Thanksgiving week and the Hawk is Blowing:

ww.jazzonthetube.com/videos/coleman-hawkins/disorder-at-the-border.html

SELECTED LETTERS OF LANGSTON HUGHES

Below is an excerpt of a talk I gave at Busboys and Poets (14th & V Street) on November 20th:

For years I had read letters written between Langston Hughes and Arna Bontemps. Their big book of letters was on a shelf not far from my desk when I worked at Howard University. I consulted in on many occasions. For some strange reason I never purchased this book for my personal collection. I did buy a copy (and reviewed ) of REMEMBER ME TO HARLEM: THE LETTERS OF LANGSTON HUGHES AND CARL VAN VECHTEN 1925 - 1964 edited by Emily Bernard. This book was published in 2001.

THE SELECTED LETTERS OF LANGSTON HUGHES contains letters from 1921 to 1967. Just reading the footnotes in this book can be as exciting and informative as the letters. Arnold Rampersad who has written a two-volume biography of Hughes did an excellent job putting this book together.

But why is this book important?

Despite all of his writing - Hughes was a private man. There continues to be ongoing speculation about his relationship with his father, Zora Neale Hurston, and even his sexual orientation. Hughes was an eyewitness to the New Negro Movement or Harlem Renaissance, his work was very political during the 1930s. He was one of the artists targeted for his Left wing politics in the 1950s. He influenced many of the artists who would emerge during the turbulent 1960s. In many ways the letters of Langston Hughes provides a window into American history. According to Rampersad the sheer number of letters and their quality has much to do with the basic love Hughes had for his people. Letters were a way of maintaining friendships and conducting business. Sometimes Hughes would write 30 letters a day.

Since Hughes was one of the few American writers to make his living primarily from his writing, his correspondence serves as a magnifying glass as to how difficult it is to make a living as a writer. He called himself a literary sharecropper toiling away for next to nothing on the publisher's plantation.

As editor Rampersad found the Langston Hughes letters "lyrical, romantic, flirtatious, ironical, sardonic, allusive, casual, objective or businesslike."

In the book the longest letters are to Claude McKay. The most letters he wrote to anyone was to Arna Bontemps. There are many letters that illustrate how supportive he was to younger writers like Ralph Ellison, Gwendolyn Brooks, Margaret Walker and Alice Walker.

Fear never zips its pants after peeing.

