Ann Cefola's Blog, page 2

your april annogram

 

Good Contrivance Farm
Reisterstown, MarylandDear annogrammers,Welcome to sun-inspiring spring, National Poetry Month, your news, my news, andcreative opportunities for all. Lots of books, great events, amemory of the New York poetry scene, and, yes, quiche—so call on your appetite and get out your fork, if not pen andnotebook. 

 

Hélène Sanguinettiand Domaine des englu é s

 

Hélène Sanguinetti Congratulations to Hélène on giving two workshops, “Dans les courants de lafleuve” (In the currents ofthe river), last month at the Museon Arlaten (France). Once again I’m totally intrigued intranslating her latest book, Domaine des englués (La Lettre Volée, 2017), which includes afascinating Q&A with Jean-Baptiste Para, former editor-in-chief of Europe , France’s leadingliterary review.

 

ModPo Creator Answers OurQuestions

 

Al FilreisEverwonder if MFA programs are just cash cows for universities? What would awriting program director, in contact with some of the most innovative poets onthe planet, say about poets’ use of social media? Get these answers and morefrom ModPo’s Al Filreis in my interview with him in themost recent Fast Flesh Literary Journal —agorgeous online journal calling for work (see Creative Opportunities).

 

JupiterHammon Project

 

Joseph Lloyd ManorThanks to Terry Dugan for alerting us to this Preservation Long Island project. Poet Jupiter Hammon (1711- ca.1806), enslaved at the JosephLloyd Manor, wasone of the first African American authors published during his lifetime. His writingsoffer powerful insight into slavery and freedom before and after the AmericanRevolution. His legacy is preserved at the manor, today a NationalLiterary Landmark.

 

Poetry X Hunger

 

Takudzwa ChikepeFounded to bring poets to theanti-hunger cause, Poetry X Hunger has partnered with the United Nations,foodbanks, and arts councils to fight against hunger. Founded by poet Hiram Larew, the initiative recently collaboratedwith ThePoartry Project toraise funds for Feed the Children. One collaboration includes HowFar Are We from Food by Zimbabwean poet Takudzwa Chikepe.

 

The DogWe Fell In Love With

 

Sawyer depressed in the TV adAmong all the Super Bowl ads, was your heart won over by the rescue dog whotook apart his family’s house? His name is Sawyer and, in real life, he wasrescued from the streets at eight months by his trainer. We hope he is gettingroyalties as Amazon shows its charming ad nightly! Here is his story,his owner’s story, and the auditions that took place for his starring role.

 

CreativeOpportunities

 

Fast Flesh Literary Journal  call for flash fiction, nonfiction, poetry, book reviews,interviews, craft essays, and hybrid or cross-genre work

 

Open Door Magazine, call for poems on envy, by April 30

 

The Pedestal Magazine, call for poems May 8-June 4

 

The Poet anthologies, call for poems on addiction, by April 30

Chartres Rosette North

 

Politics and Prose online class on Garcia Lorca, $130, April 12, 19, 26, May 3, 6-8pm ET

 

Catholic Literary ArtsSacred Poetry Contest, see artwork onsite to prompt poems, $25 fee, by
April 30

 

Wildhouse Poetry Chapbook Contest, $25 fee, by April 15

 

 

New and RecentReleases

Mary Calvi, Ifa Poem Could Live and Breathe: A Novel of Teddy Roosevelt’s First Love (St. Martin’s Press)

 

Dennis Daly, PsalmsComposed in Utter Darkness (DosMadres Press)

 

Fast Flesh Literary Journal

First Literary Review-East

 

Michael Gottlieb, Collected Essays (Chax Press)

 

Jerry T. Johnson, A Coldness (Finishing Line Press) pre-order

 

Hiram Larew, Patchy Ways (CyberWit Press, 2023)

 

OpenDoor Magazine

 

Pedestal91+

 

Rachel Louise Snyder, No Visible Bruises: What We Don’t Know AboutDomestic Violence Can Kill Us (BloomsburyPublishing)

Sam Taylor, translator, Picasso the Foreigner (Macmillan) by Annie Cohen-Solal

 

Meredith Trede, BringingBack the House (BroadstoneBooks)

 

Joseph Zaccardi, Songbirdsof the Nine Rivers(Sixteen Rivers Press)

 

 

CreativeWorkshops

 

Ethelbert MillerSteve Almond, Writinginto Deep Truth, May4, 10am-4pm, $200; Craft talk How to Create an Irresistable Narrator, June 3, 5pm, $20; Good ContrivanceFarm (Maryland), email Ron@historicfarm.org to register

 

Ethelbert Miller, Catching One’s Breath: Reading and RememberingBefore Writing the Memoir, May 6, 10am-4pm,$200; Craft talk The WritingLife and How to Write the Political Poem, May 13, 5pm, $20; Good Contrivance Farm (Maryland), email Ron@historicfarm.org to register

 

All-Genre Writers Group, 6:30pm, Thursdays

 

John McMullenJohn McMullen Poetry Workshop, 6pm, fourth Wednesdays

 

Mahopac Poetry Workshop, 6pm, second Wednesdays

 

ModPo, University of Pennsylvania’s freepoetry course and global community

 

NorwalkPoetryWorkshop, first and third Mondays, 6:30pm; email poet_laureate@norwalkpl.org to register

Alison McBain, P.C. Keeler, and Ed AhernThe Peekskill Writing Table, serious critique for writers, secondand third Tuesdays via Zoom; email tpwritingtable@gmail.com

 

The Poets Salon, led by Ed Ahern and Alison McBain of Fairfield Scribes Press, 10am, every second Saturday

 

Writers and Artists Lunch Conversation, secondFridays, noon

 

 

April+ Events –ET

 

Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery,Meg Lindsay’s painting,“Friends on Their Devices in the MoMASculpture Garden,” one of 49 art pieces at the juried show until April 1

Beyond VanGogh (Long Island) andyoga with Christina Rau, April 1 or April 15, 9am; yoga routine that matchesthe animation and music, and then includes access afterward to the show; $72;register here

Joe ZaccardiBook Passage (Corte Madera, CA), April 2, 4pm, (LIVE) poetsBarbara Swift Brauer, Matt Monte, Joe Zaccardi

 

HVWC, April 2, 4pm, Susana Case, Tony Howarth, Lily Greenberg, Ann Lauinger,Lynn McGee, Margo Stever, Mervyn Taylor, Meredith Trede, Estha Weiner; (LIVE)$10 or (Zoom) free; register here

The Albertine Bookstore
The Albertine Bookstore, April 3, 6pm, Jonathan Galassi discusses Picasso the Foreigner (Macmillan) with author Annie Cohen-Solal (LIVE);register here

 

Centre for Poetic Innovation (Scotland), April 3, 12:15pm, poet Alexander Dickow; to register for Zoom link, email el40@st-andrews.ac.uk

Christina Rau


ChristinaRau-led chats, April10, 6:30pm, Let’s Write Some Poems, to register: info@babylonarts.org; April 13, 7pm, PoetLaureate Poems, Facebook or Zoom(Meeting 851 8927 9519 PW: 319193); April 27, 7pm, National Poetry Month PromptParty, Facebook or Zoom(Meeting: 890 5692 9134 PW: 670375)

Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club, April 18, 7pm, BethGersh-Nesic, PhD on “Impressionism’s Women,” such as Marie Braquemond and her painting at left, “On the Terrace at Sèvres” (1880); Zoom event; register here, $25
Scarsdale Public Library, April 18, 7pm, No Visible Bruises: A Community Read with author Rachel Louise Snyder, Zoomevent; register here

NorwalkPublic Library, April 22, 6:30pm, Writers in Conversation hosted by LaurelPetersen; Victoria Buitron and Ronit Plank (LIVE)

Victoria Buitron

Sketchbook Brewing Company (Evanston), April 22, 3pm, Rhino Reads: KatieHartsock and Dara Yen Elerath (LIVE)

Federation ofAlliances Françaises USA, May 31, 4pm, Beth Gersh-Nesic, PhD on “Cubism and theTrompe L’Oeil,” Zoom event; register here, $10

 

 

Monthly Readings– ET

 

Ralph Nazareth hosts Curley's Diner


First Sunday, 4pm, Poetic License (Austin)

 

Every Tuesday, 2pm, Spoken Word World (Paris)

Marc Vincenz, a LitBalm host

 

Every Tuesday, 7pm, Curley’s Diner

 

Third Fridays, 7pm, Hudson Valley Writers CenterOpen Mic – clickthird Friday for details

 

Frequent Saturdays (check Facebook), 5pm,LitBalm

 

 

Sweet Potato Crust Quiche

 

Leave it to superb cook Linda Simone to share this recipe! Paleo, dairy free if you like, and Linda advisesyou can switch out the spinach for sliced steamed zucchini.

 

Crust:

Photo by Linda Simone2 sweet potatoes, peeled,finely sliced

1 tablespoon extra-virgin oliveoil

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 onion, finely chopped

½ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon ground pepper

 

Quiche:

14 ounces frozen spinach

4 eggs

¾ cup unsweetened coconut or othermilk

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ cup grated Swiss cheese

 

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter orcoconut-oil a 9-inch pie plate. In fry pan, warm olive oil, add garlic andonion, and fry, stirring, until golden brown. Add spinach, cover, and reduce tolow heat. Cook 15 minutes until spinach is tender. Salt and pepper. Peelpotatoes, then use a mandolin slicer to finely slice. Arrange slices, carefulto cover entire bottom. Cut slices in half for a flat bottom and crust border. Prebakepotato crust 15 minutes. Spread cooked spinach over pre-baked potato crust. Setaside. In mixing bowl, beat eggs, coconut milk, and nutmeg. Salt and pepper. Pouregg mixture onto crust. Top with grated cheese or almond meal. Bake 25-30minutes or until potatoes are soft and cheese is grilled. Serve immediately.

 

ʼ Round the Net

The Frame (1983) by Frida Kahlo
Guitarist andsongwriter Michael Cefola on discovering shuffle dancer extraordinaire Sven Otten 

 

Writer and editor Larry Faltz on sharing this flash fiction byFrederic Brown--read especially if you are nervous about AI taking over

 

Art historianand translator BethGersh-Nesic on her eye-opening article in Bonjour Paris, “Frida in Paris: The Clothes, theExhibition, the Affair”

 

Joy Harjo




Poet JoyHarjo on winning the 2023 Yale Bollingen Prize for AmericanPoetry

Cindy HochmanPoet CindyHochman on The Compulsive Reader’s review of Telling You Everything (Unleash Press); latest FirstLiterary Review-East featuring Heath Brougher,Marge Piercy and Marc Vincenz; poems in SurVision Magazine (Ireland), which also includes KarenNeuberg poems; and in the upcoming anthology Play (Australia) with work by Bob Heman

J. Chester JohnsonCivil rightshistorian and racial justice advocate J.Chester Johnson, on being interviewed by Tavis Smiley, and for his recommended reading list for black-clear healing and reconciliation

 

Poet Hiram Larew on his interview on the Linda K. Sienkiewicz blog

 

Jack Kerouac (1922-1969)
Poet HellerLevinson for this video of William Buckley interviewing Jack Kerouac and others on the “hippiephenomena”

 

Poet and artist Meg Lindsay on juried work at the Thorne-SagendorphArt Gallery

Yorktown Poet Laureate John McMullen for Steve Jobs’s advice on living your best life and this article celebrating more women published for the first time

 

Poet and novelist Kevin Pilkington for sharing the trailer for his newbook, TakingOn Secrets (BlueJade Press)

Bassist LarrySchwartzman for this video of DavidBowie and Jeff Beck in 1973

Cellist and music archivist Jay Shulman on Peter Aaron’s Chronogram review of AlanShulman: The Tattooed Stranger (Bridge Recordings)

Poet and watercolorist Linda Simone on having her artwork highlighted in San Antonio Report 

Writer and disability rights advocate Jim Sinocchi for this candid andinsightful podcast interview

 

Playwright, performer, and artist Fran Sisco on winning Best Music Videofor Carousel Girl at the Cutting Room International Short Film Festival, and for the Zoom debut of her play, It’s An Italian Thing! No,It’s A Black Thing

 

Playwright, poet, and memorist Sarah Bracey White on having her play  An Adventure in Greenswamp  debut in the latest Westchester Review

 

YourAAA Today for this article, “8 Great Small Bookstoresin the Northeast”

 

 

The New York Scene and Peter Chelnik

 

Bob Heman and Cindy Hochman
at Cornelia Street Café

New York inthe early 2000s was a Golden Age of Poetry. There was the Gotham Book Mart, there was CorneliaStreet Café—which, as a poet reading there, felt like being aningénue turning Hollywood and Vine; and in the mail Jackie Sheeler’s NYC Poetry Calendar on bright-colored paper, amenu of readings from elite university events to beloved hole-in-the-wallfestivals. I would circle astonishing opportunities—such as hearing JohnAshbury (1927-2017), Seamus Heaney (1939-2013), Galway Kinnnell (1927-2014), orSharon Olds.

