THE LITERARY LOUNGE

WORDS OF WISDOM

2012-02-29T11:47:00.000-05:00

Poetry refreshes a weary soul.

TODAY'S WORD

2012-02-29T11:43:00.003-05:00

COGNOSCENTI, adj.

Wise; haviing good judgment.

A person having or claiming expert knowledge in on or more realms of the fine arts or of fashion.

Connoisseur

TODAY'S WORD

2012-02-27T13:31:00.002-05:00

ANTEDILUVIAN

Concerning or referring to the period before the Flood.

TODAY'S WORD

2012-02-23T12:34:00.002-05:00

BODHISATTVA

1. One whose essence is enlightment.

2. A being that compassionately refrains from entering nirvana in order to save others.

WORDS OF WISDOM

2012-02-22T12:03:00.001-05:00

Love consists in this, that two solitudes protect and touch and greet each other.

~Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926)

EDITING

2012-02-21T11:40:00.003-05:00

Editing is the final activity before publishing. It is the opportunity to change some thing in an article. How much we exit depends on how we we wish to convey our thought to our readers.

When I complete a writing assignment, I set it aside for a day then go back to it. At times I've added a sentence or deleted a paragraph or rewrote the whole story. Editing is something that shouldn't be taken lightly. It can be the difference between acceptance and rejection. Presenting our best work is a reflection on the author.

I find editing fun some times because I found a better way of conveying my thought. It can be a metaphor, or a quote, or learning a new word. It's also an education in the writing process.

TODAY'S WORD

2012-02-18T12:28:00.001-05:00

CANTO n. pl.

Then division of a long poem.

TODAY'S WORD

2012-02-16T13:27:00.002-05:00

MULTI-

1. Many; multiple; much
b : more than two : more than one

2: many times over

mulitmillionaire; multitask.

TODAY'S WORD

2012-02-15T15:38:00.001-05:00

ROOKERY

The nests or breeding place of a colony of rooks;
also : a colony of rooks b : a breeding ground or haunt especially
of gregarious birds or mammals (as penguins or seals);
also : a colony of such birds or mammals

2: a crowded dilapidated tenement or group of dwellings

Words Of Wisdom

2012-02-15T15:31:00.001-05:00

We do not need to proselytise either by our speech or by our writing. We can only do so really with our lives. Let our lives be open books for all to study.

~Mahatma Gandhi

TODAY'S WORD

2012-02-13T12:52:00.002-05:00

ANATHEMA, n pl.

1. A formal ban or curse; as excommunication.

2. One who or that which is cursed. Or shunned.

Words Of Wisdom

2012-02-08T13:48:00.004-05:00

Change your thoughts and you change your world.

~Norman Vincent Peale

Words Of Wisdom

2012-01-31T14:26:00.001-05:00

Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact.

~William James

TODAY'S WORD

2012-01-30T13:22:00.000-05:00

CONSISTORY

1 : a solemn assembly :council

2 : a church tribunal or governing body: as a : a solemn meeting of Roman Catholic cardinals convoked and presided over by the pope b : a church session in some Reformed churches

3 : the organization that confers the degrees of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry usually from the 19th to the 32d inclusive; also : a meeting of such an organization

Place

2012-01-28T11:47:00.002-05:00

Just as in novels and short stories, place has a central point in poems also. I like writing poems about my own neighborhood, a park, bookstore, or a restuarant. Making the readers feel a part of a particular place puts them in tune with the author.

There are some examples. In his poem 125th Street, Langston Hughes made me feel that I was strolling along side of him during that time. Jack Kerouac's novel On The Road took me on a crazy cross country trip. Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven was both scary and haunting. If I'm not familiar with a place I'll do some research about it. If the opportunity avails me I'll visit the place and spend time there.

Places aren't limited to time or space. I have written poems about the seasons. I have used rooms, a city, or country as backdrops. Going back to a particular time in history requires more research and accuracy in the facts. I love castle but have never visited one. In my mind there are some wonderful mysteries that a poem can present to readers.

Being creative is a consitent elemnt of any genre. Writng allows one to do whatever they desire. That's the beauty of writing. Dull places can be made lively. Some of the best poems written present elemnts of creativity and imagination.

Today's Word

2012-01-26T14:05:00.002-05:00

POLYGLOT

adj. Expressed in r speaking several languages; multilingual.

n. 1. A polyglot book or person.