   - E. Ethelbert Miller

Need an Expert to Interview * Speak * Educate * Inspire? Contact Nommo Speaker's Bureau to book dynamic Speakers E. Ethelbert Miller  The Power of the Poet If the pen is indeed, mightier than the sword, then the New York-born, Washington, D.C. –based, poet, educator and literary activist E. Ethelbert Miller has been one of the most powerful people in the Nation’s Capital for the last four decades.  He has contributed significantly to the literary landscape and participated in the development of policy in arts organizations, universities and global think-tanks that transform conventional mindsets. This prolific Nommo Speaker is a literary activist who has served on a multitude of boards (Split This Rock, The Writer's Center...) – sometimes, the only Black voice at the table, advocating for Black, non-white and female authors and fresh new voices overall. Miller currently serves as board chair of the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS), a Washington, and D.C. progressive think tank composed of scholars and organizers that globally link peace, justice and the environment.  For over 10 years he has served as editor of Poet Lore, the oldest poetry journal published in the United States.   A passionate speaker, Miller has published and co-edited over a dozen books of poetry, essays and two memoirs including: First Light: New and Selected Poems, Fathering Words: The Making of an African-American Writer and The Fifth Inning. In the spring of 2016, he will publish his Magnus Opus: The Collected Poems of E. Ethelbert Miller (Willow Books, Spring 2016 release), edited by Professor Kirsten Porter of Marymount University. This book represents the full arc of Miller’s subjects, which include: international affairs, politics, loneliness, depression and most of all, love. A child of the 1950's, Miller who celebrates his birthday on November 20th, says that when he looks at the body of work that he has done, he thinks it’s extremely significant.  “I’ve become a better writer… you’ll see how the structure of my work has changed” (in upcoming collection of poems). Miller’s literary work garnered him a 1995 Folger Shakespeare Library O. B. Hardison Jr. Poetry Prize for excellence in poetry and teaching. But there’s more to Miller than the printed page. "A poet is given the unique responsibility of composing the poems that become the songs of a nation... E. Ethelbert Miller's poems sing America's heart-song... His language promotes compassion, healing, and amazing grace," writes Professor Kirsten Porter of Marymount University in the introduction for Miller's upcoming book, "The Collected Poems of E. Ethelbert Miller."  Porter eloquently writes that "the change Miller envisions (in his poetry) is inclusive - the emotions evoked by hardship and celebration are not relegated to one race, one ethnicity, one religion."  "His (E. Ethelbert Miller) words are a call for love and equality, a protest against oppression, a prayer or change."  -Kirsten Porter   Miller has kept very busy over the years reading, writing, discovering new poets and spreading his writing expertise. As a Fulbright Senior Specialist Program Fellow to Israel (2004 and 2014), he was the keynote speaker at the 50th Anniversary of the Fulbright Program in Israel at the Embassy of Israel in Washington, D.C. He served as the Commissioner for the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities (1997-2008), and a commencement speaker at the Emory and Henry College where he was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Literature.  He is also board emeritus for the PEN/ Faulkner Foundation. “At one time in my career – in the late eighties and nineties – I sat on the board of every major literary organization. I can’t think of another writer, or African-American writer, who has been involved in all of those boards at the same time." Miller's "poems work to find the tenderness and connective tissue among all men and women in order to further what Martin Luther King, Jr. envisioned as the Beloved Community."    -Kirsten Porter Miller extends his literary activism to his teaching and broadcasting.  He taught at The University of Nevada-Las Vegas, American University, George Mason University, and Emory and Henry College. He was a core faculty member with the Bennington Writing Seminars.  Miller is often heard on National Public Radio, and he is host and producer of The Scholars on The University of the District of Columbia’s local cable channel (UDC-TV). He writes a regular monthly column, E on DC for Capital Community News, and his blog E-Notes. He teaches an on-line class on memoir at the University of Houston-Victoria, who also requested that he teach a class on poet, Langston Hughes. "What I’m trying to do is turn my lectures into a book of essays” Miller says.  He is in the process of developing speaking engagements essential to educating the next generation about important cultural events and literary creatives who have had a formidable impact on American history.  Miller is passionate about exposing the timeless works and words of great historical authors/poets such as; Langston Hughes, June Jordan, James Baldwin, Sterling Brown as well as writer Charles Johnson’s view of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  He also critically analyses and connects the relevance of major American cultural events and themes explored by the Black Arts Movement and Harlem Renaissance with insightful and thought-provoking lectures and workshops. At an age when most people look to retire, E. Ethelbert Miller has more time to enjoy his family and continue his activities.  His contributions to iconic organizations like the PEN/Faulkner Foundation, and his inclusion in anthologies which transcend cultural boundaries, are testament to his well-deserved moniker; the literary activist.  After serving as the Director of the African American Resource Center at his Alma Mater, Howard University for the last 40 years, he is now free to devote even more time to his prose, promoting his works, and coming up with poetic questions that warrant answers...                 STRIKE II.                                           Why do poets                   Try to change the rules of the game?                   Why is death America's pastime? by E. Ethelbert Miller Except: Hitless And Crying At the Plate Click to listen to Miller on NPR:  On The 5th Inning | On Fatherhood   To book E. Ethelbert Miller for a speaking engagement, reading, or book signing contact  us at Nommo Speaker's Bureau: info@nommospeakers.com | www.nommospeakersbureau.com | (202)505-3144 *An ideal speaker for MLK Holiday Commemoration Events | Black History Month | National Poetry Month | Convocations | Graduations... Written by: Eugene Holley, Jr.  |   Layout Design by: Nigel Van Gronigen, Jr. | Photo Credit: Teri Gentry  E. Ethelbert Miller's Favorite NOMMO Words: Our contact info is: info@nommospeakers.com | (202)505-3144 *|www.nommospeakersbureau.com|* Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list Copyright © *|2015|* *|NOMMO Speaker's Bureau|*, All rights reserved. *|E. Ethelbert Miller Profile|* *|November 2015|*

NEXT STOP JUPITER?

I'M 65! Today is "Bert Day" and it was a good B-Week. Many thanks to students at Marymount University and Northwestern High School (Maryland) for taking the time to read my memoir FATHERING WORDS. Wow -Such insight into the book and wonderful conversations.

Noon today I'll be at Busboys and Poets (14th) talking about letters written by Langston Hughes.
Looking forward to seeing a few dear friends.
Many thanks for BFF Grace for being the first to call (yesterday).

A number of projects in the works as I enter a new life cycle. A little disappointed in several things that didn't happen this fall. However, I'm pushing ahead. Next stop Jupiter?

MAKING THE CASE: CRITICS ON LITERATURE

Tuesday, November 24, 12:00 PM
MAKING THE CASE: CRITICS ON LITERATURE

The launch of a new series with the National Book Critics Circle, poet and critic Stephen Burt will give a lecture titled “The Poem Is You.” This event is free and open to the public. Book sales and signing to follow. Presented in partnership with the National Book Critics Circle.

Location: Whittall Pavilion, Thomas Jefferson Building (ground floor) <view maps>
Contact: (202) 707-5394

Click here for more information.