 

As part of thisscene, Peter Chelnik arranged his Prairie Fire readings everywhere fromoff-Broadway theaters with broken seats to delis where you had to pause whenthe meat slicer was in use. He featured musicians including my husband, guitarist Michael Cefola, doing a Delta Blues set with his best friend from childhood, bassist Larry Schwartzman, or a cello solo by our longtime friend JayShulman—a reunion of sorts as we all had attended high school with Peter. Iloved reading alongside poets such as Austin Alexis and Evie Ivy. A Beat poet, Peter collected his work in HeyGirl (Little SkyPress, 2016). This year, we said goodbye to this relentless impresario,big-bear-of-a-poet who promoted so many—and I add my warmest gratitude too.

 

Until next time,

Ann

 

 

 

 

your i-heart annogram

Dear annogrammers, We have some soup to warm you up this dreary February! And for Valentine’s, revelations of divine love, and an exacting clam. Sound crazy? No. It is your typical annogram, full of the literary news and creative opportunities you love.

 

All Shall Be Well

 

Julian of Norwich (1342-c1416)When Dos Madres publisher Robert Murphy once quoted Julian of Norwich (1342-c1416) to me, I was impressed. Not many know about the anchorite whose visions informed Revelations of Divine Love , one of the earliest writings in English by a woman. That’s one reason I am thrilled my poem, “Intervention,” will appear this May in the All Shall Be Well tribute anthology edited by UK poet Sarah Law.

 

Reader’s Choice Award in China

Yan River Reader's Choice AwardAfter Chinese translator Chen Du translated a handful of my poems that appeared in the distinguished Yan River literary journal, we received a Reader’s Choice Award. Chen Du and her co-translator, Xisheng Chen, also translate into English the work of contemporary Chinese poet Yan An. Find most recent work in The Dodge , The Hopkins Review , and Our Changing Earth (The Poet) anthology.

 

Hélène Sanguinetti and Exacting Clam

Hélène Sanguinetti at Mémo d’OullinsCongratulations to Hélène on reading with François Charvet at the Coïncidences Poétiques at Mémo d’Oullins (France) last month! More good news: Exacting Clam , the literary journal of Sagging Meniscus Press, will publish my translation of Hélène’s poem, “I took 3 cows to the country,” that debuted in the French journal Vinaigrette. Woo-hoo as we say, or Ouah in French….

 

Telling You Everything

That is the title of Cindy Hochman's latest book, whose wonderful poems combine Plath-like gravitas and Dorothy Parker street savvy. All the wit you enjoy in Cindy’s Monday Facebook posts on English grammar animates this volume as well. As editor of First Literary Review-East, she works her powers of discrimination to create an utterly delightful and satisfying read. Highly recommended!

 

Honoring Jeff Beck

Jeff Beck (1944-2023)Thanks to Michael, the favorite guitarist in my life, I attended the ARMS Benefit (1983) where Yardbird guitarists Beck, Clapton, and Page reunited; Beck-Clapton Together and Apart (2010), Beck-Brian Wilson-Beach Boys concert (2013), and Beck with Tyler Bryant at the Capitol Theater (2015). After Beck’s first Fillmore East show, Michael met him outside with “You were great tonight!” He replied, “I know,” and then kicked a soccer ball to his new vocalist Rod Stewart. We will miss Beck’s creative genius, which included everything from crunchy techno fireworks to haunting vocal-like solos.

 

Creative Opportunities

 

Kevin PilkingtonSteve Almond, Writing into Deep Truth, Maine Media Workshop, August 14-18, $1450

 

Nick Flynn, Memoir as Bewilderment, Maine Media Workshop, July 10-14, $1450

 

Green Linden Press Chapbook open call, by March 20

 

Kevin Pilkington, Best Words—Best Order Poetry Workshop, Maine Media Workshop, July 17-21, $1396

 

The Poet anthologies, call for poems on suicide, by March 31; and addiction, by April 30

 

Federico García Lorca (1898-1936)Politics and Prose online class on Garcia Lorca, $130, April 12, 19, 26, May 3, 6-8pm ET

 

Wildhouse Poetry Chapbook Contest, $25 fee, by April 15

 

Writing the Walls, a literary response to artwork at the Hudson Valley MOCA, by February 5

 

New and Recent Releases

 

John Bradley, Dear Morpheus, The Glue That is You (Dos Madres Press)

 

Cagibi

 

Joanne M. Clarkson, Hospice House (Moonpath Press)

 

Jim Daniels, The Human Engine at Dawn(Wolfson Press)

First Literary Review-East

 

Cindy Hochman, Telling You Everything (Unleash Press)

 

Nathalia Holt, Wise Gals: The Spies Who Built the CIA and Changed the Future of Espionage (G.P. Putnam’s Sons)

Giorgia Pavlidou, Haunted by the Living – Fed by the Dead (Anvil Tongue Books)

 

Pedestal 91

 

Mark Saba, Flowers in the Dark (Kelsay Books)

 

Meredith Trede, Bringing Back the House (Broadstone Books) pre-order

 

Creative Workshops

 

All-Genre Writers Group, 6:30pm, Thursdays

 

John McMullen Poetry Workshop, 6pm, fourth Wednesdays

 

Photo by Marcus Paulos PradoMahopac Poetry Workshop, 6pm, second Wednesdays

 

ModPo, University of Pennsylvania’s free poetry course and global community

 

Norwalk PoetryWorkshop, first and third Mondays, 6:30pm; email poet_laureate@norwalkpl.org to register

 

The Peekskill Writing Table, serious critique for writers, second and third Tuesdays via Zoom; email tpwritingtable@gmail.com

 

The Poets Salon, led by Ed Ahern and Alison McBain of Fairfield Scribes Press, 10am, every second Saturday

 

Writers and Artists Lunch Conversation, second Fridays, noon

 

February Events – ET

Suzanne ClearyHVWC, February 1, 7pm; poet Suzanne Cleary introduces Spencer Reece, Ashley M. Jones, Rick Mulkey (LIVE), register here

Great Weather for Media Ten-Minute Readings on Facebook, Wednesdays, 7:30pm: February 1, Tony Medina; February 8, Kevin Powell; February 15, devorah major; February 22, Danny Simmons; register hereby 7:15pm

devorah majorThorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery, February 9-April 1, Meg Lindsay painting in juried show

Facebook, February 13, 6:30pm, Poetry Chat: Let’s Talk About Imagists with poet Christina Rau; register (free event): info@babylonarts.org

 

Robert SavinoLong Island Poetry & Literature Repository, February 16, 7pm, poets Christina Rau and Robert Savino; open mic follows

QED Astoria and on Facebook, February 26, 7pm, Poets of Queens, tickets here, $10+EventBrite fee

 

Now through March 5, New York Public Library, Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, Virginia Woolf: A Modern Mind, free: register here

 

 

Monthly Readings – ET

 

First Sunday, 4pm, Poetic License (Austin)

 

Every Tuesday, 2pm, Spoken Word World (Paris)

 

Every Tuesday, 7pm, Curley’s Diner

 

Third Fridays, 7pm, Hudson Valley Writers Center Open Mic – click third Friday for details

 

Frequent Saturdays (check Facebook), 5pm, LitBalm

 

Broccoli-Cheddar Soup

 

This recipe, from vegetarian blog Love and Lemons, seems perfect for the raw damp weather we’ve been having in New York. Some of you asked what vegetarian chicken broth is—it is Edward and Sons Not-Chick’n Bouillon Cubes from Whole Foods. Click on link below for the crusty croutons which seem like a must. Stay warm!

 

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

½ teaspoon sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

3 garlic cloves, chopped

¼ cup all-purpose flour

2 cups whole milk or unsweetened almond milk  

2 cups vegetarian chicken broth

3 cups chopped broccoli florets

1 large carrot, julienned or finely chopped

½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese, about 2 heaping cups

Homemade croutons, for serving, optional

 

Melt butter in large pot over medium heat. Add onion, salt, and several grinds of pepper and stir, 5 minutes, or until softened. Stir in garlic and cook for another minute, then sprinkle in flour and whisk continuously 1-2 minutes, or until flour turns golden. Slowly pour in milk, whisking continuously. Add broth, broccoli, carrot, and mustard, and stir. Simmer 15-20 minutes, or until broccoli is tender. Gradually add cheese, stirring after each addition, until all cheese is melted and soup is creamy. Season to taste and serve with croutons, if desired.

 

 

ʼ Round the Net

 

Poet Jean-Luc Pouliquen on presenting “Gaston Bachelard, les poètes et la poésie” recently at Rencontres Philo in La Valette-de-Var (France), and on his book which further explores Bachelard

 

Poet Robert Fanning on having composer David Biedenbender perform “in a field of stars” based on Robert’s poem “Infinity Room,” and both talking about it, at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Northwest Arkansas to a packed audience

 

Art historian and translator Beth Gersh-Nesic on her superb essay, “André Salmon's ‘The Fable Of The Tin Fish’ Explained and Explored in the Met Museum's ‘Cubism And the Trompe L'Oeil Tradition’’’

 

Poet John C. Goodman for this excellent essay, “Obscurity in Poetry,” that explains the development of varied traditions in poetry

 

Poet Cindy Hochman on her new book, Telling You Everything, and the latest issue of First Literary Review-East

 

Photographer and poet Michael Holstein on being named the Westchester Art Council’s Volunteer of the Year

 

Author Nathalia Holt on having Wise Gals selected as the BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week

 

Poet, essayist, and translator J. Chester Johnson, interviewed by Cornelius Eady, on speaking about the Elaine Race Massacre in this Poets House podcast

 

Poet Jerry T. Johnson on his forthcoming book A Coldness from Finishing Line Press

 

Poet and artist Meg Lindsay on her painting in Intima; upcoming poem in inScribe; another poem, painting, and essay in April Tinnitus Today; and juried work at the Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery, February 9-April 1

 

Yorktown Poet Laureate John McMullen for sharing this poignant analysis of a Whitman poem, and another on Leonard Cohen’s use of religious imagery

 

Poet and artist Giorgia Pavlidou on the Rain Taxi review of her latest book, Lit Balm reading (0:56), and video of a recent reading from Athens

 

The New York Public Library for sharing its Top Checkouts of 2022

 

Bassist Larry Schwartzman for this video of Jeff Beck and Rosie Bones Live at the Hollywood Bowl (2017)

 

Cellist and music archivist Jay Shulman on this Classics Today review of Laura Newell: The Philharmonia Recordings (Artek, 2022)

 

Poet and watercolorist Linda Simone for this fun visual of childhood pop culture (zoom in)  

 

Poet and filmmaker Bob Zaslow for this animation of his children’s book, The Mayfly and the Methuselah Tree

 

Change of Pace

 

The annogram schedule is changing as a way to produce a more thoughtful newsletter, and to allow me more time for creative pursuits: I plan two spring issues in April and June, a fall one in September, and a holiday November/December issue. It is amazing what we all are accomplishing! Please continue to send your news; I can share your glad tidings in past tense if need be.

 

Until next time,

Ann

your merry annogram

Dear annogrammers, Wishing you wonderful holidays, where we bring light into the dark of winter, celebrate cherished traditions, and open ourselves to joy. In Huntington (NY), festivities include lighting the Leg Lamp, aka “a major award,” well-known thanks to the iconic film A Christmas Story . Whatever you do, have fun, be safe, and give thanks for those you love.

 

 

What? No Madeleine?

 

In Beth Gersh-Nesic’s fantastic new blog, Beyond Babka , we learn that a tea-soaked madeleine did not inspire Proust’s memory of his childhood—but toast, or the unpalatable French word tranche. A first draft reveals the historic literary moment arrived via toast and jam (confiture). We can thank the great writer for substituting the more magical-sounding madeleine, cradled in a teaspoon of the herbal tilleul. For more, Beth shares this article with more unknown facts on Proust.

 

 

Virginia Woolf: A Modern Mind

 

Virginia Woolf (1882–1941) spent her creative life pushing the boundaries of literature. Best known for Mrs. Dalloway (1925), To the Lighthouse (1927), and A Room of One’s Own (1929), she engaged questions of gender, class, consciousness, and privilege. Now the New York Public Library is providing an intimate view of the author’s life and creative process through her personal notebooks and diaries, family photographs, and unpublished letters. Free through March 5; register here.

