something she might enjoy reading.

The new MultiCultural Review is out. Vol. 13, No. 3, Fall 2004. At the back of the journal are words written by Marjorie Agosin and directed to Pablo Neruda.
In this issue is a review of my last collection of poems (HOW WE SLEEP...) by Gail Hall Howard.
She is the first person to make reference to my poem for Alexander Calder. Thanks Gail. :-)
She writes:

"Miller's eighth collection is about love, and about the vacuum of violence here and around the world that occurs when love fails."

Gail also writes that "teachers should be aware of his playful, tender work about lovemaking."

Hmmmm.

Listening to The Essential Miles Davis at work. What are you listening to? Miles Ahead or Miles Behind?

For beauty is nothing/but the beginning of terror...
- Rilke

HU is having a special forum on the Sudanese Crisis. September 16th in the Blackburn Center East Ballroom. Things begin at 9AM. Speakers include:
Imira Woods, Dr. Sulayman Nyang, Kojo Nnamdi, Walter Fauntroy, Imam Johari Abdul-Malik and others. An invitation was extended to me several years ago to visit Sudan.
I declined because of the lack of knowledge I had about the region. I always want to know where I'm going and who I'm talking to. I plan to listen to some of the morning presentations on the 16th and take a few notes.

Early morning. I dropped by Naomi's apartment and gave her a Chicago Cub's cap. Now she looks like Sosa. :-) Trip to the barber and bank. I'm getting ready for my interview with Ira Berlin tomorrow. We will tape at his home. I think I have a good working outline to discuss the Emancipation Proclamation. I'll begin the program with an overview of US history during the 1850s. This will provide a framework for what unfolds during the 1860s and the Civil War.
I want to talk not only about Lincoln but also Sumner and Stevens who were in Congress during this time. I've developed 7 specific questions that will focus on the text of the EP.

I received document information and instructions for donating materials to the University of Minnesota. I hope to ship my June Jordan letters to them before the end of the month. I think this will be a good home for them. The Jordan letters consist of over 200 items from 1975-1999.

I spent time reviewing a poem by an HU student enrolled in Tony Medina's poetry class.
Medina is a new edition to the HU faculty and a popular professor on campus. Students seem to be enjoying his class. It's good that historical black colleges are moving forward in offering more creative writing classes. Hopefully before the end of the century there will be some MFA programs existing somewhere.

Ichiro watch:
2 hits yesterday. For him to hit .400 he would have to hit .563 for the rest of the season. That would mean 54 hits in 96 at-bats.
He has 231 hits. The George Sisler record is 257.

DuBois once talked about the problem of the color line. This century the key issue might just be religious tolerance.

There was a full-page ad in the NY Times yesterday in support of the Baha'i community. They have been under attack in Iran. For more information visit www.bahaiworldnews.org

The poet Robert Hayden was a member of this faith.

My son and I spent the afternoon watching football. Skins won. I like Gibbs as a coach. Basic football. The defense looks good. What's with Philadelphia? Are they that good? Not really. I'm not serious about any team until about the 7th game of the season. I wait for key injuries to take place. I also look for a squad that is going to have one of those magical years. I really think I should play QB for the Ravens.

Back to reading Bennington packets.

I found a folder with all the articles and interviews I did for the Washington Review. I'm going to ship it to E&H College and have them include it with my papers.

September 11th and the airports in Chicago and DC were very empty. Folks stayed away from air travel without any government color warnings.

I took departed yesterday and returned this afternoon. A quick trip to Rockford, Illinois. I gave a reading and discussion of my memoir FATHERING WORDS. The program was organized by the Rockford Public Library and held at the Rockford Business College. Many thanks to Fay Muhammad, Valerie Carter and Zoe Norwood. Beautiful souls. After my reading a number of us went to the home of Jeff and Christine Swanberg. They have a wonderful house with an in-house gallery. It's something I thought about doing once.

During the trip I had a chance to review a manuscript by my friend Ken Massey. Ken lives in Zion, Illinois and is interested in attending Bennington. I talked with him while in National Airport on Friday.

On the airplanesI read one of my Bennington packets. I also read THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION by John Hope Franklin and THE DAY I WAS OLDER edited by Liam Rector. Rector's book is about the poetry of Donald Hall. The Franklin book has been helpful in my preparation for the television interview with Ira Berlin next week. I've developed a number of questions and should be ready for Tuesday's shoot.

Curbstone Press sent me another review of my book HOW WE SLEEP ON THE NIGHTS WE DON'T MAKE LOVE. This one was written by Wayne Atherton and appeared in THE CAFE REVIEW in Portland, Maine:

Not since reading Ho Xuan Huong have I encountered such titillating, erotic poetry...

Atherton was not all praise. He didn't like my jazz poems. Maybe I make love better than I listen to music. Hmmm. :-) Still it was a good review. I'm deeply grateful for Atherton's remarks.

I just received the new book AMERICA ZEN: A GATHERING OF POETS edited by Ray McNiece and Larry Smith. The publisher is Bottom Dog Press (POBox 425, Huron, OH 44839). Some of the contributors include: Diane Di Prima, Tess Gallagher, Sam Hamill, Jane Hirshfield, David Ray, Anne Waldman, and others. The book contains a good listing of Zen related books in the back pages. I found my own book BUDDHA WEEPING IN WINTER (Red Dragon Press) listed.

I had to slip pass construction in Founders Library. Dust. I had a visitor who surprised me. It was the son of a friend I went to college with. A nice young man who said his life was influenced by reading my memoir. Small things like this keep you going when you get lost in the darkness of yourself.

I received Gargoyle # 48. Rick Peabody is always doing great things. In this latest issue he published my short story "Maria." Other contributors in this issue are Nick Carbo, Grace Cavalieri, Anne Becker, Ray Gonzalez, Kim Roberts, Rsoe Solari, Rebecca Villarreal (oh where is my buddy), Afaa M. Weaver and Alan Spears. I love the poem "It's Amazing What You Get Used To" by Spears. Page 113.

I also received today from Kyle Welke six video tapes of my presentations in Italy. Operation Homecoming is also sponsored by Boeing. Welke is the Media Specialist for the company.

Checkout the profile of Donna House (Navajo ethnobotanist) in the New York Times. House helped to create the landscaping outside the new National Museum of the American Indian.
The museum opens on September 21st.

Today I told Liam I needed time away from Bennington after next June. I need to get back to this second memoir.

Well, I'm washing clothes and packing. I leave for Chicago tomorrow morning.

I'm still having problems with my jaw and ear. Maybe this is just old age. Small problems with the parts and then someone is pushing you.

