POETRY

THE NEW YORK QUARTERLY MONTHLY READING SERIES

Doug Treem, host & emcee

SUNDAY, JUNE 14TH @ 8 PM

BOWERY POETRY 
308 BOWERY



Please note tonight’s change of time & venue: Howl! Arts 6 East First Street (near the Bowery), New York, NY HTTP://WWW.HOWLARTS.ORG/ HTTP:// WWW.NYQ.ORG

Getting It Together

It's been a while. I battled with illness (terrible allergy) for over a week. Had to take care of some personal issues. 

I'm way behind in my reading. I've been play writing and writing some short stories. I meant to post some of the activities coming up but, as you can see, other things have interfered. I will post something later on or tomorrow about that.  

Words Of Wisdom

When you find yourself on the internet when you're suppose to be writing, you've already lost, It's even beyond procrastination when you end up on the internet.

~Noah Baumbach

A Play

MAXIMUM SECURITY

A play explores the lives of three cellmates and one guard in a Colombian maximum security prison.
Written by Piedad Bonnett. 
Directed by Nelson Celis  

Opening night is May 26th and runs thru June 14th.

Theater For The New City
155 First Avenue 
New York, NY

Go to www.theaterforthenewcity.net for more information. 

Activities in the coming weeks

Pride month will be soon upon us. However there's lots of other activities happening. I will post sevreal each day.

POEM

I Never Traveled This Road Before

I never traveled this road before

Lined with thick brush and boulders,

It looks strange and foreboding

There nothing familiar here to guide me.

Each step forward is a step closer 

To an unknown destination

No knowing what awaits me

But I trek on.

I'm nudged forward

By an unseen hand.

I turn around and

The footprints of my life are gone.

~Genevieve

Writing A Play

Right now I am writing a play titled 'Interview With A Transvestite.' It's something that came to me several days ago. It's a reflection of what has happened to me personally in my own life.

Words Of Wisdom

Poetry is thoughts that breathe, and words that burn.


~Thomas Gray, Poet (1716-1771)

MOTHERS

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Chuck Palahniuk

If you are a fan of Chuck Palahniuk, come to the Symphony Space on the upper west side. May 20th at 7:30 PM. The author of Fight Club, Haunted, and Choke selects and introduces reading from his first short story collection Make Something Up: Stories You Can't Read. For more information go to: 

www.symphonyspace.org


Symphony Space
2537 Broadway at 95th Street
New York, NY
Tel: 212-864-5400

Words Of Wisdom

Things rust, lie the heart. My cardiologist said 'It's a pump; use it-that's the sole advice I've got to give you.' It's the same with play writing. Don't theorize about it.  Do it.



~Peter Shaffer, Playwright (b.1926)

Education Through The Arts

The need for the arts in schools and education systems has been discussed ad nausea for years and yet many schools have lost their arts programs. Many young people are shortchanging because of the erroneous conclusion that arts and music programs are meaningless.

There are many ways of learning. Some students are visual learners, others verbal, and others logical. Some are gifted physically as they excel in sports, ballet, or modern dance. With the emphasis on testing, many students get lost and fall through the crack. The education system is doing it all wrong. If students are taught how to study, when they have a test in their respective subjects they will now what they have learned up to that point.

All is not lost. Churches, civic orgnizations, and non profitshave taken up some of the slack. Wouldn't be great if education systems wold see the real value of the arts and music programs. You would have well rounded students who can analyze and live in the world through their own prisms. I will benefit their respective communities as well.

RR: Bughouse Spin

This a a live storytelling event which will be held this Friday, May 8th, at 7 PM at KGB Bar & Restaurant. There is a $5 cover charge and two drink minimum.

KGB Bar & Restaurant
85 East 4th Street 
New York, NY

www.kgbbar.com

Poetry Tonight

Award winning poet Ron Padgett will read tonight from his latest book of poems, Alone and Not Alone at 7 PM at the St Mark's Bookshop in the East Village. The event is free to the public.

St. Mark's Bookshop
136 East 3rd Street
New York, NY

Book Review

Title: Letters To a Young Poet
Author: Rainier Maria Rilke
Grading: 7

This is a book that I found fascinating. I normally don't read letters of authors but in this case I had to. I've read some of Rilke's work in the past and I will add his name of authors that I'll need to know more about. 