2. A mixture of several languages.

Words Of Wisdom

2012-01-25T12:59:00.002-05:00

He whose wisdom cannot help him, gets no good from being wise.

~Quintus Ennius, Roman Poet

Reading Many Styles OF Writing

2012-01-25T12:33:00.003-05:00

As I have written more poetry, I have also written short stories and commentarites also. I have been able to come up with words when I read stories or books. Sometimes it doesn't take much to generate a poem. My wife is amazed how I can write a poem after I think of one.

I just finished a book of ancient Greek poems. I have an interest in Greek and Roman poetry. In college, I studied Western Civilization and became fascinated with daily life in those societies. I imagined myself a citizen of those places. I've done the same with ancient Africa and Native Americans.

I don't believe that there's an exact science to writing poetry. There's so many styles and experiences of different authors. I never criticise other poets because every one has a story to share from their own experiences. Herman Melville, Langston Hughes, Edgar Allan Poe, and Sylvia Plath are some of my favorite authors. They were all so different and unique.

Reading so many different styles of poetry has helped me hone my craft. I have written about nature, gender, horror, a political poem, and redemption. This just scratches the surface of what I want to accomplish as I continue to evolve as a poet.

POEM

2012-01-20T14:32:00.001-05:00

Explore I must

The need to expand and grow

I can’t stay where I am.

The road is open

There are mountains to climb,

And valleys to cross.

I rest awhile

Then pick up stakes.

My spirit is restless

The urge to explore and dream is strong,

And to pass on what I have discovered.

GENEVIEVE'S GEMS

2012-01-20T13:55:00.004-05:00

Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.

~Mark Twain (1835-1910)

Words Of Wisdom

2012-01-18T11:44:00.002-05:00

Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.

~Carl Jung

Sound The Same-Spelled Different

2012-01-17T13:44:00.001-05:00

bazaar; bizarre

suite; sweet

warn; worn

TODAY'S WORD

2012-01-13T17:23:00.001-05:00

GRIOT, N.

A member of a class of travelling poets, musicians, and entertainers in North and West Africa, whose duties include the recitation of tribal and family histories; an oral folk-historian or village story-teller, a praise-singer.

Read Everything

2012-01-12T15:21:00.002-05:00

I read quite a bit. I read everything from history to economics to science to mathematics. Reading expands our knowledge of the world and our base of what kind of stories and articles we write.

I'm amazed at how many genres can be intertwined. An example is novels which have been made into movies or plays. I'm working on stories that are poems. When I moved to poems a year ago, I read my short stories and concluded that some could be turned into poems, plays, or an essay.

I'm reading much about biographies of various authors. It has helped me to understand the mind and perhaps the heart of the author. When I feel that I have a basic idea of who the author is, I have felt that I'm walking beside the author or in the same room with them.

Read everything that you can. Challenge yourself by tackling a different genre from the one that you write.

Today's Word

2012-01-12T15:19:00.001-05:00

PSEUDO- adj.

1. Spurious; sham.

2. False; pretended.

Words Of Wisdom

2012-01-11T12:27:00.002-05:00

Believe you can and you're halfway there.

~Theodore Roosevelt

Today's Word

2012-01-11T12:22:00.003-05:00

TRAVERSE

n. Something that crosses or lies across.

1. To go or travel across or over.

2. to move or pass along or through.

3. To extend over.

4. Swivel.

Today's Word

2012-01-10T13:22:00.001-05:00

MIGNONETTE

n. An annual garden herb with spikes of tiny fragrant flowers.

Today's Word

2012-01-09T13:21:00.002-05:00

EQUERRY

n. An officer in charge of the horses of a prince or noble.

2. A personal attendant of a member of the British royal family.

2012-01-06T13:33:00.001-05:00

Explore I must

I can’t stay where I am.

The road is open

There are mountains to climb

And valleys to cross.

I rest awhile

Then pick up stakes.

My spirit is restless

The urge to explore and dream is strong,

The need to expand and grow

And to pass what I have discovered.

Words of Wisdom

2011-12-30T11:47:00.003-05:00

Fortunately analysis is not the only way to resolve inner conflicts. Life itself still remains a very effective therapist.

~Karen Horney

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Seasons Greetings

2011-12-23T13:15:00.000-05:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!

