Open mike

Friday, April 10 2009 6:30pm

Stark! Wide
Open Mike

Open mike for music, poetry, spoken word & featured performers

Hosted by VivianaNola

Studios/Studio
C250 West 54th Street, 11th Floor (7th/8th Avenues)

$5 Spunkypoetress@aol.com 917-292-2683

Subway: R to 57th Street or C/E/1/9 to 50th Street

TODAY'S WORD

SPECTRAL

1. Of or like a specter; ghostly.

2. Pertaining to a spectrum.

TODAY'S WORD

A-

A prefix meaning not; without.
Ex.- atypical; asexual

Comedy Drama/Choir-Poem Play

Saturday, April 4 2009 7:00pm
The Jalopy Theater

"In Love With Mom" by Lola Cooper, a romantic, comedic drama/Choir-poem play about our relationships with our mothers, whose story is told through poetry, based on a collection of poems bearing the same title

Shows on Saturdays, March 28th, April 4th & 11th @ 7pm,
and Sundays, April 26th, May 3rd, 10th, 17th @ 6pm

The Jalopy Theater
315 Columbia Street,
Redhook, Brooklyn
$20 emmy.no@gmail.com 718-395-3214

TODAY'S WORD

NIMBUS

A light believed to surround a deity or holy person.

Reading Series at Judson Memorial Church

TONIGHT!
April 3 2009 7:00pm


The Writers Studio Reading Series

Five Point Magazine, featuring Ann Beattie, Edward Hirsch,
Alice Hoffman, JD McClatchy, Philip Schultz

Judson Memorial Church
55 Washington Square South
$5 www.writerstudio.com 212-255-7075

Subway: A/C/E/B/D/F to West 4th Street

WORDS OF WISDOM

Hidden gems can be found in the unlikeliest of places.

Monday, March 16 2009 8:00pm

The Poetry Project

Gregg Biglieri & Larry Price

St. Mark's Church
131 East 10th Street @ Second Avenue

$8; $7 students & seniors; $5 members
www.poetryproject.com cf@poetryproject.com

212.674.0910

Subways: N/Q/R/W/4/5/6 to 14th St – Union Square,
or L to 1st or 3rd Ave.

WORDS OF WISDOM

A woman who is willing to beerself and pursue her own potential
runs not so much the risk of lonelness, as the challenge of exposure
to more interesting men-and people in general.

~Lorraine Hansberry, African American writer(1930-1965)

Poem

All the layers of I life are stripped bare
I'm not the person I thought I was
The nagging thought that I was someone else,
is staring at me
Who is this stranger? What do you want?
It's a bad dream, I surmise.
I'll go to sleep
Tomorrow will be another day.
A new day and nothing's changed.
I walk down the street. I work. I attend church.
Yet this other person seeks to take over.
Nerves are taught like tuning a guitar string.
My destiny is closing in.
I am tired. I am in distress.
I admit that I am this other person.
Finally, I found peace.
No more distress.
I have become. I am.

Genevieve

WORDS OF WISDOM

During the dry periods, go back to when you first started writing and how new it was to you.

Poetry, Fiction, Publishing Tips

Thursday, March 12 2009 6:00pm

New York State of Mind

A night of poetry, fiction and publishing tips from members of the Greater New York Independent Publishers Assoication, featuring Kat Georges, Perry Brass, Norman Beim, Annie Heckman, Heidi Russell, Kay Williams, Fred Milani, Jeanne Pearson
Hosted by Three Rooms Press

Cornelia Street Cafe
29 Cornelia Street (West 4th/Bleecker)
$7 includes a free drink www.corneliastreetcafe.com threeroomspressms@mac.com
212-989-9319
Subway: A/C/E/B/D/F/V to West 4th or 1/9 to Christopher Street/Sheridan Square

Words

GORILLA
The largest anthropoid ape, native to equatorial Africa


GUERILLA, GUERRILLA
Memeber of a band of irregular soldiers that harasses the enemy, as by surprise raids.

WORDS OF WISDOM

A wise man fights to win, but he is twice a fool who has no plan for possible defeat.