His correspondence with one Mr. Kappus was stretch out through the passage of time. Months would elapse between letters but with each letter more of what Rilke wanted to impart to his young protege came through. I found Rilke and Mr. Kappus similar in their pursuit of solitude and their craft. I will need to do more research on Mr. Kappus's life to see if Rilke's advice influenced his work. 

I will need to read 'Letters....' a second time; something which I rarely do, to better understand Mr. Rilke's and Mr. Kappus' mindset. If you like reading letters and correspondences between authors, I'm sure this book will be to your liking.

More Plays and a Drama

It looks like play writing will be my main focus at the present time. I have written one play thus far. With pride month coming up I will write something in honor of LGBTQ people. I will write about my own experiences. 

Next month the drama club will be performing to celebrate pride month. Don't have all the information now but it sounds like it will be fun and a chance to educate people about what it is to be a transgender person. I'm really excited about all this.

Open Mic

Word Up Bookstore will have its monthly open mic o Friday May 1st from 7-9 PM.  All poets, writers, singers, rappers and other artists are welcome. For more info go to: 

www.wordup.com

Festival

The 11 Annual Pen Voices Festival will be held next week beginning on May 4th and running through May 10th.

Go to www.worldvoice.pen.org for more info.

Words Of Wisdom

With me poetry has not been a purpose, but a passion.


~Edgar Allan Poe Writer (1809-1849)

Writing Plays

I rewrote a play I had written a decade or so ago. My spouse wrote a play also and it may be performed at a future date. I'v gotten into play writing and really enjoy it. It has been one of the genres that I have wanted to get into for some time. Play writing , I believe, is more nuanced because character building is so important. I've have the chance to act also. Never thought that I would enjoy acting.

If I was a young person going into the arts, I prefer plays because I like to interact with the audience. Just last night I thought again about writing a play about experiences in my life. A friend suggested that to me several weeks ago. I am formulating something now.  

Attended Both

I had the chance to attend both book fairs mentioned in my last post. I went the Anarchist Book Fair first. There's much radical literature here, some of it very good. I believe that, if all these folks can find some common ground and work together, can implement change in the country. I am impressed with the number of publishers and presses which cater to the radical and counterculture side.

After hanging out in Washington Square Park for awhile, I rode the subway to the upper west side to attend the Rainbow Book Fair. Publishers, authors, and presses in the TGLBQ  communities are featured here. Being gender variant I wasn't going to miss this event. I chatted with a few of the authors and vendors and discovered some very creative and intelligent people who are proud of who they are. I saw a couple of books I wanted to purchase but was short o funds. I'll order them from their publishers in a couple of weeks.  

Two Upcoming Book Fairs

Words Of Wisdom

If poetry and the arts do anything, they can fortify your inner life, your inwardness.


~Seamus Heaney, Irish poet, (1939-2013)

Article

I read this article and really liked it. I'm passing it on to you.



http://www.tucsonweekly.com/tucson/breaking-borders/Content?oid=4954977

Words Of Wisdom

Poetry fettered, fetters the human race. Nations are destroyed or flourish in proportion as their poetry, painting, and music are destroyed or flourish.


~William Blake, Poet (1757-1827)

Writing Continuously

I have written everyday for the past two weeks. I don't ever remember doing that, at least in a very long time. I see that I have more inside of me than I thought. Then again maybe there's just more ideas right in front of me, but I'm paying more attention. Anyway, at least I'm writing. 

I'm editing a play that I wrote a decade ago. I'm also rethinking a novella I completed. Wow! There's so much to writing. It can get crazy but I love it!

KEEP CALM

Chapbook Festival Tomorrow

Remember tomorrow, April 2nd, is the NYC/CUNY Chapbook at the CUNY Graduate Center at 10 AM.

The Graduate Center/CUNY
365 Fifth Avenue @34th Street
New York, NY 10016

Words Of Wisdom

You fail only if you stop writing.

~Ray Bradbury, Writer (1920-2012)

Poem About Spring

Dear One Absent This Long While

BY LISA OLSTEIN

It has been so wet stones glaze in moss;

everything blooms coldly.

I expect you. I thought one night it was you

at the base of the drive, you at the foot of the stairs,

you in a shiver of light, but each time

leaves in wind revealed themselves,

the retreating shadow of a fox, daybreak.

We expect you, cat and I, bluebirds and I, the stove.

In May we dreamed of wreaths burning on bonfires

over which young men and women leapt.

June efforts quietly.

I’ve planted vegetables along each garden wall

so even if spring continues to disappoint

we can say at least the lettuce loved the rain.