New Year Poems

2011-12-23T13:10:00.002-05:00

38th Annual New Year’s Day Marathon Benefit Reading
Sunday, January 1, 2012
3:00 pm

There are three things to consider when the New Year’s Day Poetry Marathon sweeps you into its gracefully uncouth embrace — what it is, what it was, and who you will be when it’s over. An untamed gathering of the heart’s secret, wild nobility — over 140 poets together revealing not just that a better life could exist, but that it already does, sexy and wise, rancorous and sweet, big hearted and mad as hell. An avenging engine of resistance and eager vehicle of the nascent year. The Marathon measures its success through insurrectionist reframings of the universe, an in-it-together courage that crafts a community out of the riot of lineages and traditions we all emerge from. This collective effort also helps fund as many as 85 additional events every year — not to mention The Poetry Project Newsletter, The Recluse and legendary workshops. It’s our largest fundraiser of the year, and arguably the most inspired ongoing literary event in the city. Read more about “the Marathon” here.

The 38th Annual New Year’s Day Marathon Benefit will feature over 140 Poets & Performers:
Ace Mcnamara, Alan Licht, Alex Dimitrov, Amy King, Ana Božičević, Anne Tardos, Anne Waldman & Ambrose Bye, Anselm Berrigan, Ariana Reines, Arthur’s Landing, Barry Denny, Basil King, Betsy Fagin, Bill Kushner, Billy Lamont, Bob Hershon, Bob Rosenthal, Brenda Coultas, Brendan Lorber, Brett Price, Bruce Andrews & Sally Silvers, Bryn Kelly, CA Conrad, Charles Bernstein, Christine Elmo, Christopher Stackhouse, Church of Betty, Corina Copp, Corrine Fitzpatrick, Daniel Kent, David Freeman, David Henderson, David Shapiro, David St. Lascaux, Denize Lauture, Dgls. Rothschild, Don Yorty, Donna Brook, Dottie Lasky, Douglas Dunn, Douglas Piccinnini, Drew Gardner, Dustin Williamson, Edgar Oliver, Ed Friedman, Eddie Berrigan, Eileen Myles, Elinor Nauen, Elizabeth Devlin, Elliott Sharp, Emily XYZ, Erica Kaufman, Erica Hunt & Marty Erlich, Erin Morrill, Evan Kennedy, Evelyn Reilly, Filip Marinovich, Foamola, Frank Sherlock, Franklin Bruno, Genya Turovskaya, Gillian McCain, Greg Fuchs, James Marshall, Janet Hamill, Jess Fiorni, Jim Behrle, Joe Elliot, Joe Ranono, John Coletti, John Giorno, John S. Hall, Jonas Mekas, Josef Kaplan, Judah Rubin, Judith Malina, Karen Weiser, Kathleen Miller, Katie Degentesh, Ken Chen, Ken Walker, Kenny Goldsmith, Kimberly Lyons, LaTasha N. Nevada Diggs, Lee Ranaldo, Lenny Kaye, Leopoldine Core, Lonely Christopher, Macgregor Card, Maggie Dubris, Marcella Durand, Mariana Ruiz Firmat, Mark Nowak, Martha King, Matthew Abuelo, Miguel Gutierrez, Mitch Highfill, Monica de la Torre, Nada Gordon, Nathaniel Siegel, Nick Hallett, Nicole Peyrafitte, Pamela Sneed, Patricia Spears Jones, Patti Smith, Paul Mills (Poez), Paul Legault, Penny Arcade, Peter Gizzi, Pierre Joris, Reuben Butchart, Rickey Laurentiis, Robert Ashley Secret Orchestra, Shafer Hall, Simone White, Sinan Antoon, Stephanie Gray, Steve Dalachinsky, Steve Earle, Steven Taylor, Susan Landers, Susie Timmons, Suzanne Vega, Taylor Mead, Ted Dodson, Ted Greenwald, Thurston Moore, Todd Colby, Tom Carey, Tom Savage, Tony Towle, Tracey McTague, Tyler Burba, Wayne Koestenbaum, Will Edmiston, Will Yackulic, Yoshiko Chuma, Youmna Chlala, Yuko Otomo, Yvonne Meier, Nicole Wallace, Arlo Quint and Stacy Szymaszek.

Admission: $20, $15 for students and seniors, and $10 for Poetry Project members.

Words Of Wisdom

2011-12-22T13:31:00.002-05:00

Artistic temperament sometimes seems a battleground, a dark angel of
destruction and a bright angel of creativity wrestling.