~ Louis L'Amour, American Author (1908-1988)

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY
a benefit for
WOMEN'S PRESS COLLECTIVE

Film showing of "Rosie the Riveter"- U.S. women's role in WWII industrial production

Women within Venezuela's Bolivarian Revolution-first-hand report by COLLECTIVE ENDEAVOR publisher, just returned from press in Caracas, Venezuela

Bring a Friend to join as a Women's Press Collective (WPC) member! Or learn how you can join WPC

Find out how you can volunteer with WPC projects and activities

Refreshments, discussion-an opportunity to put your beliefs into action, here and now!

DATE: Sunday, March 15, 2009

TIME: 1:00-4:30pm

LOCATION: Union Hall: 72 Union Street near 5th Avenue, Park Slope, Brooklyn

SUGGESTED DONATION: $10.00

TODAY'S WORD

VERACITY

1. Habitual observance of truth; truthfulness.

2. Conformity to fact; accuracy.

Saturday, March 7 2009 2:30pm
Brownstone Poets
Poetry Grows in Brooklyn Heights, featuring George Guida and Lee Kostrinsky of the Smalls Jazz Club Poetry Reading Series + open mike

Hosted by Patricia Carragon

Park Plaza Restaurant
220 Cadman Plaza West
(near Clark Street & Pineapple Walk),
Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn
$3 + food & drink patricia.carragon.home.att.net www.parkplazarestaurant.com pattiekake@earthlink.net

Subway: A/C to High Street, or 2/3 to Clark Street,
or 4/5/M/R to Court Street/Borough Hall

WORDS OF WISDOM

Don't go where others lead,
Go where they haven't gone
and leave a trail.

~author unknown

Public Speaking

I have mentioned in the past that reading and writing go hand in hand and that is largely true. Speaking is another way of communicating. I can be poetry, a speech, an opinion, or just communication between two friends.

One thing the speaker wishes to convey is what he/she wants for us to understand. I have spoken out in public a few times in my life. I always find necessary to write down what I want to say. I used to write down a speech then read from it when I was in high school. However, it stunted my ability to communicate in a natural tone to the audience. Instead I wrote down an outline of the high points I wanted to cover. I still do research and have a written speech or commentary. I find that speaking from my heart with the outline as a guide is more to my liking.

Speaking in public actually invigorates me. I get the butterflies in my stomach but I use it to my advantage. I think of my audience to be knowledgeable and intelligent. Trying to pull one over on them is insulting. That's why I spend time researching and making sure my facts are straight. I enjoy speaking in public because they see a live person who has something to say. I pray that the words will encourage, stir, and spark them to go beyond what they think they cannot do. The words can be firy or subtle, simple or compelling. Either way it is communicating to the masses.

Welcome to the MIC

FRIDAY NITE MARCH 6, 2009 @ 7pm
@ Sista's Place

Black Power, Word Power,
Self Determining Power!

Welcome to the MIC

SPIT FIRE!

The best political and cultural spoken word event in NYC!

Sign up @ 6:30PM

Sista's Place
456 Nostrand Ave @ Jefferson Avenue
Brooklyn

Free December 12th Movement Culture Committee (718) 398-1766

Subway: A/C to Nostrand Avenue

Thursday, February 26 2009 7:00pm

McNally Jackson Books

Sharon Dolin, Anne Marie Macari

McNally Jackson Books
52 Prince Street (Lafayette/Mulberry)In the Teahouse
Free www.mcnallyjackson.com events@mcnallyjackson.com

212-274-1160

Subway: 6 to Spring, R to Prince, or B/D/F/V to Broadway/Lafayette

TODAY'S WORD

PROTEAN

Readily assuming different forms or characters.

Tuesday, February 24 2009 6:00pm

Boog City Presents

d.a. levy lives: celebrating the renegade press

Atelos Publishing Project (Berkeley, Calif.)

Featuring readings from Ted Greenwald, Jennifer Scappettone,

Lytle Shaw, Edwin Torres, Rodrigo Toscano,

with music from Lisle Ellis and Larry Ochs

Hosted by Atelos Publishing Project

directors and editors Lyn Hejinian and Travis Ortiz Curated

and with an introduction by Boog City editor David Kirschenbaum


ACA Galleries
529 West 20th Street,
5th Floor (10th/11th Avenues)
Free, incl. wine & cheese

www.welcometoboogcity.com www.atelos.org

212-842-2664

Subway: C/E to 23rd Street, 1/9 to 18th Street

WORDS OF WISDOM

Never be afraid to sit awhile, and think.

