Ann Cefola's Blog, page 4

your starry annogram

 

Wishing Upon a Star

Photo by Michael CefolaDear annogrammers, Mars visited the Pleiades this week, an amazing event, not to occur again until 2038, that follows the Jupiter-Saturn Grand Conjunction. I am grateful to the amateur astronomer in my life, Michael, for urging me outdoors to see it. To feast on more fantastic images in the universe, you can also attend a star party. Our message: get outside, look up, and believe in your dearest wishes.

 

Latest News

Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962)
reading James JoyceThanks to editors of I Wanna Be Loved by You: Poems on Marilyn Monroe (Milk and Cake Press) and journal Ancient Paths for acceptances; that Poets Speaking to Poets: Echoes and Tributes (ArsOmnia Press) will appear this fall; and that Chen Du’s April 2019 translation of my five poems won the 2020 Reader's Favorite Award in Yan He (Yan River), est. 1956, after the foundation of the new China.

 

Sleepy Hollow Wishing Wall

Tim Grajek at workSleepy Hollow and Hudson River town residents came together recently to paint a Wishing Wall along the Riverwalk. Award-winning illustrator Tim Grajek, mural team member, encouraged community artists—from Girl Scout troops to a diversity of individual volunteers—to paint wishes and thoughts for a bright future. Thanks to longtime friend, photographer Margaret Fox, for sharing this inspirational community event!

 

More Wishing

How do you craft a truly effective wish? Find out in Barbara Dickinson’s and Margie Herrick’s new Questions and Answers about Wishing Workshop. Register for March 20, 11am-1pm (ET) or 7pm-9pm (ET). To attend, please donate any amount to help young girls in Ghana have higher education wishes come true via WomensTrust.org, and send a screenshot or confirmation copy to margieandbarbarawish@gmail.com.

 

Resilience at Mercy College

Sarah Bracey WhiteCongratulations to Sarah Bracey White on being selected to speak in the Mercy College Resilience Series this month. As executive director of Greenburgh Arts and Culture, Sarah will also address Beth Gersh-Nesic’s Black Lives Matter in Art class. She will discuss exciting and timely community projects—stay tuned!

 

New and Recent Releases

Gary Glauber, A Careful Contrition (Shanti Arts Publishing)

 

Mary K O' Melveny, Merging Star Hypotheses(Finishing Line Press)

 

Jan Zlotnik Schmidt, Foraging for Light(Finishing Line Press)

 

J. R. Solonche, The Dust (Dos Madres Press)

 

Thomas Vinton, The Package: Bomb, Money, or Drugs (Independently Published) and Sanctioned Treachery: Portrait of a Drug Informant (Picasso Publications)

Creative Opportunities

Ellen Bass, The Art of Revision, $300

 

Catholic Literary Arts Sacred Poetry Contest, by April 30

 

Mahopac Poetry Workshop, 6pm, every second Wednesday

 

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

Paraclete Poetry Prize for spiritual-themed poetry manuscript by May 1, 2021

 

The Poet (UK) poetry writing courses

 

Pure Slush (Australia) call for submissions on growing up and conversations

 

Rhino poetry, translations, and flash open-reading period, March 1-June 30

March Readings and Events – ET

Ruth HandelMarch 4-28, John Maggiotto and Rachel Weatherford Whitlow Solo Shows, Upstream Gallery (Hastings)

March 9, 7pm, Poetry Caravan featuring Doretta Cornell, Alice Feeley, Ruth Handel, Sandra Hauss, Linda Levit, Deborah Maier, Rachel Cindy Simon, and Fran Sisco; register here

March 10, 7pm, Kazim Ali, Jill Bialosky, and Mark Wunderlich, HVWC, $10

Mary NewellMarch 24, 8pm (7pm CT), Roof Books (New Orleans) presents Rodrigo Toscano, Kit
Robinson, Rodger Kamenetz; register here

March 31, noon, Kelly Writers House (Philadelphia) Panel on Plants and Poetics featuring Lee Ann Brown, Adjua Gargi Nzinga Greaves, Brenda Iijima, Mary Newell, and Evelyn Reilly

 

Monthly Readings – ET

Thanks to Yorktown Poet Laureate John McMullen for this list:

 

First Sunday, 4pm, Poetic License (Austin)

 

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

 

Every Tuesday, 7pm, Curley’s Diner

 

Second Fridays, Noon, Writers, Artists, Actors, etc. Luncheon

 

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

 

ModPo YouTube Channel

 

Wildly Popular Baked Feta Pasta

Last night, the news reported a feta shortage thanks to this Internet recipe. Apparently it emerged from Scandinavia three years ago and has taken the globe by storm. I have yet to try it but trusted test cook Linda Simone gives it the thumbs up:

 

14 oz  feta cheese

12 oz  pasta

3 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

2 ½ tsp fresh thyme, chopped

1 1/3 lb cherry tomatoes

½ cup olive oil

sugar, salt, pepper

Preheat oven to 400°F. Add cherry tomatoes, five tablespoons of the olive oil, garlic, most of thyme, sugar, salt, and pepper in a large baking dish and mix well. Place feta in middle of dish. Sprinkle remaining olive oil and thyme over feta. Zest lemon over dish. Bake 30 minutes. Cook pasta in salted water, per package instructions. Drain and set aside. Remove baking dish from oven and stir to combine ingredients. Stir in pasta and serve immediately.

ʼRound the Net 

Jenni Baker (1984-2020)Poet Jenni Baker, Found Poetry Review editor, remembered for her brilliant Pulitzer Remix (2013), where many of us met and became poetry pals across time zones—thank you, Jenni!

Poet Regi Claire for work in The New European, flash fiction in Ambit (video), prose in the anthology The Middle of a Sentence (Common Breath), and pandemic meditation in the blog What She Might Think

Translators Chen Du and Xisheng Chen for translating Yan An’s “A Bare-Handed Lightning Catcher,” “,” and “” in the latest Pilgrimage

Art Historian Beth Gersh-Nesic for sharing this sculpture of books

Poet Gary Glauber for poetry and flash fiction in The Piker Press, his Pushcart-nominated poem in Sheila-Na-Gig Online, and his sixth book, A Careful Contrition (Shanti Arts Publishing)

 

Gary GlauberAuthor J. Chester Johnson on Damaged Heritage (Pegasus Books) highlighted in this Times of Entrepreneurship article

 

Poet Janet Kaplan whose book Ecotones will be published this fall by Eyewear Ltd

 

Coeditors Mary Newell, Bernard Quetchenbach, and Sarah Nolan on having Poetics for the More-than-Human World (Dispatches Editions) listed as a finalist for the 2020 Big Other Award

 

Jo PitkinPoet Jo Pitkin on having work appear in The Poetry of Capital: Voices from Twenty-First-
Century America (University of Wisconsin Press) and Multiplicity Magazine

 

Poet Jean-Luc Pouliquen for this recent Var-Matin profile

 

Poet Christina Rau, named the Oceanside Library Poet in Residence for a second year, for this clip of her reading

 

Poets Jan Zlotnik Schmidt and Mary K O’Melveny on the debut of their writing group’s website

 

Blues bassist Larry Schwartzman for Larkin Poe’s “She’s a Self-Made Man” and “Tennessee Waltz”

 

Playwrights James Sherry and Mark Wallace on reading their original play, “The Rapture”

 

Lawrence Ferlinghetti
(1919-2021)Cellist and music archivist Jay Shulman for honoring Lawrence Ferlinghetti (1919-2021)

 

Poet Linda Simone for sharing MoMA’s poetic response to Jacob Lawrence’s Migration Series

 

Fran Sisco with two of her sculpturesPoet-filmmaker-artist Fran Sisco for her reading at The Freak Show; wood sculptures in the Pelham Art Center courtyard; and a painting in the New Rochelle Council on the Arts "Struggle" Exhibit at New Rochelle City Hall through April 6

 

Art and music critic Ann Starr for this animated version of Wendell Berry’s “The Peace of Wild Things”

 

Keep looking up!