I have new gloves and a new hoe.

I practice eulogies. He was a hawk

with white feathered legs. She had the quiet ribs

of a salamander crossing the old pony post road.

Yours is the name the leaves chatter

at the edge of the unrabbited woods.

Acting and Playwriting

My wife and I will put on our acting hats as we participate in a short drama at church. It's my first foray into acting in awhile. When I recite poems the pauses and inflections seem to come naturally to me. 

Right now I'm mulling the idea of writing a play about an experience in my life; I have so many. Yesterday, I went to the library and briefly scoured through plays by ancient Roman and Greek dramatists. I read a little bit work by Sophocles, Menander, and Euripides. I've written a play in the past and have had an interest in play-writing for years. I also discovered that writing for films is different from writing plays. I haven't delved into it yet.

Chapbook Festival

The annual NYC/CUNY Chapbook Festival will take place next Thursday at the CUNY Graduate Center from 10 AM to 7 PM on the concourse level.

The Graduate Center/CUNY
365 Fifth Avenue @ 34th Street
New York, NY 10016

www.chapbookfestival.org

Words Of Wisdom

Yet,it is true, poetry is delicious; the best prose is that which is most full of poetry.


~Virginia Woolf, Author (1882-1941)




Poetry and beauty are always making peace. When you read something beautiful you find coexistence; it breaks down walls.

~Mahmoud Darwish, Poet (1941-2008)

Robert Lowell

Recognized as one of twentieth century's greatest poets,Robert Lowell (1917-1977) was one of the originators of the 'confessional poets'. He influenced such writers as Sylvia Plath, W.D. Snodgrass, and Allen Ginsberg,  Lowell opened up a way for writers to write on subjects considered taboo in the 1950s with his collection of poems called Life Studies. Sex, infidelity, and mental illness were discussed in print.

Even through his struggles with marital difficulties and mental illness, Lowell wrote clear and lucid about his own struggles. In a sense, his and other work from the confessional poets are what writing is ultimately about. It may be uncomfortable for some but it's dealing real life experiences. I'm sure this book affected many lives back then and now.

Rilke

I first came in contact with Rilke (1875-1926) on a site I was researching. I read this quote from him "Love consists in this, that two solitudes protect and touch and greet each other". It didn't give me impetus to read his work but this quote remained in my subconscious. I'm reading this book and have discovered a poet trying to find himself and his own voice.  

Writing What Comes To Mind and PlayWriting

Yesterday, I attended a theater arts meeting at church. We learned about just writing without regard to punctuation, sentence structure etc. We just wrote what came into mind. Sometimes we writers can caught up in periods, commas, and such. That's the purpose of editing after we written our piece. 

Later, we did some play writing. I have written a couple of plays in the past. Today, the leader gave us a couple of plays to read. It was interesting the many moods the characters can illicit. Tone was stressed too, something I never considered before. I should have since I write poems and short stories. I attempted to write a play a few nights before. Now I have a better idea of what goes into a play.       

My takeaway from this is to write whatever comes to mind; just get it on paper before it's lost forever. That's why I carry a notebook and pen all the time.  I'm challenged to write a play. A friend suggested that I write about my life experiences. Now I have some information and ammunition to proceed ahead. 

Words Of Wisdom

Rap and spoken word have reawakened the country to poetry itself. Texting and Twitter encourage creative uses of casual language, in ways I have celebrated widely. But we have fallen behind on savoring the formal layer of our language.


~John McWhorter, Writer 

Like This Poem

I  read  this  poem  earlier today and liked it. Hope  you  do  also.

In cold spring air

Reginald Gibbons

In cold 
          spring air the
white wisp- 
          visible
breath of 
          a blackbird
singing— 
          we don’t know
to un- 
          wrap these blind-
folds we 
          keep thinking
we are  

seeing through 

Writing Plays

I was doing my wash at the laundromat when an an old friend recognized me. We hugged and exchange pleasantries. The conversation got to writing. We had met at a local bookstore over a year where he was the curator of an open mic series. My wife and I had read stories and poems there.

My friend is an actor who writes plays and stories. He asked if I was writing poems. I replied that I am along with short stories and commentaries. The subject got around to my life experiences and he suggested that I write about them. I never really thought about doing this. I wrote a play over a decade ago about the the days in between Jesus's crucifixion and his resurrection. 