I laughed with my friend Charlie this afternon. She is my connection to HU students. She admitted today that she was named after Charlie Parker by her father. When I heard that I had to loan her my 2 CD set of Yardbird's music. I keep it by my desk to remind myself that I work at a black college. I also told her to see the film Bird that Eastwood did. I think that was the beginning of my decision not to listen to everything Spike said about movies. I liked the film.

I put one Bennington packet in the mail...another almost done.

I purchased a copy of Time magazine. Whew...when was the last time I did that? The cover story is "The Struggle Within Islam." Sometimes it feels as if we're living in the Middle Ages again. Just call me Moor instead of Miller. At my reading last night a woman gave me an article about Muslims becoming Christians.
She thought this was going to be the answer to all "our" problems. Really? Why can't people acknowledge that there are many ways to worship. I can't decide which is worst, the old Cold War with everyone quoting Lenin, or today with the battle between the faiths. So much killing around the world in the name of God. I can see why Morgan Freeman in that movie wanted to take a vacation. Let someone else handle this earth mess. Anyway, if this was my script, the aliens would make their appearance right around now. Our nonsense must be placing the rest of the universe at risk. Hmmm. What would Arthur C. Clarke say about our future? The light at the end of the tunnel looks like a fire heading the wrong way.

Once during the riots in the 1960s James Brown told everyone to go home and listen to his music. Do you remember when it was so simple? That was a long time ago. Now every person with a gun has a brand new bag. They are even willing to shoot their Poppa. All in the name of God(s).

I'm still having problems with my jaw and ear. Maybe this is just old age. Small problems with the parts and then someone is pushing you.

I laughed with my friend Charlie this afternon. She is my connection to HU students. She admitted today that she was named after Charlie Parker by her father. When I heard that I had to loan her my 2 CD set of Yardbird's music. I keep it by my desk to remind myself that I work at a black college. I also told her to see the film Bird that Eastwood did. I think that was the beginning of my decision not to listen to everything Spike said about movies. I liked the film.

I put one Bennington packet in the mail...another almost done.

I purchased a copy of Time magazine. Whew...when was the last time I did that? The cover story is "The Struggle Within Islam." Sometimes it feels as if we're living in the Middle Ages again. Just call me Moor instead of Miller. At my reading last night a woman gave me an article about Muslims becoming Christians.
She thought this was going to be the answer to all "our" problems. Really? Why can't people acknowledge that there are many ways to worship. I can't decide which is worst, the old Cold War with everyone quoting Lenin, or today with the battle between the faiths. So much killing around the world in the name of God. I can see why Morgan Freeman in that movie wanted to take a vacation. Let someone else handle this earth mess. Anyway, if this was my script, the aliens would make their appearance right around now. Our nonsense must be placing the rest of the universe at risk. Hmmm. What would Arthur C. Clarke say about our future? The light at the end of the tunnel looks like a fire heading the wrong way.

Once during the riots in the 1960s James Brown told everyone to go home and listen to his music. Do you remember when it was so simple? That was a long time ago. Now every person with a gun has a brand new bag. They are even willing to shoot their Poppa. All in the name of God.

...and I think it's going to rain today.
Yesterday just slipped away. I had to leave work for emergency dental work. I had my wisdom tooth extracted. So now I'm dumb. My cat had an accident in the basement and cut his tail. I had to rush him to the animal hospital. Cats need insurance. I need to let Kerry and Bush know this.

Oh, stay away from the Metro (Red Line) even if you've been traveling overseas. It took me 2 hours to get from my house to Tenleytown. I should own a donkey. This is no way to operate a subway system. Any low wage worker is going to lose a weekly paycheck by the time they get to work unless they start out 3 hours early.

Last night I participated in the Tenley-Friendship Neighborhood Library local authors series. It was a small gathering of folks. Intimate. I met Margaret Roberts Drucker. She will be reading at the library on September 16th at 7PM. I was invited to do some regular literary programs at the library. I might consider doing that.

Bennington and Poet Lore packets covering the entire desk downstairs. Yipes! I might use my trip to Chicago this Friday to work on my interview questions for historian Ira Berlin. I have a television shoot next week. Our topic is the Emancipation Proclamation. I was thinking about it while riding the Red Line. Go figure. Go figure.

A number of people dropped by the house. It started very early...
I spent time talking with Vige. I met her in Minneapolis a few weeks ago. She just moved to DC.

I've been looking over the draft I did on the Pate introduction. It might work.

One Bennington packet almost completed. I'm waiting for 4 more to arrive. I guess that will be tomorrow.

I have a reading at the Tenleytown Library tomorrow at 7 P.M. I'll recite a few new poems.


The National Archives is getting ready to open their new theater that will screen documentary films. Free films and discussions. For more information here is the site to access:
www.archives.gov/national_archives_experience

Easy like Sunday morning. I did work at Borders in Silver Spring. Read a packet of Poet Lore submissions. Reviewed a Bennington packet from one of my students. I had the latest Callaloo with me so I read the interview with M. Nourbese Philip.

I found this poem in Ted Kooser's SURE SIGNS:

SNOW FENCE

The red fence
takes the cold trail
north; no meat
on its ribs,
but neither has it
much to carry.

Arrived home in time to watch the last 3 innings of the Yankee/Baltimore game. 2 intentional walks will always get a manager into trouble. Yankees won this one. Birds had a chance in the top of the 9th. Too much Mariano.

Wind blowing...storm must be coming this way soon.

Ichiro 5 hits last night. 379. One more 5 hit game this month and no slump might put him close to 400. He might shatter the hit record.

Yesterday I listed 10 things I wanted to do. How often do we make these lists? So what did I do? I read all the old newspapers that had collected while I was in Europe. I paid some bills and sent a few items to friends. I read an essay about my poetry written by the scholar Julia Galbus. It will appear in a forthcoming book.

Not on my to do list was a flat tire my son had while driving the car to a football game. The good thing was that he was just a few blocks from the house. It took AAA about 1 1/2 to come and fix things. I don't drive. I don't change tires. I write.

Later in the afternoon I took the bus down to DuPont Circle and sat in Cosi. I looked at some of my Bennington packets that are starting to come in from my students.

Leaving Cosi I bumped into my daughter who had been working at Provisions Library. Yes, she fell in love with the place too. It's a great place to read and relax. A third place. My daughter and I sat in Starbucks (the one near Teasim). It was fun just talking about a ton of topics. While sitting outside I saw a couple of people I hadn't seen since the early 1980s.