 

Until next time,

Ann

 

your valentine's annogram

Valentine Greetings

Dear annogrammers, yes, you did just receive a newsletter from me. There was so much in the hopper that I had to follow it up quickly. Thank you for your generous response, and for support around preservation efforts involving my grandfather's work. We await a verdict this month. In the meantime, send me your news and be sure to include all related links. You are amazing, and you deserve love and chocolate for all your creative accomplishments. Happy Valentine's Day!

Readers’ Favorite in China

 

My Chax publisher, poet Charles
Alexander, and my translator Chen Du

Chen Du’s translation of my poem, “Amphibious,” has won second place in the 2020 Readers’ Favorite Awards in Yan He (Yellow River) where it appeared. Translator, essayist, and poet Chen Du has appeared in The Los Angeles Review,  Babel,  American Writers Review,  Waymark Literary Magazine,  Lunch Ticket, and Sinking Water Review. With frequent co-translator Xishen Chen, her translation of Chinese poet Yan An was a 2020 Gabo Award Finalist. I am honored to be translated by the prolific Chen Du!

 

Mother Mary Comes to Me

 

Thanks to Karen Head and Collin Kelley, editors of Mother Mary Comes to Me: A Pop Culture Poetry Anthology (Madville Publishing) for including my poem “Theokotos.” This “inspired” collection, featuring work by poets such as Laure-Anne Bosselaar and Denise Duhamel, received accolades in Amethyst Magazine. Sample it at the February 22nd, 7pm, reading from the Georgia Center for the Book.

 

More Gratitude

 

W. H. Auden (1907-1973)

Thanks to Cindy Hochman for publishing “The Mole” in the September First Literary Review-East and “No one praises this monastic season” in November; Robin Barratt for “We Live at a Crossing” and “Postcards on a Passing World” in On The Road from The Poet (UK); and Bethany Rivers for “Beatitude,” “When I learned that Auden was alcoholic,” and “The last time I sit with you” in Spring 2020 As Above So Below (UK).

 

Black History Month

 

Amanda Gorman

We honor Black History Month with Youth National Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman’s fierce yet vulnerable Inauguration poem, “The Hill We Climb.” More ways to celebrate: tap into the New York Public Library’s author events that reach deep into Black History; view Jonette O’Kelley Miller’s “19th Century’s Stereotypes vs. 19th Century Realities,”; or read J. Chester Johnson’s Damaged Heritage and William Alsup’s Won Over.

 

The Little Island

 

Have you heard about the Little Island? Huge tulip-shaped pylons secure the two-acre floating island in the Hudson River and create its varying levels. Designed by Thomas Heatherwick, creator of the Vessel, this island park at Pier 55 will boast three main lawns, lush varieties of trees, shrubs, grasses, and perennials; boulders for climbing, a small amphitheater, and even a secret garden. The $250 million project—initiated in 2012 by Diane Von Furstenberg and her husband Barry Diller—will open this spring.

 

Covid Ditty

 

Steve Greenstein and cast

What to do if you’re an actor out of work in the Bronx during Covid? Get creative! Steve Greenstein is producing his own series, “Covid Ditty,” a dramedy on life in the Bronx’s Kingsbridge section. He won my heart in the first episode when he entered a Carvel and the cashier began to imitate Tom Carvel! A few of us recall and treasure that gravelly voice. There’s a more complex storyline than that…so tune in.

 

New and Recent Releases

 

Heller Levinson and Will Alexander, Dialogics (Concrete Mist Press)

 

Laura Morelli, The Night Portrait (William Morrow Publishing)

 

Mary Newell, Quetchenbach, and Nolan, eds., Poetics for the More-than-Human World Anthology (Spuyten Duyvil Press)

 

Jean-Luc Pouliquen, Itinéraire poétique en étoile (Independently Published)

Sarah Riggs, Eavesdrop(Chax Press)

 

Mark Saba, A Luke of All Ages / Fire and Ice (Adelaide Books)

 

Verdant(Truth Serum Press)

 

Dianalee Velie, Italian Lesson(Poetry Box)

 

 

Ellen BassCreative Opportunities

Ellen Bass, Living Room Craft Talks ($300; highly recommended)

 

Mahopac Poetry Workshop, 6pm, every second Wednesday

 

The Poet(UK) Poetry Writing Course (£70)

  

 

February Readings and Events – ET

 

Marilyn Nelson

February 4-28, “Imagination is Your Freedom,” Upstream Gallery Juried 2021 Photography Exhibit

 

February 7, 4pm, Carolyn Forché and Lori Soderlind, HVWC

 

February 10, 7pm, JP Howard and Marilyn Nelson, HVWC

 

February 17, 24; March 3, 10; 7pm, “The Art of the Virtual Exhibit,” Beth Gersh-Nesic at The Greenwich Arts Council

 

February 20, 8pm (6pm Tucson time), Brandon Shimoda and Tacey Atsitty, POG Arts Tucson, rsvp here

Queen Esther
in 19th Century depiction

 

February 22, 7pm, Mother Mary Comes to Me poetry reading, Georgia Center for the Book

 

February 24, 10am, “Queen Esther in Art,” Beth Gersh-Nesic at Learning in Retirement (Stamford)

 

February 24, 7pm, Alicia Ostriker, Roger Reeves and Jeffrey Yang, HVWC

 

 

Monthly Readings – ET

 

Thanks to Yorktown Poet Laureate John McMullen for this list:

 

Bill Buschel, host of
HVWC Open MicFirst Sunday, 4pm, Poetic License (Austin)

 

First and Third Mondays, 6:30pm, Norwalk Poetry

 

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

 

Every Tuesday, 7pm, Curley’s Diner

 

Second Wednesdays, 6:30pm, Mahopac Poetry Workshop

 

Layli Long SoldierEvery Thursday, 6:30pm, Mahopac Writers Group

 

Second Fridays, Noon, Writers, Artists, Actors, etc. Luncheon

 

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

 

Chax Press YouTube readings: ecopoetics, Layli Long Soldier, Cole Swensen

 

 

Ann’s Broccoli Stalk Soup

 

With leftover stalks from Linda Simone’s Mac and Cheese, I made this faux cream of broccoli soup that proved outstanding:

 

Stalks from two organic broccoli crowns, peeled of outer skin as much as possible

 

1 organic onion, peeled and diced

 

1 organic potato, peeled and diced

 

2-3 celery stalks, preferably inner with leaves, chopped

 

1 quart vegetable or Not-Chick’n Bouillon Cubebroth

 

1 Tablespoon butter

 

Nutmeg, salt and pepper

 

Sauté onion in butter in soup pot until translucent but not browned. Add broth, potato, and celery; bring to boil and simmer 30-45 minutes. Cut broccoli into chunks and steam until just tender and bright green. Remove from heat, cool, and cut into small pieces, removing any outer skin where possible. When broth is ready, add broccoli and seasoning. Remove from heat, carefully blend with stick blender until creamy, and serve immediately. Broccoli can get a sour taste if cooked too long, so add at last minute for an absolutely delicious soup.

 

 

ʼ Round the Net

 

"Monk in Training"
by Carol Booth

Poet and publisher Charles Alexander for Poetry Talks Podcasts such as No. 6, “Why Whitman?”

