Words, Readings, and other Doings

Friday 9/26

FRIDAY NIGHT SLAM
@Nuyorican Poets Cafe
236 E. 3rd St. (bet. B&C) www.nuyorican.org

$10
SUBWAY: 6 to Astor Place
F to Second Avenue
R to 8th Street
4/5 to 14th Street
L to First Avenue


Saturday 9/27

SEGUE SERIES
2 featured poets
@ BOWERY POETRYCLUB
308 Bowery @ Bleeker/Houston
$6 www.bowerypoetry.com

SUBWAY: F to 2nd Avenue
6 to Bleeker


Sunday 9/28

CORNELIA STREET CAFE
29 Cornelia Street (W.4th/Bleeker)
212-989-9319 www.corneliastreetcafe.com

3 featured poets

SUBWAYS: A/C/D/E/F/V/B to W. 4th
1 to Christopher Street-Sheridan Sq.

Monday 9/29

WORDS FROM THE BARRIO OPEN
Weekly spoken word and musical open mike presentation*

Hosted by Bobby Gonzalez

CARLITO'S CAFE Y GALERIA
1701 Lexington Avenue (106/107th)
$5. (no one turned away)
212-534-7168

WORDS OF WISDOM

Work is love made visible. And if you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of those who work with joy.

-Kahlil Gibran, Poet (1883-1931)

Johan Wolfgang von Goethe-Commentary

I became interested in Johan Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) when I read some of his famous quotes. I have posted a few in the past on this site. I looked up his bio on the internet and I find him to be an independent and complex man. Goethe had a wide variety of interests which may be a reason that I did research on him.

Goethe was a playwright, author, alchemist, lawyer, novelist, politician. He was a driven man whose thirst for knowledge bordered on obsession, in my opinion. Goethe wrote a number of plays which often dealt with events that happened in his life. In his poetic drama FAUST, the main character was interested in alchemy which he was also. Goethe's first play, The Lover's Caprice (1767) was inspired from an unhappy love affair.

I've never read any of Goethe's works, just his quotes. I am fascinated by his interests and contributions to literature and art. It's odd that he wasn't interested in Renaissance art but he was in a sense a Renaissance man. Perhaps, Goethe's life is a lesson to us that we have talents laden within us that are waiting to be tapped and mined. It is probably the reason why I am fascinated with this creative and intense man. Like Goethe, I have a number of interests. Like him, I have the intense desire for knowledge and discovery. I leave you with a word from the play Divine:

Noble be man,

Helpful and good!

For that alone

Sets him apart

From every other creature

On earth.

-The Divine, 1783

Bookstore Kickoff Party

Bookstore Kickoff Party

Tues. 9/16- 7-9pm

Cumberland Greene (237 between Lafayette and Dekalb)

Engage in discussion and meet Brooklyn authors. Food, drink, and a good time guaranteed


Directions: Subway

A/C to Lafayette
G to Fulton

WORDS OF WISDOM

A JOURNAL IS TO A WRITER AS A SKETCH PAD IS TO AN ARTIST.

-AUTHOR UNKNOWN

Upcoming Events

The Poetry Project will resume their active reading season starting September 22nd. See the website below for more details.


www.poetryproject.com

COMMENT

September is upon us. It's back to school for some of us. To others it is the unofficial end of fun and sun. To those of us who write for a living or for enjoyment, there is never a vacation. I look at summer as a time to gather ideas and information in regard to where I want to travel as a writer.

I reread some of my writings from several years ago. It revealed my depths of darkness as I struggled with personal issues. I always encouraged my adult literacy students to write what and how they feel when life seems to want to stop them from achieveing their goals. Wen I read some of their comments I was intrigued by the depths of their innermost feelings. This was something that I struggled to obtain as a writer. When I read my past work I discovered my own despair. I poured out everything within my soul on paper. I had achieved what I wanted.
I only found out this year.