My daughter and I walked from DuPont Circle to 1910 18th Street where we ate at new Thai restaurant - The Regent. This place has a very cool decor. Well it's really beautiful. I love the sinks in the bathroom. Oh, the food is good. I had a nice soup.
My daughter decided not to go home so we took the bus back to "the old house" and we watched the movie THE WHALE RIDER. She had watched a few clips from the film in her women studies class at BU. This movie is very good. Every young girl should see it. Well, every man should see it.

Several packets of Poet Lore submissions to read.

On, the Ray Charles CD is not a real winner. You can hear how weak his voice is. Genius needs company sometimes.

OK. Let's do another 10 Things to Do List...

1. Read 2 more short stories in THE STORIES OF RICHARD BAUSCH.
2. Finish reading SURE SIGNS by Ted Kooser
3. Clean the backyard
4. Work on intro for Alexs Pate's novel
5. Work on 1 of my Bennington packets
6. Finish reviewing Barbara Berman's manuscript
7. Read Sunday newspapers
8. Send statement to Boeing representative in Italy for his report
9. Work in basement for 1 hr. File and discard stuff
10.Read a few chapters of AND THE DEAD SHALL RISE by Steve Oney

Prayers for Bill Clinton. I guess this means the program at the Folger on September 28th might not take place. It was going to be a conversation between Clinton and Toni Morrison. You never know what will happen...

I pulled my C.L.R. James file and sent material off to Don Mee Choi in Seattle. I found a couple of letters he had written to me back in 1983.

I spent the day posting annoucements for upcoming literary programs at work. I met with Gina who is doing her MFA at Howard. I am a member of her thesis committee. After a late lunch we walked over to the Studio HU has on Sherman Avenue. I had a chance to look at the mural she is working on. It's looking good. Gina's work has found its wings. A major development since last year.

I met with Ellie Dorie , Ken Carroll and others at the King Library at the end of the day. We sat around discussing ideas for next year's poetry festival (April 2005). A proposal has to be submitted for funding next week.

New CDs for the weekend:
Forever, For Always, For Luther with Kirk Whalum, Paul Jackson, Jr., Boney James, George Benson, et al.
Ray Charles: Genius Loves Company

Jamie Foxx looks good in the RAY movie coming out. Oscar?

Reading Ted Kooser's early work: SURE SIGNS. Kooser is the new poet laureate of the US.
I love his poem "Selecting A Reader."

Ichiro Watch: 3 hits last night. 374 average.
Can he hit 400? I think he might need two 5 hit games this month. He would have to have a 27 game hit streak too. Not impossible. He should break the hit record of George Sisler (257).
Sisler played for the St. Louis Browns and set the record back in 1920.

Back to work tomorrow.
I rested today. I went to Borders in SS where I ran into Bro. Yao. We had a good talk while sitting in the sun. Later it was Thai food on Connecticut Avenue.

I wish I could just sit and read for a few days. This is what came in the mail while I was away:

The New Yorker
The Writer' s Chronicle
Poets & Writers with Rita Dove on the cover. New hair style.
Callaloo
GLACIER LILY by the poet Chungmi Kim

I need to avoid a slump this weekend.

A few notes from my recent trip:

Saturday 28-Sunday 29th

I have an afternoon departure from National Airport to Kennedy in New York. Checked 2 bags. Reading Alexs Pate's LOSING ABSALOM. I have to write an introduction to the new paperback edition Coffeehouse Press is planning to release.
My flight to Venice was delayed by 2 hours in NY. We sat on the plane waiting for new parts to arrive. One woman wanted to lead a revolt. "We are not animals...the only thing they are giving us is warm water." A couple of people got off the plane; others wanted the attendants to bring them wine. I sat next to a funny couple from Tampa. I liked them immediately. We were talking like old friends and soon the time passed and we were in the air.

When I reached Italy Jon Peede, Counselor to the Director of NEA met me at the Marco Polo Airport. We took a Water Taxi (Alilaguna Shuttle) to the Hotel Flora (San Marco, 2283/A).

Venice is stunning! You fall in love with the place because of the water, the buildings the people.
Here is a place where you feel every love poem you've written isn't about love, it's about something else. If the poem is not about Venice it's not a love poem.

Walking to the Hotel Flora I discover I'm in a city without cars. For a guy who can't drive this is heaven. I turn into a small alley and walk into a hotel with a lovely enclosed garden. The rooms are very, very small. I took a quick shower and went out walking.

Piazza San Marco is right there. St. Mark's Basilica will leave you in awe. Hundreds of pigeons.
It's tourist season so the people outnumber them. There are many Africans in the streets selling ugly leather bags. Every guy selling the same bags...no one is buying them. The poor merchants of Venice.

I could walk around this city forever...

I go back to my hotel and run into a couple from Atlanta. We talk about Sam Nunn and other things. I check a newspaper and notice that Argentina defeated Italy for the Gold in basketball.

Evening it's dinner with Jon, Maryrose from NEA and Maribeth McGinley, who is a member of the National Council on the Arts.

We talk about our upcoming trip to Vicenza.




Monday 30th.

We took a Water Taxi from the hotel to a car rental. Our party consists of Dan Riley (our US Army Contact), Jon, Maryrose, Maribeth and Richard and Karen Bausch. Richard and I are doing workshops with the soldiers at Cape Ederle.

There is a wonderful evening reception at the Golden Lion. Here is an excerpt from my remarks:

Home is where we find our beginnings. It's where we return to renew our faith in family, friends, as well as country. To say "Welcome Home" is to reaffirm life and to embrace love as we embrace each other.

I am happy to participate in Operation Homecoming because I believe that in this changing world it's the American story that holds us together.

Tell me a fact and I'll learn.
Tell me the truth and I'll believe.
But tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever.


Tuesday, August 31

I have a 10 AM workshop with a room filled with young men and women. Many of the soldiers are going to Afghanistan; some have not been home in over a year. I talk about being a literary activist, how to write poems as well as a memoir. The response is good. I circulated a sheet with what I called "Equipment for Writing." It consisted of a few reference books as well as contact information for the National Writers Union and Poet Lore magazine.

I donated copies of Poet Lore and my last collection of poems to the Camp Ederle library.

Operation Homecoming is a project that is going to plant a lot of seeds. There are so many stories in the hearts and minds of our troops. See website: www.operationhomecoming.org

In many ways these young people are defending my freedom to write.