 

Photographer Carol Boothon winning the Color Camera Club of Westchester’s award in Category C for her photo “Monk in Training”

 

Photographer Jeanette Briggs on winning first place for her photo, “Guys on Greenwich Avenue,” from the Art Society of Old Greenwich

 

Deaf Community Advocate Florence Camace for this video on Agatha Tiegel Hanson(1873-1959), first Deaf woman to graduate from the National Deaf Mute College (now Gallaudet)

 

Poet Terry Dugan on performing poems inspired by Mailer and Powell at Moonstone Arts Center’s Virtual Poetry Reading

 

Poet BK Fischer on being named the first Westchester County Poet Laureate

 

Art Historian Beth Gersh-Nesic for this fabulous blog on a new translation of Andre
Salmon’s bookon Modigliani

 

Poet Bob Heman for his tiny poetry collection, [Information] (Purgatory Pie Press)

Cindy Hochman and Bob Heman 

Poet Cindy Hochman for her flash memoir poem, “Swan” in Litterateur (India) and having “Everything I Know” appear in The Long Islander/Walt Corner's

 

"Preparing Fruit for Market" by

Michael Holstein, whimsical
use of an old HO train set

Photographer Michael Holstein on winning the 2021 Hastings Calendar Cover Contest—a calendar that every Hastings (NY) resident receives (not photo at left)

 

Author J. Chester Johnson on Damaged Heritage (Pegasus Books) receiving this great review

 

Poet Heller Levinson on praise from critic John Olson in Tillalala Chronicles, and for his performance of the “Trombone”poem

 

Patent Attorney Alan McCollom for sharing this funny “critical” review of the classic children’s story, Good Night Moon

 

Yorktown Poet Laureate John McMullen on having “Coronavirus: A Visit to the Vet” appear in The Trolley

 

Director Mara Mills for sharing Studio-in-Exile’s performance, “19th Century’s Stereotypes vs. 19th Century Realities,” by Jonette O’Kelley Miller

 

Poet Jean-Luc Pouliquen for this review of his latest bookin Le Salon Littéraire

Christina Rau

Poet Christina Rau on being named Walt Whitman Birthplace Poet of the Yearand Poet in Residence at the Oceanside Library

 

Poet Natalie Safir on her seventh book, In the Guesthouse of My Body, accepted by Dos Madres Press

 

Blues bassist Larry Schwartzman for Gary Clark Jr.’s “You Don’t Owe You a Thang”

 

Poet Linda Simone for her poem, “April Walk in the Time of Corona”, sharing top online
resourcesfor short story writers, this Harvard Review article on translation, and, on a lighter note, this hilarious “Anti-Bacterial Girl”send-up

 

Filmmaker Frank Vitale on “The Erotic Fire of the Unattainable” chosen for the 2020 Cinequest Film Festival (CA), Reading Film Festival (PA), and American Fringe (Paris) selected by Richard Peña; and “A Night at the Carnival” at the 2020 Rockland in Motion Film Festival

 

Stay well and be sweet.

Until next time,

Ann

your new year's annogram

Welcome Back!

Dear annogrammers, I have missed you! I was all set to write a July annogram when filial duty demanded I put my focus elsewhere—more below. In the meantime, you have been writing and painting, and giving readings, exhibits, and performances. Nothing, not even a global pandemic, can stop the lively creativity of annogrammers.

Full Steam Ahead

Helene SanguinettiYou can also find my work in the journals DoveTales , First LiteraryReview East, The Poet, and s/tick; in anthologies Mother MaryComes to Me (Madville Publishing) and Verdant (Truth Serum Press); and in the podcast Poetry SpokenHere Episode 133. Excited for my Sanguinetti translation in the upcoming Hunger Mountain, and my nod to mentor Thomas Lux (1946-2017) in the anthology Poet Echoes andTributes. 

Your Path to a Fulfilling Life

Barbara Dickinson’s and Margaret Herrick’s gorgeous  book, Your Path to A Fulfilling Life, asks readers to identify specific life wishes—and watch what happens! Or tap into Barbara’s free webinar, “Have I Accomplished Anything This [Last] Year?” and be prepared to be astonished. Choose one of two dates: January 21, 11am-1pm, register here; or January 23, 7-9pm, register here.

Signs and Wonders

Comet Neowise by Rick BriaA peak moment last year was spying the dual tail of Comet Neowise, diving into a triangle of three stars, through binoculars. As for Jupiter and Saturn, Michael and I saw them inch closer each night but got rained out for the conjunction. Astronomy is a great way to get outside and safely enjoy community—try the Westchester Amateur Astronomers, “the best astronomy club this side of the Oort Cloud,” for star nights and monthly talks.

Journey into Punk

For an intimate look into the 1980s punk scene, read To Hell and Back (Backbeat Press, 2020) by Walter Lure of Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers. Walter had recently reunited with the Fordham University band that started his career when he passed away last year. He dedicates his book to band members which includes my favorite guitarist, Michael Cefola. Fascinating story. Rock on forever, Walter! Wacka Lacka Boom Bop A Loom Bam Boo!

New and Recent Releases

Rae Armantrout, Conjure (Wesleyan University Press)

Patricia Carragon, Angel Fire (Alien Buddha Press)

Circumference Issue 8,welcome relaunch of a fantastic translation journal

Joellen Craft, The Quarry (L+S Press)

Barbara J. Dickinson and Margaret A. Herrick, Your Path to A Fulfilling Life (Independently Published)

Diane Goettel, ed., Far Villages (Black Lawrence Press, 2020)

Nicole Gregory, God's Messenger: The Astounding Achievements of Mother Frances X. Cabrini: A Novel Based on the Life of Mother Cabrini (Barbera Foundation, 2018)

Pauletta Hansel,  Friend (Dos Madres Press)

Heller Levinson, Seep (Black Widow Press)

Walter Lure, To Hell and Back: My Life in Johnny Thunders' Heartbreakers, in the Words of the Last Man Standing (Backbeat Press, 2020)

Pedestal Magazine’s 20th anniversary issue

Kevin Pilkington, Playing Poker with Tennessee Williams (Black Lawrence Press)

Neal Whitman, From This Moment On (Cyberwit, 2020)

Creative Opportunities

The Poet call for work on theme of faith

Pure Slush Press call for poetry and prose on theme of growing up

The Westchester Review open for submissions

January Readings and Events

Heller LevinsonJanuary 21, 11am, “Have I Accomplished Anything Last Year?”, free webinar, register here

January 23, 3pm, Rae Armantrout and Heller Levinson; respective launches of Conjure and Seep, register here

January 23, 7pm, “Have I Accomplished Anything This [Last] Year?”, free webinar, register here.

January 31, 4pm, Gregory Djanikian, intro by Billy Collins; register here  

Monthly Readings – ET

Special thanks to Yorktown Poet Laureate John McMullen for compiling this list:

Ralph NazarethFirst Sunday, 4pm, Poetic License (Austin)

First and Third Mondays, 6:30pm, Norwalk Poetry

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

Every Tuesday, 7pm, Curley’s Diner led by the impressive Ralph Nazareth

Second Wednesdays, 6:30pm, Mahopac Poetry Workshop

Every Thursday, 6:30pm, Mahopac Writers Group

Second Fridays, Noon, Writers, Artists, Actors, etc. Luncheon

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

Linda’s Wholesome Mac and Cheese

Thanks to dear friend, poet, and watercolorist Linda Simone, we often enjoy this easy and delicious meal:

1 organic cauliflower cleaned and broken into florets

1 box of Annie’s Mac and Cheese

3 Tablespoons milk

2 Tablespoons butter

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

1 cup panko crumbs (optional)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spread cauliflower on cookie sheet and sprinkle with olive oil and salt. Roast for 20 minutes. Make the Annie’s Mac and Cheese per instructions. Combine with cauliflower. You can serve at this point, or put in a low casserole, cover with shredded cheese and panko crumbs, and oven-broil briefly until slightly browned. Try it with steamed broccoli, and crushed potato chips or cheese crackers as topping alternatives.