In yesterday's blog I mentioned that the sight of St. Mark's Church took me back to the days of my young manhood. Here it is nearly forty years later that I finally understand what it is to put your soul into writing believeable stories. I was always afraid of opening up my true feelings to others. It was something that I feared but now I must reveal what I have inside because it may impact someone's life. Helping others is something I have decided to dedicate the rest of my life with.

Being a multigendered person, writing has taken on a new dimension. I have to tell a story from this perspective. To use a voice that is not my own does a disservice to my readers and to myself.

Church that Reminds Me of My Young Manhood

I was in the courtyard of St. Marks Church in the Bowery (l.) a few days ago. This venerable building has been the seen of much social activism. There are still church services held here but there is also the social events which has kept this church alve. One of those events is the Poetry Project. From September to June there readings, book signings, recitals, workshops, and debuts of writers from many genres. I haven't been to any of these yet but I have a day in September penciled in.

I mentioned that I was at the church a few days ago. It reminded me of the social activism of the 160's and 1970's. I was in my twenties and while not actively involved, I read some of the articles and newspapers ( I call them ragsheets). Today I look upon those writings as to my being educated about issues not covered by the mainstream media. Today I am a volunteer in a grassroot organization looking to create an independent media that voices the concerns of the poor and working class. A new concept, no. Is it one that is possible to achieve, yes.

What I remember about those days is that people wrote what was on their minds and wrote it with passion and conviction. They wrote without fear of being censored or shut out because they were not politically correct (two words I detest). I may not have always agreed with what they were saying but I listened. As writers, we need to speak our minds and convey our thoughts and ideas to a public that is seeking knowledge and meaning in this homogenized world.

One project I have is to attend reading, writing, and poetry events because I want to see if the fire from the socially-conscious sixties and seventies is being revived.

WORDS OF WISDOM

To keep the heart unwrinkled, to be hopeful, kindly, cheerful, reverent that is to triumph over old age.

-Amos Bronson Alcott, American educator (1799-1888)

Literary Festival

SATURDAY AUGUST 23 @ 3PM

4TH ANNUAL FORT GREENE SUMMER LITERARY FESTIVAL

FEATURING YOUNG WRITERS (AGES 7-18) FROM NY WRITER'S COALITION

FORT GREENE PARK-enter @ Dekalb Avenue or Myrtle Avenue and Washington Park


EVENT IS FREE!

WORDS OF WISDOM

Some of the greatest works have been written
when the person was at their lowest point in life.

WORDS OF WISDOM

A poet can survive everything but a misprint.

-Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist (1854-1900)

POEM

Another path to cross,
A hand gently nudges me forward.
There's more to see
there's more experience to be gained
The journey continues
and I'm not exhausted.

-Genevieve

The Lighthouse

There are periods in history that I enjoy reading about. The middle ages, the western frontier, and the seacoast are a few examples.

One of my favorite structures is the lighthouse. It conjures up times when the lighthouse's beacon may have saved hundreds of sea faring vessels from a watery grave. It also gave light to those seeking direction. It could be a ship figuring out how close it is to a rock jetty. To me, the lighthouse is a metaphor for someone who seeks guidance and direction. Life has its stormy seas and what a person seeks is relief and respite.

When creating a short story I use this analogy with the character I use. The character discovers resources within themselves that may have been dormant in their lives. When all seems forboding and lost, a beacon of light radiates the inner darkness. A path is shown and the character is able to continue on.

Lighthouses aren't the only objects I enjoy. Castles conjure up mystery behind the many doors and passageways. Trains remind me that there are places to be seen hundred of miles away. The western frontier has me thinking of cowboys, Indians, settlers, and untamed lands. Being part Native American, I take it from their point of view.

I don't discard any of these objects or experiences because they can be fodder for future ideas. Don't throw anyway that unwanted toy, fur coat, or battered rattan suitcase. There just may be hundreds of tales held in those objects.

Thomas Merton

This is the book I am curently reading. I have been reading his books and have found a kindred spirit in the late monk and poet. When I finish the book I will comment on it.

POEM

Don't walk in front of me,
I may not follow;
Don't walk behind me'
I may not lead;
walk beside me,
and just be my friend.