LOVE

All my life
I believe I've
been searching for
Venice

- E. Ethelbert Miller

Today's Washington Post has a long article on Douglas Brinkley. Brinkley is the author of TOUR OF DUTY: John Kerry and The Vietnam War. I guess this is the book at the center of all the Kerry/Bush/Vietnam discussion the last few days. Brinkley is a person I admire. He's up there with Ichiro in terms of productivity. A good friend -Brinkley wrote the introduction to my collection of poems WHISPERS, SECRETS & PROMISES back in 1998. I still consider it one of the best pieces written about my work. Brinkley not only read my manuscript but also interviewed me prior to writing the introduction.

Don't spend your money on the movie HERO. I was very disappointed. This is a rental for a weekend when you don't have anything else to do.

Well congrats to Michael Glaser for being named the new Poet Laureate of Maryland. This was done on August 2, 2004. Glaser is reading at the Silver Spring Borders at 6:00 P.M. on September 18th. That's the official Grand Opening of the bookstore.
The entire day will consist of literary events and music.

One for the record books.
Ichiro gets hit 200. He becomes the first player in MLB history to have 200 hits in each of his first four big-league seasons.

1st Year: 242 hits
2ndYear:208 hits
LastYear: 212

I just received a book party invitation from my friend Kitty Kelley. Her new book is THE FAMILY: THE REAL STORY OF THE BUSH DYNASTY.
I expect the party on September 21st at The Warner Atrium to be a media event. Congrats K2.
I plan to be there. Glad it's before Furious Flower. Kelley wrote a nice blurb for my BEYOND THE FRONTIER anthology.

But let the world dream otherwise,
We wear the mask.

- Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906)


Well no dreams for Bert. Last night was rough at the hospital sleeping with a mask on. Who makes these things? Where is FUBU? Zorro? Anyway, I slept until about almost 3 AM...then couldn't get back to sleep. I had to discontinue the test. I took a cab home around 4AM...did some work and then crashed.

But I've been feeling great all day...so the air pumping into my head has wonderful results. :-)
Guess I'll have to get one of those little units to help me sleep better.

I took the day off from HU to get ready for my trip. Bank for T-checks. I went to the Border's in SilverSpring and purchased a mango smoothie. I sat outside and read the NEA material on Operation Homecoming.

I had lunch again at the Austin Grill. Afterwards I wrote a short statement for maybe the opening reception at Camp Ederle in Italy. I think it reads well. I might post it on the blog when I return. Checking messages there was one from a staff member at NEA. Stars & Stripes publication wants to do an interview with me.

Someone in downtown SS was handing out flyers for fall classes in Yoga and meditation. If you're interested here is the info: www.crossingshealing.com
Crossings is a healing center and a learning community located at 8505 Fenton Street in Silver Spring.


OK. Nobel Prize in Literature will be given on October 7th. Make a list. Here are 5 black writers I would give the Prize to:

August Wilson, Wilson Harris, Edward Brathwaite (poet), Charles Johnson or Jay Wright.

Goodies in the mail. PEN/FAULNKER Schedule is out. You can get it by going to their site:
www.penfaulkner.org
It seems like it was many years ago that I was on the board of the PEN FAULKNER FOUNDATION. I'm glad to be moving forward in my life.

I also received the new lit schedule for American University: www.american.edu/cas/lit/mfa-lit.htm


I'm calling Arena Stage tomorrow and confirm my tickets to see Madame Butterfly on September 9th.

The artist Lou Stovall is having a show at Strathmore Fine Art. Opening reception is September 10th. I'll miss it because I'll be doing a reading in Rockford, Illinois.

Oh, the 28th Annual Letelier-Moffitt Memorial Human Rights Awards are September 30, 2004.
This event is sponsored by the Insitute for Policy Studies.

Well fellow" Bennie" Mariela sent me a nice letter and a CD that I can't stop playing:Papa Noel & Papi Oviedo - Bana Congo. Cuban rhythms. You can read Mariela's blog by going to: www.perezsimons.com

I ran into Meta DuEwa Jones at the cleaners. So good to see her again. She's a professor at George Washington University who moves and talks at a high energy level. It's great. We started talking about several things at once. We almost forgot about our clothes. Meta is giving a talk at the upcoming Furious Flower Conference on the poetry of Margaret Alexander and Elizabeth Alexander. Her presentation is on September 24th (James Madison University). Meta drove me home and we sat around talking about Cave Canem, trends in African American literature, and countless other stuff.
I see young scholars like Meta moving the criticism of African American literature forward. It's important to have folks looking at poetry and not just the novel. The upcoming Furious Flower Conference next month is going to be a very important event. I think every young African American poet should try to attend.

Bank. Post Office. Barber. Cleaners. I'm getting ready for my trip overseas. I was invited over to WAMU radio in the early afternoon and did a show with Kojo Nnamdi. A 1/2 hour of good fun. I read a few poems from HOW WE SLEEP ON THE NIGHTS WE DON'T MAKE LOVE.
Over the years Kojo has been a wonderful supporter of my work as well as the work of other writers in the area.

Sleep Center tonight. More tests. I'll get to wear a "mask" and see if I sleep better. Ah...I can smell that good oxygen filling my brain cells.

Ken Burns has a new film: Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson. It will be shown at the New York Film Festival in October.

Name and bio information just added to the Operation Homecoming site. If you want to know why I will be making a trip to Italy click on the following: www.operationhomecoming.org

I'm up to almost 200 blog entries. Ichiro is at 198 hits. It takes as long...

The best part of the HU job is that you get to meet new students at the beginning of the school year. Folks get lost in the library and stumble into my work area. I don't have an office...never did. If I had an office would I keep my door open? Whenever I take a job as a visiting professor I have to adjust to a door.

with the invention of the door man changed the western world.
suddenly any man who had a door could rearrange the universe
to suit himself/include himself/or exclude himself;
society was invented.
- Thulani Davis

I met two nice students this morning. One was interested in photography, so I introduced her to the work of Deborah Willis. The other was from the Twin Cities...she walked in as I was finishing a short essay about my recent trip there.
Minnesota folks are cool. If I played baseball I would accept a trade to only the Twin Cities, Seattle or San Francisco. Call me Curt Flood.

I completed work on my workshop outline for Italy. I think it will go well. I want to package a good amount of information into 2 1/2 Hours.

In preparation for my interview with historian Ira Berlin I started reading John Hope Franklin's THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION.

This morning was an email day. A chance to touch base with friends across the country. I also spent time talking to an HU student who wants to produce "The Toilet" on campus. That's an early LeRoi Jones (Baraka) play. Homosexuality is hinted at in the work. I thought a good forum or discussion should be organized around the production. Many people often focus on "The Dutchman" and "The Slave" by Jones (Baraka).