~Madeleine L'Engle (1918-2007)

Sonnet

2011-12-19T12:44:00.000-05:00

A sonnet is a poem of fourteen lines, properly expressing two successive of a single thought or idea. Many writers such as William Shakespeare and Edgar Allan Poe wrote sonnets.
When I started writing poetry this past January I wrote a sonnet called ‘I Never Traveled This Road Before’:

I never traveled this road before,
Lined with thick brush and boulders,
It looks strange and foreboding
There’s nothing to guide me.

Each step forward is a step closer
To an unknown destination.
What awaits me, I know not.
But I trek on.

I’m nudged forward
By an unseen hand
I turn around and
All the footprints of my life are gone.

Overhead, the sky hawk cries;
‘Follow me! Follow me!

2011-12-16T14:12:00.001-05:00

Sunday, January 1, 2012
3:00 pm

Featuring 140 Poets & Performers including:

Ace Mcnamara, Alan Licht, Alex Dimitrov, Amy King, Ana Božičević, Anne Tardos, Anne Waldman, Anselm Berrigan, Arthur’s Landing, Barry Denny, Basil King, Betsy Fagin, Billy Lamont, Bob Hershon, Bob Rosenthal, Brenda Coultas, Brendan Lorber, Brett Price, Bruce Andrews & Sally Silvers, Bryn Kelly, CA Conrad, Charles Bernstein, Christine Elmo, Christopher Stackhouse, Church of Betty, Corina Copp, Corrine Fitzpatrick, Daniel Kent (music), David Freeman, David Henderson, David Shapiro, Denize Lauture, Dgls. Rothschild, Don Yorty, Donna Brook, Dottie Lasky, Douglas Dunn, Douglas Piccinnini, Drew Gardner, Dustin Williamson, Ed Friedman, Eddie Berrigan, Edwin Torres, Eileen Myles, Elinor Nauen, Elizabeth Devlin (music), Elliott Sharp, Erica Kaufman, Evelyn Reilly, Filip Marinovich, Foamola, Frank Sherlock, Franklin Bruno, Genya Turovskaya, Gillian McCain, Greg Fuchs, James Marshall, Janet Hamill, Jess Fiorni, Jim Behrle, Joe Elliot, Joe Ranono, John Coletti, John Giorno, John S. Hall, Jonas Mekas, Josef Kaplan, Judah Rubin, Judith Malina, Karen Weiser, Kathleen Miller, Katie Degentesh, Ken Walker, Kenny Goldsmith, Kimberly Lyons, LaTasha N. Nevada Diggs, Lenny Kaye, Leopoldine Core, Lonely Christopher, Macgregor Card, Maggie Dubris, Marcella Durand, Mariana Ruiz Firmat, Mark Nowak, Martha King, Matthew Abuelo, Miguel Gutierrez, Mitch Highfill, Monica de la Torre, Nada Gordon, Nathaniel Siegel, Nick Hallet, Nicole Peyrafitte, Pamela Sneed, Patricia Spears Jones, Paul Mills (Poez), Paul Legault, Penny Arcade, Peter Gizzi, Pierre Joris, Reuben Butchart, Rickey Laurentiis, Secret Orchestra (Clif Jackson), Sinan Antoon, Stephanie Gray, Steve Dalachinsky, Steve Earle, Steven Taylor, Susan Landers, Susie Timmons, Suzanne Vega, Taylor Mead, Ted Dodson, Ted Greenwald, Thurston Moore, Todd Colby, Tom Carey, Tom Savage, Tony Towle, Tracey McTague, Tyler Burba, Wayne Koestenbaum, Will Edmiston, Will Yackulic, Yoshiko Chuma, Yuko Otomo, Bill Kushner, Robert Ashley, Evan Kennedy, David St. Lascaux, Lee Ranaldo, Erin Morrill, Erica Hunt & Marty Erlich, Emily XYZ, Ken Chen, Youmna Chalala, Alice Whitwham, Ariana Reines, Nicole Wallace, Arlo Quint, Stacy Szymaszek and more T.B.A

Admission: $20, $15 for students and seniors, and $10 for Poetry Project members.

Words of Wisdom

2011-12-13T13:54:00.002-05:00

There is no austerity equal to a balanced mind, and there is no happiness equal to contentment; there is no disease like covetousness, and no virtue like mercy.