-Albert Camus

QUOTE

CHANGE YOUR THOUGHTS AND CHANGE YOUR LIFE.

TODAY'S WORD

INDIGENOUS

Native to a particular region.

Characteristic of and originating in a particular region or country.

WORDS OF WISDOM

We mold clay into pot
but it is the emptiness inside
that makes the vessel useful.

-Lao Tzu, Chinese spiritual teacher

WORDS OF WISDOM

A USELESS LIFE IS AN EARLY DEATH

-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German novelist (1749-1832)

TODAY'S WORD

POIGNANT

1: emotionally painful
2: deeply moving.

TODAY'S WORDS

COMPLIMENT

1. Flattering remark. 2: greeting-plural in this sense. Verb- pay a compliment to.


COMPLEMENT

1: Something that completes. 2: full number or amount.


P.S. These are two words that I get mixed up.

Radical

If you like things on the radical side, the website below may be your cup of green tea.

http://www.bluestockings.com/

Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960)

I had planned to pen this during women's month as a biography. After reading more about Zora Hurston's life, I felt that a straight bio would do this controversial and intelligent woman an injustice.
I don't know if being 'politically correct' was the buzz word during Ms Hurston's heyday, but politically and culturally correct she was not. I find a woman who went across the grain what was expected not only in American society but in black society as a whole.
Born in Alabama in 1891, Zora Neale Hurston was outspoken and had definite opininons about matters of race, her life, and the positive aspects of black culture. She was a folklorist, novelist, and an anthropologist. Hurston believed that black American should look inward for their spiritual and cultural center. It was in contrast to the 'seeking the government to solve our problems' approach.
Though Hurston was part of the Harlem Renaissance, she was somewhat of an outsider. She was stridently anticommunist and believed that school integration would not benefit black people. This is some of the reasons why she was alienated from other black writers. Looking at it now perhaps Hurston was right.
Though Zora Hurston's most famous book is Their Eyes Were Watching God, she did write a number of other books. Her first novel Jonah's Gourd Vine was published in 1934. Hurston also wrote short stories, plays, essays and articles. She had a pulse on the audiences she wrote to. Hurston you could say marched to the beat of her own drum.
I am always drawn to controversial figures, especially those who may fly under the radar of classical authors. Zora Neale Hurston falls under these terms and yet she had much to say. She had that inner craving to speak her mind. I confess that I have never read any of Hurston's books but having studied would she was, I'm going to purchase everything that I can find. At some future date I will critique a piece of her work. Those who have read Hurston's works, I implore you to look deeper and she if what she was saying in the 1930's resonates with audiences today.

Tormented Genius

Edgar Allan Poe is one of my favorite authors. Though his was filled with tragedy and torment, it did not take away his genius or his eye for description of surroundings. I wouldn't say that Poe flew under the radar in literary circles but he was an enigmatic person.

I have read his famous poem The Raven but he wrote many other poems. Hs stories are a great example of what makes a great author. In the story 'The Fall of the House of Usher', Poe's description of the acoustics inside the castle made me feel that I was his sidekick. I felt like we walked side by side in this strange and scary place. I read 'he Murders in the Rue Morgue, The Pit and the Pendulum (which was a movie in the early 1960's), The Mask of the Red Death, and The Cask of Amontillado. Poe showed his genius by the description of the surroundings, by the building of the story to its horrifying climax, and by the seeming casualness of the survivors.

Edgar Allan Poe did not live a long life (1809-1849) but he left an indelible mark in my mind as a literary icon.

Effecting Change

Writing touches the deep recesses of my minds and hearts. We can point to books read that inspired, challenged, educated, and spurred us to activity. It is the last description that I will touch on.

Over the years many writers have written books, poems, stories and commentaries about the world as they see it. While writing can open our minds to new worlds, it should spur people to change the inequalities in our world. Much is happening as I write. The mortgage crisis, recession, the war in Iraq, the economy, medical care, and high prices are affecting all of us in some way. To me what makes a great writer is the way they can communicate with the readers. Poe, Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, and Langston Hughes come to mind. After I read Malcolm X's autobiography, I could see where he was coming from and how he came to his conclusions.

