Upcoming Chapbook Festival

For folks in New York City, there will a chapbook festival this Friday and Saturday, May 3-4. It will start at noon time. I have attended the last couple of years and enjoyed the time. There will be workshops, lectures, readings and the opportunity to purchase some chapbooks. Further information can be found at:

www.chapbookfestival.org

I Greet The Dawn

I am currently reading I Greet The Dawn,  Selected poems by Paul Laurence Dunbar. My wife read the book and loved his poems. I do also and like his dialect poems. I have taken a greater interest in Dunbar and his work. I'm planning on writing an essay about him. 

I first became acquainted with his work a few years ago. I wanted to read more African American poets so I stumbled upon his work. I purchased a small book of selected poems and I enjoyed his use of  English verse. At first, the dialect poetry was a struggle, having never read any work in that language. Dunbar never spoke dialect either but heard it from freed slaves. His sense of hearing and creating beautiful poetry using dialect is really amazing. 

Sadly, Dunbar wasn't given the recognition he deserve regarding his English verse. A few critics pigeon-holed him to the dialect poems, believing that the English verse wasn't his true voice. This really disturbed me because a writer should not be compartmentalized because of perceived notions or the prevailing work of that particular time period. No writer likes that. It's the reason I'll never criticize another author's work.  

Paul Laurence Dunbar is in my top five of favorite authors. His work is part of some English Literature curriculum in high school and college. Dunbar wrote novels, short stories, a play and essays. I highly recommend you read his beautiful poems.

WORDS OF WISDOM

A poet is one who listens to nature and his own heart; and if the noise of the world grows up around him, and if he is tough enough, he can shake off his enemies but not his friends.


~from the poem Let Them Alone by Robinson Jeffers  

Independent Films

If you are fan of independent films, the Anthology Film Archives is one place you can see them. Located in the East Village on Second Avenue and Second Street, it has shown movies, documentaries, and work by new filmmakers since 1970. For more information, go to the website below.


www.anthologyfilmarchives.org  

Castle Fan

I am a big fan of castles. The one pictured above is the Eilean Donan in Scotland. Looking at the topography it could be a great backdrop for a story.

First Chapbook

I have begun putting together my first chapbook. I'm still considering self-publishing it. I'm really looking forward to putting 'Seasonal Journeys' in people's hands.

WORDS OF WISDOM

The true work of the artist is a creation not of hands, but of the mind and soul of the artist.

~Nancy Elizabeth Prophet (1890-1960)