 

 

Sarah Bracey White Sizzles

 

Congratulations to Sarah on being named Westchester Senior of the Year. Poet, playwright, memoirist, and public speaker, Sarah has shared her talent for decades by creating, among many projects, youth writing workshops and hundreds of art exhibits as executive director of Greenburgh Arts and Culture. Her memoir Primary Lessons(CavanKerry Press) precipitated Transcendence, where she debuted as playwright and actor last year; and she is a frequent Read650(see 1:12:45) reader. Wow!

 

 

Holly Jolly Holiday Art Show & Boutique

 

"The Last Supper" (2022)
Watercolor and acrylic on paper
by Laura LopezIn On December 17, 2-4 pm, Kapej Gallery & Cafe (San Antonio) will host an opening reception for new artworks by artists Laura Lopez, Vera Smith, and Linda Simone. Enjoy stress-free shopping, complimentary refreshments, and unique gifts including exhibited art as well as jewelry, accessories, cards and more. The art exhibit continues through early January. Instagram: @kapej.satx

 

 

Creative Opportunities

 

Apricity Press open call, deadline Jan. 1

Atmosphere Press, open call all genres, read the fine print carefully

 

Codhill Press Pauline Uchmanowicz Poetry Award ($30), deadline Dec. 30

 

The Fairy Tale Magazine, open call on love, deadline Jan. 2

 

The Poet Magazine, on climate change, deadline Dec. 31

 

Pure Slush, writing on Stella’s Secret Sonata, opens Jan. 1

 

 

New and Recent Releases

 

Adam Cornford, Lalia (Chax Press)

 

Ryler Dustin, Something Bright(Green Linden Press)

 

Circumference, Issue 10

 

First Literary Review-East

 

 

Creative Workshops

 

All-Genre Writers Group, 6:30pm, Thursdays

 

John McMullen Poetry Workshop, 6pm, fourth Wednesdays

 

Mahopac Poetry Workshop, 6pm, second Wednesdays

 

ModPo, University of Pennsylvania’s free poetry course and global community

 

Norwalk PoetryWorkshop, first and third Mondays, 6:30pm; email poet_laureate@norwalkpl.org to register

 

The Poets Salon, led by Ed Ahern and Alison McBain of Fairfield Scribes Press, 10am, every second Saturday

 

Writers and Artists Lunch Conversation, second Fridays, noon

 

 

December Events – ET

 

Photo by Bill BuschelBroken Angels: Photography by Bill Buschel; HVWC, Mondays and Wednesdays, 10 am-2 pm; Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 5-7:30pm, through December; call 914-332-5953 to verify times

Heedan Chung in Members’ Open: Small Works at the Provincetown Art Association and Museum, through January 8

 

Poet Christin Rau with Akua Lezli Hope in Afrofutruistic Pastoral Speculative Poetry Series on Facebook, December 21, at 7pm

Now through March 5, New York Public Library, Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, Virgina Woolf: A Modern Mind, free: register here

Voices Group Exhibition, Upstream Gallery(Hastings-on-Hudson), through December

 

 

Monthly Readings – ET

 

First Sunday, 4pm, Poetic License (Austin)

 

Every Tuesday, 2pm, Spoken Word World (Paris)

 

Every Tuesday, 7pm, Curley’s Diner

 

Third Fridays, 7pm, Hudson Valley Writers Center Open Mic – click third Friday for details

 

Frequent Saturdays (check Facebook), 5pm, LitBalm

 

Shortbread Stars

 

This comes via The Vermont Country Store’s Our Vermont journal.

 

16 tablespoons salted butter, softened1 cup confectioners’ sugar

1 ½ teaspoons almond extract

1 ¼ teaspoons ground cardamom

½ teaspoon table salt

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

¼ cup cornstarch

5 ounces bittersweet chocolate

Flaky sea salt (optional)

 

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F and set racks on upper and lower third. Line two large baking sheets with parchment and set aside. In large bowl, cream butter, sugar, almond extract, cardamom, and salt. Add flour and cornstarch, and beat until dough forms. Gather into a ball, press into a disk, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 1 hour and up to 2 days. Gently roll dough onto floured surface to ¼-inch thickness. Cut out stars and transfer to baking sheets. Gather and reroll dough. Bake 30 minutes, or until pale golden brown. Transfer to wire rack. When cool, melt chocolate in microwave. Dip half of each cookie into melted chocolate, then return to parchment paper and sprinkle with sea salt. Makes about 2 dozen.

 

 

ʼ Round the Net

 

The Atomic Heritage Foundation on the 80thAnniversary of the Chicago Pile-1, where Nobel Prize-winning physicist Enrico Fermi (1901-1954) directed the first controlled nuclear reaction on December 2, 1942 ("Stacking the Pile," courtesy Argonne National Laboratory)

 

Poet Magazine Editor Robin Barratt on receiving an acknowledgment from Buckingham Palace, specifically on behalf of the King, for receipt of The Queenanthology

 

William Blake (1757-1827)Poet Adam Cornford for his essay, “Blake, Science, Eternity, and Poetry,” on the Chax Press site

 

Co-translators Chen Du and Xisheng Chen on publication of the Yan An poem, “Fog and Yellow Leaves,” in The Fourth River

 

Poet Cindy Hochman on the latest issue of First Literary Review-East, and on having three alliterative prose poems selected for Poetry Pacific

 

Poet, essayist, and translator J. Chester Johnson on his mention in this NPR article on the Elaine and Tulsa race massacres

 

Poet Heller Levinson and artist Linda Lynch on their recent collaboration, “Pronghorn Baffle,” in Alligator Zine ; and Heller’s three poems in the Anvil Tongue Books blog

 

Yorktown Poet Laureate John McMullen for best songs by Frank Sinatra

 

The New York Public Library which lets you purchase a book plate inscription as a gift for only $35

Poet and novelist Kevin Pilkington on raking in great reviews for his new book, Taking  on Secrets (Blue Jade Press)

 

Poets and Writers for this videoof the late poet Stephen Dunn, one of my beloved teachers

 

Poet and watercolorist Linda Simone on her poem, "South Texas 'Scapes," and work by others such as poet Jim LaVilla-Havelin, published in Texas Poetry Assignment  

 

Playwright, artist, and performer Fran Sisco on the Harrison Players performance last month of her play, “It’s an Italian Thing! No, It’s a Black Thing”

 

Poet, artist, and filmmaker Bob Zaslow on his rap version of Twelfth Night

 

Peace and wonder

 

With the holidays upon us, life speeds to a frenzied pitch. I wish you, as artists on a more interior path, the quiet of roots in deep earth and the iridescent ease of breeze-blown pine. Take their cue, and slow down. I will be doing that in January, so send me your news for February—and scoop up all the wonderment you can before then!

 

 

Until next time,

Ann

 

 

 

your grateful grateful annogram

Dear annogrammers, Art is at its best transformative—so we salute its power to change the lives of viewers, readers, and possibly even society. Below you will read how some of that is happening. And we bring in that harvest with delicious soup—to nourish us, as Virginia Woolf insists, so we can do our best work.

 

 

Celebrating Translation

 

Excited for poetry pals Susana Case, Cindy Hochman, Giorgia Pavlidou, and John McMullen, whose work has found its way into another language. In this video, John discusses his translation journey with translator Mircea Dan Duta. And it is great to try your hand at it if you have a smattering of another language, as I can attest from decades of translating contemporary French poet Hélène Sanguinetti. For a taste of her work, try The Hero (Chax Press).

 

 

Proust and Art

 

Marcel Proust c 1895
Photo by Otto WegenerIn Proust’s A la Recherche du temps perdu - In Search of Lost Time, art collector Charles Swann often recalls first impressions of his beloved Odette in terms of a painting—one way Proust integrates art into his mammoth novel. Art historian Beth Gersh-Nesic PhD will dive into deeper levels of this masterful use of art in her slide presentation, Proust and Art, on November 15, in a Zoom event at 5pm hosted by Alliance Française de Greenwich and Byram Shubert Library(Greenwich). Register by emailing afgreenwich@gmail.com and see November Readings and Events for another Proust-related exploration.

 

 

Freedom Reads

 

Reginald Dwayne BettsFreedom Reads, founded by poet Reginald Dwayne Betts, brings literature into prisons. Born from an idea to install libraries in prison units nationwide, Betts expanded Freedom Reads into a multifaceted organization that also brings theater productions, book clubs, and world-class writers inside prison walls. As a prisoner himself in his youth, he had begged someone to send him a book and received The Black Poets (Bantam) edited by Dudley Randall. For more, see the original P&W article.

 

 

Holding Up the Sky

 

Ed Jordan could have been one of those people with a book in his hands. After being incarcerated for 19 years for a tragic mistake, Ed educated himself inside those walls. On release, he became an apprentice ironworker and rose to journeyman welder who hires other “returning citizens” whom he successfully mentors. The documentary Holding Up the Sky , in telling his story, seeks to create change in the criminal justice system. Your contribution can help this nearly complete film cross the finish line.

 

 

Creative Opportunities

 

Gnashing Teeth Publishing, poetry and flash fiction chapbooks and full manuscripts

 

Kierkegaard Poetry Competition, by December 1

 

The London Reader, call for work on plant life

 

The Pedestal call for work, by December 4

 

Pure Slush + Truth Serum Press call for work on “home,” by November 30

 

 

New and Recent Releases

Wilhelmina
Obatola Grant- CooperCrisosto Apache, Ghostword (Gnashing Teeth Publishing)

 

Shirley Fields-Martin, Rise Up My Soul and Speak: Selected Poetry, Thoughts, and Images 1978-2022 (Dorrance Press)

Mary Gilliland, The Devil’s Fool (Codhill Press)

 

Mary Catherine Kinniburgh, Wild Intelligence: Poets' Libraries and the Politics of Knowledge in Postwar America  (University of Massachusetts Press)

Ann Lauinger, Dime Saint, Nickel Devil (Broadstone Press)

 

Wilhelmina Obatola Grant-Cooper, Uplifting Cancer Survivors in the COVID Era: Expressions of Kindness between Aunties and Nieces (Independently published)

 

Sandra Smith, translator, Master of Souls (Kales Press) by Irène Némirovsky

 

Estha Weiner, This Insubstantial Pageant (Broadstone Books)

 

 

Creative Workshops

 

All-Genre Writers Group, 6:30pm, Thursdays

 

John McMullen Poetry Workshop, 6pm, fourth Wednesdays

 

Mahopac Poetry Workshop, 6pm, second Wednesdays

 

ModPo, University of Pennsylvania’s free poetry course and global community

 

Norwalk Poetry Workshop, first and third Mondays, 6:30pm; email poet_laureate@norwalkpl.org to register

 

The Peekskill Writing Table, serious critique for writers, second and third Tuesdays via Zoom; email tpwritingtable@gmail.com

 

The Poets Salon, led by Ed Ahern and Alison McBain of Fairfield Scribes Press, 10am, every second Saturday

 

Writers and Artists Lunch Conversation, second Fridays, noon

 

 

November Readings and Events – ET

 

November 4-6, Arizona Translates!, a series of in-person public events held in Tucson

 

November 5-6, RiverArts Studio Tour, Upstream Gallery (Hastings), 11am-6pm

 

November 9, 6pm, Kelly Writers House(Philadelphia), Laynie Browne via Zoom and Live

 

November 12, 1pm, Alliance Française de Greenwich, Marcel Proust: Du côté de la mère (en français), register here

 

The Emily Dickinson HouseNovember 12, 7pm; November 13, 3pm; Studio Theater in Exile, a reading of Not God by Marc J. Straus, $25-30; buy tickets here

 

November 13, 7pm, W-E Poets of the Pandemic, Susana Case, Andre Bagoo, Philip Memmer, Kim Ports Parsons; via Zoom; register here

 

November 14, 7pm, KGB Bar, Lonely Christopher and Estha Weiner

 

November 15, 5pm, Byram Shubert Library (Greenwich), Beth Gersh-Nesic on “Proust and Art,” register by emailing afgreenwich@gmail.com

November 15, 5pm, Kelly Writers House, Jennifer Egan via Zoom and Live

 

Kevin PilkingtonNovember 16, 7:30pm, Elting Memorial Library (New Paltz), Margo Taft Stever, Susana Case

 

November 17, Emily Dickinson Museum, 6pm, Margo Taft Stever, Indran Amithayanagam, Susana Case; via Zoom; register here

 

November 20, 4pm, Katonah Village Library, Peter Filkins, Kevin Pilkington, Sophie Cabot Black, $15

 

 

Monthly Readings – ET

 

First Sunday, 4pm, Poetic License (Austin)

 

Every Tuesday, 2pm, Spoken Word World (Paris)

 

Every Tuesday, 7pm, Curley’s Diner

 

Third Fridays, 7pm, Hudson Valley Writers Center Open Mic – click third Friday for details

 

Frequent Saturdays (check Facebook), 5pm, LitBalm

 

Curried Squash Soup

 

I found this in my mother’s recipes—among notes for dinners she hosted, where she listed the date, attendees, and what she wore (“red wool dress”). May this soup contribute to lasting memories of your own (index cards not required).