~Lorraine Hansberry, African American author (1930-1965)

Words

Monday, February 16 2009 6:00pm

New York Quarterly Reading Series

Joel Allegretti, Rynn Williams, Peter V. Arcese

Hosted by Ted Jonathan

The Cornelia Street Cafe

29 Cornelia Street (West 4th/Bleecker Street)

$7 gets you a free drink
www.corneliastreetcafe.com
tjonathan@nyquarterly.org 212-989-9319

Subway: A/C/E/B/D/F/V to West 4th or 1/9 to Christopher/Sheridan Square

Fear

There are elements consistenly found in mstery and horror stories. The unknown, suspense, fear, sudden changes in storytelling, long dormant thoughts coming back full force.

Fear is one thing that fascinates me in horror and suspense stories. I once wrote a story about a career woman who met people who reminded her of people in her past long deceased. When she met a man she thought had died fiteen years earlier, she realized that destiny was catching up to her. Fear can freeze people dead in their tracks. They feel powerless. They want to escape sensing that some horrible fate awaits them.

I like writing stories where a person comes face to face with their past misdeeds. Add supernatural events like ghosts and then you have the making of a good horror story. I like to believe that people will change when they see that thier evil deeds will come back to haunt them. In horror and suspense the story would compromised but I don't think so necessarily. That's what our imagination is for. We can twist and shape the story anyway we see fit.

Sound the same but spelled differently

DOUGH; DOE

SEW, SOW

PRINCIPAL; PRINCIPAL

COURSE; COARSE

HORSE; HOARSE

WOOD; WOULD

METAL; METTLE

WIDTH; WITH

TODAY'S WORD

PREDILECTION

A partiality; preference

Southern Writers Reading Series

Wednesday, February 11 2009 8:00pm

Southern Writers Reading Series

Two featured Southern authors (TBA)

+ open mike

(sign up begins at 7:30PM -bring poetry or fiction to share and a mind ready to experience the mythic South without ever leaving Manhattan)

Hosted by Ekoko Omadeke

Happy Ending Lounge

302 Broome Street (Forsyth/Eldridge)

Free southernwritersny@gmail.com

Subway: B/D to Grand Street, or J/M/Z to Bowery

Words of Wisdom

The more I write the more my spirit is freed from tension and fear.

Open Mike @ Smalls Jazz Club

Saturday, January 31 2009 5:00pm

Smalls Reading Series

Phillip Levine & Joanna Herman + open mike(sign-up at 4:30pm)

Hosted by George Guida, Lee Kostrinsky and Christine Timm

Smalls Jazz Club

183 West 10th Street (near Sheridan Square on 7th Avenue)

$6 www.smallsjazzclub.com leeko@rcn.com

212-252-5091

Subway: 1/9/A/B/C/D/E/F/V to West 4th Street

Stress can produce masterpieces

How many of us have written hour after hour and afterwards see how much we have accomplished. You didn't worry about grammar or spelling. You had to write whatever was on your mind or in your heart. You could have been happy, sad, mad, troubled, thankful, or joyous. You just needed to release your heart of those things that were brewing inside.

Some of the best writing have come during times of duress. Maybe you didn't feel like doing it. Perhaps it wasn't the right time but you got out a pad, paper, or wordprocessor and wrote away. It may not have any meaning at first but when you read it at another time it has a connection with what you are trying to convey to your audience. People like writing that is original and heartfelt. One reward of writing is when it connects with your audience.

Don't minimize those times when life doesn't seem all that great. Get out your pad! Get on that wordprocessor and write away! It can be the beginning of speaking to others who are experiencing those tough times.

TODAY'S WORD

GHOSTWRITE

Write for someone else who receives credit as author.

Words

Sunday, January 25 2009 3:00pm

SOS: ABC No Rio Sunday Open

Open mike hosted by Bruce Weber, Eugene Ring,
John Bredin, John Marcus Powell, George Spencer.

No list, No Time Limit, No B.S., Workshop feel, Try out new work.