I just want to say that whatever genre you choose to write, remember that you are effecting change no matter how subtle. Writing is not an idle pursuit of entertainment but affects those who you wish to affect.

Working on a mystery story

I am formulating a horror mystery story in my mind. Now I have to get the outline on paper. I like horror that forces the character to face their fears, biases, and preconceived notions. I also want to have the characters have a positive change in their lives. I believe that horror can alter the course of a person's life in a positive way. Is there anyone that has felt the same way? Love to hear your ideas and stores.

Horror/Mystery Fan

I am a big fan of horror mystery genre. I love it when characters are confronted with their worst fears-an are challenged as to how they will get out of thier predicament. There are some places that can be a great back drop for a horror story. I love castles, dungeons, dark rooms, empty streets, hotels, motels; the list is endless.

I am a fan of Edgar Allan Poe. Stephen King is good. I'm searching for some of the great horror fiction writers of the present and the past.

MAYDAY!

Today is International Labor Day. May is Labor Month. It's odd but some countries such as China and France (I believe) have week long celebrations. THe US has only one day; and labor of poor and working men and women built this great country.The labor movement was an integral part of working people securing fair wages, benefits, and medical care.

Over the past several decades we have seen government and business literally takes away those gains. Industries such as steel and the auto industries have been decimated by restrictive laws, cheap sources of labor, and union busting. It is time for all working and poor people to organize and unite to change this trend.

I am searching for books about labor history, biographies, organizing and any thing to do with labor. If there are any suggestions you have, I welcome them.

Friday Nights and Beyond

Listed below are some websites where you can hear poetry, talks and readings.

www.bowerypoetry.com
www.nuyorican.org
www.poetz.com

COMMENTARY

Sometimes I think an idea for a story has to be something spectacular. As I get older I had discovered that one small word can germinate into a poem, short story or even a novel. For example the word 'urges' germinated into a poem that I wrote. Park scenes have led me to write some stories about love, redemption and serenity.
There are ideas all around us if we slow down and 'smell the roses'. I wrote some prose describing a rainy day. Another time, a woman on my job led me to write a story called 'Eve'. I think that this is the best story I have ever written because I completed it in one setting. Cold days make me think of fireplaces and drinking hot chocolate. See what I'm driving at.
Write on a piece of paper a word, phrase, or describe a person or place and see if you don't come up with some ideas. I love castles and now I am creating characters and settings for a mystery/horror story. When you get some ideas and do some research you will be amazed at what you can create. Happy writing!

Quote

Beware lest you lose the substance by grasping at the shadow.

-Aesop, 550 B.C.

A NEW LOOK

I have given the blog a new look. 'Mocha Literary Lounge' is now 'The Literary Lounge'. I decided upon green as a background not because of the upcoming earth week activities but because spring is here and summer is on the way. My love of green tea is also a factor. I hope that you like the new look. I do hope to post much more often than I do presently.

Poem

GOD MADE TEACHERS

God understood our thirst for knowledge,
and our need to be led by someone wiser;
He needed a heart of compassion,
of encouragement, and patience;
Someone who would accept the challenge
regardless of the opposition;
Someone who could see potential
and believe in the best in others...
So He made Teachers.

-Author Unknown

hello

Free Comments & Graphics

POEM

THE POET

He sang of life, serenely sweet,
With, now and then, a deeper note.
From some high peak, nigh yet remote,
He voiced the world's absorbing beat.

He sang of love when earth was young.
And Love, itself, was in its lays.
But ah, the world, it turned to praise
A jingle in a broken tongue.

-Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906)

Pauline Elizabeth Hopkins (1859-1930)

Pauline Hopkins was a prolific African-American writer and literary editor who ws overshadowed by the Harlem Renaissance writers. She was an outspoken journalist and storyteller. Hopkin's fiction combines suspense with presentation of the race debates of the turn of the nineteenth century.
Pauline Hopkins was born in Portland, Maine in 1859. Her prodigy includes Nathaniel and Thomas Paul who founded the first Baptist church in Boston for blacks, activist susan Paul, and poet James M. Whitfield.
Hopkins helped found Colored American Magazine in 1900 whiche she used as a political platform for African-American causes. Among her works were four novels and short stories. Hopkins' best known work was Contending Forces: A Romance Illustrative of Negro Life North and South (1900). Other works include Hager's Daughter; A Story of Sothern Caste Prejudice (1901); ansWinona: A Tale of Negro Life in the South and Southwest (1902).

POEM

HYMN

At morn-at noon-at twilight dim--
Maria! thou hast heard my hymn!
In joy and woe--in good and ill--
Mother of God, be with me still!
When the Hours flew brightly by,
And not a cloud obscured the sky,
My soul, lest it should truant be,
Thy grace did guide to thine and thee;
Now when storms of Fate o'ercast
Darkly my Present and my Past,
Let my Future radiant shine
With sweet hopes of thee and thine!

-Edgar Allan Poe

WOMEN'S MONTH CONTINUED

I wanted to highlight a female writer, poet, playwright, etc. each day during Women's Month. I was unable to do it consistently each day because of domestic demands. However, I have decided to do it during the month of April. I will also do other things in the blogs such as a poem, song, story or other pieces of literature. I will renew the series starting this coming Monday.

Gertrude Stein (1874-1926)

Gertrude was an American author who influenced writers such as Sherwood Anderson and Ernest Hemingway. Stein was born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania and graduated from Radcliffe College.

Stein's writing style was simple and repetitive. She believed that a lot of punctuation and difficult words distracted the reader fro the feelings of the characters. Telling the stories were secondary to Stein's communicating the feelings of the characters. The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas is her best known book. It was about herself from Alice Toklas's point of view. Lectures in America, published in 1935, is a collection of lectures on literature, painting, and music.

Gertrude Stein was also an art critic and collector. She encouraged painters such as Pablo Picsso and Henri Martisse.

World Book Encyclopedia

Lillian Hellman (1905-1984)

Lillian Hellman was an American playwright from New Orleans, Louisiana. Her work had tightly woven plots which delved into psychological weakness and the social issues of her time. Hellman's plays dealt with greed and selfishness. Plays such as The Children's Hour (1934), The Little Foxes (1939), and Another Part of the Forest (1946) show how unchecked greed, selfishness, and lust can ruin lives and place human values as disposable.

Hellman's heyday was in the 1930's and 1940's as she saw the materialism and immorality taking root in society. Her authobiographical writing gained ne notoriety for her in the 1970's. An Unfinished Woman (1969) and Scoundrel Time (1976) are two of the better known works.

Emily Dickinson (1830-1886)

One of the well known American poets of the nineteenth century, the reclusive Dickinson sought to expand her horizons rather be in the narrow minded literary establishment of her time. Dickinsson questioned the society that she lived in. She was nonconvetional i that she wrote about topics such as nature,life, and fleeting moments. Dickinson's best poems were written in the 1870's, when she slowed down from the intense pace that she wrote earlier in her life.

What I find fascinating about Emily Dickinson is that she could glean much depth from ordinary meanings. Dickinson lamented the alienation of intellectuals after the Civil War. She was reclusive and not available to her folks in her town but this makes Emily Dickinson a curiousity.

Phyllis Wheatley (1753?-1784)

Phyllis Wheatley was the first important black American poet. Brought on a slave at age eight, Wheatley was purchased for his wife by John Wheatley, a wealthy merchant tailor. Phyllis learned how to read and write. At age fourteen, Phyllis began to write poetry.
Some of her poems reflected this deeply Christian lady. Wheatley's book Poems on Varoius Subjects, Religion and Moral was published in 1773 in England. She was also aware of her status as a slave and those people who sought their independence. After Wheatley was freed and married a free slave, she disappeared from the poetry scene and died in obscurity.


World Book Encyclopedia

Women's Month

Since it is women's month I will feature women who have impacted the lives of others. Women do not get enough credit for their contributions to the betterment of the world. I will focus on women in the literary world. There are so many to choose from. Whether they are well known or obscure is not important. The tribute will begin tomorrow.