Busboys and Poets

Friday, November 20, 2015  AT 14TH & V

Langston Room |  12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

E. Ethelbert Miller will discuss the SELECTED LETTERS OF LANGSTON HUGHES edited by Arnold Rampersad and David Roessel. Miller will examine this book and also discuss the importance of saving literary letters.

4 SHORTS

black faces protest
change is never a blue sky
white hands blocking sun



we die in small rooms
leaves keep falling to the ground
sickness loves winter



cold air undressing
sadness is a lonely thing
old man in a park



cry me a river
let the blues comfort me now
nothing floats like death

The Hourglass Flow   Read my blog Follow Me On Twitter Friend Me On Facebook Forward To A Friend   #BlackPoetsSpeakOut Issue of PLUCK! Message from PLUCK!: Issue 13 is in! This is the ‪#‎blackpoetsspeakout‬ special issue!! So much gratitude to Amanda Johnston and Mahogany Browne our guest editors, all of our incredible poet contributors, and Brian Campbell for his stunning photo essay! Want your copy? $15/copy sent to: pluck! | 1215 POT, University of KY, Lexington KY 40506 | $30/subscription for individuals, $100/sub for institutions and organizations. Read my blog post on PLUCK! Introducing The Best Small Fictions 2015 Series editor, Tara L. Masih, assembled fifty-five acclaimed and emerging writers to make the debut of The Best Small Fictions 2015 a necessary publication. This international volume, guest edited by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Robert Olen Butler, celebrates the diversity and quality captured in fiction forms fewer than 1,000 words. Learn more   Recap of University of Baltimore Reading Through Photos Last month, Derrick Weston Brown and I did a reading at the University of Baltimore as part of their M.F.A. in Creative Writing & Publishing Arts Fall Reading Series. Check out these photos from the awesome Jessica Kim: Alan King |Derrick Weston Brown. All Aboard the Overground Railroad The Overground Railroadpoetry anthology is out! All I can say is this powerhouse anthology knocked me sideways with some good poetry. Read my brief review, then order your copy today! Who Gave You Permission? Who gives us permission to be artists? James Cagneyprobes that question in this wonderful recounting of what happened after a reading.Learn more Order DRIFT! "...climbing aboard these poems...the first thing I noticed were the many passengers," according to the Coal Hill Review. "It made me realize how I’ve been reading too much of the loner stuff, speakers isolated from the world..." Read the full review, then purchase DRIFT.

Copyright © 2015 Alan W. King, All rights reserved. You're on this list because either we're Facebook friends, you follow me on Twitter or you subscribed. Our mailing address is: Alan King Bowie, MD

Visions of Our 44th President Collectors Edition Book  highlights the recent collective sculptural show created to recognize and celebrate the historical significance  of the first African American President of the  United States of America, Barack Obama. Forty-five Contemporary African American Artists, renowned  and emerging, participated in the avant-garde art collaboration with the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, the world's largest institution dedicated to the African American experience.   Dynamic and inspiring, the exhibition included  44 artists' interpretations of our 44th President in life-size, three-dimensional form. In essence, each sculpture was a  blank canvas upon which artists imaginatively celebrate  the man, his presidency   and our history.  Visions of Our 44th President Collectors Edition Book  documents    this historic exhibition. It features the works of : Najjar Abdul-Musawwir | CARBONDALE, ILLINOIS Nina Chanel Abney | NEW YORK, NEW YORK  Mason Archie | INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA  Arthur Bacon | TALLADEGA, ALABAMA  Phoebe Beasley | LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA  Charles Bibbs | RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA Hebru Brantley | CHICAGO, ILLINOIS  Larry Poncho Brown | BALTIMORE, MARYLAND  Barbara Bullock | PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA  Nanette Carter | NEW YORK, NEW YORK  Melvin Clark | STROUDSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA  Kevin Cole | ATLANTA, GEORGIA  D. DelReverda-Jennings | INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA  Louis Delsarte | ATLANTA, GEORGIA  Najee Dorsey | ATLANTA, GEORGIA  Ted Ellis | HOUSTON, TEXAS  Tatyana Fazlaizadeh | PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA  Tyrone Geter | ELGIN, SOUTH CAROLINA  Paul Goodnight | BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS  Tyree Guyton | DETROIT, MICHIGAN  Barkley L. Hendricks | NEW LONDON, CONNECTICUT Mildred Howard | SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA Preston Jackson | CHICAGO, ILLINOIS Dayo Laoye | CHICAGO, ILLINOIS Tamara Natalie Madden | ATLANTA, GEORGIA Allie McGhee | DETROIT, MICHIGAN Angelbert Metoyer | NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA Wangechi Mutu | NEW YORK, NEW YORK Kadir Nelson | LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA Joyce Owens | CHICAGO, ILLINOIS Charly Palmer | ATLANTA, GEORGIA Howardena Pindell | NEW YORK, NEW YORK Faith Ringgold | ENGLEWOOD, NEW JERSEY Gale Fulton Ross | SARASOTA, FLORIDA Cory Saint Clair | RICHMOND, VIRGINIA Preston Sampson | BALTIMORE, MARYLAND Joyce J. Scott | BALTIMORE, MARYLAND Gilda Snowden | DETROIT, MICHIGAN Felandus Thames | NEW YORK, NEW YORK Carrie Mae Weems | UPSTATE NEW YORK Pheoris West | COLUMBUS, OHIO Philemona Williamson | MONTCLAIR, NEW JERSEY Mamie Yanu Willis | ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO Shirley Woodson | DETROIT, MICHIGAN       BUY YOUR BOOK TODAY!  $20.00   (Regularly $25.00) (Plus $10. Shipping and Handling)