ABC No Rio
156 Rivington St. (Clinton/Suffolk Streets),

2 blocks south of Houston

$3 212-674-3585
Subway: F/V to Delancey/Second Avenue, then walk East and South

WORDS OF WISDOM

An individual can be educated well beyond the walls of academia. The best education we receive is from life's experiences.

Books for Writers

Below is a list of some books I recommend for writers.



Playwriting: The Structure of Action-Sam Smiley

The Elements of Style, 4th Edition-Wm. Strunk Jr. & E.B. White

Random House Basic Dictionary of Synonyms and Antonyms

Teach Yourself Writing: Non-Fiction Janet MacDonald

MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 6th Edition-Joseph Gibaldi

One Word

A story can sprout from just one word. I read what the word means then take off from there. I use my imagination, using metaphors to tell the story. I'm presently working on a few articles with one word as a catalyst. They will posted in future blogs.


Genevieve

Monday Night!

Monday, January 12 2009 7:30pm

KGB Bar

Monday Night Series featuring poets TBA

Hosted by Laura Cronk & Michael Quattrone

KGB Bar
85 East 4th Street @ 2nd Avenue

Free

www.kgbbar.com michaelquattrone@earthlink.net

TODAY'S WORD

BACCHANAL

1. a worshipper of Bacchus.

2. an occasion of drunken revelry.

Read A Poem

Friday, January 9 2009 10:00pm

Nuyorican Poets Cafe

Spotlight poet & slam (be sure to come early)

Hosted by Mahogany Browne
Followed by the Open Room,
a midnight open mike right after the Slam every Friday Night!!!

Bring a poem and read!

Hosted by A-Trayn
Nuyorican Poets Cafe

236 East 3rd Street (Avenues B/C)

$10 (each show) www.nuyorican.org
212-505-8183
Subway: F to 2nd Avenue, R to 8th Street,
4/5 to 14 Street, 6 to Astor Place

WORDS OF WISDOM

It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see.

~Henry David Thoreau, American Author (1817-1862)

Reading Marathon

Today I attended a reading marathon at St. Mark's Church-in-the Bowery. The Poetry Project has presented this annualevent for 35 years. I arrived after two this afternoon. The church sanctuary was filling up. There were about 100 people seated. I listened to many writers read some of their work. Each person had a seven minute limit. I stayed over two hours (the event goes nonstop until midnight).

While I listened to the readers, I reminisced about a blog I posted a few months back. As a boy I was adventurous; I wanted to know what was in the woods behind our home. I still have that same curiousity as a sixty year old man. I am presently working on an essay for a book that I want to publish later in the year. I have a goal to write 20 essays and short stories. It's ambitious but I have a lot on my heart to say.

Writing for 2009

I have set an ambitious goal of writing ten short stories for 2009. I will be trying my hand with mystery and horror for the first time. At times, I do enjoy reading books that are on the dark side. I'm a big fan of Edgar Allan Poe. Some of his stories are creative and allegorical in their content. I'm not married to any one particular genre but I like to test it and see where it takes me.

WORDS OF WISDOM

To have great poets, there must be great audiences.

~Walt Whitman, American Poet (1819-1892)

Christmas Wish

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!




GENEVIEVE

TODAY'S WORD

IMBROGLIO

1. a confused state of affairs.

2. a confused heap or tangle.

TODAY'S WORD

QUADROON n

1. a person of one quarter black ancestry.

WORDS OF WISDOM

Excess generally causes reaction, and produces a change in the opposite direction, whether it be in the seasons, or in individuals, or in governments.


~Plato, Greek Philosopher (427 bc-347bc)

UPCOMING EVENTS

THURSDAY! JANUARY 1, 2009!

THE 35TH ANNUAL NEW YEAR'S DAY MARATHON READING

2PM@ POETRY PROJECT

ST. MARK'S CHURCH

131 EAST 10TH STREET @ 2ND AVENUE


MORE INFO TO FOLLOW

TODAY'S WORD

GIBBET

1. A structure from which the bodies of executed criminals were hung for public display.

2. a gallows-v.t.

3. to hang on a gibbet.

4. to hold up to public scorn.