ʼRound the Net

Blues Band Larkin PoeMemoirist Sarah Bracey White for her monologue, “Camp Cook,” read at the National Arts Club

Poet Patricia Carragon on her debut novel Angel Fire (Alien Buddha Press)

Guitarist MichaelCefola for pointing out the band Larkin Poe, here with Keith Urban playing “Where the Blacktop Ends,” shares the creative drive of their famous great-great uncle Edgar Allen Poe

Poet Regi Claire on reading her powerful poem, “(Un)certainties,” short-listed for the 2020 Forward Prize for Best Single Poem, at the British Library

Poet and filmmaker Terry Dugan for this article on William Carlos Williams, “Poetry is a rival government”

Henri Matisse (1869-1954)Art Historian Beth Gersh-Nesic for this fabulous article on Matisse and video on artist Ruby Silvious

Poet Louise Glück on winning the 2020 Nobel Prize in Literature

Translator Johannes Göransson for his Poetry Daily essay on translation

Poet Cindy Hochman for her poem, “Inner Life (with Sabotage),” in LIVE Mag! that also features work by Andrei Codrescu and a collage by Bob Heman

Author J. Chester Johnson on having his book, Damaged Heritage (Pegasus Books), recommended by The Harvard Magazine

Translator Jacqueline Lapidus for her personal remembrances of Ruth Bader Ginsberg in Persimmon Tree (scroll down for her contribution)

Yorktown Poet Laureate John McMullen on his reading at the Paris Spoken Word World last fall

Blues bassist Larry Schwartzman for Snooky Pryor’s “Someone to Love Me”

Poet Linda Simon for the Far Villages (Black Lawrence Press) panel where contributors talk about their work

Novelist RonTanner on winning the Elixir Press 2020 Book of Fiction Award for Far Westto be published this year

Neal Whitman

Poet EsthaWeiner for this Indoor VoicesPodcast with J Journal editors Jeffrey Herman and Adam Berlin

Poet Neal Whitman for great reviews of his new book From This Moment On (Cyberwit, 2020) in Gusts(Canada) and Kokako (New Zealand)

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

In July, I discovered a request to demolish a home by architect Julius Gregory (1875-1955) required the applicants to prove his work was unworthy of preservation. A leader in historic revival architecture, he designed homes for notables such as publisher Alfred Knopf and Proctor & Gamble heir Sidney Gamble. Architect of the Grand Central School of Art, he also contributed to some of the first planned communities, Fieldston and Khakum Woods, both landscaped by the Olmsted Brothers. I never met Julius but, as his granddaughter, I had to respond. Several annogrammers—thank you again—edited a 47-page defense I wrote which helped block the demolition. While the applicants will appeal next month, we savored this victory in honoring architectural heritage.

Wishing you a fresh start this year, and love for and devotion to your family, your friends, and your craft. 

Until next time,

Ann

 

your juneteenth annogram

We begin this annogram with unspeakable sorrow on the death of George Floyd. If you like, take a moment of silence on his behalf before reading, get to know the history behind the upcoming Juneteenthholiday, and consider what you can do to support our African American brothers and sisters at this historic moment.

Damaged Heritage in Conversation
In 2008, J. Chester Johnson read Ida B. Wells-Barnett’s account of a 1919 massacre of more than 100 African-Americans in Elaine, Arkansas, not far from his hometown. Exploring further, Johnson discovered his family’s role in the massacre and reached out to the victims’ descendants—an incredible journey described in Damaged Heritage: The Elaine Race Massacre and A Story of Reconciliation . On June 14, join Chester in conversation with Catherine Meeks, executive director, the Absalom Jones Episcopal Center for Racial Healing; register here to attend.

Southern Writers Sarah Bracey White and 
Nin Andrews
Sarah Bracey WhiteSarah Bracey White, author Primary Lessons , the story of one little girl’s triumph over the Jim Crow South, will read with Nin Andrews, in a special zoom event hosted by CavanKerry Press, on June 15, 8pm ET. Afterwards, the authors will take questions from the audience. Their respective books Miss August , Southern Comfort and Primary Lessons will be 25 percent off Monday with the code augustlessons. Reply "going" to newsletter@cavankerrypress.org and CavanKerry will send you a link to the event.

Spacex Rockets It
Congratulations to Spacexand NASAon the launch of Dragon 9, the first US space launch since 2011. Astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken will spend 119 days aboard the International Space Station. Doug and Bob’s respective sons chose Tremor the stuffed dinosaur as a zero gravity indicator. Soon enough, we saw Tremor floating in the cabin—now that’s one magical apatosaurus!

Tender and Tough
Herb Hadad launched my own and many writing careers, so it’s a pleasure to announce his second book Tender and Tough . This collection covers stories he wrote as a journalist—from 9/11 and Syria’s Bashar Al Assad, to arrival of grandchildren and insights into a happy marriage. “[Hadad] achieves the sweep of history and intimacy of small moments. Whether exploring Aleppo or Boston, he touches both mind and heart,” praises Jason Kelly, Bloomberg News New York Bureau Chief. Congratulations to Herb, our favorite journalist and teacher!

Regi Claire Up for Prize
Regi ClaireCongratulations to poet and novelist Regi Claire on being short-listed for the 2020 Forward Prize for Best Single Poem! The Guardian shared the good news, and you can read her powerful poem, “(Un)certainties”, as well as the Forward Arts Foundation’s interview with her. Final awards will be announced in October. Fingers crossed, Regi!

Dogs and Others Beloved
Writer Louis Spiritowas kind enough to share this gorgeous 
portrait of his dog Hooch, painted by poet and watercolor artist Linda Simone. Lou is the author of the delightful memoir Gimme Shelter (Flowing Water, 2013), the story of one canine who helped Lou be the best possible human. You too can commission a memorable portrait of a loved one—biped and quadroped! Contact Linda by DM through Facebook.

Poetry and Translation
Hélène SanguinettiGratitude to Bethany Rivers for publishing three poems in As Above So Below Issue 5 (pages 7, 23, 35) and to Two Two One NYC for publishing my translation from Hélène Sanguinetti’s And Here’s the Song—looking for a press! An opportunity to publish a book by one of France’s top female poets.

New Releases
Gordon P. Bois and Bob McNeil, eds. Lyrics of Mature Hearts (Independently published)
Chris Campanioni, A and B and Almost Nothing (Otis Books-Seismicity Editions)
Eric Greinke, Break Out (Presa Press)
Laura Morelli, The Giant: A Novel of Michelangelo’s David (Independently published)
Ann Taylor, Sortings (Dos Madres Press)

Creative Opportunities
"Skylight" by Cecily A. Spitzer
Upstream GalleryMahopac Poetry Workshop, 6pm, every second Wednesday of the month
New Lightwood Magazine: Life and Arts in the 21st Century welcomes submissions
Norwalk Poetry Workshop, 6:30pm, every third Monday, Zoom ID: 825 0508 8828,password 189147
Pure Slush anthology call for memoirs in essay, stories, and poetry, by July 31st
Upstream Galleryhas reopened and welcomes visitors to its exhibitions

Online Readings and Events
The Books Movie with French poet Jean-Luc Pouliquen
Chax Press Poetry Talks Podcast #1 with Charles Alexander
Through June 14, Dream Loaf free access to lectures and readings from prior Bread Loaf Conferences
June 14, June 16, 7:15pm, Maine Media Workshop Poetry Reading presents Kevin 
Pilkington; register here to attend
Walt Whitman (1819-1892)
June 18, 6:30-7:30pm, Ekphrastic Poetry Workshop with Christina Rau, see WaltWhitman Birthplace Association Facebook page for details
June 20, 1:30pm, Hudson Highland Poetry Series presents William Lessard,  Kathleen Williamson and Kathryn Weld; register here to attend
June 27, 11pm-5:30pm, Poets, Writers, and Storytellers Stage at Norwalk Art Festival, register @ jetjohns24@gmail.com for link

Sweet Potato Poon
Sarah Bracey White shares that her mom would make a delicious dessert from sweet potatoes frequently gifted by students at the rural South Carolina school where she taught. “We called them sweet potato poons,” Sarah says, “miniature sweet potato pies without the crust.”
3 large sweet potatoes¼ cup cream or milk1 tablespoon butter1 egg¼ cup brown sugar1 teaspoon cinnamon1 teaspoon vanilla¼ cup raisins½ cup chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Boil sweet potatoes until tender. Remove skin and mash. Add cream or milk, butter, egg, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, raisins, and chopped nuts. Mix well. Onto a well-oiled pan, spoon two tablespoons of mixture into individual mounds. Bake for 30 minutes or until surface crisps.