Play writing is something I want to incorporate into my writing life. I am looking at some of my stories I've written and wonder if they can be turned into plays. I need to sit down and pour over my my life experiences and put them in play form.  I am a fan of Greek and Latin plays. I need to read plays by people like Sophicles and Aeschylus to get an idea of how to write a play.

Words Of Wisdom

Poetry is ordinary language raised to the Nth power. Poetry is boned with ideas, nerved and blooded with emotions, all held together by the delicate, tough skin of words.

~Paul Engle, Poet (1908-1991)

Today's Word

LECHER

A man who has a large or disgusting interest in sex.

Someone who constantly needs to have sex.

Poem

                                           Spring Defined



A respite between winter and summer

No more snowstorms

April showers

Never warm on Easter

Craving for jelly beans

Losing an hour of sleep

Shedding the winter coat

Allergies

Flowers in May

Summer is Coming!

Words Of Wisdom

The poet doesn't invent. He listens.


~Jean Cocteau, Director (1889-1963)

Taking A Second Look

I have a list of my favorite authors, which lists six. They are people who have had an influence on me as a writer. I also have a second list titled 'On My Radar'. Henry David Thoreau and Theodore Roethke are on this list. 

I have created a third list titled Must Take A Second Look'. Two people who make this list are Ronald Reagan and Daniel Patrick Moynihan. Usually, I would say such a list is created because either I have misread the person or need to know more about how a person ticks. This list could mean putting preconceived notions about the person and having an open mind. Not easy, but needs to be done. 

With Reagan I always wondered why he appealed to a lot of Americans. I didn't vote for him yet people seems to feel at ease with him as a leader. In regards to Senator Moynihan, he was vilified in the black community for a statement he made in a 1965 speech about 'benign neglect'. It was about father abdicating their responsibilities as fathers and heads of the family. The welfare people was telling poor women that they could receive more money from the government as long as a man wasn't around. Senator Moynihan that this would become a major problem, and it has. 

I can't say that it will change my view of Mr. Reagan and Senator Moynihan but at least I'll have a idea of what they were about and why they did the things they did.  

Words Of Wisdom

Most people read poetry listening for echoes because the echoes are familiar to them. They made through it the wade a boy wades through water, feeling with his toes for the bottom: The echoes are the bottom. 

~Wallace Stevens, Poet (1879-1955)

POETRY IN EAST VILLAGE

URBANA SLAM 35 featuring FRANNY CHOI

TUESDAY FEB. 24 @ 7 PM

Open mic, open slam 
Sign-up: 6:30 pm
Show @ 7 pm
Show ends: 9:30 pm

SIDEWALK CAFE
94 AVENUE A @ 6TH STREET
NEW YORK, NY

Finding You Own Voice

My wife and I were talking about writing. I shared with her about the short story and poem that I was currently working on. I mentioned that I'm searching for my voice in the poem. I went on to explain that I needed to hear my voice rather than what I believe should be my voice. 

We talked about our different styles. I told her that every writer has their own unique voice and it should be honored.  This current project that I'm in demonstrates to me that writing is a craft that demands discipline and dedication. I will write and rewrite a poem or story until it sounds right to me. 

Stay Calm

READINGS OF THE BEAT WRITERS

BEAT WRITERS:GINSBERG

The first in a series of readings of the beat generation writers.  

A celebration of Allen Ginsberg's life and poetry.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20 @ 6 PM
CORNELIA STREET CAFE
29 CORNELIA STREET
NEW YORK, NY 10014
212-989-9319 
$8. includes a drink, food menu available

www.corneliastreetcafe.com 

Words Of Wisdom

Great poetry is always written y somebody straining to go beyond what he can do.


~Stephen Spender, Poet (1909-1995)

Desolation Lookout

In the summer of 1956, Jack Kerouac spent 63 days as a fire lookout at this building in Washington state. He mentioned it in the book Dharma Bums. Kerouac was into Buddhism at the time and the mountain , Mt. Hozomeen, had a strong effect on him.

When confronted with his own shortcomings, Jack wallowed in them rather than continue his search. He was so close. Jack would never again experience such a precious time. Alcohol and death would finally end his search. 

Open Mic

THE POET IN NEW YORK
MONDAY FEB. 16 @ 9 PM 

BOWERY POETRY CLUB
308 Bowery 
New York, NY
Sign-Up @ 8:30 PM, 10 slots, first come, first serve
$10. admission at door

Happy Valentine

Words Of Wisdom

Better three hours too soon than a minute too late.