New Words

I have the habit of writing down words that I don't know. I enjoy playing on words to add to my stories and articles that I write. I'll spend time culling through the dictionary and thesaurus to find out their meanings.

One of my little peeves about writing is redundancy. I find it boring and may reflect a weak vocabulary. For example, 'gibbet' is another word for 'gallows'. 'Current has several meanings; it's which meaning you need to use. The dictionary and thesaurus is a writer's best friend.When I understand and study the new words they become a part of my vocabulary. It's fun, challenging, and opens up new literacy possibilities.

Never minimize the words you discover. On many occasions I have had to refer back to them from time to time. It's amazing how one word can alter the meaning of what we want to say.

INSPIRATION

I found these words on a friend's forum. It is quite inspirational and thought I'd share it.



Words of True Inspiration December 17, 2008

It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better.
The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."

Theodore Roosevelt"Citizenship in a Republic,"Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910

UPCOMING EVENTS

Wednesday, December 17 2008 8:00pm

Midwinter Day: A 30th Anniversary Reading

An event to celebrate the 30th anniversary of "Midwinter Day", by Bernadette Mayer - please join her and special guests as they read selections from this epic 1978 work - Readers include Philip Good, Marie Warsh, Lewis Warsh, Barbara Epler, Jamey Jones, Peggy DeCoursey, Lee Ann Brown and Brenda Coultas

St. Mark's Church

131 East 10th Street @ Second Avenue

$8; $7 students & seniors;
$5 members http://www.poetryproject.com/ cf@poetryproject.com

212.674.0910

Subways: N/Q/R/W/4/5/6 to 14th St – Union Square, or L to 1st or 3rd Ave.



Friday, December 19 2008 9:30pm

Cafe Iimani Slam

$50 prize to slam winners

Hosted by Keith Boogie

Cafe Iimani

148 Stuyvesant Avenue, Brooklyn

$10 http://www.nypoets.com/ keithb@nypoets.com



Tuesday, December 23 2008 7:00pm

Urbana Slam

Opens, Features, Slams!

Hosted by Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz, Taylor Mali & Shappy

The Bowery Poetry Club

308 Bowery @ Bleecker

$6 http://www.bowerypoetry.com/ 212-614-0505

Subway: F to Second Avenue, 6 to Bleecker

Even though this quirky and eccentric slam series has featured some of the biggest names in poetry it remains a warm and welcoming venue for all kinds of poetic voices: political, confessional, musical, and spiritual. The series has won the national poetry slam championship a record THREE TIMES. On a typical night, poets sign up for the open event (mic or slam, depending on schedule) before 7pm and slots are filled randomly by computer. Signing up doesn't guarantee reading. The open starts shortly after seven, then the feature goes on. ALL Urbana features are well-known out-of-towners. Slam begins after the break & choosing of judges. It's competitive, but supportive & inclusive. All kinds of poetry are welcome & memorization is not required.

To join Urbana's weekly mailing list, write to NYC_Urbana-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

TODAY'S WORD

BE- prefix forms words meanings

1. Around; throughout: bespatter

2. Completely; thoroughly: bedrench

3. Off; away: behead

WORDS OF WISDOM

There is some reason, obviously, that you are drawn to your material,
but the way in which you explore it might come to be quite different from what you expect.


~Anne Beattie, American Writer (b.1947)

WORDS AND THE WORD

Wednesday, December 10 2008 8:00pm

The Poetry Project

Bobby Byrd & Lee Merrill Byrd

St. Mark's Church
131 East 10th Street @ Second Avenue

$8; $7 students & seniors; $5 members

www.poetryproject.com

cf@poetryproject.com

212.674.0910

Subways: N/Q/R/W/4/5/6 to 14th St – Union Square,

or L to 1st or 3rd Ave.



TODAY'S WORD

JE-JUNE
1. Lacking interest or significance; insipid.
2. Lacking maturity; childish.

WORDS OF WISDOM

I am still against any kind of censorship. It's a subject in my life that has been very important.


~Bernardo Bertolucci, Italian Writer (b.1940)

Commentary

There's a saying that no matter how far we travel during our lives, nobody ever strays away from their roots. These roots can be from our upbringing, from places we've been, people we have met and befriended, or being a witness to life changing events.