2 tablespoons vegetable oil1 cup chopped onion

1 cup peeled tart apple

1 teaspoon curry powder

3-4 cups peeled diced butternut squash

3 cups water or vegetarian chicken broth

1 cup milk

Salt and pepper

3 tablespoons plain yogurt

 

Heat oil in heavy saucepan; add onion and apple, and cook until tender. Stir in curry powder. Add squash and water or broth. Cover and simmer until squash is tender, about 30 minutes. Puree with a hand-held blender. Return puree to saucepan and add milk. Season with salt and pepper. Float dollop of yogurt on each serving, said to be six.

 

 

ʼ Round the Net

 

Poet, essayist, and fiction writer Terry Dugan for alerting us to Wild Intelligence: Poets' Libraries and the Politics of Knowledge in Postwar America , on the libraries of Charles Olson (1910–1970), Diane di Prima (1934–2020), Gerrit Lansing (1928–2018), and Audre Lorde (1934–1992)

 

Art historian and translator Beth Gersh-Nesic for her interview of translator Sandra Smith on Irène Némirovsky’s Master of Souls (Kales Press)

 

Collage by Bob HemanPoet and collage artist Bob Heman on his recent collage in Clockwise Cat

 

Poet Cindy Hochman on having prose poems selected for two Australian anthologies, and  Ali F. Bilir’s translation of her poem, "A Sincere Letter From a Reader," which appears in Mersin Sanat Edebiyat (Turkey)

 

Yorktown Poet Laureate John McMullen on being the featured reader last month at Spoken Word World

Giorgia PavlidouPoet and painter Giorgia Pavlidou on her poem "The Alchemy of Misperception" in The Ocotillo Review , and a translation of one of her poems and artwork in the new Honidi Magazine Revista Surrealista(Chile)

 

Poets and Writers for literary magazines that pay

 

Poet and watercolorist Linda Simone for Bruce Springsteen’s interview of John Mellencamp on his art and paintings

 

 

Practicing Gratitude

Photo by Margie Herrick

 

This month of gratitude, I honor Wish Mavens Barbara Dickinson and Margie Herrick. Their blog reinforces what a brain researcher said about having a good life—the more we acknowledge the good, the wider our neural pathways open, and somehow life can improve exponentially. Barbara and Margie break it down in a fun, non-“woo-woo” approach and tackle questions about wishing for things that may seem trivial (spoiler alert: they’re fine). Today, I give thanks for you, dear annogram readers!

 

Until next time,

Ann

 

 

 

your starry sky annogram

 

Dear annogrammers, We are all about stars this issue…meteors and movie stars, a book about the inner constellations that urge us to do daring things for friends, and the resplendent heaven found in visual arts. It’s all here for you, with a dash of chocolate and pumpkin. And you? Shoot for the moon, as they say, and if you miss, you will land among the stars.

 

 

Bright and Beautiful Meteors

 

Don’t miss the Orionids, which peak October 21-22, considered one of the year’s most beautiful showers. Fast traveling Orionids enter our atmosphere at 148,000 mph, sometimes with glowing trails or as fireballs; they are the dust trail left by Halley’s Comet, last seen in 1986. To view, find the constellation Orion where they originate, and look 45-90 degrees away from it. Best to view 10:30pm-5am, and get outside 30-45 minutes beforehand so your eyes can adapt to the dark.

 

Design for Living

 

In Noël Coward’s Design for Living (Paramount Pictures, 1933), this screwball comedy hides a metaphor for whims of the muse—in this case, Gilda (Miriam Hopkins), who condemns paintings by George (Gary Cooper) and unpublished plays by Thomas (Frederic March), then lives with both to ensure their success. Wondering if art can serve commerce? Find out in the hilarious denouement involving ad agency director Max (Edward Everett Horton). The film astounded me—especially when Gilda, agreeing to move in with the struggling artists, proclaims, “I am the Mother of the Arts!”

 

 

The Greatest Beer Run Ever

 

Zac EfronThanks to John McMullen for sending me this memoir. John helped edit the manuscript by childhood friend, John “Chick” Donohue, from Inwood (Upper Manhattan), who took off to Vietnam at the height of the war to bring stateside beer to neighborhood pals in service. A mind-boggling tale of locating his friends and then trying to exit Vietnam in the middle of the Tet Offensive—now a Peter Farrelly movie starring Zac Efron. Read the book first!

 

 

Autumn Exhibits in New York

 

"Scentless Apprentice: Kurt Cobain
 at MTV unplugged" by Irina AdamArt historian and insider Beth Gersh-Nesic alerts us to: Kimono Style: The John C. Weber Collection , Victorian Masterpieces from the Museo de Arte Ponce, Puerto Rico , The Tudors: Art and Majesty in Renaissance England , Cubism and the Trompe l'Oeil Tradition ; Forothermore ; Meret Oppenheim: My Exhibition ; Shoes: Anatomy Identity Magic , Ritual and Memory: The Ancient Balkans and Beyond ; Aubrey Beardsley One Hundred and Fifty Years Young ; Portraits in Scents (until 10-15); and Mostly New, from the Permanent Collection . Thank you, Beth!

 

 

Creative Opportunities

 

Ellen Bass A Public Space call for work, by October 31

 

The Adroit Journal call for work, by October 31

 

Kierkegaard Poetry Competition, by December 1

 

Living Room Craft Talks, the Fifth Series with Ellen Bass, Fridays starting October 28, $300

 

Open Door Magazine call for poetry, art, short stories, songs, new books, photography to OpenDoorPoetryMagazine@gmail.com, by October 15

 

Presence: A Journal of Catholic Poetry, by October 30

 

Pure Slush + Truth Serum Press call for work on “home,” by November 30

 

Red Bird Chapbooks, by October 31

 

Texas Tech University Press, book-length nonfiction on natural world by writers with no more than one published book, by October 31

 

 

New and Recent Releases

 

First Literary Review - East

 

Gary Glauber, Inside Outrage (Sheila-Na-Gig Editions)

 

Julia Lisella, Our Lively Kingdom (Bordighera Press)

 

Tom Murphy, When I Wear Bob Kaufman’s Eyes (Gnashing Teeth Publications)

 

Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022) The Pedestal , Issue 90.5

 

Poetry Celebrating the Life of Queen Elizabeth II (The Poet Magazine)

 

 

Creative Workshops

 

John McMullenAll-Genre Writers Group, 6:30pm, Thursdays

 

John McMullen Poetry Workshop, 6pm, fourth Wednesdays

 

Mahopac Poetry Workshop, 6pm, second Wednesdays

 

ModPo, University of Pennsylvania’s free poetry course and global community

 

Norwalk PoetryWorkshop, first and third Mondays, 6:30pm; email poet_laureate@norwalkpl.org to register

 

The Peekskill Writing Table, serious critique for writers, second and third Tuesdays via Zoom; email tpwritingtable@gmail.com

 

The Poets Salon, led by Ed Ahern and Alison McBain of Fairfield Scribes Press, 10am, every second Saturday

 

Writers and Artists Lunch Conversation, second Fridays, noon

 

 

October Readings and Events – ET

 

Heedan ChungOctober, Scarsdale Library, Memories of Sky and Light, paintings by Heedan Chung

 

October 15, 7pm, POG Arts (Tucson), Beverly Dahlen and Martine Bellen, via Zoom; register here

 

October 18, 10am, Poetic Justice Series, Monica Sok, 11am, Jennifer Atkinson; October 25, 6pm, Xochitl-Julisa Bermejo

 

October 20, 7pm, Poetry Chat with Christina Rau on Specpo About Superheroes, via Zoom

October 20-23, The Dodge Poetry Festival (Newark and other locations)

 

October 25, 10:30am, Learning in Retirement (Stamford), Beth Gersh-Nesic on “Judith and Hanukah” in art history; register here (LIVE)

 

October 29, 2pm, Brownstone Poets Present Amy Barone, Susana H. Case, Margo Taft Stever via Zoom

 

 

Monthly Readings – ET

 

First Sunday, 4pm, Poetic License (Austin)

 

Every Tuesday, 2pm, Spoken Word World (Paris)

 

Every Tuesday, 7pm, Curley’s Diner

 

Third Fridays, 7pm, Hudson Valley Writers Center Open Mic – click third Friday for details

 

Frequent Saturdays (check Facebook), 5pm, LitBalm

 

Chocolate Orange Pumpkin Bread

 

From my favorite recipe site, Inspired Taste, where directions are specific and recipes simple. Haven’t tried this yummy take on pumpkin. Hint: Trader Joe’s canned Organic Pumpkin works almost as well as fresh pumpkin puree.

 

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, cooled1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 large eggs, room temperature

1 scant cup pure pumpkin

½ cup chocolate, roughly chopped or chocolate chips

 

Heat oven to 325°F. Grease 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan or line with parchment (leave inch or two over two sides for easy removal). In medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves. In large bowl, rub sugar, orange zest, and vanilla together until fragrant then add butter and mix. Add eggs, one at a time, combining well. Stir in pumpkin. Using spatula or large spoon, fold flour mixture into pumpkin mixture in two parts, just until combined. Do not overmix. Fold in most of chocolate, leaving a tablespoon for top. Spoon batter into loaf pan, smooth top, then sprinkle reserved chocolate. Bake 55-75 minutes, until golden brown, pulled slightly away from pan edges, and toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool 15 minutes, then remove from pan, transfer to cooling rack, and cool completely. Store loosely covered, room temperature, 2-3 days or wrap well and refrigerate up to a week.

 

 

ʼ Round the Net

 

Essayist, filmmaker, and artist Jeanette Briggs for this Writer’s Almanac clip of Billy Collins as Guy Noir

 

Poets Susana Case, Aaron Ceycado-Kimura, Margo Stever, and Mervyn Taylor on reading at the famed Grolier Poetry Book Shop(Cambridge) this week

 

Poet and novelist Regi Claire on work published in Munster Literature Centre’s Southword (Ireland) and The Antigonish Review (Canada)

 

Translators Chen Du and Xisheng Chenfor Yan An poems in Poet Lore, and Heavy Feather Review; and on being longlisted for the John Dryden Translation Competition and shortlisted for the 2022 Lucien Stryk Asian Translation Prize

 

Andre Salmon 
by Yun Gee (1939)Art historian and translator Beth S. Gersh-Nesic for celebrating the October birthday of André Salmon (1881-1969)

 

Poet Cindy Hochman on having two poems in Clockwise Cat

 

Author and civil rights historian J. Chester Johnson on the positive review of his book, Damaged Heritage(Pegasus Books), in The American Book Review

 

Queens Poet Laureate Maria Lisella on the program “The Poet and Poem with Grace Cavalieri”

Maria LisellaYorktown Poet Laureate John McMullen for this New Yorker article on The Wasteland’s 100thanniversary

 

Poet and novelist Kevin Pilkington on the video debut of his book, Taking On Secrets (Blue Jade Press)

 

Oceanside Library Poet Laureate Christina Rau for her reading (at 17:02) on Destinies: The Voice of Science Fiction

 

Poet Suzanne Manizza Roszak on winning the Bordighera Press 2022 Lauria/Frasca

Poetry Prize

 

Junior Kimbrough (1930-1998)Bassist Larry Schwartzmanfor this video of Junior Kimbrough (1930-1998) performing “Baby Please Don’t Leave Me”

 

Poet, artist, and performer Fran Sisco on her 14-minute comedy act at the Cutting Room (New York City), and exhibiting 11 paintings and two sculptures at Upfront Exhibit Space (Port Jervis) this month

 

Poet and watercolorist Linda Simone on her take on Grant Wood in Persimmon Tree,this article on an award-winning AI-generated picture, and the September exhibit, 3 journeys in art, watercolors by Linda and her art students Lori Gomez and Laura Lopez, at Kapej Gallery (San Antonio)

Poet and memoirist Sarah Bracey White on being selected to read her poetry to travelers on the National Geographic Hudson River Tour

 

 

A Place to Come Back to

In The Greatest Beer Run Ever (William Morrow), Chick survives a terrifying night alone, as the Tet Offensive explodes around him, by recalling youthful exploits in Inwood. The book ends with this quote from Seamus Heaney (1939-2013), who Chick would later befriend, that explains how one’s home can ideally be a compass:

If you have a strong first world and a strong set of relationships, then in some part of you, you are always free; you can walk the world because you know where you belong, you have some place to come back to.

 

 

Until next time,

Ann

 

your welcome fall annogram

Wishing you wingsDear annogrammers, Welcome back! Am I really seeing some leaves falling? Is there a touch of coolness in the air at night? Summer, ah summer! Hope yours was good. Here I am investigating a pilotless plane in Vermont.