I had a phone conversation with Kim Roberts (editor of Beltway On line magazine). She talked about the upcoming celebration of Walt Whitman's work next year.

Today is the first day of school at HU. The yard is packed with folks. Another year. I've been at Howard for 36 years.

This morning was an email day. A chance to touch base with friends across the country. I also spent time talking to an HU student who wants to produce "The Toilet" on campus. That's an early LeRoi Jones (Baraka) play. Homosexuality is hinted at in the work. I thought a good forum or discussion should be organized around the production. Many people often focus on "The Dutchman" and "The Slave" by Jones (Baraka).

I had a phone conversation with Kim Roberts (editor of Beltway On line magazine). She talked about the upcoming celebration of Walt Whitman's work next year.

Today is the first day of school at HU. The yard is packed with folks. Another year. I've been at Howard for 36 years.

Downtown Silver Spring is a spot everyone seems to be discovering. I took the bus there around 10AM. The new Borders was open. I purchased a copy of Yusef Komunyakaa's TABOO which is dedicated to Zoe, Reetika and Jehan. I also purchased a little book that will help me speak Italian overnight. It fits nicely into my cargo pants. While in the store I ran into Jabari Asim and his wife. Asim is an editor at the Washington Post Book World.

I checked the new Borders for copies of my books. It's something I encourage all authors to do when these places open in your neighborhood. Of course they didn't have my books or other local authors. They did have a large collection of Black books...unfortunately the world has gone Zane crazy. The shelves in bookstores mirror the food chains in many of the malls and strips. Same stuff. Pizza with toppings. Quick read books. Microwave literature.

I sat outside Borders and read the newspaper and TABOO. Just before my belly spoke I wrote a poem and then went into Austin Grill. They have live music. It was country and it was so good I later went back into Borders and purchased a copy of Hank Williams Jr. 20 HITS.
Blues and CW is how I feel these days.

It's amazing how many different groups and organizations are in the community. I went to my friend Kweli Pitt-Bey's group. Moorish Americans. OK...checkout website: www.TNOMA.org

I'm going up to the new Borders that opened in Silver Spring, Maryland yesterday. I want to see what their poetry section looks like. On Friday night folks were standing in front of the store waiting for it to open. It looks like it might become a popular spot.

New book catalog out from the Library of Congress. W. Ralph Eubanks the director of publishing is doing a good job. You can see what to buy by going to: www.loc.gov/shop.

Ichiro 4 hits. That puts him at 372. If he can end the month at 380 I think he will have a crack at 400 this year. He should be over 200 hits next week.

I talked with my friend Melissa during the early afternoon. I watched the men's Olympic basketball team. Sad. A team with no good outside shooters. I also looked at the Redskins. Hmmm. They still need a good offensive line. If they are going to make the playoffs this year they will need good defense and special teams. The QBs don't look good.

Another death reported in the news: Herbert Hill, the NAACP labor director in the 1950s and 1960s. He spoke out against racial discrimination by Unions. I'll remember him as the editor of ANGER AND BEYOND: THE NEGRO WRITER IN THE UNITED STATES (1966).

I can't believe I'm still in my upstairs office trying to clean my desk. I really need an assistant.

Well, tomorrow I'm going to get some more rest.

Went and saw the movie Collateral. Some of the dialogue isn't bad.

Foxx is becoming a better actor. He should be ready for the Ray Charles movie.

I'm going to relax this weekend. I have to prepare for the Italy trip...outline my workshop ideas.

I enjoyed my visit yesterday to the NEA office. Great staff down there. Gioia is doing an excellent job.

The latest issue of SPEAKEASY magazine is out. Fall 2004. It's a publication of the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis. I contributed a short piece to the Forum on Fear and Imagination. The other writers participating are: Luis Rodriguez, Janet Fitch, Geoff Dyer, Naomi Shihab Nye, Aleksandar, Wang Ping and Robert Creeley.

Ariel Dorfman has work in this issue. I love the line he repeats in his essay:

The world does not have to be the way it is.

I'm so glad it's Friday. I had two good morning telephone conversations. One was with Jon Peede who works at NEA. I plan to see him this afternoon when I visit the Endowment to discuss the trip to Italy.
I also spoke with Jessica Circus at the DCJCC. We are getting Windows & Mirrors back on track.
That's the cultural project I started a couple of years ago. The purpose was to highlight the shared traditions between Blacks and Jews. Next program will be on October 4th.

It looks like my interview with Danticat will take place on Friday, September 17th at the Anacostia Museum.

September is going to be a busy month. I have two television shows to record, a reading in Rockford, Illinois and the Furious Flower Conference. I'll be riding down to FF with friends Carolyn Joyner and Jamie Walker.

I just received the flyer for The Nora School Poetry Reading Series: www.nora-school.org.
I'll be reading with Kenneth Carroll there on October 14th.

A sad note...Robert Browne died. His Obit was in the New York Times on August 15th.
Browne was an economist who founded the Black Economic Research Center in 1969. That organization published The Review of Black Political Economy. I met Browne in the 1980s when he was a senior research fellow in African Studies at Howard University. On many occasions I would drop by his office just to laugh and tease the guy. He was a beautiful person and will be missed. Love and prayers for his family.


The WALK FOR LITERACY 2004 will take place on October 9, 2004.
Register Online at WWW.Signmeupsports.com/27252.

Bennington work done. Whew...now I can do some leisure reading for 2 evenings. I did my morning jogging and also went to the nearby park. My son was in the middle of doing his basketball practice. We played a quick game...quick for him. I hadn't been out on the court in several months. I've been staying in shape. Blood pressure is excellent.

Breakfast with Naomi at Tryst in Adams Morgan. We talked about creative writing; she returned her Mark Strand book (REASONS FOR MOVING DARKER).

I had lunch with Linda (a former Humanties Council board member) at The Islander on U Street.

It feels so good to just clean my desk again.

I just downloaded Brenda Marie Osbey's "Notes From France." Osbey is an African American poet living in New Orleans. She was writer-in-residence at the Camargo Foundation in Cassis, France.

I pulled John Hope Franklin's THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION from the shelf in the Center. This will help me prepare for my upcoming interview with Ira Berlin in September.

Ichiro hit in the head by a pitch tonight. :-( The only way to stop the guy...have we seen this before?

I spoke with Meri Danquah on the phone this afternoon. It was good to hear her voice. She's heading over to Ghana. The girl is always on the move.

I met Miriam at Mayorga in Silver Spring for a chat and some juice. Good to be out.

One last Bennington packet to do.

Breakfast with my buddy Naomi tomorrow.