JOIN OUR TWITTER CHAT TOMORROW >

It’s more important than ever to talk about climate change. And with world leaders from 195 countries beginning to negotiate a global climate agreement in less than three weeks, this rings especially true. We want to know why putting an end to climate change matters to you. Why will you be watching world leaders at the upcoming UN climate negotiations? What has inspired you to get involved in the climate movement? So to help spark a much-needed conversation, we’re hosting a Twitter chat this Thursday, November 12 from 11 AM––12 PM ET with an incredible panel of guests and we’d love for you to participate.       COUNT ME IN We’re excited to announce Weather Channel Anchor Sam Champion and author and Climate Reality Leader Jim Harris will be joining us during our Twitter chat! Our featured guests will share why they’ll be watching world leaders at the UN climate talks, and we hope you will too. Join us!   - Your friends at Climate Reality www.climaterealityproject.org

MARYANNE POLLOCK

I ran into the artist Maryanne Pollock on Columbia Road this morning. She has an upcoming exhibit at the Forum Art Gallery, Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center on the campus of Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA).  The Artists Reception is Saturday, November 14th from 4-6 PM.  Her show will be up until January 14, 2016.

Here is a link to Maryanne's website: www.maryannepollock.com

IPS

IPS Chair Report: November 6, 2015  (Excerpt)

E. Ethelbert Miller

Today marks our last IPS Board meeting at 1112 16th Street. Important decisions were made here. In this space we discussed many movements, we invited our friends and allies into our circle, we mentored new leaders, and we marked the passing of people we loved. Just as history is determined and shaped by people, so does a space or location provide its own narrative. This conference room for example speaks loudly of our history, captured by the artistic hand of Andy Shallal. Maybe there is a little Buddha inside all of us – and we know that Andy’s mural might be erased but not the memories of the faces we look at whenever we enter this room.

IPS is about ideas, and the love of ideas that speak of freedom and justice. IPS is a seed more than brick. There is something living and pulsating within the work we do. Next year we will move into a new space, and it might be similar to Miles Davis deciding to run the Voodoo down instead of playing Kind of Blue.  Maybe it will be like Lady Gaga changing an outfit but still singing a musical classic with Tony Bennett. Yes, next year we give birth to the New – while still upholding the pillars built by Marc Raskin, Richard Barnet and so many others.

Our move could not have been possible without the leadership of Tiffany Williams.

Rumor has it that in our new space everyone will have a window; perhaps this will mean we will have a better view of the world we wish to improve.  Hopefully our new space will not just be a workplace but instead a new home.

Earlier this week I happened to be standing on Q  Street, near the DuPont Metro. I was across the street from where IPS used to be located.  History will make you weep at times if you keep following it. I stood across from the old IPS and thought about the past. The weather was nice and so I was comfortable. I could have stood there all day in celebration of sun and wind. But this is not how we live. This is not how we struggle to speak for those who are being displaced, who have no food, water, housing or land. This is not how we try to end wars or protect children or embrace mother earth.

If we are blessed to move into a new space –then we must rededicate our lives- and catch that second wind. Let us not grow comfortable in our new home. Outside the New Year is coming and it will probably bring with it the loud thunder of conflicts, despair, hatred and anger.  Our task at IPS is to be ready. To hold the hopes of deep wisdom in our hands – to guide the ships of our souls – to that place the freedom singer Bernice Reagon once described as a place where there is honey in the rock. Yes, sweet honey in the rock.  May our lives be filled with songs , may we dance with joy into endless tomorrows. 

November 7, 2015 View in browser Forward to a Friend

Nature's Reward If instead of generating anger or hatred or passion or fear or ego, I generate love, compassion, goodwill, then nature starts rewarding me. I feel so peaceful, so much harmony within me. It is such that when I defile my mind I get punishment then and there, and when I purify my mind I get a reward then and there. —S.N. Goenka, "Superscience"