ʼRound the Net
Mt. Hope Cemetery,
Hastings-on-Hudson,
by Michael HolsteinThe sponsors of the Bethpage Air Showfor creating an exciting virtual version this year
Memoirist Sarah Bracey White for this video featuring author Kimberly Joneswho puts the current unrest into historical perspective
Poet and filmmaker Terry Dugan for reminding us how dogs help us stay normal
Art Historian Beth Gersh-Nesic for this online exhibition of paintings of African Americans martyred to violence
Poet Gary Glauber for work in Breadcrumbs , Hobo Camp Review , Live Nude Poems ,
MacQueen’s Quinterly , Piker Press , Poemeleon , and Stepaway Magazine .
Poet Cindy Hochman for her poem, “Root,” in Redheaded Stepchild
Photographer Michael Holstein on winning Photo of the Year from the Color Camera Club of Westchester
Yorktown Poet Laureate John McMullen for recommending the free Authors Publish newsletter
Author Natasha Nesic on having her book, The Miracle on 98th Street, featured in Snowflakes in a Blizzard

The New York Public Libraryfor its Black Liberation Reading List
Poet Christina Rau on being named Walt Whitman Birthplace Association Poet of the Year
Blues bassist Larry Schwartzman for Muddy Water’s “Rollin’ Stone” (1950)
Filmmaker Frank Vitale on winning fifth place out of 100 at the Saratoga Film Festival for “The Erotic Fire of the Unattainable,” which also was featured at the Brooklyn Film Festival

This has been a wild few months, and I thank our annogramcommunity for keeping in touch, and encouraging one another. I want to end with this poem by Danez Smith which first appeared in Poetry (March 2014).
Until next time,Ann
alternate names for black boys 1.     smoke above the burning bush2.     archnemesis of summer night3.     first son of soil4.     coal awaiting spark & wind5.     guilty until proven dead6.     oil heavy starlight7.     monster until proven ghost8.     gone9.     phoenix who forgets to un-ash10.   going, going, gone11.    gods of shovels & black veils12.   what once passed for kindling13.   fireworks at dawn14.   brilliant, shadow hued coral15.   (I thought to leave this blank         but who am I to name us nothing?)16.   prayer who learned to bite & sprint17.   a mother’s joy & clutched breath

your may annogram

A Virtual Embrace
Hi everyone, thanks for your kind emails and news. Connecting and celebrating our talents is more important than ever, and you, yes you, are vital to this annogram community. Read on to see how we are creating and bringing forth our best selves. Avoiding stores, I produced my own “card” for a family member—something I really loved doing.

Free Ferry e-book and more

Excited to announce Free Ferry (Upper Hand Press) will soon be available as an e-book—thanks to publisher Ann Starr for her master plan to expand readership! I am equally grateful for acceptances in As Above So Below (UK) and Truth Serum PressVerdant anthology (Australia). 

Snowflakes in a Blizzard
Thanks to Darrell Laurant for featuring my first book, Face Painting in the Dark , this week. Darrell’s concept for his blog came when he considered the challenge writers face in promoting their work—like singling out a snowflake in a blizzard. It’s my good luck that he has also singled out Free Ferry and The Hero .  

Fonoteca Española de Poesía
My gratitude to María Luisa López for selecting my translation of Hélène Sanguinetti’s “The Battle” from The Hero (Chax Press) for her Books Movie. Follow the text while hearing Hélène’s compelling voice as well as my translation. This unique video subscription brings the best in Spanish and international poetry to your inbox—sign up here.

Linda Simone’s Watercolors
Teabag watercolor (right)
by Linda SimoneIn Linda’s inventive watercolor series, “Painting in the Time of Corona,” she selects a photo posted each Wednesday in her Facebook feed, then creates and gifts the painting to the photo’s owner. “People love it when their photo is chosen,” Linda says. See the gorgeous teabag watercolor paintings she’s created, and maybe submit a photo of your own!

Di Meola and the Beatles
Jazz fusion guitarist Al Di Meola’s new album, Across the Universe , celebrates the Beatles’ songbook with heart-grabbing melodies. Di Meola says that, while much of jazz has left melody behind, he discovers it afresh by going deeper into songs like “Strawberry Fields Forever.” Thanks to my favorite guitarist, Michael Cefola, for sharing this amazing tune with us.

New Releases
Susana H. Case, Dead Shark on the N Train (Broadstone Books)
Cathryn Essinger, The Apricot and the Moon (Dos Madres Press)
Heller Levinson, Seep (Black Widow Press)
Mary Newell, Sarah Nolan, and Bernard Quetchenbach, editors, Poetics for the More-Than-Human World (Dispatches from the Poetry Wars)
Steven Salmoni, A Day of Glass (Chax Press)
Ann Starr, Starr Review – New Edition
Estha Weiner, Poetry Podcast (Soundcloud)

Creative Opportunities
Kevin PilkingtonBordighera Press Lauria/Frasca Poetry Prize – submit by June 30
Bronx River Bookswill deliver books to your door if you are in their locale
David Crews offers online community poetry workshops
Hole in the Head Review call for submissions by June 19
The Journal of Compressed Creative Arts is open for submissions.  The Writer's Harbor Poetry Week: June 15-19 with awesome teacher / poet Kevin Pilkington
Steel Toe Books Poetry/Prose Prizes and Open Chapbook submissions

Linguine with Lentil and Wine Sauce
We still have chilly nights that call for a warm nourishing meal. This one, based on one from The Festive Vegetarian (Pantheon Books, 1983), fits the bill—a vegetarian Bolognaise.
1 tablespoon olive oil1 onion, peeled and chopped1 large garlic clove, peeled and crushed1 teaspoon basil, fresh chopped or dry1 14.5-ounce can tomato sauce½ cup dried lentils1 tablespoon tomato paste or ketchup1 ¼ cup red wine1 ¼ cup vegetable stock or waterSea salt and freshly ground pepper1 8-ounce box of linguine – try DeBolesbuttergrated Parmesan cheese
Heat oil in medium-size saucepan and sauté onion 10 minutes until soft and slightly brown. Add garlic, basil, tomato sauce, lentils, tomato paste, wine, and stock. Bring to boil, then cover saucepan, turn down heat, and simmer 45 minutes, stirring from time to time, until lentils are tender and mixture is a thick purée. Season with salt and pepper. Cook linguine, drain, and put in a pan with butter, stir, and pour onto a platter. Top with lentil sauce and Parmesan cheese.