 

 

When the Pilotless Plane Arrives

 

Thanks to Lou Spirito, author of Gimme Shelter, who generously wrote and posted this review of my Trainwreck Press chapbook on Facebook earlier this summer:

 

Just finished Ann Cefola's brilliant chapbook, When The Pilotless Plane Arrives. Each of the 20 poems makes a sly, if oblique connection between the poet's craft and B movies (okay, some are C or D cult movies) from the 1930s-70s. Yes, you have to work a bit to suss out the connections, but that's the fun of it. Thank God for writers with whimsy and the nerve to trust their readers.

 

Svengoolie Raging

 

My secret source for those films: Svengoolie , leading Saturday night ratings, as reported in the Wall Street Journal and kindly shared by sci-fi aficionado Bill Newell. What hooked me was the quality of acting, solid storylines, and delightfully cheesy effects; many films etched into our cultural psyche, such as The Day the Earth Stood Still . Host Rich Koz as Svengoolie adds wicked hilarity. If you love these films, you will enjoy both Svengoolie and When The Pilotless Plane Arrives .

 

 

To Be or Knott to Be

 

Bill Knott (1940-2014)Bill Knott (1940-2014) has to be one of the pristine, remarkable poets of the past half-century. How to describe him? The economy of Emily Dickinson, bite of Philip Larkin, facility of Shakespeare. Thanks to his lifelong friend Thomas Lux (1946-2017) and literary executor, poet Robert Fanning, we can enjoy a fresh look at his work in I Am Flying Into Myself (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) and a new translation in Italian, introduced by Charles Simic, Volarsi Dentro (Italic Pequod).

 

 

Naughty annogrammers

 

Kerrin McCaddenI go away for a month or two, and look what happens...poet Kerrin McCadden receives the Herb Lockwood Prize in the Arts, Vermont’s biggest arts award. Christina Rau gets named Cedarmere Poet in Residence. Filmmaker gets honored at the Garner Art Centerfor achievement in film. And translators Chen Du and Xisheng Chen get nominated for a 2023 Best of the Net Award for a Yan An poem in The Ilanot Review. Troublemakers! Keep working your magic.

 

 

ModPo Anniversary

 

The global phenom, ModPo, or Modern and Contemporary American Poetry, an open online course, will celebrate its 10th anniversary with a webcast September 11 at 11am, and a reading and launch for The Difference is Spreading (University of Pennsylvania Press) by ModPo founder Al Filreis and Anna Strong Safford. I am proud to be a ModPo graduate, and when a friend assumed it was easy, my immediate answer was “Hell no!” This is serious Ivy League brain-crunching, highly recommended.

 

 

Creative Opportunities

 

DzancBooks Short Story Collection Prize, by September 30

 

Lascaux Review Prize in Creative Nonfiction, by September 30

 

Lines+Stars Midatlantic Poetry Chapbook Series, for poets from Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia, by October 1

 

Passager  Journal call for poetry, memoir, and short fiction from writers age 50+, by
September 15

 

Pedestal Magazine call for poetry, September 5-9

 

Presence: A Journal of Catholic Poetry, by October 30

 

Pure Slush call for stories, essays, and poems on “snatches from an aria,” by September 30

 

Rhino Poetry Founders Contest, by September 30

 

Women in Their 80s, octogenarian poetry and prose anthology; detaylor@cabrillo.edu, by September 30

 

 

New and Recent Releases

 

Cagibi , Issue 16

 

Family (The Poet Magazine)

 

First Literary Review - East

 

Gary Glauber, Inside Outrage (Sheila-Na-Gig Editions) (pre-order)

 

John C. Goodman, Miniscule Repairs (Trainwreck Press)

 

Margaret A. Herrick and Barbara J. Dickinson, Your Path to a Fulfilling Life: Making Your Wishes Come True (Independently published), new in paperback

 

Heller Levinson, Jus’ Sayn’ (Black Widow Press) and Lure (Black Widow Press)

 

John McMullen, Absent Friends (Local Gems Poetry Press)

Pedestal, Issue 90

 

Kevin Pilkington, Taking On Secrets (Blue Jade Press)

Jean-Luc Pouliquen and Ivan Frias, Autour de la poésie 30 questions d'un philosophe à un poète (Independently published)

 

 

Creative Workshops

John McMullenAll-Genre Writers Group, 6:30pm, Thursdays

 

John McMullen Poetry Workshop, 6pm, fourth Wednesdays

 

Mahopac Poetry Workshop, 6pm, second Wednesdays

 

ModPo, University of Pennsylvania’s free poetry course and global community

 

Norwalk Poetry Workshop, ,first and third Mondays, 6:30pm; email poet_laureate@norwalkpl.org to register

The Peekskill Writing Table, serious critique for writers, second and third Tuesdays via Zoom; email tpwritingtable@gmail.com

 

The Poets Salon led by Ed Ahern and Alison McBain of Fairfield Scribes Press, 10am, every second Saturday

 

Writers and Artists Lunch Conversation, second Fridays, noon

 

September Readings and Events – ET

 

Kimiko HahnSeptember 7-11, Arts Westchester, Visions 2022 Resilient and Renewed Exhibit; reception, September 7, 5:30-7pm; virtual exhibit via Google arts and culture September 8-December 31

September 7, 6:30pm, Tufts Downtown, fundraiser for Holding Up the Sky, film preview followed by panel discussion hosted by the Criminal Justice Policy Coalition

September 10, 11:30am, NYC Po Fest, Algonquin Stage, Rebecca Doverspike, Michael Quattrone, and Cindy Beer-Fouhy; 12:30pm, Margo Taft Stever, Susana H. Case, and Myra Malkin,

 

Beth Gersh-Nesic, PhDSeptember 13, 10:30am, Learning in Retirement, Temple Beth El (Stamford), Beth S. Gersh-Nesic, PhD on  Pablo Picasso, André Salmon and  "Young French Painting" (ZaMir Press); register here

September 17, 10am-4pm, Good Contrivance Farm, Kimiko Hahn workshop, The Zuihitsu: What is This Genre and How to Write One; 6pm craft talk, Closure is Not the End; $200; register for this in-person event here

 

September 19, 6:30pm, Free Library of Philadelphia, Margo Taft Stever and Susana H. Case via Zoom; register here

 

Paula CurciSeptember 21, 11am, ModPo anniversary webcast with poets Herman Beavers, Julia Bloch, Mónica de la Torre, Tracie Morris, Ron Silliman, and Elizabeth Willis

 

September 21, 6pm, ModPo webcast and The Difference is Spreading launch with Herman Beavers on Amiri Baraka, Julia Bloch on William Carlos Williams, Mónica de la Torre on Erica Baum, Tracie Morris on Jayne Cortez, Ron Silliman on Gertrude Stein, and Elizabeth Willis on Rae Armantrout

 

September 25, 4pm, Samudra Yoga Studio (Garden City), yoga and meditation with Christina Rau, donations to Alzheimer's Association

 

September 28, 10pm, PoetryBridgeLIVE, Aaron Cayvedo-Kimura and Liz Marlow via Zoom; contact Susana H. Case for details

 

September 29, 6pm, Jefferson Market Library, Amy Barone, Susana H. Case, Lily Greenberg, Ann Lauinger, Margo Taft Stever, and Estha Weiner

September 30-October 2, Long Beach Short Play Festival featuring Nassau County Poet Laureate Paula Curci

 

 

Monthly Readings – ET

 

First Sunday, 4pm, Poetic License (Austin)

 

Every Tuesday, 2pm, Spoken Word World (Paris)

 

Every Tuesday, 7pm, Curley’s Diner

 

Third Fridays, 7pm, Hudson Valley Writers Center Open Mic – click third Friday for details

 

Frequent Saturdays (check Facebook), 5pm, LitBalm

 

 

Double-Chocolate Zucchini Bread

 

This delicious annogram-tested recipe comes to us via King Arthur Flour. I substituted maple syrup for honey, and used Nestlé’s Dark Chocolate Chips which have no soy. Rave reviews on the KAF site merited!

 

2 large eggs

1/3 cup honey

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup light brown sugar or dark brown sugar, packed

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon espresso powder, optional

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa, Dutch-process or natural

1 2/3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

2 cups shredded, unpeeled zucchini, gently pressed

1 cup chocolate chips

 

Preheat 350°F oven; lightly grease an 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pan. In large bowl, beat eggs, honey, oil, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Mix in salt, baking soda, baking powder, espresso powder, cocoa, and flour, until well combined. Stir in zucchini and chocolate chips. Pour batter into pan. Bake 65-75 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, except light smear of chocolate from melted chips. Remove from oven, and let cool 10-15 minutes before turning out of pan onto rack. Cool completely before slicing; store well-wrapped, at room temperature.

 

 

ʼ Round the Net

 

Sylvia Beach (1887-1962) and
James Joyce (1882-1941)Essayist, filmmaker, and artist Jeanette Briggs on finding this interview with Sylvia Beach(1887-1962)

 

Wish maven and author Barbara Dickinson on the launch of her new blog, The Pipeline

 

Translators Chen Du and Xisheng Chenfor poems by Yan An in DoubleSpeak, Family (The Poet Magazine), Mantis, and Sand; and a short story by Feng Jiqui in Delos

 

Art historian and translator Beth S. Gersh-Nesic for participating in the PEN live “get well” greeting to Salmon Rushdie

 

Poet Cindy Hochman on having her poem, “What the Sun Said Today,” in The Long Islander

 

Dr. James H. Cone (1938-2018)Author and civil rights historian J. Chester Johnson for his article in History News Network on meeting the Father of Black Liberation Theology, Dr. James H. Cone (1938-2018); and addressing the Episcopal Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast last month on the Elaine Race Massacre

 

Poet Hiram Larew on having a poem translated into American Sign Language (ASL), and translator Eric Epstein discussing the process

 

Ada LimónPoet Ada Limón on being named

 

Poet and painter Meg Lindsay on having work in a juried show at Gallery A3 last month, and for sharing The Journal of Universal Rejection

 

Yorktown Poet Laureate John McMullen on having a poem in the Brownstone Poets Anthology 2022; Joseph Carrabis’s interview with John; this article, “What is Poetry?” and this interesting electronic notebook you can write on

 

Lynn NottagePlaywright Lynn Nottage’s must reading in Vogue

 

Poet and novelist Kevin Pilkington on having 12 poems translated into Russian, and for his online reading this summer via the American Center in Moscow 

 

Poet Jean-Luc Pouliquen for reviewing the extraordinary Pablo Picasso, Andre Salmon and “Young French Painting” (ZaMir Press) and celebrating Ruby Silvious’s enchanting watercolor miniatures; and for his mention in Le Figaro in an article exploring Robert Louis Stevenson’s time in Hyères, France

 

Music archivist, producer, and cellist Jay Shulman for the “best Beatle performance ever”

 

Nadine Valenti Beauchamp (1927-2022)Poet and watercolorist Linda Simone for this video game that creates Emily Dickinson-inspired poems and for Artle, “Wordle” for paintings

 

Filmmaker and author Bob Zaslow for his American Film Institute award-winning documentary, Nadine Valenti: Portrait of a Painter (1976), collected at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and NYC Z Public Library

 

Only This One Thing

 

Paraphrased from Godly Play in Middle and Late Childhood (Church Publishing):

 

In Crow and Weasel, a picture book by Barry Lopez, the two animals journey together and stop at an old badger’s home. They enjoy good food and share stories of their journey. A wonderful listener, the badger coaches them as they tell the story, asking for more feeling or details. The next morning, as he wishes them farewell, he says

I would ask you to remember only this one thing: The stories people tell have a way of taking care of them. If stories come to you, care for them. And learn to give them away where they are needed. Sometimes a person needs a story more than food to stay alive. That is why we put these stories in each other’s memory. This is how people care for themselves.

 

Until next time,

Ann

 

 

your start-of-summer annogram

Dear annogrammers, Summer is here, at least our Memorial Day weekend signals as much. How great to be outdoors! And, as Vonnegut suggests, why not enjoy lemonade under an apple tree? annogram plans on that and more, so have a fabulous summer and send news in August for September.

 

 

Marilyn Applies LitBalm

 

Join me this Saturday, June 4 at 5pm, as one of the poets reading from the award-winning I Wanna Be Loved by You: Poems on Marilyn Monroe (Milk+Cake Press). LitBalm, a respected Zoom-Facebook reading, is hosted by international poets Marc Vincenz, Cassandra Atherton, and Jonathan Penton. Cindy Hochman is a regular so that should tell you how great it is! Hope to see you there, via Zoom.

