BEGIN THAT STORY

WORDS OF WISDOM

When I'm writing, I just kind of put myself in a place, in a certain period in my life.

~Cuco, Musician

WRITE ABOUT EVERYTHING

NOTEBOOKS ALL OVER THE PLACE

I have a trunk full of old notebooks which I need to go through. Even the books I have right at my disposal I realize that much has been written from my pen. Probably my life story is scattered all through those pages.

WORDS OF WISDOM

The crown of literature is poetry.


~W. Somerset Maughn, Playwright (1874-1965)

CREATE YOUR OWN STORY

MUSIC CONCERT AND ART SHOW

Yesterday my spouse and I attended a concert of classical music. For five years the Washington Heights Chamber Orchestra has brought beautiful music to this upper Manhattan enclave. Later we attended the opening of an art show down the road. Local artists displayed their own creations to an enthusiastic community. There was also an excellent dance performance. 

As I thought about it today, there are the composers; those men and women who create and write lyrics. A piece of work in their own image. Dancers project their personalities in their performance. 
Artists create their work through images and colors. As a poet, I love words and discouraging words that I never knew existed. It is truly amazing how all the arts are intertwined. The arts are about life. Without it, life would be dull.  

JUST WRITE

WORDS OF WISDOM

A strong positive mental attitude will create more miracles than any wonder drug.


~Patricia Neal, Actress (1926-2010)

DIXON PLACE-LOWER EAST SIDE

A cool space on the LowerEast Side where experimental artists can spread their wings.

Dixon Place

161A Chrystie Street

New York, NY 10002

www.dixonplace.org

WRITING CAN CHANGE

As our lives change so does our writing. Several years ago I wrote some very dark poetry during a low point in my life. I explored the depths of despair, abandonment, confusion, and doubt. I came through it with the determination to discover who I was at that point in my life. 

It's not uncommon for writers to focus on different events. The great poet, Robert Lowell, wrote poetry of his disdain for the Vietnam War. Herman Melville wrote of the horrors of war during the Civil War. Life's journeys brought me to places I never dreamed of or imagined. Yes, I've been to some of the same places but my point of view has changed. 

While the events I focus on do change, I am still the reflective writer I've always been. My basic style hasn't changed. I can write about a particular place at this moment. A year from now, I can be in the exact same place abut my viewpoint will be different. See what I mean. This is the beauty of writing. It's ever-changing. It can be newly created. Old writing can be refreshed and brought back to life. Keep on writing. Don't be fearful of change; embrace it 

We Wear the Mask -- Paul Laurence Dunbar poem (We wear the mask that gri...

WRITE EVERY DAY

CITIES AND TOWNS WHICH FEATURE NAME OF STATE-II

Kansas City, Kansas
Missouri City, Missouri
Idaho Falls, Idaho
Idaho City, Idaho
New City, New York
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Minneapolis, Minnesota

CREATING LIFE

WORDS OF WISDOM

From the beginning of literature, poets and writers have based their narratives on crossing borders, on wandering, on exile, on encounters beyond the familiar. The stranger is the archetype in epic poetry, in novels. The tension between alienation and assimilation has always been a basic theme.

~Jhumpa Lahiri

JACK KEROUAC-DEFYING CONVENTION

One of my writing influences is Jack Kerouac (1922-1969). Prolific during the heyday of the Beat Generation, Kerouac defied convention with his spontaneous prose style of writing. In my mind an artist should go against convention and create something different.

When I first read Kerouac's classic novel, On The Road, I said what in the world am I reading? I couldn't figure the guy out at first. When I read some of his other work I then comprehended his style of writing. My personal favorite of Kerouac's books is Dharma Bums.

I learned that I could take chances and write whatever came to mind. I'm amazed that Kerouac retained in his mind the events that took place in his life. He did maintain notebooks of his adventures. Jack was an outlaw in that his writing style wasn't easy to describe or categorize. To me that's being creative-doing something that's never been done before.

BOOKS

These are just a few of the books I will be reading.

WORDS OF WISDOM

A grain of poetry suffices to season a century.

~Jose Marti, Activist (1853-1895)

ONE REASON WHY I WRITE

WRITING IS NOT EASY