Online Poetry + Art Events (EST)
Patricia CarragonMay 17, 3pm, Tompkins Corner Cultural Center https://mailchi.mp/52d7640f5a40/coming-upbroadway-old-time-jazz-world-music-5133437?e=22c496ae48
May 21, 4-6pm, "As We Keep Our Distance,” poets Madeline Artenberg, Patricia Carragon, Susana H. Case, hosted by Jerry T. Johnson; register for admissionhttps://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-poets-writers-storytellers-virtual-poets-stage-event-iv-tickets-105087178580
May 21, 7-8pm, Beth Gersh-Nešić  on “Mothers in Art History,” Byram Shubert Libraryhttps://www.greenwichlibrary.org/byram-shubert/
June 7, 4pm, poets Peggy Ellsberg, Jennifer Franklin, Margo Taft Stever
http://www.writerscenter.org/calendar/shpeditorsreadzoom/

Ongoing Poetry Events
Ralph Nazareth, host of
Curley's Diner Poem Alley seriesMondays, 2pm (8pm Paris time) Spoken WordSign on at https://zoom.us/j/366208796https://zoom.us/j/366208796
Third Mondays, 6:30pm, Norwalk Poetry Workshophttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/83671321809?pwd=OFkwZzZWMVhDdlhMTU91K2lOVkQvZz09
Tuesdays, 7:30pm, Curley's Diner Open Michttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/4334374070?pwd=QUhLVi9PSUlKdnYyczF3M1M3Y25wdz09
Wednesday Poetry Nighthttps://www.facebook.com/WednesdayNightPoetry
Third Wednesdays, 6pm, Business of Writing and Publishing Workshop https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83424545821
Thursdays, 6:30pm, Mahopac Writers Group https://us04web.zoom.us/j/547690440
Bill Buschel, host of
HVWC Open MicFourth Wednesdays, 6pm, Yorktown Poetry Workshop https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83176155376
Third Fridays, 7pm, HVWC Open Mic led by Bill Buschelhttps://www.writerscenter.org/calendar/open-mic-2020-05-15/
Every other Friday, noon, Talking with Our Mouths Full, translation conversations

Indoor Treats
Falling Water by Frank Lloyd WrightVisit iconic architecture by Frank Lloyd Wright
Travel the universe via the Keck Observatory Cosmic Videos
Singalong at Marie’s Crisis Café, Facebook group, 4-7pm and 7-9pm
Access exhibits at the National Baseball Hall of Fame

ʼRound the Net
Grover Washington Jr.The Booker Prizefor its shortlist
Writer Jeanette Briggs for sharing one of her favorite songson International Jazz Day
Poet and writer Bill Buschel for recommending John Krasinski’s Some Good News (SGN)program
John KrasinskiAuthor Philip Caputo on his tribute to writer Karen Marcus Wessel, friend we lost to Covid
Writer Barbara Dickinson on her launch of scholar Igor Sibaldi’s website, Sibaldi’s Code
Poet and writer Terry Dugan for sharing this campaign to help local bookshops
Art Historian Beth Gersh-Nešić for “The Marvelous Madame Marval: A Woman Artist Among the Fauves”
Poet and author Marilyn Johnson on having three poems in Hole in the Head Review   Work Life Fitness Expert Natasha Nešićon offering weekly 20-minute Zoom exercise sessions

The New York Arts Exchange for online exhibit Fereshteh Priou: Poetry in Line and Form
The New York Public Library for celebrating its lions, Patience and Fortitude
Writer Elizabeth Primamore for stories in The Opiate Magazine and The Hawaii Pacific Review
Poet Ed Roberson on winning the 2020 Jackson Prize
The Sad and Useless Humor Site for challenging people to recreate great artworks
Poet and artist Linda Simone for her poem, “Incontrovertible,” in Tejascovido   Novelist Louise Farmer Smith on the e-book edition of her novel One Hundred Years of Marriage   Translator Jill Timbers for sharing this important piece, “The Erosion of Deep Literacy”  
Surviving the Unexpected
New Zealand's Jack Buchanan
gets his family in the grooveOur dramatic societal change makes me appreciate, for the first time, the fears my grandparents surely experienced during the Depression. I have to ask myself if there is enough milk, and if yes, do I want to use it in one meal? I intuit how mind-blown my parents must have been when the US entered World War II. Facing our own global crisis, we’re seeing creativity transform from a “nice to have” to a means of survival—from rapid-fire biomed discoveries to inspirational videos of families quarantining in “Family Lockdown Boogie” and “One Day More.” So, please—now more than ever—do what your heart calls you to do, and make the world more whole by expressing your whole self.
Be safe, be creative!
Until next time,Ann

your april annogram

Warm Greetings
Hello everyone. I hope this annogram finds you safe, at home, and well—working remotely or diving into a creative project. Here’s a virus overview from a doctor on the frontlines here in New York; an Israeli video on how it spreads; ways to safely bring food into your home; and a heads up that national crises increase domestic violence. This guided focusing meditation can help introduce some calm.

Poetry Month
April is the time we celebrate poetry, and I am grateful for work in Presence 2020 , Bewildering Stories , Heat the Grease We’re Frying Up Some Poetry (Gnashing Teeth Press), and acceptances in S/Tick , Mother Mary Comes To Me (Madville Publishing) and What But the Music (Gelles-Cole Publishing).




Bishop in Key West
As reported by Poets and Writers, the Key West Literary Seminar (KWLS) has purchased Elizabeth Bishop's former residence in Key West, Florida. The site will become a public literary venue as well as KWLS headquarters. Arlo Haskell, executive director of KWLS, says the timeless residence still “feels like Elizabeth Bishop’s house.” 

Planet Word
An interactive museum dedicated to words and language is planned to open this year in Washington, DC. Planet Word will focus on the spoken, sung, and written word—such as a 22-foot-tall Word Wall with 1,000+ voice activated words,lighting up and explaining their arrival in the English language. The 51,000-square-foot site will be inside the historic Franklin School in the heart of DC.

Fav San Antonio Artists
"Lungs of the Earth"
by Lucia LaVilla-Havelin
Congratulations to textile artist Lucia LaVilla-Havelin on her recent exhibit at Aanna Reyes Gallery. Lucia creates needlework on canvases such as “Lungs of the Earth” to raise environmental awareness.





"Amazon Parrot" by Linda Simone

Kudos too to watercolorist Linda Simone on exhibiting at Kapej Gallery. Linda combines watercolor and ink on recycled tea bags for a gorgeous, antique-like patina—which you can see  @teabagartsa on Instagram. 



New Releases
Heath Brougher, ed. Concrete Mist Press Anthology (Concrete Mist)

Kevin Crookes,  Snoff the Sloth  (Independently Published)

Carrie Greenlaw,  Dark Garnet  (L+S Press)

Kerrin McCadden, Keep This to Yourself (Button Poetry)

Pedestal 85.2

Kevin Pilkington, Playing Poker with Tennessee Williams (Black Lawrence Press)

Jean-Luc Pouliquen, Itinéraire poétique en étoile (Independently Published)

Martina Reisz Newberry, Blues for French Roast with Chicory (Deerbrook Editions)

Geoffrey Woolf, Fontaine’s Golden Wheel Fortune Teller and Dream Book (Dos Madres Press) 



Creative Opportunities


Bob HemanCatholic Literary Arts is sponsoring a poetry contest; submit by April 30
Clown War, aka CLWN WR , edited by poet Bob Heman, enjoys an archive that goes back to 1974
 
The Journal of Compressed Creative Arts is open for submissions.

Matter Press will send a free book if you are quarantined: email your snail mail address to matterpress@comcast.net

Morning Mahopac Writers Group and Business of Writing and PublishingGroup via Zoom; email johnmac13@gmail.com

One-on-One Poetry Workshop with Arthur Vogelsang

Pedestal Magazine call for poems around “laments for the earth” or “songs of resilience”


Poetry Spoken Here is launching Open Mic of the Air; send five-minute or less audio recording of your poems and it will edit into podcasts
Rhino poetry and reviews for your reading pleasure

Blender Cornmeal Waffles
Here’s comfort food that’s easy to make—three large waffles:
1 egg3/4 cup organic or plant-based milk1/4 cup vegetable oil1 cup organic all-purpose flour2 tablespoons cornmeal2 teaspoons baking powder2 teaspoons sugar
Preheat waffle maker. Place ingredients in blender. Cover and mix at med-high speed until dry ingredients are moistened. Do not over-blend. Pour 1/2 cup batter over grids. Close waffle maker gently and bake until steam no longer escapes, about 3-5 minutes. Remove waffle with a fork and serve.