I have been visiting old Catholic churches in recent months. I was brought up in the Catholic faith, but Iam now a Christian. It taken me back to my childhood when I went to Mass every Sunday. These visitations take me to the time as a young Christian, I would sit in a empty chapel to pray or rest. I peruse the East Village, an avant-garde neighborhood slowly being gentrified. In the sixties, East Village was a hot bed of rock and roll concerts, folk singing and poetry reading. There was much radical political activity,also.

I have wondered why I am being pulled here. Somehow in my being, there is a story that needs to be told. What it is I am not certain at this point. I have been gathering some ideas and gleaning any bit of morsel I can find. Us writers are always looking for some tidbit that will enhance the story we wish to tell.

I remember during the summer I sat down on a bench facing St. Mark's Church, a stone structure dating back to the seventeeth century. The feeling of returning home filled my heart. I never hung out here much as a young adult but I felt like one of the denziens of decades past. Stories can come from some unusual places. It's like mining for gold nuggets; you keep at it until you find that precious stone.

What I'm saying here is that our past can be the place to shape a story from. I find myself mining my mental recesses trying to reconnect with an important chapter of my life. Perhaps, the chapter needs to be edited or new editions added. Anyway, just be mining until you find those gold nuggets.

TODAY'S WORD

DE- prefix

1. Away; off deflect; decapitate

2. down: decline

3. completely; utterly: denude

4. The undoing, reversing, or ridding of (the action, condition, or substance
expressed by the main element: decode; decentralization.

Poetry Project

Friday, December 5 200810:00pm

The Poetry Project

Hey, What’s All The Hooplah? Featuring musicians and performers who frequent Feral Foster’s
Wednesday night Roots n’ Ruckus stage at the Jalopy Theater in Red Hook:

www.myspace.com/rootsnruckusfolkmusicinnewyork.com

Music and performances by Elizabeth Devlin:
www.myspace.com/elizabethdevlin

Frank Hoier:www.myspace.com/frankhoierhttp://www.frankhoier.com/

John Houxwww.myspace.com/johnhoux & more

TBASt. Mark's Church131 East 10th Street @ Second Avenue

$8; $7 students & seniors; $5 members

http://www.poetryproject.com/ cf@poetryproject.com
212.674.0910

Subways: N/Q/R/W/4/5/6 to 14th St – Union Square,
or L to 1st or 3rd Ave.

WORDS OF WISDOM

Now is the time to write a story or read a poem which will encourage a sagging spirit.

Thanksgiving

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

WORDS OF WISDOM

Imagination and fiction makeup more than three quarters of our real life.

~Simone Weil, French Philosopher (1909-1943)

WORDS OF WISDOM

Time is the wisest counsellor of all.

~Pericles, Greek Statesman (495 BC-429BC)

Reading

POETRY PROJECT
OPEN READING

DECEMBER 1ST, 2008 AT 8PM (Sign-in at 7:45pm)

@ St. Marks Church
131 E. 10th St. @ 2nd Avenue

Subway: 6 to Astor Place

WORDS OF WISDOM

All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy;
for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die
to one life before we can enter another.

~Anatole France, French Novelist (1844-1924)



DON'T FORGET!

November 16, 2008 5pm

Caroline Crumpler's World of Poetry

@ the Bowery Poetry Club

308 Bowery @ Bleeker

TODAY'S WORD

-ARY

A suffix meaning pertaining to or connected with (elementary).

POETRY READING

Sunday, November 16 2008
5:00pm

World of Poetry

Caroline Crumpacker's World of Poetry

The Bowery Poetry Club

308 Bowery @ Bleecker

$5 www.bowerypoetry.com

212-614-0505

Subway: F to Second Avenue,
6 to Bleecker

TODAY'S WORD

KUMQUAT, n.

A small, orange-colored citrus fruit with a sweet rind and acid pulp.

Commentary

There's always something to write about no matter how hard the times get. A timeless book 'The Grapes of Wrath' was written during the dust bowl migration to California. There have been countless other books which have been written during the perilous times of our history.

Often during these times, interest is usually piqued. There's uncertainty, questions, doubt, fear, hopelessness, and pessimism. It is also a time when hope, joy, opportunity and thankfulness can be sought and found. I see visions of hope and opportunity during these economic hard times. We've been through them before; we will get through this one. In the meantime we writers can bring hope and joy and thankfulness with our pen and pad.