 

 

Young French Painting

 

Few people know about art critic, journalist and poet André Salmon (1881-1969) who was there in Paris as pals Picasso and Braque turned the art world upside down. Travel back to that moment through Pablo Picasso, André Salmon and “Young French Painting ” (Za Mir Press), a new translation of Salmon's first book on Picasso, Cubism and early 20th century modern art, by Salmon scholar Jacqueline Gojard and art historian Beth S. Gersh-Nesic, PhD. A must for artists and art aficionados! Order here.

 

 

The Fabricator Sparkles at Brooklyn Film Festival

 

Loren "Dink" StalterFrank Vitale, whose award-winning films include Montreal Main and The Erotic Fire of the Unattainable , will debut The Fabricator at the Brooklyn Film Festival on June 12 at 2pm. This masterful short documentary, a meditation on the life of craftsman Loren “Dink” Stalter, is resplendent with images evocative of Hudson River School artists more than a century ago. View online with six other fantastic shorts for $10 or attend live by registering here. A stunning jewel of a film that speaks to a life’s calling.

 

 

Cecily Spitzer at Upstream

 

"Sunset Hill" by Cecily SpitzerSpitzer's work, in the tradition of the Ninth Street Women—ground-breaking Abstract Expressionists of the 20th century—challenges male counterparts in its vigorous language of gesture and color. Like those artists, Spitzer's work concentrates on the physicality of nature; but, unlike them, her compositions are more formal and elegant. With a solo show by Paul Greco, through June 19 at the Upstream Gallery.

 

 

Creative Opportunities

Kevin  PilkingtonEssays, Letters, and Poems on Yusef Komunyakaa; send submissions to dearyusefanthology@gmail.com, by August 1

 

The Lauria/Fasca Poetry Prize for poets of Italian descent, by July 1, $20

 

Line-by-Line, a Poetry Workshop with Kevin Pilkington

 

Madville Dolly Parton Poetry Anthology, by June 30

 

Suzanne Cleary
The Poet, submit on “the family,” by June 22

 

Poetry Anthology for the Ukraine, send to jbradley5@niu.edu by September 30

“The Power of Not Knowing: The Role of Surprise in Creating a Poem,” workshop with Suzanne Cleary, June 17, 9-11am, register here

Pure Slush and Truth Serum Press, prose, poetry, fiction on marriage, by July 31

 

Rhino, fiction, nonfiction, poetry by June 30

 

Slaping Hol Chapbook Contest, by June 22

 

Women in Their 80s, octogenarian poetry and prose anthology; detaylor@cabrillo.edu, by September 30

 

New and Recent Releases

 

Will Alexander and Heller Levinson, Dialogics 2 (Anvil Tongue)

 

Rachel Blau DuPlessis, Selected Poems (Chax Press)

 

First Literary Review - East

 

Beth S. Gersh-Nesic, PhD, and Jacqueline Gojard, translators, Pablo Picasso, André Salmon and “Young French Painting” by André Salmon (Za Mir Press)

Adrian Lürssen, Neowise (Trainwreck Press)

 

Hilary Sideris, Liberty Laundry (Dos Madres Press)

 

Work! Lifespan Volume #5 (Pure Slush)

 

 

Creative Workshops

 

“The Power of Not Knowing: The Role of Surprise in Creating a Poem,” workshop with Suzanne Cleary, June 17, 9-11am, register here

All-Genre Writers Group, 6:30pm, Thursdays

 

John McMullen Poetry Workshop, 6pm, fourth Wednesdays

 

Mahopac Poetry Workshop, 6pm, second Wednesdays

 

ModPo, University of Pennsylvania’s free poetry course and global community

 

Norwalk PoetryWorkshop, first and third Mondays, 6:30pm; email poet_laureate@norwalkpl.org to register

The Peekskill Writing Table, serious critique for writers, second and third Tuesdays via Zoom; email tpwritingtable@gmail.com

 

The Poets Salon, led by Ed Ahern and Alison McBain of Fairfield Scribes Press, 10am, every second Saturday

 

Writers and Artists Lunch Conversation, second Fridays, noon

 

 

June Readings and Events – ET

 

Jenny XieThrough June 19, Cecily Spitzer and Paul Greco solo shows at Upstream Gallery

June 2 and June 9, 6pm, Scarsdale Library Writing Critique Group participants read poetry, fiction, and prose

 

June 4, 5pm, LitBalm, Ann and more poets read from I Wanna Be Loved by You: Poems on Marilyn Monroe (Milk+Cake Press)

 

June 5, 1:30pm, Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club; Myra Malkin, Susana H. Case, Mervyn Taylor, Margo Taft Stever (LIVE)

 

June 5, 4pm, Katonah Library, Jennie Xie, $15

June 6, 7pm, Oradell Library, Monroe reading: John J. Trause, Joel Allegretti, Tina Kelley, Anna Limontas-Salisbury, Cindy Fouhy, Susana H. Case, Margo Taft Stever (LIVE)

Mark S. BurrowsJune 9, 9pm, Parkland Poets, Sally Bliumis-Dunn, Susana H. Case, Margo Taft Stever via Zoom

June 12, 2pm, Brooklyn Film Festival, debut of Frank Vitale’s The Fabricator

 

June 19-26, Mercy by the Sea Retreat Center, “Poetry as Prayer” with Mark S. Burrows; see pricing

 

June 24, 7pm, Bureau of General Services - Queer Division, Monroe reading: Bruce E.Whitacre, Patrica Carragon, Alexander Cavaluzzo, Elaine Sexton, Robert Anthony Gibbons, Matthew Hittinger, Lynn McGee, Joel Allegretti (LIVE)

 

June 25, 5pm, Lit Balm, Suzanne Cleary, Ann Lauinger, Margo Taft Stever, Mervyn Taylor, via Zoom

 

 

Monthly Readings – ET

 

First Sunday, 4pm, Poetic License (Austin)

 

Every Tuesday, 2pm, Spoken Word World (Paris)

 

Every Tuesday, 7pm, Curley’s Diner

 

Third Fridays, 7pm, Hudson Valley Writers Center Open Mic – click third Friday for details

 

Frequent Saturdays (check Facebook), 5pm, LitBalm

 

 

Maple-Marinade Salmon

 

This delicious recipe comes to us via the Yankee Chef:

 

4 (6 oz) boneless salmon fillets

nonstick cooking spray
1/2 cup cup apple juice
1/2 cup chili sauce
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon each salt and black pepper

 

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place parchment paper in bottom of 8-inch square baking pan and liberally coat with nonstick cooking spray. Put fillets in pan without overlapping; set aside. In a bowl, whisk together apple juice, chili sauce, maple syrup, brown sugar, mustard, lemon juice, and seasonings. Pour over fish and bake for about 20 minutes, or until fish flakes when pierced with a fork. Remove from oven; serve hot with baked beans if desired.

 

 

ʼ Round the Net

 

Jamaica BaldwinPoet Jamaica Baldwin on winning a Pushcart Prize for “Father Weaver”

 

Astrophotographer Rick Bria for an amazing photo of last month’s lunar eclipse, and for the cover photo on Laurel Peterson’s Daughter of the Sky (Futurecycle Press)

 

Poet Suzanne Cleary on being invited to give a workshop at the Tunbridge Wells Poetry Festival (UK)

 

May 2022 Lunar Eclipse by Rick BriaTranslators Chen Du and Xisheng Chentranslated a Yan An poem and another in Defunct
Site

 

Art Historian Beth S. Gersh-Nesic published a review of the exhibitThe Hare with Amber Eyes at The Jewish Museum in Bonjour Paris

 

John McMullenYorktown Poet Laureate John McMullen for this video of the Yorktown Poetry Group featuring guest poet Patricia Carragon

 

The New York Public Library for encouraging us to read banned books

 

Poet translator Anthony Seidman on appearing on the UCLA panel, “Traducir, editar y publicar poesía Latinomamericana” last month

 

Music archivist, producer, and cellist Jay Shulman on another rave review of his CD Laura Newell: The Philharmonia Recordings (Artek Records)

 

 

What’s Nice

 

More from Kurt Vonnegut (1922-2007):

 

I had a good uncle, my late Uncle Alex. He was my father's kid brother, a childless graduate of Harvard who was an honest life-insurance salesman in Indianapolis. He was well-read and wise. And his principal complaint about other human beings was that they so seldom noticed it when they were happy. So when we were drinking lemonade under an apple tree in the summer, say, and talking lazily about this and that, almost buzzing like honeybees, Uncle Alex would suddenly interrupt the agreeable blather to exclaim, "If this isn't nice, I don't know what is." SO I do the same now, and so do my kids and grandkids. And I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, "If this isn't nice, I don't know what is."

 

Until September,

Ann

 

 

your may-in-bloom annogram

Dear annogrammers, May seems to be getting us back into the stream which feels like a miracle. Congrats to all of you who have books out, have won awards, and are living the creative life at full tilt. It is, as Vonnegut will tell us, so damn rewarding.

 

Translation – It’s Airborne!

 

Thanks to John McMullen for inviting me to his poetry workshop on translation last month. John has discovered the delights of translation—his own work now translated into French, Greek, Romanian, and Doric, a language of Northern Scotland. John’s global reach includes attendance at Spoken Word World; being one of 61 international poets to read Ginsburg’s Howl; and having work in the French journal Jeudi des Mots . Bravo, John!

 

Siblings Read Poetry and Prose

 

American Fiction Award winner Maureen Pilkington and National Book Award Winner Kevin Pilkington read from their work in April at Sarah Lawrence College. Maureen spoke about recording what she visualizes, and Kevin on the influence of their craftsman father. This family oozes literary talent! See the reading here (password: Pilkington). If you’re a poet, consider studying with Kevin this summer at this respected Maine workshop.

 

San Antonio Haiku

 

On National Haiku Day, Jim LaVilla-Havelin, Linda Simone, Eddie Vega, and Mobi Warren read at the San Antonio Botanical Garden. A brief class allowed attendees to individually stroll and write in the garden. The poets’ haiku also appears on signs scattered around Steve Tobin’s sculptures in the Rooted exhibit. Congratulations to all on this nature-inspired annual celebration!

 

Marilyn Gets an Oscar

 

Congratulations to Susana H. Case and Margo Taft Stever, whose I Wanna Be Loved by You: Poems on Marilyn Monroe (Milk+Cake Press) won the Best Poetry Anthology Pinnacle Award. This beautiful book, with its de Kooning cover, boasts an astonishing variety of poems—I am proud to be represented there. Kudos to Susana and Margo for also winning Pinnacle Awards for their own respective work, The Damage Done , and The End of Horses (Broadstone Books).

 

Damaged Heritage Impact

 

Green Mountains Review suggests Damaged Heritage (Pegasus Books) could be a model to help heal deep racial wounds. And that’s already happening: a new Central Arkansas chapter of Coming to the Table, that gets descendants of the enslaved and enslavers to sit down to talk, has hosted bi-weekly virtual gatherings with over a thousand nationwide. To celebrate this trend: review Damaged Heritage on Amazon, and receive a free copy of J. Chester Johnson’s outstanding Auden, the Psalms, and Me (Church Publishing).

 

Fran-tastic Creativity

 

Painted wood sculpture by Fran SiscoOn Fran Sisco’s birthday last month, the Gene Frankel Theatre showed three of her short films—where she also performed her anthem, “Happy Trans Girl Like Me”; the Pelham Art Center featured three of her painted wood sculptures in its Artist Club exhibit; the HB Studioshowcased a scene from her play, "It's an Italian Thing! No, It's a Black Thing”; and earlier this year, Fran sang three original songs at the New Rochelle Council on the Arts. Whew, impressive!