~Chanakya

Free Reading on Lower East Side

2011-12-09T13:13:00.002-05:00

Friday, December 9th @ 7PM

– FreeReading: Castiglia & Reed “If Memory Serves” Without memory there can be no future. “If Memory Serves: Gay Men, AIDS, and the Promise of the Queer Past” challenges the way authorities in government and academe instructed gay men to forget the sexual cultures of the 1970s during the decades following the advent of AIDS. Challenging assumptions behind first-wave queer theory, authors Christopher Castiglia and Christopher Reed turn to a rich textual and visual archive to explore more positive takes on gay memory.

Bluestockings
172 Allen Street
New York, NY
Subway:F to 2nd Avenue; 6 to Bleeker Street

Open Mic

2011-12-09T13:08:00.001-05:00

Friday, December 9 2011 6:30pm
Stark! Wide Open Mike
Open mike for music, poetry, spoken word & featured performers
Hosted by VivianaNola Studios/
Studio C
250 West 54th Street, 11th Floor (7th/8th Avenues)
FREE Spunkypoetress@aol.com 917-292-2683
Subway: R to 57th Street or C/E/1/9 to 50th Street

Words of Wisdom

2011-11-23T12:36:00.003-05:00

Gratitude is the inward feeling of kindness received. Thankfulness is the natural impulse to express that feeling. Thanksgiving is the following of that impulse.

~Henry Van Dyke

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Greek Poets

2011-11-18T13:37:00.002-05:00

Saturday, November 19 2011 6:00pm
Greek-American Writers Association
Featured Poets Hosted by Dean Kostos
The Cornelia Street Cafe
29 Cornelia Street (West 4th/Bleecker)
$7 includes 1 free drink www.corneliastreetcafe.com
212-989-9319
Subway: A/C/E/B/D/F/V to West 4th
or1/9 to Christopher Street/Sheridan Square

TODAY'S WORD

2011-11-16T11:10:00.001-05:00

COROLLA n.

The petals of a flower.

WORDS OF WISDOM

2011-11-15T14:11:00.003-05:00

Genuine poetry can communicate before it is understood.

~T.S. Eliot

2011-11-14T12:04:00.001-05:00

Monday, November 14th @ 7PM –
FreeOpening: Bluestockings “OCCUPIED: Occupy Wall Street Art Show”

Come to Bluestockings to celebrate the kick-off of our latest art show! The opening of “OCCUPIED” shows artwork inspired by, and from artists working with, the Occupy Wall Street movement. Tonight’s program also includes performance, music, and discussion about Occupy Wall Street. The art show will be up through Thursday, December 8th.

Bluestockings
172 Allen Street
New York, NY

TODAY'S WORD

2011-11-14T11:57:00.001-05:00

CATATONIC adj.

Of, related to, or marked by schizophrenia characterized by esp. by stupor. negativism, rigidity, purposeless excitement, and bizarre posturing.

TODAY'S WORD

2011-11-10T13:23:00.001-05:00

SOLIPSISM n.

1. The theory that the self is the only thing really existent.

2. Egotistic self-absorption.

2011-11-09T14:38:00.002-05:00

If you've lost focus, just sit down and be still. Take the idea and rock it to and fro. Keep some of it and throw some away, and it will renew itself. You need do no more.

~Clarissa Pinkola Estes

Poetry In Brooklyn

2011-11-04T17:50:00.001-04:00

Saturday, November 5 201 12:30pm
Brownstone Poets Deborah Hauser, Vicki Iorio, and Brant Lyon + open
Hosted by Patricia Carragon
Park Plaza Restaurant
220 Cadman Plaza West @Clark/Pineapple
pcarragon@gmail.com 718.596.5900
brownstonepoets.blogspot.com/www.parkplazarestaurant.com/contact.html
$3 + food/drink purchase
Subway: A/C to High Street
2/3 to Clark Street
4/M/R to Court Street/Borough Hall

Changes Coming

2011-11-03T15:33:00.002-04:00

I am in the process of adding more variety to my posts. I have added poetry, vocabulary, and announcements thus far. I have plans for a biography page, possibly adding youtube of poetry reading and story telling, and more places to go to if you can't get enough of the arts.

I will add more events such as movies, festivals, documentaries, plays, etc. It's an interesting time for me but I want to make it interesting for all.

