WORDS OF WISDOM

 The best advice I ever got was that knowledge is power and to keep reading.

~David Bailey

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YOUR CIVIC DUTY

 

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SAME SOUND, DIFFERENT MEANING

MALL- a large building or series of connected buildings containing a variety of retail stores and restaurants.

MAUL- noun> a heavy often wooden-headed hammer used especially for driving wedges

              verb>  beat, bruise, mangle

POETRY STAPLE ON LOWER EAST SIDE

 

Founded in 2002 by Bob Holman

Came to the Bowery when it was still "skid row." 

Located at 306 Bowery, New York City

A meeting place for poets and aspiring artists

Also a place for the arts, spoken word, slam poetry, burlesque, hip-hop, experimental theatre, performance arts, and live music.

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POETS/AUTHORS BORN IN NOVEMBER

James Agee (1909-1955)

Celia Liset Alvarez

Margaret Atwood

William Blake (1757-1827)

Thomas Chatterton (1752-1770)

Stephen Crane (1871-1900)

Vachel Lindsay (1879-1931)

Marianne Moore (1887-1972)

Sharon Olds

Bram Stoker (1847-1912)

BE THANKFUL

 

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HALLOWEEN

 

ARTS SHOULD BE ORIGINAL AND DECORPORATIZED

The arts are part of who we are. We can create wonderful works with imagination and perseverance. New York was once a mecca for experimental arts and performances. It may be me but much of modern works are the same. The corporatization of the arts has rendered it staid. 

Yes, there is creativity out there. Are the writers and artists and performers allowed to express it. I am a poet myself and I strive to be original. Originality is what makes the arts thrive. I love to see children perform because they bring energy and freshness. They are not inhibited by societal pressures to be put into a box. 

 More arts spaces are needed more than ever. It somewhere we can create and experiment. We can be like butterflies displaying beauty to the world. I pray that the arts will go back to this.

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WORDS OF WISDOM

To hone my voice, I read everything, from books to cereals boxes, three times: once for fun, the second time to learn something new about the writing craft, and the third time was to improve that piece. 

~Amanda Gorman, Poet

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CREATIVE PERIODS

I have periods when I write only poetry. Then there are times it is just stories. Another time I just wrote outlines. Probably every writer goes through this.  

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SUCCESS

 

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WORDS OF WISDOM

 

PATH FEW TRAVEL

 

As a child I was fascinated by the trails I lived nearby when I lived on Staten Island. When I rode upstate I wondered how far all the trails went. On a few occasions I ventured deep into the forest.

I view writing as walking along a trail, not knowing where it will take me. It's true at the beginning of a story or poem. There are times when I venture deeper into a story and find myself in a new place.

I enjoy this process as it has expanded the depth of my writing. I go places I was afraid to or clarifies what I want to convey. I still love following trails in the forest. In writing, I do the same.

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WORDS OF WISDOM

Writing a journal reminds you of your goals and of your learning in life. It offers a place where you can hold a deliberate, thoughtful conversation with yourself.

~Robin S. Sharma

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A RESOLUTION

I recently thought about a woman I knew 30 years ago at a place where I was employed. She was an attractive young woman who, I believe, was struggling with some depression. I don't know for sure. I hope she is doing well.

I thought about a story of a young woman who struggles with feelings of worthlessness. She walks on the streets confused and directionless. Many of my short stories are about people who are struggling through life. I do believe that people can be redeemed.   

I could leave the reader hanging, wondering what the protagonist will do. I prefer the protagonist coming to a resolution.  

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WORDS OF WISDOM

The most difficult and complicated part of the writing process is the beginning.

~A. B. Yehoshua, Novelist

IN THE MORNING

I'm at my most creative self when I wake up in the morning. Story ideas are buzzing in my cranium. And I'm not a morning person.

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JUST THINK

 

Some of the world's greatest were written using these instruments.

A DIFFERENT DRUMMER

 There's a saying 'You became what you always wanted'. For example, in relationships, he/she wants a particular type of person as a mate. As time passes, and after many failures, he or she becomes the person they always wanted. 

I am given to creating quirky, unusual characters. I like people who defy the norm and become the person that they always wanted. A woman foregoes marriage and dating. Now just turning forty, she is the independent woman she wanted to be. Her siblings are all married with children. She is alone but happy. Jarvis is a store manager by day and a transvestite jazz chanteuse at night. He had married, raised a family, and earned much respect in his job. Deep inside he harbored his affinity for jazz and women's clothing. When he retired, Jarvis became the person he knew he always was.

When creating characters, there may be a tendency to put them in a negative light because they choose an alternative route in life. I see them as people who go to the beat of their own drum. Some people believe that they are finally living their reality.    

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POET

 

RICHARD HUGO, POET (1923-1982)

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POETS/AUTHORS BORN IN OCTOBER

Sherman Alexie

Amiri Baraka (1934-2014)

Arno Bontemps (1902-1973)

Roy Choudhury

E. E.Cummings (1894-1962)

Judith Kerman

Denis Levertov (1923-1997)

Sylvia Plath (1932-1963)

Ntozanke Shange 

Wallace Stevens (1879-1955)

WORDS OF WISDOM

For me, the writing process is the same as the reading process. I want to know what happens next.

~Neal Asher

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IDEAS NEVER CEASE

I may not write every day, however, the plums of story ideas are everywhere.

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PERSEVERANCE

Perseverance is one virtue important to me as a writer. I just keep going though, numerous times, I don't know where I'm heading. I know that I can't stay where I am.

Writing is like a long journey. I discover new things I never knew before. I meet new people. Every once in a while I need to be challenged. Writing is challenging at times but I wouldn't have any other way. 

No matter how hard it gets, I have to keep going. Once I edited one of my stories over thirty times until I felt it was right. I'm currently working on a character who is evolving over time. I keep working on the goal until it is finished.

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WORDS OF WISDOM

You don't write because you want to say something, you write because you have something to say.

~F. Scott Fitzgerald, Author (1896-1940)

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MY FAVORITE SEASON

 

I ENJOY EDITING

I am editing some stories and poems I have written recently. Looking at them again, I found ways to write them better. I founhow many what I  da ways to write them better. 

Editing is something I derive much joy doing it. My vocabulary has improved much. I'm using some of the new words I learned. One of my favorite words is 'wonted.' 

I'm amazed by some of the mistakes I made. I read some of the things I wrote and said to myself  "I wrote this???". Just as writing a good story is important, so is editing. I want to convey my thoughts in a clear and concise way. The wrong words can literally mess up a story/poem. My phrase is to keep editing.

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WORDS OF WISDOM

Learn as much by writing ✍ as by reading 📚. 

~John Dalberg-Acton, Historian (1834-1902)

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OPINIONS ABOUT AUTHORS ARE SUBJECTIVE

I read a post on Facebook earlier today asking which writer are overrated. To me it's subjective. There are writers I enjoy reading; there's others I didn't enjoy reading. I don't criticize other authors because I don't want to taint someone else's mind and stop them from reading that particular author.     

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PLACES TO GO

 

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9/11

 

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THE DARK SIDE

I enjoy reading horror stories from time to time. I have also written a few horror stories myself. I like exploring the other side of people's emotions. I.m drawn to weird and unusual people and places. I can write a story about an abandoned warehouse or an eccentric person who lives in the park. 

LITERARY INFLUENCES

 These are some of the authors who were my influences

Edgar Allan Poe, Jack Kerouac, Sylvia Plath, Herman Melville, Langston Hughes, Mary Oliver, William Shakespeare, Virginia Woolf

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