I spent the entire day down at the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities. I've been a commissioner for several years. Today we looked at applications from arts organizations serving residents East of the River. It was good to see what folks are trying to do; some with limited resources. Many arts groups need technical assistance. It's fun working with the staff at the Commission. The day went by quickly...

I'm getting more info from the NEA about my upcoming trip to Italy. Looks like I'll be flying out to Venice on Saturday.

I've almost completed my Bennington work.

I need to sit down and get to work on other projects. It looks like that 12 hour flight overseas is going to be an office in the air.

Oh...look at that scoreboard tonight. Ichiro with 4 hits already and the game is in the 6th Inning.
Hmmm. 400 baby. He should have 200 hits by the end of this month.

I spent the early morning in the HU stacks trying to find a law book for my daughter. The English Department was having a meeting with their graduate students in the library. I met a couple of them. It's always good to see what new scholars are up to. I spoke briefly with Dr. Victoria Arana. She's very heavy into Black British Writing. She just edited a book with Lauri Ramey:
BLACK BRITISH WRITING. You can order it from VHPS/16365 James Madison Hwy/Gordsonsville, VA. 22942. You can order by phone: 888 330-8477.

I completed my paperwork for my 2005 reading at St. Mary's College.

In the mail today I received a letter from Libbie Rifkin (Folger Shakespeare Library) informing
me that the Folger is going to place some of their recording readings on their website. Libbie wanted permission to use a poem that I read on October 24, 1995. That's the day I was awarded the O.B. Hardison Jr. Poetry Prize.

New magazines out: Black Issues Book Review. India.Arie is on the cover. I'm thinking of a number of people that could be on the cover instead. BIBW seems to be following in the steps of Ebony magazine. Hip Hop cover girls and guys. If I was running the journal A. Van Jordan, Brenda Marie Osbey, Afaa Michael Weaver, Lorenzo Thomas, Elizabeth Alexander, Thomas Ellis would be on the covers. I would put Joanne Gabbin on the current issue since she has the Furious Flower Conference coming up.
Don't get me started.

I had a nice meeting at the Anacostia Museum this afternoon. A workshop with teachers who will be bringing their students to the museum when school opens. Someone asked why a certain writer was not included in the exhibit. Please. Hush now...Don't Explain.

Czeslaw Milosz gone. Check NY Times for article/Obit. Sunday, August 15th.

Humanities Magazine has an interview with fight doctor Ferdie Pacheco. Now that's a surprise.

My friend CoCo sent me Michael Franks CD: The Art of Love. Thanks CC.

I met with Michon Boston today. We have to prepare for our next television production. I'll be interviewing historian Ira Berlin in September. We will be talking about the Emancipation Proclamation. I'll work on the questions /reading on the plane ride to Italy.

Back home. You know you're getting old when your son drives to the airport to pick you up.
Much to do now...clean the desk. Get the Bennington packets back to students by Wednesday. I might have two ready to go in a few hours.

I accepted the NEA invitation to travel to Italy to visit with US troops coming back from Iraq.
I'll leave at the end of the month.

Ah...back to jogging in the morning.

I'll be leaving Minneapolis in a few hours. Last night I went to dinner with Rohan Preston. A very cool guy. He's a poet, critic and photographer. He's also the theater critic at the Star Tribune. Ro and I laughed and talked about the state of things. The conversation was good and so was the food. Ro gave me a copy of SWEETIE MANGO SUITE. It's a poetry chapbook he published last May.

In the airport or on the plane I'll put together my outline for my talk tomorrow at the Anacostia Museum. I'll be giving a group of teachers a tour of the "All The Stories Are True" exhibit.

I have a stack of D.C. Arts Commission proposals to read tonight. I also want to put two Bennington packets in the mail tomorrow. Mucho work.

Around Noon I walked from St. Paul across the Mississippi into Minneapolis. I needed a good walk just to clear my head and relax. I sat in the Blue Moon Coffee Cafe (near S.39th Street) and read the newspaper and worked on two Benningon packets. In the St. Paul Pioneer Press I discovered a column by my friend Harriette Cole. Harriette is a Howard graduate and is the author of VOWS: THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COUPLES GUIDE TO DESIGNING A SACRED WEDDING CEREMONY and JUMPING THE BROOM: THE AFRICAN AMERICAN WEDDING PLANNER. In JUMPING THE BROOM there is information about my wedding ceremony (second marriage) that took place in 1982.

So what's going on in New Jersey?

Well, I'm going to take a "morning vacation" before heading back to DC tomorrow. My reading last night went well.
It was at the Givens Collection site on the campus of the University of Minnesota. The Givens Collection of African American Literature is a wonderful special collection. You can access information about it by going to the following site: special.lib.umn.edu/rare/givens

The curator is Karla Y. Davis. A very nice woman. A couple of years ago the collection was run by Kathi Neal. I like what Givens is about. As a literary activist this was like a "homecoming" reading. A couple of years ago I donated some letters and material (Clarence Major items) to them that were part of my personal library. I'm thinking about giving them some additional material, maybe photographs and audio tapes.

The poet Andrea Jenkins opened the program by giving a welcome and also reading a few of her poems. The title of her small chapbook is TRIBUTARIES. Jenkins introduced Archie Givens Jr who introduced me. The Givens Collection is named after Archie's father.

I read first from FATHERING WORDS and talked about writing the memoir. I also read my prose poem "The Fifth Inning" and a few selections from HOW WE SLEEP ON THE NIGHTS WE DON'T MAKE LOVE. I like to read the work of other poets at my readings. I read a couple of poems by Hal Sirowitz.

I had a good audience. I even met my daughter's boyfriend for the first time. He is doing a summer internship
in the Minneapolis area before heading back to Boston.

After a meal at a nearby restaurant I returned to the residence of Deb and Rob. They have been kind to give me a place to stay for a few days. Deb and I spent the evening talking about some of her book projects. She has an interest in international adoption.



Yesterday I was reading Speakeasy magazine (March/April issue) and came across a good short essay by Kyoko Mori.
Mori teaches at Harvard. Her essay was about what things she needed in order to write. I plan to make copies of this essay and send to my Bennington students. I was moved by the following comment in Mori's opening paragraph:

"I don't think in terms of what I would be willing to give up in order to support a writing life. Quite the opposite: I have very specific ideas about what I need in order to enjoy my life as a writer, and the the list of these necessities has grown considerably over the years."