Words Of Wisdom

2011-11-02T12:06:00.002-04:00

All successful people men and women are big dreamers. They imagine what their future could be, ideal in every respect, and then they work every day toward their distant vision, that goal or purpose.

~Brian Tracy

POEM

2011-10-28T12:35:00.000-04:00

Words

A kind word can bring joy
Cruel word can destroy
A tender can warm the heart
Bitter words can make the spirit tart

Words are like morning dew
It takes only two words to say ‘thank you’
Words that tear down
Causes one’s spirit to drown
In sorrow and defeat
Our words must be soft and discreet
Words can cause others to fall
If I don’t have a kind word to say
Better not say anything at all.

TODAY'S WORD

2011-10-27T14:28:00.002-04:00

NOIR

adj. 1. Black, dark. Also fig. : bleak, desolate.

2. That is in the style of a film noir; gloomy and fatalistic in character; (also) using cinematic devices such as wide angles and partial lighting; urban, morally ambiguous, anti-heroic.
Film noir, n.

n. 1. A person with black hair.

TODAY'S WORD

2011-10-26T14:59:00.000-04:00

TRI-

1
: three : having three elements or parts
2
: into three
3
a : thrice b : every third

TODAY'S WORD

2011-10-24T12:33:00.002-04:00

DILUVIAL

Of or related to floods; especially of the biblical flood.

Read Poetry At Open Mic

2011-10-22T11:10:00.004-04:00

Last night my wife and I read stories and poems at the Word Up Bookstore in Washington Heights. We listened to others folks telling stories, sharing poems, and reciting works of their own. One common thread is that many who read are doing so for the first time.

There are many poets, story tellers, and performing artists here in my neighborhood. It's common in every neighborhood I've lived in. There's really not that many venues for these talented individuals, unless you're with a major publisher. Chapbooks are a good outlet. I wished that there were more independent bookstores, coffeehouses, churches, and social halls who will encourage these artists. I don't have any ideas for opening such a place but maybe someone who read this post does.

I have been following the events at Occupy Wall Street and it's heartening to hear young people telling theirs stories. THEIR stories need to be heard. It's the same with the poets, authors, and performing artists. They need to be heard.

Open Mic

2011-10-21T11:55:00.000-04:00

Word Up Books
4157 Broadway
New York, NY

Open mic 6pm-7pm.

TODAY'S WORD

2011-10-20T11:34:00.000-04:00

MULTIFARIOUS- adj.

Having great variety; diverse

TODAY'S WORD

2011-10-18T14:48:00.001-04:00

SEDULOUS

Sincerely, diligently

Diligent, painstaking

TODAY'S WORD

2011-10-17T15:06:00.001-04:00

SEIGNEURIAL

Feudal lord

TODAY'S WORD

2011-10-14T10:58:00.000-04:00

LUGUBRIOUS

Mournful often to an exaggerated degree.

TODAY'S WORD

2011-10-13T14:00:00.001-04:00

CENOBITE n.

A member of a religious group living together in a monastic community.

TODAY'S WORD

2011-10-11T13:23:00.002-04:00

IMPORTUNATE

1. Troublesomely urgent:overly persistent in request or demand.

2. Troublesome

Article

2011-10-07T12:47:00.001-04:00

Here's a nice article about this bookstore here my home.

http://articles.nydailynews.com/2011-09-29/local/30244614_1_bookstore-thousand-books-community-space

Lower East Side

2011-10-07T12:41:00.001-04:00

Saturday, October 8th @ 7PM –
FreeReading: Ala Alryees “A Muslim American Slave”Born to a wealthy family in West Africa around 1770, Omar Ibn Said was abducted and sold into slavery in the United States. In 1831 he was approached to write his life story, producing the only American slave narrative written in Arabic.

Tonight, editor and translator Ala Alryyes shines a spotlight on Omar’s remarkable life and provides a timely reminder that “Islam” and “America” are not mutually exclusive terms.

Bluestockings
172 Allen Street
New York, NY

TODAY'S WORD

2011-10-04T14:32:00.001-04:00

POLY- n.

1: many : several : much : multi-

2
a : containing an indefinite number more than one of a (specified) substance

Today's Word

2011-09-30T12:57:00.000-04:00

ENERVATE

1. Weaken in body or will.

2. Reduce the mental or moral vigor.

Today's Word

2011-09-29T14:32:00.003-04:00

OPPROBRIUM

1. The state of being scornfully reproached.

2. Reproach mingled with disdain.

3. A cause for disgrace or reproach.

Words Of Wisdom

2011-09-28T11:12:00.001-04:00

An artist must be free to choose what he does, certainly, but he must also never be afraid to do what he might choose.