~William Shakespeare, Dramatist (1564-1616)

Charles Laughton Film Series

The Film Forum is currently featuring the films of Charles Laughton, (1899-1962), one of the twentieth century's greatest actors. The film series will continue through February 26. For more info go to:

 www.filmforum.com 

Writers Under The Radar

I read the works of different authors to get a feel of their thought process. I have my favorites and others who are very intriguing. There are those writers who seem to fly under the radar and yet they were great writers. Herman Melville and Delmore Schwartz come to mind. 

In the case of Melville I really don't understand why he didn't receive the recognition of, say, Walt Whitman. I will do more research into Melville's life because he is a compelling figure in literature.

Saturday Night Words

Students in the MFA writing program at Rutgers-Newark will be reading tonight.

KGB BAR
85 East 4th Street
New York, NY 10003

7pm-9 pm

Two Books Of Plays

This past Thursday I went to Strand bookstore and spent 1 1/2 hours there. My spouse and I love to go there but on this day I was alone. I purchased two books which are plays. The first is Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare. This is one of his plays I'm not familiar with. I've read thirteen of his plays previously. TO me Shakespeare is the greatest playwright of all time.

The other book is John Cameron Mitchell's Hedwig and The Angry Inch. This has been performed on Broadway or off Broadway (I can't recall). It's popular  the TGLB community. I'll read it and give a report on it. 

Words Of Wisdom

Pain is filtered in a poem so that it becomes finally, in the end, pleasure.


~Mark Strand, Poet (1934-2014)

Bookstore in SOHO

I visited this independent bookstore on Prince Street today for the first time. It has two floors (ground level and a downstairs) and a decent selection of books. There's a small cafe on the ground floor.

I will attend one of their readings this month to see what it's like.

McNally Jackson Books
52 Prince Streets
New York, NY 10012
(212) 274-1160
Website:mcnallyjackson.com 

A Dilemma

There's so many things to write about; choosing which topic you want to discuss is write about is quite another story. It's a dilemma I sometimes face. I have written poems, commentaries, essays, novellas, short stories, and on a couple of occasions, a play.

Part of my dilemma is that my mind works at the speed of light while my pen is just chugging along. Right now I'm working on a long poem and a short story. I'm looking for my own voice with the former and for the latter, it's dialogue. 

The craft of writing is continually a work in progress. It is not an exact science because a lot of curve balls can come when I least expect it. Through all this, I still love to write.

Readings At Poetry Project

Monday, February 2nd at 8 PM

Holly Melgard and Morgan Parker reading from their works 

Poetry Project
131 East 10th Street
New York, NY 10003
(212) 674-0910
info@poetryproject.org

Words Of Wisdom

Poetry is an echo, asking a shadow to dance.


~Carl Sandburg, poet (1878-1967)

Dance

DANCE:Access
Raja Feather Kelly& Tzveta Cassabova
January29-31 @ 8PM

This is a collaboration of four distinct works consisting of two solos and two duets.

Dance Space Project
131 East 10th Street
New York, NY 10003
Phone: (212) 674-8112
Fax: 9212) 529-2318
Tickets: (866) 511-4111

Email: info@dancespaceproject.org 

Still Choosing

I'm still picking out what books to read this year. Add to the books that I want to purchase and I have quite a conundrum of choices. One of the books that I will read is the Constitution of the Unites States. I read this every year and now with all that's happening on the political landscape, it's important to know what our rights are.

Zora Neale Hurston

Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960) was a folklorist, author, and anthropologist. Her most famous book is the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God. Ms. Hurston was more conservative than her counterparts such as Langston Hughes.

She was criticized for her use of the African American dialect in her novels. Decades earlier, Paul Laurence Dunbar, was criticized for the same thing. To me people DID talk that way so why shouldn't it be talked about. Ms. Hurston was criticsed for her conservative beliefs. Unlike her counterparts she opposed the New Deal, Brown vs. Board of Education ruling,  and communism. She supported  the self-help ideas of Booker T. Washington and foreign policy non-intervention. 

Her books and writings are not reviewed much but I believe that they are worth going over again. Ms. Hurston in my mind is an underrated writer.

Words Of Wisdom

The crown of literature is poetry.


~W. Somerset Maugham, British Playwright (1874-1965)

Brain Too Fast For Hand To Write

I have a lot of stories and commentaries to write about. The trouble comes when I don't know which one to write first. Too many ideas buzz in my head which sometimes results in me not doing anything. I've been writing a chapbook for a couple of years and am still writing it. 