I had a good lunch. Bart Schneider gave me two of his novels: SECRET LOVE and BLUE BOSSA. Riding around town afterwards I talked with Andrea Jenkins about writing and the things writers discuss when they stop talking about writing. We stopped at Orr Books in Minneapolis. They had ordered copies of my books for the evening reading. While in the shop I saw a new book by Robert Bly. In the back of the store I found some cool postcards to send to friends. I got a nice Che one for my friend Michon Boston. Michon is working on a film about Che. She's my producer for Humanities Profiled on DCTV. The other cards I purchased were Buddhist ones:

Love In The Past - Is Only A memory
Love in The Future - is only a fantasy.
True Love just lives in the here and now.
- The Buddha

I found a couple of good Asian newspapers to send to my friend Don Mee in Seattle.

There's an upcoming HiP Hop Festival( 3rd Annual) coming to the Twin Cities the weekend of August 21 and 22. Thien-Bao Phi who I met yesterday at The Loft will be participating. You can look for him in the upcoming third season of HBO's Def Poetry Jam.

I'm heading out to lunch at the Seafood Palace in Minneapolis. This has been a good trip thanks to National Writers Union members in this area: Andrea Jenkins and Deborah McLaren. Special thanks too for Carolyn Holbrook's help.
She works with SASE.

I'm still thinking about the wedding...Alexs and Soo Jin's theme song was Maxwell's "For Lovers Only." Many times a song from a wedding stays in your head for a long time.

This morning I prepared for my evening reading. I plan to begin with excerpts from FATHERING WORDS, then poems from HOW WE SLEEP ON THE NIGHTS WE DON'T MAKE LOVE. I'll share a number of new pieces that are going to be included in CIRCUS ANIMAL. That collection won't be completed for a couple more years. It should be fun.
More later...

I really had a nice time at the wedding of Alexs Pate and Soo Jin Link. Warmth and fun. So much love in the room.
It's obvious that Pate and Link are soulmates.

I guess there were about 100 people at the wedding. Among them the writer David Mura and former football star Alan Page. And yes...I got to dance with the bride.

I'm going to work late. I need to prepare for my poetry reading and look at another Bennington packet. I also need to prepare for a talk I have to give on Monday at the Anacostia Museum.

Oh...and Ichiro had 2 hits. 362 average.

A good day with friends in Minnesota. I did a radio show at KFAI. Read 3 poems. Lunch was at a Chinese restaurant within walking distance fromthe radio station. Afterwards I walked over to the Loft Literary Center with Bart Schneider. He is the editor of Speakeasy. Checkout their website: www.speakeasymagazine.org
I also visited the Minnesota Center for Book Arts and spoke briefly with Dorothy Goldie the executive director. Good to see folks making books by hand. Checkout: www.mnbookarts.org

I picked up a couple of magazines and newspaper I was not familiar with: Korean Quarterly and Rain Taxi. Rain Taxi is a book review publication.

I made a few phone calls in the afternoon. Good to talk with Deirdre Cross as well as Annie Finch. OK...time to change clothes and see the bride and that guy she's marrying. :-)

I'm in Minnesota. I'm staying with my friends Deb and Rob. They are both active with the National Writers Union. I met Deb when she worked for IPS.

I arrived in terrible shape. Ear problems. Deb took me to the Fairview Medical Clinic in Bloomington. I had both ears cleaned and purchased medicine for the inflamation. I can hear now...

Today I have a radio interview to do...
In the evening I'll be going to the Pate/Link wedding.

The rest of the time I'll be working on my Bennington packets.

Hey...it's cold out here.

Ichiro - 3 hits. 360 average. I think he needs to finish August at 385 or 390 in order to have a chance to hit 400. He could set the ML record for most hits in a season.

I'm fighting congestion in my head. Yipes. I can't hear. :-( I hope things will improve before I get on the plane to Minnesota.

Many thanks to all my friends in the Twin Cities who have extended their friendship to me. It looks like a good trip.

Love and blessings to Alexs Pate and Soo Jin Link who are getting married this week.

I've been working on my Bennington packets. The key is to give each of my five students an entire day of attention. This way I can get things back to folks on time.

Donald Justice died. In the New York Times it mentioned that he had been offered the position of poet laureate. Justice declined because of health. I guess this is why there was a delay in naming a poet laureate the last time.
Justice completed his COLLECTED POEMS prior to his death. It will be released by Knopf this month.

If there is going to be another U.S. poet laureate who is African American here are my picks:
Yusef Komunyakaa, Marilyn Nelson, Jay Wright, Michael Harper, Lucille Clifton and Sonia Sanchez. I think one of these individuals will be selected for the position before 2014.

I just got an IM from Robert Fleming. Let me go chat with him. Robert wrote The African American Writers Handbook.

Yes, I did mean worst not worse when talking about HellBoy!. Bend the language whenever possible.
Anyway I was upset to read (New York Times) about Thulani Davis no longer being with the Village Voice. She's a good journalist and poet.

I'm packing and getting ready to head to Minnesota. Departure tomorrow morning. Maybe I'll get myself a Twins cap for my head. TC baby.

Bennington packets to read this week.

HellBoy is one of the worst movies I've seen this year. I tried to relax last night...boy what was I thinking when I went to the video store.

Keep an eye on Alan Keyes in Illinois. He is running against Obama. Keyes knows how to move an audience. Look for folks against abortions to rush to his campaign. This Senate race could be a very important one. The focus will now be on ideas and not just blackness. Keyes is also against affirmative action and gay rights.

A tremendous amount of work accomplished today. I have a box indexed and ready to be taken to Emory & Henry College in Virginia. It feels good to be putting my personal papers in order. It's a chance to develop a comprehensive bibliography. So many things I've don't remember anymore.

Bennington packets are arriving...
I guess it's time to put my teaching hat back on.

My friend Sally sent me a CD of The Hilliard Ensemble with Jan Garbarek. The title is OFFICIUM. Beautiful music. I feel surrounded by the walls of my brother's monastery.

This morning I met with Jon West-Bey. He is interested in building an American Poetry Museum in Washington, D.C. We had a productive talk at a cafe in DuPont Circle.

I spent the early afternoon visiting with my daughter. We took a walk along 14th Street. I wanted her to get to know her new neighborhood. It was fun. It reminded me of Saturdays in Greenwich Village with my brother. I think one of the joys of fatherhood is when you look over at your daughter and notice that she's an adult getting ready to build her own world.