BACK IN OPERATION

Yesterday I installed internet in the laptop that I purchased. Now I'll be posting on a regular basis. I was posting using the computers at the public library. Now I can be in a more private setting and record my thoughts, comments, and bios.

PLACES TO GO

TONIGHT

OPEN MIKE:LOVE LETTERS FROM THE PAST
@ Bluestockings
172 Allen Street bet. Stanton and Rivington 212-777-6028
7pm FREE

F Train to 2nd Avenue

Sites

Here are some websites that may interest you.

www.bowerypoetry.com
www.nuyorican.org
www.poetz.com
www.stmarksbookshop.com

COMMENT

Writing can inspire us to challenge ourselves. It can force us to change our thoughts, our preconceived notions, and our focus. Writing is therapeutic in that it causes us to think about what others feel. I don't believe that writing is an exercise in futility but a journey to the other side of our consciousness.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

WISDOM IS SACRED COMMUNION.

Victor Hugo, French Author (1802-1885)

PLACES TO GO

FRIDAY NIGHT POETRY SLAM
@ NUYORICAN POET'S CAFE

236 EAST 3RD STREET (bet B & C) 10PM

$10

PLACES TO GO

FRIDAY
POETRY CLUB
308 BOWERY @ Bleeker St.

Great performances, poetry, art, music, food and drink
All day, all night, every day

SMALL PRESS READING @ 11 Street Bar
511 East 11 Street bet. A & B 7PM

Subway: 4,5,6,N, R, L to Union Square

TODAY'S WORD

IMPREGNABLE

1. Able to resist attack.


FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Any writer, I suppose, feels that the world into which he was born
is nothing less than a conspiracy against the cultivation of his talent.

James Baldwin, African American author (1923-1987)

COMMENTARY

Lately I have read a number of books about different subjects. One could also say I'm a jack of all trades and a master of none. I look at it as part of my education because it should be well rounded as well as ground in the basics. I guees that may be the reason that I don't have any particular writers who I'm a fanatic of. I enjoy a number of different writers and genres. I like Edgar Allan Poe, Langston Hughes, William Shakespeare, and Plato. Pretty diverse I must say. I get some great nuggets for future writings.

I do my research on the era that writer lived and apply it to a comtemporary setting. One can take many liberties and make it one's own creation. Often I imagine what it was like to live in a particular time and place. What was 1930's Harlem like? What was Poe's state of mind when he wrote 'The Raven?' Was Shakespeare sharing with the readers what 16th century England was like? It's amazing how in tune these great writers were with their surroundings and the people.

It's great to explore and discover different writers and different styles. There are some who may not be as famous as others but their writing can be an ivaluable tool towards expanding our writing horizons.

TODAY'S WORD

BOW

1. Submit
2. Bend the head or body; act of bowing

Withdraw (bow out)

NOUN
1. Bend or arch
2. Weapon for shooting arrows
3. Knot with loops
4. Rod with stretched horsehairs for playing a stringed instrument

VERB
1. Curve or bend

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Expand your horizons. Read different genres. Research things that you may not understand. Play on words. Be creative.

Commentary

This past semester We read many of the plays of William Shakespeare. I must say that it was quite an education into the man who wrote them. Plays such as 'Hamlet', 'MacBeth', 'Richard III', and 'The Tempest' revealed how much Shakespeare knew about the world that he lived in. In his later works, Shakespeare demonstrated his awareness of the changing landscape of 16th century England.
I was fortunate to have read 'Julius Caesar' months prior to taking the course. The language used by Shakespeare was cumbersome at first, but once I understood the meaning of many words, the course went smoother than I thought. I don't know which is my favorite Shakespearean play, but I am drawn to 'Hamlet' because he was a complex and multiplural individual. I haven't read all of Shakespeare's plays and sonnets so my opinion about my favorite play will have to wait.
Shakespeare touched on subjects like valor, power, gender, sexuality, honor and other virtues and vices. He was not moralistic in his tone but he did know what the human heart was capable of. As a person, I find Shakespeare to be brilliant, innovative, enigmatic, shrewd, and perceptive. He is one of those people who I cannot figure out becase they are many shades of gray in his personal life. Maybe that's what makes Shakepeare a fascinating and mysterious person. It may be that he has left us to think of what we think and say about him.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Writing is an elixir for me. It helps me to feel better about my craft and myself.
When the storms of life try to overwhelm me, I write to release the pent up emotions that I may feel. When my heart is bursting to say something, pen and paper provide the backdrop to which I can craft word pictures.