My problem comes because I think much faster than I write. I have a ton of notebooks lying here. I have ideas but need to focus on them AND complete them. This has been a lifetime battle for me. When I complete my projects, I feel good about it. I'm sure a lot of writers have gone through the same thing I do. It does get frustrating because I could be much further along in my writing.

Right now I'm creating an action plan as to how to complete my projects. Sure isn't easy because I need to slow down and focus. The writing part is easy; it's the organizing part that's difficult.  
 

Tapping in Greenwich Village

TAPPING INTO NEW YORK
K, host.  Combines tap dance and memoir to tell a story
TUESDAY, January 20th @ 6 pm 
Cornelia Street Cafe
29 Cornelia Street
New York, NY 10014
212-989-9319

SELMA

My wife and I watched this film today and it didn't disappoint. The events that happened conjured up the emotions I felt back then. The film focused on an event that was a turning point point in the direction of the civil rights movement. I recommend it for middle school and high school students as some may not know some the history of the civil rights movement.

Words Of Wisdom

Poetry is not an expression of the party line. It's that time of night, lying in bed, thinking what you really think, making the private world public, that's what the poet does.


~Allen Ginsberg, Poet (1926-1997)

Film Festival

New York Jewish Film Festival

January 14-29

Features world, US and New York film premieres

Go to filmlinc.com for information.

Fiction Reading

At The Inkwell:Fiction Night
January 14, 2015  7pm-9pm

Readings by Lori A. May, Suzanne Palmieri  and Kristen Fealy

Authors and Alcohol

A number of the writers and poets I have read and admired have also had alcohol/drugs as a companion. Women could give men a run for their money in the amount of alcohol they consumed. Prolific writers like Edna St. Vincent Millay, Jack Kerouac, Theodore Roethke, Dorothy Parker, Edgar Allan Poe, William Faulkner, Jean Stafford and Carson McCullers all were enslaved to drink. 

Some confessed that alcohol brought on their creative juices. Others drank to forget painful memories. Poet John Berryman was deeply affected by his father's suicide when he was twelve. Drink medicated that January day in 1972 when he threw himself off a bridge. Dorothy Parker, a screenwriter, critic and poet seems  to have many watering holes wherever she lived or visited. 

I often wonder what kind of work they would have written or produced if they hadn't been enslaved to drink drugs? Most of them had troubled and unhappy childhoods. The events that happened during those times shaped the way and the topics they wrote about. While all of them are gone, they left some great pieces of literature.

Words Of Wisdom

Discipline is what makes a writer. If writing is like lifting weights, then I'd look like Mr. Universe. Write every day. Give the Muse a chance to get to know you.

~Tony D'Souza

Goals

Every year at this time, I set goals for the year. Not only do I set them but chose a time frame as to when they will achieved.

It's important that the goals are realistic. Making them too difficult may bring discouragement when they are not met. There's no shame in scaling back once you find a goal unrealistic. You also don't want goals that are too easy. Goals need to challenge, to stretch our horizons. When one goal is achieved, set another one. 

It is important to focus and don't let other people's criticisms stop you from achieving your goals. I always say that no one else can live your life. When people have success it challenges them to seek greater goals. Happy 2015! 

More Photos from Poetry Marathon

Here are some more photos of folks who read at the New Year's Day Poetry Marathon.

Poetry Marathon

My wife and I attended a poetry marathon earlier this evening. Below are some of the readers.

Happy 2015

Words Of Wisdom

There is creative reading as well as creative writing.


~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Review of 2014

There were a number of accomplishments is year. I wrote poems, read two books per month (crazy), improved my writing. My major accomplishment was reading five books by Jack Kerouac. The titles were: Beat Reader
          Jack's Book- Oral Biography
          Dharma Bums-liked this book the best
          Big Sur
          Atop an Underwood  

I am a big fan of the Beat Generation. I learned much more about Kerouac from many different perspectives. To me he was the best of them. He lived life rather than intellectualize what life is and should be. Kerouac has more more that I will read in 2015. 

Another achievement is that my interest in horror stories. I read Bram Stoker's (of Dracula Fame) horror stories and found them very creative and the type of horror that I hope to write about. It's funny but several years I thought that horror stories were junk. Edgar Allan Poe changed my thoughts about the genre when I read The Fall Of The House Of Usher.

I didn't write as much as the previous year but looked at ways to improve the poems I've already written. It's an ongoing process. Overall, 2014 was a productive year.