Creative Opportunities

 

Yousef KomunyakaaEssays, Letters, and Poems on Yusef Komunyakaa; Wesleyan University Press asks submissions be sent to dearyusefanthology@gmail.com, by August 1

 

Gnashing Teeth Publishing call for work on painful parts of parenting, by May 15

 

The Lauria/Fasca Poetry Prize for poets of Italian descent, by July 1, $20

 

Line-by-Line, a Poetry Workshop with Kevin Pilkington at Maine Media College, August 1-5

 

Dolly Parton
Madville Dolly Parton Poetry Anthology, by June 30

 

Pedestal 90, five poems in one file by May 29

The Poet , submit on “the family,” by June 15

 

Poetry Anthology for the Ukraine, send to jbradley5@niu.edu by September 30

Rhino, fiction, nonfiction, poetry by June 30

 

Slaping Hol Chapbook Contest, by June 22

 

Women in Their 80s, octogenarian poetry and prose anthology; detaylor@cabrillo.edu, by September 30

 

New and Recent Releases

 

Robin Barratt, ed. Poetry for Ukraine (The Poet)

 

Margaret A. Herrick and Barbara J. Dickinson, Wishes – Abundance – Gratitude: A Journal Based on ‘Your Path to a Fulfilling Life’ (Independently published)

 

Raymond Luczak, Lunafly (Gnashing Teeth Publishing)

 

Gary Metras, Vanishing Points (Dos Madres Press)

 

OpenDoor Magazine 2021 Anthology

Presence 2022

Roberta Schultz, Underscore (Dos Madres Press)

 

Laura Newell: The Philharmonia Recordings (Artek Recordings)

 

 

Creative Workshops

 

All-Genre Writers Group, 6:30pm, Thursdays

 

John McMullen Poetry Workshop, 6pm, fourth Wednesdays

 

Mahopac Poetry Workshop, 6pm, second Wednesdays

 

ModPo, University of Pennsylvania’s free poetry course and global community

 

Norwalk PoetryWorkshop, first and third Mondays, 6:30pm; email poet_laureate@norwalkpl.org to register

 

The Peekskill Writing Table, serious critique for writers, second and third Tuesdays via Zoom; email tpwritingtable@gmail.com

 

The Poets Salon, led by Ed Ahern and Alison McBain of Fairfield Scribes Press, 10am, every second Saturday

 

Writers and Artists Lunch Conversation, second Fridays, noon

 

 

May Readings and Events – ET

 

"Mr.  Blue" by Susan RichmanThrough May 22, Upstream Gallery, Solo Shows by Susan Richman and Mitchell Goldberg

 

Through May 26, Art Society of Greenwich Show at Greenwich Botanical Center; call first (203-869-9242)

 

May 12, 7pm, Calling All Poets, George Qauasha, Mary Newell, Heller Levinson

 

Steve AlmondMay 14, 11:30am, River Read Series, Margo Taft Stever; Zoom link here

 

May 14, 7pm, the Writer’s Retreat at Good Contrivance Farm, Steve Almond craft talk, “Fail Better: How to Learn from Your Unpublished Work,” (LIVE) followed by reception, $20; tickets here

 

May 15, 7pm, East-West Poets of the Pandemic, Meg Kearney, Raul Sanchez, Elaine Sexton, Margo Taft Stever; Zoom link here

 

 

 

Monthly Readings – ET

 

First Sunday, 4pm, Poetic License (Austin)

 

Every Tuesday, 2pm, Spoken Word World (Paris)

 

Every Tuesday, 7pm, Curley’s Diner

 

Third Fridays, 7pm, Hudson Valley Writers Center Open Mic – click third Friday for details

 

Every Saturday, 5pm, Lit Balm

 

 

Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese and Pistachios

 

I’m a big consumer of beet leaves, so this recipe appeals—as I always wonder, “What to do with the beets?” Looks like a good spring meal….

 

3 large or 5 small (1½ lb) beets

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

¼ teaspoon fine salt, to taste

5 heaping cups (5 oz) arugula

4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

⅓ cup shelled, toasted and salted pistachios, chopped, or ½ cup pumpkin seeds, toasted

4 medium radishes, thinly sliced and roughly chopped (about ½ cup)

⅓ cup chopped green onion

 

Dressing

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat 375-degree oven. Line large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Scrub beets with vegetable brush under running water (no need to peel). Slice off base of each and pointy ends too. With flat side against cutting board, slice beets in half, then in ½ to ¾-inch thick wedges. Place on baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, toss until coated, and arrange in single layer. Roast 35-40 minutes, tossing halfway, until fork-tender.

Whisk olive oil, vinegar, honey, mustard, salt, and black pepper in a bowl until blended. Set aside. To assemble, place arugula in large serving bowl. Scatter roasted beets on top; add goat cheese, pistachios, radishes and green onion. Drizzle dressing over salad and toss. Salad and dressing can be stored separately in fridge for up to four days.

 

 

ʼ Round the Net

 

Jeanette and Randy BriggsArtists Jeanette Briggs and Randy Briggs who each have photographs, and a watercolor of John Keats (1795-1821) by Randy, in the Art Society of Greenwich Show at the Greenwich Botanical Center

 

Poet and novelist Regi Claire on her poem, “All My Words”, selected for Best Scottish Poems 2021 by the Scottish Poetry Library

 

Wish maven Barbara Dickinson and writer Lisa Hodorovych for this intriguing video on flying wish paper

 

Translators Chen Du and Xisheng Chentranslated a Tingde Wang poem which appears in The Festival Review and two Yan An poems in The Ilanot Review

 

Poet Cindy Hochman for her First Literary Review East review of Gary Metras’s Vanishing Points (Dos Madres Press)

 

Civil rights historian and poet J. Chester Johnson for highlighting another race massacre in this Arkansas Times article

 

Safe Coalition Founder David Kroenlein for this article on supporting someone in an abusive relationship

 

Textile artist Lucia LaVilla-Havelin for her illustrated alphabet of living things and inanimate objects

 

Yorktown Poet Laureate John McMullen for “So You Want to Write Poetry?”, NYT articles on poetry, how to create a poetry book with illustrations, and guidance on getting a poetry collection published

 

Poet Patrick Rosal on winning the William Carlos Williams Award from the Poetry Society of America

 

Stuart Schear and Dean Steve CollPoet Sonia Sanchez on winning the $80,000 Jackson Poetry Prize

Journalist Stuart Schear on winning the Distinguished Alum Award from the Graduate School of Journalism of Columbia University, and for standing up against intolerance at his alma mater

Producer, music archivist and cellist Jay Shulman on the debut of Laura Newell: The Philharmonia Recordings (Artek Recordings) and the CD’s positive review in The Art Music Lounge

 

Poet and artist Linda Simone on having two poems accepted for the Texas Poetry Calendar

 

Poet Meredith Trede on Bringing Back the House forthcoming from Broadstone Books next year

 

 

Career Advice

 

Kurt Vonnegut (1922-2007), via Beth Gersh-Nesic, on what to do in this life:

 

Go into the arts. I’m not kidding. The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven’s sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possibly can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something.

 

Until next time,

Ann

 

 

your fool annogram

 

Dear annogrammers, National Poetry Month begins with April Fool’s Day. Appropriate, huh? As court jesters and truth-tellers, we have this official opportunity to share our gift—our stellar creativity that can concentrate in families such as the Pilkingtons, be passed to the next generation—as in the artist Grajeks, or thanks to poet George Wallace, give a sense of camaraderie amidst war. Read on and rejoice….

 

 

Trainwreck Poets Reading

 

What a joy to read last month with Trainwreck eco-poet Mary Newell, Hinge Theory founder Heller Levinson, poet translator Anthony Seidman, and poet and visual artist Giorgia Pavlidou. Thanks to Charles Alexander’s recording, you can experience it here. Our publisher John C. Goodman comments:

 

I'm rather breathless after the reading today. Poetry brought to life through expression, voice modulation and passion. Extraordinary. Such intelligence, vision, harmony, and revelation through language. And humour! What a celebration!

 

Big Bang Praise

Thanks to poet Mary McCray for her review of my Trainwreck chapbook When the Pilotless Plane Arrives in Big Bang Poetry. Mary writes:

 

This is an amazing little set of ars poetica poems culled from the material of old movies […] extrapolates a delightful and non-obvious lesson about writing from the serpentine plots of these movies [...] in four lines or four words.

 

 

New Translation Chapbook

 

Discover critically acclaimed French poet HélèneSanguinetti in the new Trainwreck chapbook, The Hero / Hence This Cradle. Heller Levinson was so charmed by her work that one line inspired him to generate a landslide of verse! This chapbook is the ideal way to enter this enchanting and disorienting world. Order your copy here.

 

 

Elena Grajek: Overdramatic

 

In Elena Grajek’s exhibit at the Katonah Museum Elena Grajek, whimsical imagesof people and animals, in drawing, painting, and collage, let viewers—the artist notes—“to process difficult themes in a lighthearted way.” Congrats to Elena, who continues the artistic tradition of her parents, photographer Margaret Fox and illustrator-muralist Tim Grajek. Exhibit runs through May 8.

 

 

Siblings Read Poetry and Prose

 

Maureen and Kevin PilkingtonAmerican Fiction Award winner Maureen Pilkington and National Book Award Winner Kevin Pilkington will read from their work on April 19, 2pm, at the Donnelly Film Theater in the Heimbold Visual Arts Center at Sarah Lawrence College. Attend live or register through this Zoom link. You can also hear Kevin talk about crafting poetry in this interview and take advantage of a summer workshop with this master poet in Maine.

 

 

In Person: Poetry Month Celebration

 

Alison McBain, PC Keeler, Ed AhernThe Poets’ Salon, led by Edward Ahern and Alison McBain, will hold a hybrid event on April 23rd, 2-5pm, at the Fairfield (CT) Library. Five poets will read work and answer questions on writing and publishing; there will also be an open mic and special giveaways. Respect the library’s COVID policies if attending in person, or use password 101 if viewing via this Zoom link.

 

 

Poets Building Bridges

 

Cindy HochmanCongratulations to Cindy Hochman on being one of the US poets to read in George Wallace’s six-part Poets Building Bridges global series. Former writer-in-residence at the Walt Whitman Birthplace, Wallace brought together poets and musicians from the US, UK, and India in the final episode last month. One Indian poet even read from the original Tamil! How cool is that? You can enjoy the full event here.

 

 

Creative Opportunities

 

Catholic Literary Arts Sacred Poetry Contest, submit ekphrastic poetry by April 30

 

Connecticut River Review, poetry by April 15, $5

 

The Lauria/Fasca Poetry Prize for poets of Italian descent, by July 1, $20

 

Line-by-Line, a Poetry Workshop with Kevin Pilkington at Maine Media College, August 1-5

 

Kevin Pilkington

Madville Dolly Parton Poetry Anthology, by June 30

 

Mutabilis PressChaos Dive Reunion Anthology, by April 30

 

New Croton Review, submit fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art, photography

Dolly Parton OpenDoor Magazine , submit poetry, short stories, articles, art, songs on “under the tree,” by April 15

 

The Poet, submit on “the family,” by June 15

 

Rhino, fiction, nonfiction, poetry by June 30

 

Women in Their 80s, octogenarian poetry and prose anthology; detaylor@cabrillo.edu, by September 30

 

New and Recent Releases

 

Ann Cefola, translator, The Hero / Hence This Cradle (Trainwreck Press) by Hélène Sanguinetti

 

Jessica Niles DeHoff, Grief is Pink (Lines + Stars Press)

 

First Literary Review East

 

Janet Kaplan, Ecotones (Eyewear Ltd) pre-order

 

Ann Lauinger, Dime Saint, Nickel Devil (Broadstone Press)

 

Thomas Osatchoff, Eupnea Hegira (Trainwreck Press)

 

Laurel Peterson, Daughter of the Sky (Futurecycle Press)

 

Anthony Seidman, translator, Contra Natura  (Cardboard House Press) by Rodolfo Hinostroza

 

Margo Taft Stever, The End of Horses (Broadstone Press)

 

Mervyn Taylor, News of the Living (Broadstone Press)

 

 

Creative Workshops

 

All-Genre Writers Group, 6:30pm, Thursdays

 

John McMullen Poetry Workshop, 6pm, fourth Wednesdays

 

Mahopac Poetry Workshop, 6pm, second Wednesdays

 

ModPo, University of Pennsylvania’s free poetry course and global community

 

Norwalk PoetryWorkshop, first and third Mondays, 6:30pm; email poet_laureate@norwalkpl.org to register

 

The Poets Salon, led by Ed Ahern and Alison McBain of Fairfield Scribes Press, 10am, every second Saturday

 

Writers and Artists Lunch Conversation, second Fridays, noon

 

 

April Readings and Events – ET

 

April through May 8, Katonah Museum, Elena Grajek: Overdramatic exhibit

 

April 1 through April 24, Upstream Gallery, Hanging Around: Banners for Hastings-on-Hudson (NY); opening reception April 3, 2pm

 

April 5, 10am, Learning in Retirement, Stamford (CT), Beth Gersh-Nešić, "Black Lives Matter in Art, Part 1”; April 12, 10am, "Part 2: The Obama Portraits”; each class $5; register for Zoom by April 1

Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962)April 6, 7pm all events, HVWC, Kaveh Akbar, L. Lamar Wilson, Elizabeth Metzger; April 13, Roger Reeves, Adrian Matejka, Sean Singer; April 20, Marilyn Monroe anthology hybrid reading; tickets $5-25; to register, click calendar event

April 7, 7pm, Red-Headed Stepchild, Margo Taft Stever, Susana H. Case via Zoom

 

April 10, 3pm, Cultivating Voices, Margo Taft Stever, Mervyn Taylor, Susana H. Case, Andrea Deekin; via Zoom meeting ID: 822 6789 6629, passcode: 586923

 

April 19, 2pm, Sarah Lawrence College, Maureen Pilkington, Kevin Pilkington; hybrid reading, register for Zoom

 

Marjorie MaddoxApril 22-24, Bethany Retreat Center, Marjorie Maddox, “The Path of Poetry as a Spiritual Practice,” $258

 

April 25, 7pm, KGB Bar, Margo Taft Stever, Mervyn Taylor, Myra Malkin, Karren LaLonde Alenier, Susana H. Case

 

April 25, 7pm, Oceanside Library, Open Mic Poetry Chat led by Christina M. Rau; read a poem you admire plus your own inspired by that poem; online

 

 

 

 

Monthly Readings – ET

 

First Sunday, 4pm, Poetic License (Austin)

 

Every Tuesday, 2pm, Spoken Word World (Paris)

 

Every Tuesday, 7pm, Curley’s Diner

 

Third Fridays, 7pm, Hudson Valley Writers Center Open Mic – click third Friday for details

 

Every Saturday, 5pm, Lit Balm

 

 

Lemon-Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower

 

Thanks to Facebook friend Philip Nicholas for posting this perfect spring recipe! I’d add some garlicky steamed spinach and a loaf of warmed sourdough bread for a great supper.