TODAY'S WORDS

AFFECT
To act on; produce a change in; to influence; to pretend

EFFECT
A result; a consequence to bring about; accomplish

TODAY'S WORDS

BAIL
Money to release a prisoner; to remove water.

BALE
A large, bound package, as of hay.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

DID YOU PAY ANYONE A COMPLEMENT FOR A JOB WELL DONE?

TODAY'S WORDS

CALLOUS

Unfeeling, emotionally hardened.

CALLUS

A thickening of the horny layer of the skin.

TODAY'S WORDS

BLANTANT

Offensively noisy or loud; brazenly obvious.

FLAGRANT

Disgraceful; monstrous; shockingly evident.

TODAY'S WORDS

ABSORB

Assimilate;consume;soak up.

ADSORB

Gather a substace on a surface.

TODAY'S WORDS

COMPLEAT

Highly skilled and accomplished in all aspects.

COMPLETE

Finished;ended; having all parts or elements.

TODAY'S WORDS

EARTHLY

Earthbound; worldly; mortal; mundane.

EARTHY

Unrefined; realistic; practical; lusty

TODAY'S WORDS

FAUN

A woodland deity.

FAWN

1. A young deer.
2. To court favor.

TODAY'S WORDS

ACCEPT

To take or receive; to agree to; acknowledge.

EXCEPT

Leave out; exclude; to object to

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

You will know that forgiveness has begun
when you recall those who hurt you and feel
the power to wish them well.

-Lewis B.Smedes


TODAY'S WORD

-CIDE
The killing of a person, animal, etc.
Ex. homicide, fratricide, parracide, regicide, genocide

TODAY'S WORD

MACHIAVEL

A person who acts on principles recommended, or supposed
to have been recommended, by Machiavelli in his treatise on
statecraft; an intriguer or schemer.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality,
it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort.

-Jesse Owens, American Athlete (1913-1980)

TODAY'S WORD

SENTENTIOUS

1. Using pompous language.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

A different world cannot be built by indifferent people.

-Peter Marshall, American Leader (b. 1930)

WEEKEND

FRIDAY

Son of a Pony!
Featured poets and the best open mike in NYC
5:45pm sign up-limited spaces

The Cornelia Street Cafe
29 Cornelia Street bet. W4th/Bleeker

$7 Tel. 212-989-9319

SATURDAY

I Speak of the City:A Celebration of New York Poems

Bowery Poetry Club
308 Bowey @Bleeker

F train to 2nd Avenue 6 train to Bleeker

TODAY'S WORD

DESCRY

CATCH SIGHT OF

SAME SOUND, DIFFERENT SPELLING

Complement; compliment
Currant;current
Wood; would
Way:weigh

TODAY'S WORD

QUIP

Makes a clever remark--often used with "at".


FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Be as smart as you can, but it is better to be wise
than to be smart.

-Alan Alda, American Actor (b.1936)

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

You can't help getting older,
but you don't have to get old.

-George Burns, American Comedian (1896-1996)


TODAY'S WORD

BANAL
Ordinary and uninteresting;commonplace, trivial, petty, trite.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

A POET DOESN'T INVENT. HE LISTENS.

-Jean Cocteau, French Director (1889-1963)


PLACES TO GO

Son of a Pony
@ Cornelia Street Cafe
29 Cornelia Street bet. Bleeker & w.4th
6pm

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

A government that is bid enough to give you all you want
is big enough to take it all away.