Let's not let difficulty and hard times drive us to despair. Let's bring a message of hope that things will get better. Let us be thankful for what we have. Let's bring joy and happiness with our words.

WORDS OF WISDOM

Nobody can assume that, to a writer, everything is off limits.

~Anne Beattie, American Writer (b.1947)

POETRY READING

Friday, November 7 2008 6:00pm
Son of a Pony!
Guerilla Lit, with Brian Townsley, direct from Los Angeles
+ the best open mike in NYC (arrive by 5.45pm to sign up.
Limited open mike, about 20 spots, 3 minutes each)
Hosted by Kathi Georges
The Cornelia Street Cafe
29 Cornelia Street (West 4th/Bleecker Street)
$7 includes 1 free drink
www.corneliastreetcafe.com
kgeokat@mac.com
212-989-9319
Subway: A/C/E/B/D/F/V to West 4th
or 1/9 to Christopher Street/Sheridan Square

Funny Poem

Making Memories

© By Krystal J. Ogans

I've been around the world.
I've observed the expansive Grand Canyon,
the towering Pyramids,the lonely Eiffel Tower,
the exotic Rainforest,and my own backyard.
I comfort and encourage you,as I travel with you,
like a sole passenger,
that can not be forgotten.
I capture great, fantastic, magical, things,
and stockpile them deep within me.
I produce memories,and hoard them,
just so you can hunt them out later.
I've been dropped,sat on,and stroked with small, sticky, children's fingers,
and nevertheless I do everything you ask.
And even if you misplace me on occasion,
when you unearth me,you spend time with me.
I can erase your old memories,even as you create new ones.
I am worn around your neck like the finest luxury jewels.

I am aCamera

Book Release Party

Bowery Books Presents- Janet Hamill -Body of Water, Book Release Party -FREE!
Bowery Books Presents- Janet Hamill -Body of Water, Book Release Party -FREE!
Plus Patti Smith and Lenny Kaye will be on hand to help celebrate the release.
This event will be a live WebCast! As part of our Poetry ON Demand series. Click this link to watch: http://www.rfg3travel.com/bowerylive103008.htmlBody of Water features several photographs by Patti Smith. Smith and Kaye will join Hamill in a performance of a selection of poems from the book. Bowery Books is proud to be putting out this book. And it will be a great party!"Janet Hamill is the author of four books of poetry: Troublante, The Temple, Nostalgia of the Infinite, and Lost Ceilings. Her work has appeared in many journals and anthologies, and she has read widely at venues and festivals in the U.S., England, and Ireland. A strong proponet of the spoken workd, she has release two CDs of poetry and music, Flying Nowhere and Genie of the Alphabet. Her work evokes a sensual world where the magical and spiritual merge in a transport of dream and experience."Standing by a body of water. Moving or standing still. In the dark green depths my soul finds its own level" -Janet Hamill
Bowery Books Presents- Janet Hamill -Body of Water, Book Release Party -FREE!
Bowery Books Presents- Janet Hamill -Body of Water, Book Release Party -FREE!
Plus Patti Smith and Lenny Kaye will be on hand to help celebrate the release.
This event will be a live WebCast! As part of our Poetry ON Demand series. Click this link to watch: http://www.rfg3travel.com/bowerylive103008.htmlBody of Water features several photographs by Patti Smith. Smith and Kaye will join Hamill in a performance of a selection of poems from the book. Bowery Books is proud to be putting out this book. And it will be a great party!"Janet Hamill is the author of four books of poetry: Troublante, The Temple, Nostalgia of the Infinite, and Lost Ceilings. Her work has appeared in many journals and anthologies, and she has read widely at venues and festivals in the U.S., England, and Ireland. A strong proponet of the spoken workd, she has release two CDs of poetry and music, Flying Nowhere and Genie of the Alphabet. Her work evokes a sensual world where the magical and spiritual merge in a transport of dream and experience."Standing by a body of water. Moving or standing still. In the dark green depths my soul finds its own level" -Janet Hamill

TODAY'S WORD

ANTHOLOGY

A collection of selected literary pieces or passages or works
of art or music.