~Langston Hughes (1902-1967)

Today's Word

2011-09-27T12:13:00.001-04:00

DOWAGER, n.

a. A woman whose husband is dead and who is in the enjoyment of some title or some property that has come to her from him. Often added to the title so enjoyed, as princess-dowager, queen-dowager, dowager-duchess, dowager-queen, dowager-lady, etc.

Today's Word

2011-09-26T13:08:00.001-04:00

ADAGIO

A slow tempo; as in music.

Hearing Sylvia Plath's Voice

2011-09-24T13:51:00.003-04:00

Poignant and original is how I would describe the poetry of Sylvia Plath (1932-1963). The emotion is raw and her imagery intersects a wide range of moods. Listening to her on a CD convinced me that she could shift her emotions on a dime with little effort.

I read Plath's biography The Death and Life of Sylvia Plath earlier this year. Previously I had never read any of her work unitl I began writing poetry this past January. Her was poetry was different to me because of the raw and honest emotion in them. Plath's anger in the poem Daddy was like a volcano ready to erupt.

Plath is classified as a confessional writer along with other writers such as Robert Lowell and Anne Sexton. After listening to her own voice on the cd, I can still feel her raw emotions in ther taut and tense voice. I am doing more research on heer life and work.

TODAY'S WORD

2011-09-23T11:49:00.001-04:00

ECDYSIAST

1. Stripteaser

Today's Word

2011-09-22T12:40:00.003-04:00

PALIMPSEST-n.

A parchment, manuscript etc. written upon two or three times,
the earlier writing having been wholly or partially erased.

Words Of Wisdom

2011-09-21T12:13:00.001-04:00

A notebook is to a writer as a sketch pad is to an artist.

TODAY'S WORD

2011-09-20T11:17:00.003-04:00

NEO- prefix

New, recent Ex.-neoconservative, Neo-Nazi

Reading

2011-09-19T15:50:00.001-04:00

Saturday September 24th @ 7PM

– Free Reading: Paula Caplan “When Johnny and Jane Come Marching Home”

Traumatized veterans returning from war in Iraq and Afghanistan are often diagnosed as suffering from a psychological disorder and prescribed a regimen of psychotherapy and psychiatric drugs. Paula Caplan argues that this standard treatment is often actually harmful. Sending anguished veterans off to talk to therapists conveys the message that the rest of us don’t want to listen. The truth about war is kept under wraps, most of us remain ignorant about what war is really like– and we continue to allow our governments to go to war without much protest. Join Caplan, author of “When Johnny and Jane Come Marching Home,” for a discussion about alternative healing processes for veterans.

Bluestockings
172 Allen Street
New York, NY

TODAY'S WORD

2011-09-19T12:13:00.002-04:00

ADDLE

1. To throw into confusion: muddle

2. To become rotten

Bookstore in Harlem

2011-09-16T11:54:00.002-04:00

Here is a website to a bookstore that I visited last evening.

www.sistersuptown.ning.com

TODAY'S WORD

2011-09-15T12:23:00.002-04:00

FASTIDIOUS

1. That creates disgusts; disagreeable, distasteful, unpleasant, wearisome

Words of Wisdom

2011-09-14T11:20:00.001-04:00

A picture is a poem without words.

~Horace, Roman Poet (65BC-8BC)

TODAY'S WORD

2011-09-13T12:41:00.001-04:00

SOLILOQUY

n. 1. speech in a play which a character speaks as if alone.

2. the act of talking to oneself.

Old Notebooks

2011-09-12T14:07:00.004-04:00

I have a ton of old notebooks in which I wrote stories and articles over the years. Looking back over them some are timeless while others can be revamped. Some stories can be modernized and improved. I always wonder if it will be better?

One reason I ask this is because I was in a particular moment at a particular time in my life. I can never recreate the moment but I can take liberties and be creative. Isn't that what writing is all about? William Shakespeare's plays are timeless because they can be used in a modern setting. The 1962 movie West Side Story is a modern version of Romeo and Juliet. I enjoyed watching both.