Online Poetry Events (EST)
Christina RauApril 4, Noon, Susanna Case on her book Body Falling, Sunday Morning (Milk and Cake Press)https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0pc-yprjsjIRqbczjUvsSskdjNjumg5A.
April 5, 2pm, Ceremony and Reading, Christina Rau named Walt Whitman Birthplace Poet of the Year https://www.facebook.com/events/173529373945304/
Charles AlexanderApril 5, 4-5:30pm, "As We Keep Our Distance" with Laurel Peterson, Van Hartman, Jane Ormerodhttps://us04web.zoom.us/j/502610098


April 5, 5pm, Lit Balm: An Interactive Livestream Reading Series
with Jonathan Penton, Larissa Shmailo, Marc Vincenz
April 8, 8-9pm, launch of Geoff Woolf's Fontaine's Golden Wheel Fortune Teller and Dream Book https://zoom.us/j/703950105
Charles Alexander and Eli Goldblatt on the Chax YouTube channelhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxUXE-_zgL8acZC6-K2obzg?view_as=subscriber

Distāntia Remote Reading Series https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvvXC1Q4IwxV7Ve6h1026cg

ʼRound the Net
Sarah Bracey White (far right)
with fans at AWPPoets Ed Ahern and John McMullen on work in The Creativity Webzine
Memoirist Sarah Bracey White for selling all her copies of Primary Lessons (CavanKerry) at AWP
Poet and Open Mic Host Bill Buschel on the perks of being a pirate
Author Kevin Crookes on his new YouTube channel for kids
Art Historian Beth Gersh-Nešić for her fantastic article on Degas (1834-1917) and salute to Notre Dame as we near the April 15th anniversary of its burning


Poet Cindy Hochman on having work appear in the new Concrete Mist Press Anthology (Concrete Mist)
Heller LevinsonPoet Heller Levinson on editing Alligator Zine (Belgium) and praise from the Los Angeles Review
Poet and artist Meg Lindsay on recent painting exhibit, “Mostly New,” at the Irvington Library
YA Novelist Alison McBain on her debut novel The Rose Queen (Fairfield Scribes) becoming a Wishing Shelf List finalist
Poet Mary McCray for sharing this look into the new world of mega-online meetings

Poet John McMullen for this article on the never-ending poem
Poet Ralph Nazareth for reminding us of one of the most timely and poignant lines in poetry
Poet Jean-Luc Pouliquen on being featured on the January 9, 2020 and June 6,  2019 broadcasts of Les poètes
The New York Public Library for Books You’ve Always Meant to Read
Jorge Luis Borges
(1899-1986)Poet Christina Rau on being named the Walt Whitman Birthplace Poet of the Year
Musician Larry Schwartzman for sending us this roundup of 2020 poetry reads
Poet and artist Linda Simone for the story behind Good Night Moon
Scholar Ilan Stavans for this animated short on Jorge Luis Borges (1899-1986)
Writer Alison Stine on the financial and physical barriers to AWP attendance

Filmmaker Frank Vitale on his film, “The Erotic Fire of the Unattainable”, at the Sarasota Film Festival
Poet Neal Whitman and photographer Elaine Whitman on respective work in Immagine e Poesia (Italy)
Special thanks to Dr. Steve Guggenheim, Marie Morris RN, Bill Buschel, and Barbara Dickinsonfor the sharing the helpful virus-related videos above

Some Indoor Treats
Christopher KimballBillboard.com has an online guide to its list of live-streamed music, and past shows
Christopher Kimball's Milk Street is offering free cooking courses through the end of April
2,500 museums can be visited virtually courtesy this article shared by Beth Gersh-Nešić
Nike dropped subscription fees for its NTC Premium services that stream 185+ workouts
Coursera is offering Yale’s popular course, The Science of Well-Being, for free

(C)Ovid and Metamorphosis
Ovid (43 bce - 17 ce)What a bizarre few weeks! I was finishing The Metamorphoseswhile life around me seemed to transform. An old school salesman shook my hand after a purchase, and I thought, “He’s not afraid,” then “Is that my last handshake?” Rome faces a plague at the end of Ovid’s volume of beloved and often disturbing myths. The oracle instructs elders to bring back Asclepius, the god of medicine, from Greece, and the city recovers. Could part of our cure be here already—slowing down, spending time with family, focusing on immediate needs, and savoring fresh air outdoors? Something profound is shifting, sprouting feathers, growing wings. Hold on, keep connected, and wait for whatever takes shape.
Be safe, be creative!
Until next time,Ann

your new year's annogram

Happy Start to New Year
Really thrilled to have one poem upcoming in Presence 2020 , two in Women’s Studies Quarterly , three in Hunnybee ; that “How to Handle Criticism” appears in The Winnow, and that Gnashing Teeth has published Heat the Grease – We’re Frying Up Some Poetry . Thanks also to Darrell Laurant for interviewing me on The Hero (Chax Press, 2018), and to Bateau Lit and Tentacular editors for publishing more translations.

Translation for Writers
L-R: Ann Lauinger, Beth Gersh-Nešić,
and yours truly talk translation
at Hudson Highland Poetry SeriesAs you can read above, translating opens a lot of doors. Poet Ann Lauinger, art historian Beth Gersh-Nešić, and I downloaded insider tips at the respective Hudson Highlands and Sundays with George Poetry Series this fall. If you, your book club, or literary organization would like insights on getting into the booming field of literary translation, please reach out via my blog or website.

Poetry at Curley’s Diner
Poet and Curley's Proprietor
Eleni Begetis Anastos and meI had the best time at Curley’s Diner in Stamford. Thanks to host Ralph Nazareth for inviting me to read my poetry and translation, and to Rolf Maurer for this outstanding introduction, “Listening to the Lyre of Hope and Love in the Underworld of the Atomic Age.” The Curley’s, aka PoemAlley, group is a bunch of diehard poets, including the likes of Ed Ahern, who comment on one another’s work Tuesday nights at 7pm. All are welcome!

Lovrien Price Gregory
Lovrien Price Gregory
New York Sun - 1925Many of you have met my grandmother on these pages: a classically trained artist who studied in France on scholarship. She first illustrated turn-of-the-century fashion covers, then became one of the first female cartoonists, and later, interior muralist for homes designed by spouse Julius Gregory. 

While portraiture was her adult focus, late in life she opened to abstract expressionism—producing breath-taking nudes in shards of vibrant color. I seek a home for her work. If there’s a museum or archive that could benefit from this spectacular provenance spanning the 20th century, please let me know.

Suffragettes Invade Central Park
Meredith Bergmann works on
her sculptureLovrien was a proud suffragette who, wearing white, marched up Fifth Avenue. She would love to know that Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton will appear in the first statue of female historical figures in Central Park. The non-profit Monumental Women promoted the sculpture by Meredith Bergmann to be unveiled in August—the 100th anniversary of US women’s suffrage.

Friends Scoop Top Awards
Regi ClaireCongratulations to novelist, poet, and short fiction writer Regi Claireon winning first prize in the Women’s Poetry Competition for her amazing poem on grief, “(Un)certainties.” The prize was given by the Poetry Book Society, a UK organization TS Eliot founded in 1953. 


Alison McBain




We also salute Alison McBain, fiction writer, cartoonist, and blogger, on winning gold in the Literary Classics International Book Award for her YA fantasy, The Rose Queen (Fairfield Scribes, 2018). Woo-hoo! More to come, we are sure!