-Barry Goldwater, American Politician (1909-1998)


TODAY'S WORD

EFFICACIOUS, adverb

1. That produces, or is certain to produce, the intended or appropriate effect;
effective.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

There is nothing on this earth more to be prized
than true friendship.

-Saint Thomas Aquinas, Italian theologian (1225-1274)

TODAY'S WORD

VENERABLE

1. Deserving of respect

TODAY'S WORD

TODAY'S WORD

MORPHEME

Meaningful linguistic unit that contains
no smaller meaningful parts.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Just because something is not discussed does not mean
that it has not happened or does not exist.

EAST VILLAGE

FRIDAY NIGHT @10PM

NUYORICAN POET'S CAFE
236 EAST 3RD STREET

POETRY SLAM

TODAY'S WORD

LAMENT

1. Mourn
2. Express sorrow for

TODAY'S WORD

PEDANTIC

One who is too concerned with or shows off his learning.



FOOD FOR THOUGHT

A great story teller is someone who makes you feel that you are one of the characters in it.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

A poet is, before anything else, a person who is passionately in love with language.

-W.H. Auden, English Poet (1907-1973)

Anything Goes

MAD HATTERS REVIEW
@ KGB BAR
85 EAST 4TH STREET

7PM

TODAY'S WORD

ASIDE

1. A private remark especailly of an actor to the audience.

PLACES TO GO

TONIGHT
@ THE POETRY PROJECT

Reading, film and music

ST. MARK'S CHURCH
131 EAST 10TH STREET @ 2ND AVE.
10PM

SATURDAY

BOWERY BOOKS: The Poetry Release Party & Show

@ The Bowery Poetry Club
308 Bowery @ Bleeker Street 8Pm

TODAY'S WORD

INIMICAL

1.Hostile or harmful.

TODAY'S WORD

CONCISION

1. Archaic: a cutting up or off.

2: the quality of being concise

COMMENTARY

Characters are what make a book, novel, or story interesting.
A boring and uninteresting character makes for a poor story
and readers will quickly put it down and move on to something
else.

Everyone likes particular types of characters that they can mold into
whateever image they desire. I like weak people who are
dominated by stronger characters for a time. Eventually, they
develop their strength and resolve to live life without being a
co-dependent of the strong protagonist.

One such character is Daphne, a young woman in on of my short stories
who trying to find out who she is. She is being pulled by forces and people
stronger than herself. In the end, Daphne not only discovers who she is,
but she lives her life on her own terms. I have a belief that no matter how
far down a person is, they can rise above their circumstances and live creative
and fulfilling lives.

It is important to create characters who are believeable. We like our characters
to be someone with whom we can identify with at some point. We want to root for
that person to succeed or we want a character to get their just rewards. Whoever
the character, make them memorable and believeable.

TODAY'S WORD

LABYRINTH

1. A system of intricate, confusing passages or paths; maze.

2. Any intricate or perplexing set of diffficulties.

TODAY'S WORD

EPILOGUE

1. A short section appended to a novel, poem, etc. by way of commentary.

2. A short speech appended to a play.

Also epilog


FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Story ideas can be right before our eyes.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

SOME OF THE MOST INSPIRATIONAL TIMES IN LIFE ARE THOSE

TIMES WHEN ALL SEEMS FUTILE.

POETRY NIGHT

POETRY NIGHT @ OZZIE'S 8PM

251 5TH AVENUE @ GARFIELD PLACE
BROOKLYN

FREE SIGN UP AT 7:30PM

BRING SOME POEMS AND READ TO YOUR HEART'S CONTENT

TODAY'S WORD

DISCORDANT

1a: BEING AT VARIANCE:DISAGREEING Discordant opinions
b: QUARRELSOME EX a quarrelsome family

2: Relating to a discord A discordant tone

-Discordantly adverb

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

A PROVERB IS A SHORT SENTENCE BASED ON LONG EXPERIENCE.

-Miguel De Cervantes, Spanish novelist (1547-1616)

More Words

Serial; cereal.

Moat; mote.