Reading some of the stories I can see where and how much I changes. I had written poems very sparingly, but this past January decided to tackle thet genre full time. Words just folwed as I put my pen to paper. I look at a few of my stories and saw where I could put them in prose. It's amazing that I possessed this when I didn't think I could.

It's good to try another form of writing. I took up poetry because I felt that my stories were getting stale. Herman Melville, the author of Moby Dick and Typee, carved out a second career as a poet. Shakespeare was a playwright but he also wrote prose and sonnets. Many writers have done it and so can you. I will stimulate the creative juices and open up new avenues of creativity.

TODAY'S WORD

2011-09-12T14:04:00.002-04:00

RIPOST n.
1. In fencing, a return thrust after a parry.

2. A quick and sharp refort; a repartee.

TODAY'S WORD

2011-09-09T11:55:00.001-04:00

ABLATE

BEAR, TOLERATE

To carry away: remove by cutting or by erosion, melting, or evaporation.

TODAY'S WORD

2011-09-08T15:08:00.002-04:00

Garderobe n.

1. A toilet in a medieval building.

2. A wardrobe or storeroom in a medieval building.

2011-09-07T13:35:00.000-04:00

ALLEGORY

Description of a subject under the guise of some other subject of aptly suggestive resemblance.

WORDS OF WISDOM

2011-09-07T13:28:00.001-04:00

He who labors diligently need never despair; for all things are accomplished by diligence and labor.

~Menander, Greek Poet (342BC-292BC)

TODAY'S WORD

2011-09-06T14:19:00.002-04:00

BROBDINGNAGIAN

giant; marked by tremendous size; colossal; grand

Ex. A brobdingnagian billboard stood at the entrance to the theme park.

TODAY'S WORD

2011-09-02T13:18:00.001-04:00

SURCREASE
n.

1.Cessation

2. Relief or consolation

Today's Word

2011-09-01T13:11:00.001-04:00

nepenthes(ne·pen·thes)

noun

1 (also nepenthe)
Pronunciation:/-THē/literary a drug described in Homer’s Odyssey as banishing grief or trouble from a person’s mind.

any drug or potion bringing welcome forgetfulness. [via Latin from Greek nēpenthēs 'dispelling pain', from nē- 'not' + penthos 'grief']

2 a plant of a genus that comprises the Old World pitcher plants.

Today's Word

2011-08-31T11:59:00.001-04:00

verdure(ver·dure)
noun
lush green vegetation.
the fresh green color of vegetation.
literary a condition of freshness.

Words of Wisdom

2011-08-31T11:53:00.000-04:00

A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same.

~Elbert Hubbard

Today's Word

2011-08-30T12:55:00.002-04:00

KNELL

1. tolling of a bell esp. one announcing a death.

2. any sad or doleful sound.

Today's Word

2011-08-29T13:26:00.002-04:00

AFFECTATION

a : the act of taking on or displaying an attitude or mode of behavior not natural to oneself or not genuinely felt b : speech or conduct not natural to oneself : artificiality.

2. obsolete : a striving after

TODAY'S WORD

2011-08-26T12:34:00.000-04:00

QUAFF

to drink deeply

Today's Word

2011-08-24T14:06:00.001-04:00

MIEN

n. mannner; expression

Words Of Wisdom

2011-08-24T14:04:00.001-04:00

Common sense in an uncommon degree is what the world calls wisdom.

~Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Today's Word

2011-08-22T13:28:00.000-04:00

PAEAN

n. a song of joy or exultation; hymn

Lower East Side

2011-08-20T13:34:00.001-04:00

Wednesday, August 24th @ 7PM –
FreeReading: CALYX poets Elana Bell, Claudia Cortese & Janlori

GoldmanCALYX, journal of fine literature and art by women, invites you to an

evening of poetry by New York writers featured in their summer issue. Join

Elana Bell, Claudia Cortese, and Janlori Goldman for wordsmithing across the

poetic spectrum, and pick up an issue of the new CALYX to enjoy in these late

summer days.

Bluestockings
172 Allen Street
New York, NY

POEM

2011-08-20T11:23:00.002-04:00

I never traveled this road before
Lined with thick brush and boulders,
It looks strange and foreboding
There's nothing to guide me

Each step forward is a step closer
To an unknown destination,
What awaits me, I know not.
But I trek on.

I'm nudged forward
By an unseen hand
I turn around and
All the footprints of my life are gone.

Overhead the sky hawk cries
Follow me, follow me!