Chapbook Reading in Brooklyn on Sat 10/25

CAConrad Reading @ Unnameable Books
SAT-10/25 8pm-9pm

UNNAMEABLE BOOKS
456 Bergen Street (bet. 5th & Flatbush)
Brooklyn

Host Laura Jamarillo and CAConrad celebrating her chapbook 'Reactionary Poems'

E-mail: unnameablebooks@earthlink.net for more info.

Subway: 2,3 to Bergen Street

WORDS OF WISDOM

I NEVER SAID MOST OF THE THINGS I SAID.


~YOGI BERRA, American Athlete (b.1925)

TODAY'S WORD

ALLEGRO adj., adv.,

Music brisk and rapid in tempo

Bluestockings Bookstore

I first visited Bluestockings ten or twelve years ago. It was a hole-in-the-wall bookstore located on Allen Street on the Lower East Side. It was small with a decent selection of books and magazines on the counterculture. There were books about war and exploitation, anarchy, racism, feminism, and global warming. I have always read radical rag sheets and articles outside the norm.

Bluestockings reminded me of my days as a young Bluestockings is larger with a coffee bar, tables and chairs, and a larger selection of books. Now there are books on issues important to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer communities. There are book and poetry readings practically every day. Local authors, slam artists, and connoisseurs of the spoken word share their works with a diverse audience. Bluestockings has film series from time to time about such hot topics as global warming and the displacement of indigenous people in South America.

If you enjoy reading books on the counterculture, Bluestockings Bookstore is the place to go. I tend to read books that are not on the best sellers lists but they do educate me just the same. Come down, have a cup of coffee and hang out at this Lower East Side establishment.

Bluestockings Bookstore

172 Allen Street near Stanton Street

New York, New York

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

There's more to being a teacher than just showing up and reading a book.

~from a classmate of mine

Readings at St. Mark's Church

POETRY PROJECT
Tomorrow 10/13 @ 8pm
Dan Featherston and Luisa Giuliano from their works

St. Marks Church in the Bowery
131 East 10th Street (@ 2nd Avenue)

Subway: 6 to Astor Place
F to Second Avenue
N/Q/R to Union Square

POEM

RISK

To laugh is to risk appearing the fool.
To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.
To reach out for another is to risk involvement.
To explore feelings is to risk exposing your true self.
To place your ideas and dreams
before a crowd is to risk their loss.
To love is to risk not being loved in return.
To live is to risk dying. To hope is to risk despair.
And to try is to risk failure.

~Unknown

WORDS OF WISDOM

God is the perfect poet.

-Robert Browning, English Poet (1812-1889)

TODAY'S WORD

POSTULANT

Candidate for a religious order.

TODAY'S WORD

NEOLOGISM
n. a new word.

LITERACY

It is estimated that around 50 million people in this country are classified as illiterate. By illiterate it means that these people cannot read or write proficiently to the acceptible norms to function in society. It doesn't mean that the people are lazy, unintelligent, or lack creativity. It's quite the opposite. I taught literacy to adults for five years. Many of them are creative, have skills, have drive and determination. They are overcomers in that they have carved out a decent life despite these deficiencies.

You may be asking what does literacy have to do with writing? Plenty. Just because people cannot read or write does not mean that they don't have a story to tell. Every one has one. I remember tutoring a young lady several years ago. She expressed her dislike for writing. I brought her to a bookstore and purchased a couple of books for her to read. I advised her to write something about what she read. In time, this young lady wrote some beautiful and heartfelt poetry.

I encouraged my students to keep a journal to record their feelings, thoughts, concerns, and triumphs. I saw some feel more at ease with themselves afterwards. I am studying to become a teacher. One of my concerns is that many young people are losing the love for the written word and reading. Many are computer savvy, know how to text message, and google. However, the knowledge and mastery of the English language is being lost. I maintain to the mind retains much from the written word than from technology such as the computer and texting. I'm NOT against technology; just that the art of writing is being lost.

In summary, there are many illiterate men and women who need to be encouraged to learn to read and write. How many stories and legacies could be kept in written form if these dear people could write it themselves. This is not something to be taken lightly.

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.