I received a brochure from poet Marilyn Nelson. She is the founder of Soul Mountain Retreat in East Haddam, Connecticut. It's a retreat with a special mission:
Nurturing African American poets. Summer residencies are reserved for graduates of the Cave Canem poetry program ( www.CaveCanempoets.org).
For information contact: soulmountainretreat@yahoo.com

On Friday I borrowed from the Howard University Library HENRI CARTIER-BRESSON AND THE ARTLESS ART by Jean-Pierre Montier. This is a large book. It contains many of those Cartier-Bresson gems.

Ichiro 3 more hits. 359 average.
If he can get to 380 before the months ends he could hit 400 this year.

More on Cartier-Bresson:

Even in his later years, when he more or less abandoned photography to draw, he remained an astonishing live wire who liked to say that his approach to life had been shaped by Buddhism. His wife, the photographer Martine Franck, described him to the Dalai Lama as "a Buddhist in turbulence."

(NY Times/August 5, 2004)

Henri Cartier-Bresson dead at 95. :-(
What is left to see after looking at his photographs? He gave us back our sight.

"All photographs taken today are either directly or indirectly influenced by Cartier-Bresson."
- Philip Brookman, Corcoran Gallery of Art

Ah - the decisive moment.


I have the new James Baldwin stamp. :-) Get yours.


Two new CDS today:
Duke Ellington - Piano in the Background (This is good stuff!)
Patti LaBelle- Timeless Journey

Ichiro Watch: 3 hits yesterday. This guy can hit 400. Look for folks to start talking about this near the end of August.

Wil Haygood did a good job in the Washington Post yesterday. He wrote about the friendship between Sol Stein and James Baldwin. A book of their letters was recently published. I've been checking the Post Office looking for the new James Baldwin stamp. No luck yet.

I'm going back to the New England Quarterly to read the essay on Phillis Wheatley by Astrid Franke. I've almost completed the reading of Mattison's THE WEDDING OF THE TWO-HEADED WOMAN. The main character Daisy is a woman who helps people get rid of their clutter. It's the right book to read while I'm in the middle of my August Project. It's been good sorting and discarding. My basement is shaping up. Everyday I find something. A few days ago it was a 1990 letter from Charles Johnson, a review of one of my books by June Jordan. The last time I was downstairs I found a copy of an Essex Hemphill manuscript. I'll have to check and see if it contains any unpublished poems.

In the mail there was a book by an old friend Margaret Paris. She is a writer and photographer who teaches at Georgetown University and the Duke Ellington School of the Arts. Margaret's book is EMBRACING AMERICA: A CUBAN EXILE COME OF AGE. It's the story of Elena Maza a child refugee of Operation Pedro Pan (1961).

Ichiro went 5 for 5 against those Birds yesterday.
I felt good too after getting a physical. My parts are still working. I just have to work with the sleep issue. There was an excellent article about sleep disorders in the New York Times (Science section) yesterday. One of the best I've read. It was funny too.

I met yesterday with Linda Sullivan (Writer's Center) and also Del Hornbuckle (Provision Library).

Today I'm heading downtown to record a program for the Voice of America. I'll be joined by Dolores Kendrick (poet laureate of Washington, DC).
I guess security will be tight in this city until after the elections. I think the bombing incident in Spain are making folks take precautions prior to our elections. I hope we can avoid the chaos of 1812. One building that I think needs to be protected is the Iraqi embassy on P Street. I feel it's symbolic of the new government in Iraq. We can't just think about only the monuments and the White House. The war against terrorism is like the war against drugs; this is going to be an ongoing battle. I'm beginning to feel like I'm already visiting Israel. Go figure...

Yesterday's New York Times had a very good article about the new National Underground Railroad Freedom Center which is opening in Cincinnati this month (August 23rd). The center's executive director is Spencer R. Crew. Crew once worked for the Smithsonian. I've never been to Cincinnati but might put it on the short list of places to visit next year. Here's the website for the new Center: www.freedomcenter.org.

The National Museum of the American Indian will open on September 21st in Washington, D.C.
There will be a six day opening celebration.

I've been getting a lot of work done thanks to my friend Julia Galbus being in town. She is doing research on Stephen Henderson as well as me. I've been forced to pull old files. Whew. It coincides with my August Project of doing extensive cleaning. I forgot about so many things. One is an environmental organization I help start back in 1990-91. I also shared with Julia my file on "Windows & Mirrors." That's the project I started a few years ago with the DC Jewish Community Center. It was an attempt to highlight the shared cultural traditions between Blacks and Jews. Galbus research will hopefully show how I function as a literary activist. Her upcoming paper at the Furious Flower Conference at James Madison University has the title "What Does The E Stand For?"

Got test results back from the Doc today. Da Bert is not well. :-( Will get more tests for sleep problems; will have a general checkup tomorrow. Let me know if anyone has spare parts. :-)

Alice Mattison's new novel came in the mail today. THE WEDDING OF THE TWO-HEADED WOMAN. Her opening paragraph will pull readers in:

"Nothing distracts me for long from sex. A friendly, intelligent man makes a funny remark, almost for his private benefit. He thinks nobody hears, but I laugh. For a moment shared understanding exhilarates us both; then I go further. I feel a yen to place my hand on his bare thigh, to see what he's like with no clothes on."

Congrats to Alice! Mattison is a fellow faculty member at Bennington.

There's a good essay review on Robert Lowell in the latest issue of The New England Quarterly (June 2004).

I've started my August Project 2004. It means major cleaning and discarding of stuff at work and home. I want to place a daily focus on getting better organized for thirty days. A key goal will be to eliminate clutter.

Yesterday was an important day for both of my kids. I was a proud papa. My daughter moved into her new apartment. Even though she had own place last summer in SC, this is her first real space. She has it fixed up very nice. Funny how children become so neat when they leave home.
Well, it now feels as if my daughter is on her own. Her next big step in life will be to prepare for law school.

Yesterday was also the day my son finally had his breakout game in high school basketball. It was the game his former AAU coach was waiting for. Even though his team loss (again)
in their second summer league championship game, one saw my son playing hard and not giving up until the final seconds of the game. Many scouts and coaches were talking about him. He hit for 14 pts in the second half...20+ game. I did think of Michael Moore's film 9/11 when someone from the Navy basketball program expressed an interest in him.

Rick, Jody and I met at Cosi on Saturday and selected work for Poet Lore. It took the entire morning. We did "interview" a wonderful person interested in maybe joining the magazine staff.

Later in the day (at Cosi) I met with Candice Thomas. What a lovely young writer with good poems and fiction. She might be a person to watch...


Today is going to be crazy. I have to take my morning run, read the newspapers, attend a Writer's Center board meeting, draft a letter of support for someone up for tenure at a school out west, and participate in an evening salon dedicated to Sterling Brown.

Let me get started.