 

1 head of cauliflower

3 tablespoons quality olive oil

½ teaspoon kosher salt  

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¾ cup grated imported parmesan cheese

1 lemon

crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

 

Preheat oven to 425°F. Cut cauliflower into 1½ to 2-inch florets; toss with olive oil. Spread in one layer on parchment-lined sheet pan for easy cleanup; roast in preheated oven 15 minutes. Flip and sprinkle with grated parmesan and bake until crisp and golden at edges, 10 to 20 minutes. Zest lemon. Sprinkle cauliflower with zested lemon and, if you like, some crushed red pepper flakes. Toss in the pan with a spatula and serve.

 

 

ʼ Round the Net

 

Lightwood Editor Laurence Carr for the shout-out in his review of I Wanna Be Loved by You: Poems on Marilyn Monroe (Milk + Cake Press)

 

Translator and art historian Beth Gersh-Nešić for sharing this inspired tour of the Met’s recent Disney exhibit

 

Poet Cindy Hochman for her poem “Nueve Preguntas (9 Questions)” in SurVision Magazine

 

Civil rights historian and poet J. Chester Johnson on sharing that poet-musician Cornelius Eady and his band were highlighted in a PBS Newshour Profile

 

Marilyn Johnson

Poet and essayist Marilyn Johnson on work in Nine Mile and forthcoming in North American Review

 

Poet Heller Levinson on being named a finalist for The Big Other Book Award for Fiction

 

Yorktown Poet Laureate John McMullen for this NYT op-ed piece about poetry in the war and for this video of his recent poetry reading

 

Poet Mary Newell for her poem, “Flying Jewel Fade-Out” in ASLE Brasil

 

Poet and visual artist Giorgia Pavlidou for her interview in 1 Week Critique

 

Jean-Luc Pouliquen
Poet Jean-Luc Pouliquen for the wonderful review of his new book, Les 3 B , in Le Salon Littéraire

 

Blogger Sandra Hale Schulman for her article on Marcia Resnick, who photographed downtown New York in the 70s and 80s

 

Sister Rosetta Tharpe (1915-1973)Blues bassist Larry Schwartzman for the greatest female guitarists of all time

 

Poet Diane Seuss on winning the National Book Critics’ Award

 

Poet and artist Linda Simone for this tool for isolating “only the questions” in writing, via Austin Kleon

Memoirist Mary Wasacz on her March 18th Pandemic Diary entry in Passager Books

Read650 event in Manhattan
Memoirist Sarah Bracey White on reading in the Read650 Series last month at City Winery in Manhattan

 

 

Where to Live

 

Anaïs Nin (1903-1977) explains her need to write:

 

Anais Nin (1903-1977)I believe one writes because one has to create a world in which one can live. I could not live in any of the worlds offered to me – the world of my parents, the world of war, the world of politics. I had to create a world of my own, like a climate, a country, an atmosphere in which I could breathe, reign, and recreate myself […].

 

 

Until next time,

Ann

 

 

your windy windy annogram

Dear annogrammers, during turbulent times we turn to one another to nurture the creative expression that defines who we are. Take a moment to breathe, give thanks, and set about doing what you are meant to do. That may mean both writing and art, as you will read; or attending a tasty poetry reading (wink-wink) this upcoming Saturday. Hope to see you soon!

 

 

Trainwreck Poets Read

 

This Saturday, March 5, 4pm ET, I will read with outstanding Trainwreck poets: eco-poet Mary Newell, Hinge Theory founder Heller Levinson, poet and translator Anthony Seidman, and poet and visual artist Giorgia Pavlidou. Please register on Zoom here for a fun and lively hour of poetry, and thanks for purchasing my chapbook, When the Pilotless Plane Arrives(Trainwreck Press).

 

 

New Translation Chapbook

 

New from Trainwreck is a lovely chapbook, The Hero / Hence This Cradle , selections from my translations of Hélène Sanguinetti’s work. This is the perfect introduction to her enchanting and disturbing poetry that has made her a critically acclaimed poet in France. Thanks to Trainwreck Press publisher John C. Goodman for this wonderful way to sample her work!

 

 

Translating Suite Française and More

 

Sandra SmithOn March 1, at 7pm, translator and art historian Beth S. Gersh-Nešić will interview award-winning translator Sandra Smith. They will discuss the challenges in translating The Prodigal Child , by Irène Némirovsky, In the Shadows of Paris: The Nazi Concentration Camp That Dimmed the City of Light , by Anne Sinclair and Inseparable , by Simone de Beauvoir. Register here for this Alliance Française event.

 

 

Poets as Artists

 

"Daisies in Paint Bucket" by
Elizabeth BishopNorwalk Poet Laureate Bill Haydencalls out Lebanese poet and painter Etel Adnan; painter and collagist Sylvia Plath (1932-1963), painters Elizabeth Bishop(1911–1979) and Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941). My favorites include Bob Heman, Meg Lindsay and Linda Simone. How about words and art combined? See Linda Lynch’s and Heller Levinson’s work here and here, animation of Regi Claire’s award-winning poem, “(Un)certainty,” and Studio Theater in Exile’s Writing Off the Walls ekphrastic poetry.

 

 

Creative Opportunities

 

Pedestal  open reading, submit up to five poems by March 4

 

Catholic Literary Arts Sacred Poetry Contest, submit ekphrastic poetry by April 30

 

Rhino Poetry Contest and general poetry submissions, by June 30

 

St. Joseph’s College of Maine, adjunct English teachers for Fall 2022

 

 

New and Recent Releases

 

Jim Cardenas and Anthony Seidman, translators. Yelidá (Trainwreck Press) by Tomás Hernández Franco

Susana H. Case and Margo Taft Stever, eds. I Wanna Be Loved by You: Poems on Marilyn Monroe(Milk+Cake Press)

Ann Cefola, translator, The Hero / Hence This Cradle (Trainwreck Press) by Hélène Sanguinetti

Culture + Identity, Vol. 1 and 2 (The Poet Magazine)

 

Michael Daley, Reinhabited (Dos Madres Press)

 

MindFull Magazine

 

Pedestal 89

Laurel Peterson, Daughter of the Sky (Futurecycle Press) pre-order

Jean-Luc Pouliquen, Les 3 B (Independently published)

 

 

Creative Workshops

How to Get Your Writing Published, March 8, 15, and 22; $225, apply here

Stealing from the Poet’s Toolbox: A Fiction Writers Workshop with Estha Weiner, March 19, 10am-2pm, $175

 

All-Genre Writers Group, 6:30pm, Thursdays

 

John McMullen Poetry Workshop, 6pm, fourth Wednesdays

Mahopac Poetry Workshop, 6pm, second Wednesdays

ModPo, University of Pennsylvania’s free poetry course and global community

Norwalk Poetry Workshop, first and third Mondays, 6:30pm; email poet_laureate@norwalkpl.org to register

 

The Poets Salon, led by Ed Ahern and Alison McBain of Fairfield Scribes Press, 10am, every second Saturday

 

Writers and Artists Lunch Conversation, second Fridays, noon

 

 

March Readings and Events – ET

 

Suzanne ClearyMarch 1, 7pm, Federation of Alliances Françaises US, Beth S. Gersh-Nešić interviews award-winning translator Sandra Smith; register here


March 1, 7pm, Poetry Society of New Hampshire, Susana H. Case, Suzanne Cleary, Lyn Coffin, Leanne Grabel, Matthew Hittinger, Dawad Philip, Heidi Seaborn, Margo Taft Stever, Carolyn Wright, Dawad Philip

March 2, 6pm, Norwalk Public Library, Poets Vincent Bell and Ginny Lowe-Connors in Conversation with Laurel S. Peterson via Zoom, register here

 

March 5, 4pm, Trainwreck Poetry Reading with Ann, Heller Levinson, Mary Newell, Anthony Seidman and Giorgia Pavlidou via Zoom, register here

 

Sally Thomas

March 9, 7pm, HVWC, Dorianne Laux and Leila Chatti, Zoom/LIVE

 

March 12-13, Still Point Mountain Retreat, Sally Thomas reading and overnight retreat with dinner and breakfast, $35, spaces limited, email lportolano@gmail.com

 

March 19, 7pm, Small Press Book Fair, Milk and Cake Press reading, via Zoom

 

March 20, 3pm, Tomkins Corner, Mary Newell (LIVE)

 

March 20, 4pm, HVWC, Andrea Deekin and Tara Flint Taylor, Zoom/LIVE

 

Mary Newell

March 21, 6pm, Small Press Book Fair, Broadstone Book poets Susana H. Case, Margo Taft Stever, Mervyn Taylor, and Ann Lauinger, via Zoom

March 22, 6pm, Small Press Book Fair, Liz Marlow, Aaron Caycedo-Kimura, and Susana H. Case, via Zoom

March 25, 1:45pm, AWP Panel “Creating an Anthology: Poet as Editor,” Susana H. Case, Margo Taft Stever, Caridad Moro-Gronlier, Katie Hoerth, and Diana Whitney (LIVE)

 

 

 

Monthly Readings – ET

 

Tracy K. SmithFirst Sunday, 4pm, Poetic License (Austin)

 

Every Tuesday, 2pm, Spoken Word World (Paris)

 

Every Tuesday, 7pm, Curley’s Diner

 

Third Fridays, 7pm, Hudson Valley Writers Center Open Mic – click third Friday for details

 

Every Saturday, 5pm, Lit Balm

Split Mung Soup

 

People always say about this soup, “Must be heavy cream in it!”  No, just split mung beans available at your local Indian grocery. Worth the trip for an especially tasty soup these last blustery weeks of winter!

 

1 cup dry split mung beans

6 cups or more water

Pinch of epazote or hing

1 - 1 ½ inch fresh ginger root, finely chopped

½ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped

1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin

½ - 1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons olive oil

 

Cook beans in water with epazote or hing, and ginger root for up to an hour until beans are soft. Blend cilantro, cumin, salt, and olive oil with a hand-held blender; serve.

 

 

ʼ Round the Net

 

Proud Greenburgh students
 with their art bannerMemoirist Sarah Bracey White, as executive director of the Greenburgh Arts and Culture, on completing the first phase of the town-wide Black History mural project

 

Essayist Chen Du for flash nonfiction in The Dilly Doun Review

 

Translators Chen Du and Xisheng Cheng on translations of contemporary Chinese poet Yan An in The International Human Rights Festival and Sublunary Editions

 

Walt Whitman 
(1819-1892)Poet and filmmaker Terry Dugan for PBS Poetry in America Whitman episode, ; and for noting The Artistic License, newsletter available at BeanRunner Cafe

 

Translator and art historian Beth Gersh-Nešić on her print Bonjour Paris interview with translator Sandra Smith

 

Poet and collage artist Bob Heman on poetry in Blazing Stadium

 

Civil rights historian and poet J. Chester Johnson on sharing that Dr. Catherine Meeks of The Absalom Jones Center For Racial Healing received a 2022 Presidential Award Lifetime Achievement Award

Dr. Catherine MeeksPoet Heller Levinson on Lure, forthcoming from Black Widow Press this spring

 

The New York Public Library for Staff Winter Picks

 

Poet Laurel Peterson on her latest, Daughter of the Sky (Futurecycle Press) available March 7

 

Poet Meredith Trede on her poem, "Gifted Girls," appearing in Tribes

 

 

Advice for Daydreamers

 

Stealing this quote by Marcel Proust (1871-1922) from Karin’s Travel and Culture Newsletter:

 

“If a little dreaming is dangerous, the cure for it is not 

to dream less, but to dream more, to dream all the time.”

   

 

Until next time,

Ann