New Releases
Susanna H. Case, Body Falling, Sunday Morning (Milk and Cake Press, 2019)
Sandi Gelles-Cole and Kenneth Salzmann, Eds. What Remains: The Many Ways We Say Good-bye (Gelles-Cole Literary Enteprises, 2019)
Chen Du, Pilgrimage (Dead Mule, 2019), and Successful Personal Statements (Bookbaby, 2019)

Meg Lindsay, Notes from a Caregiver (The Poetry Box, 2020)
John F. McMullen, World War II Baby and Other Poems (Local Gems Press, 2019)
Tracie Morris, Who Do With Words (Chax Press, 2019)
The Pedestal 85
Jean-Luc Pouliquen, Dans le miroir des livres (Publié Indépendamment, 2019)
D Kathryn Pressman, Where the Light Gathers (Delphine Books, 2019)

Creative Opportunities
Augury Books Open Reading Period for poetry manuscripts, January only, $10 fee
John C. Hart Memorial Library, Yorktown Poetry Workshop, fourth Wednesdays, 6pm
Hudson Valley Writers Center Open Mic Nights 7:30-9:30 third Fridays
Oscar Wilde Lyrics of Mature Hearts Anthology , submit 3-6 poems on love and aging to mcneil_bob@yahoo.com by January 31
Mahopac Library, Poetry Workshop, second Wednesdays, 6:30pm (second floor); Writers Group, every Thursday, 6:30pm (third floor)
Norwalk Library, 2nd Floor, Poetry Workshop, first and third Mondays, 6:30-8:30pm
Paraclete Press Inaugural Poetry Prize, submit 60-75 page manuscripts by January 30
Ann StarrPoems, hybrid work, and brief manifestos on ecopoetics; submit by January 31 to ecopoetics2020@gmail.com 
The Poetry InstituteReading Series Open Mic (New Haven), third Thursdays, 7pm
Refiction Magazine , free online fiction writer’s magazine with resources and tools
Starr Review, New Edition , subscribe for art reviews by art connoisseur Ann Starr
Uncommon Hours: An Online Course About Designing the Writing Lifewith Carolyn Flynn


Chilaquiles
My American hybrid of the classic Mexican dish—great any time of day—and you probably have the ingredients on hand. Serves two. Tastes best if eaten while wearing PJs. Olé!
1 tablespoon organic unsalted butter6 pasture-raised large eggssalt, pepper, and a touch of nutmeg1 block cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, shredded1 green pepper, grilled, peeled, and cut into thin slices (optional)2-3 handfuls of unsalted, non-GMO tortilla chipsyour favorite red salsachopped fresh cilantro, organic sour cream, guacamole or avocado (optional)
Melt butter in large frying pan. Beat eggs; add some water or milk as preferred, and seasonings. Pour eggs into hot pan. Add green pepper, sautéed onion, or steamed spinach or swiss chard—or not. Sprinkle half of cheese over top, followed by tortilla chips, and rest of cheese. Tip pan and lift one edge of eggs with a spatula to help chilaquiles solidify. Lower heat so they do not burn. Once eggs are dry, remove from heat, drizzle with salsa and other toppings, slice like a pie, and serve.
Tip: Always buy block cheese. Bags of shredded cheese come with something called cellulose, basically plastic. Also, to rid store-bought tortilla chips of that stale taste, spread chips on cookie sheets and broil for a few seconds until sizzling and golden at the edges—watch so they don’t burn!

Poetry / Literary / Art Events
Upstream Gallery, Renewal, Small Works Show, January 2-26; reception, January 5, 2-5pm
Alliance Française de Greenwich, Byram Shubert Library, January 7, 5pm, Art Historian Beth Gersh-Nešić on “When Modern Art Came to Paris: Immigration and Assimilation,” free and open to the public

HVWC, January 24, 7pm, Sigrid Nunez and Jim Tilley, $10
It’s a little quiet in January, don’t you think?


ʼRound the Net
Choreographer Rachel CohenGreenburgh Arts and Culture Executive Director Sarah Bracey White for this interview of art teacher Stephanie Rosen by high school senior Katie Weber
HVWC Open Mic Host Bill Buschel for André Rieu’s version of “Auld Lang Syne”
Choreographer Rachel Cohen for improv classes at Action Theater and new work last fall at the Construction Company
American author A. N. Devers for opening in London’s Soho the Second Shelf Bookshop to preserve and promote literature written by women
Poet and translator Chen Du for a poem in Levitate, essays in Hamline Lit Link and Dead Mule , translations in The Bare Life Review, Columbia Journal , Lunch Ticket , and River River ; and translation of poems by Charles Alexander in Yan River(China).
1916Poet Forrest Gander for this poetry translation event, kindly shared by his friend Heller Levinson
Art Historian Beth Gersh-Nešić for presenting at the André Salmon Colloquium at the University of Turin (Italy) a paper on Salmon’s support of women artists at the 1916 Salon d’Antin where Picasso’s Demoiselles d’Avignon was also first exhibited
Poet Gary Glauber on winning a James Tate International Poetry Prize, on work in Parentheses (France), The Chachalaca Review , and Sheila-Na-Gig ; and for his chapbook The Covalence of Equanimity forthcoming from SurVision Books
Poet Cindy Hochman for her review of Francesca Bell’s Bright Stain (Red Hen Press, 2018) in Pedestal 85
Maureen Pilkington and her brother
poet Kevin PilkingtonPoet J. Chester Johnson on his NPR interview on the Elaine Race Massacre (1919) and new memorial
Poet Heller Levinson on selections from Seepin Silver Pinion
Poet Rolf Maurer for penning “Ann Cefola: Listening For The Lyre Of Hope And Love In The Underworld Of the Atomic Age”
Yorktown Poet Laureate John McMullen on his 300th radio show, and for this skewering of an MFA workshop taken by Jane Austen
Marcel ProustThe New York Public Library for 2019’s top checkouts and best books
Author Maureen Pilkington for this great review of This Side of Water (Regal House Publishing, 2019) 
Poet Natalie Safir on her essay in  What Remains: The Many Ways We Say Good-bye  (see New Releases)
Poet Linda Simone for this great article on reading Proust and on her essay in What Remains: The Many Ways We Say Good-bye (see New Releases)

Art connoisseur Ann Starr on her review of the Ditchling Museum in  Starr Review, New Edition

My late bloom is still here, although somewhat dry, bringing in its winter energies to nourish roots—which is what we do in these quiet times of transition, one year to another, one closed creative project to the bud of a new one. May you rejoice in your creative destiny as it unfolds, one green shoot at time.

Until next time,Ann

your all hallows annogram

More Treats than Tricks
Woo-hoo! My Halloween bag features “Excision” in Cliterature, “The Beauty of Distorted Vocals” in Amsterdam Quarterly, and “Invisible Man” in Poetry Salzburg. Women’s Studies Quarterly, the winnow, Adanna, and the anthologyKeep Texas Salty have accepted more. Ed Ahern and I are in Nocturne – Poetry of the Night (CultureCult, 2019); Bateau Lit and Tentacular will shortly publish more Sanguinetti translations.

Translation for Writers in Garrison
Ann Lauinger, Beth Gersh-Nesic and meIf you know a bit of another language, you can enrich your publishing credits through literary translation. Poet Ann Lauinger, art historian Beth Gersh-Nešić, and I will share about opportunities in the booming field of global literature at the Desmond-Fish Library in Garrison, on November 2 at 1:30pm. Thanks to Mary Newell, founder and coordinator of the Hudson Highlands Poetry Series, for inviting and hosting us.


Sundays with George – mais oui
The Hudson River - Photo
by Sarah Bracey WhiteYou can also catch Translation for Writers at the Shames JCC on the Hudson, November 10 at 1:30pm. This poetry series this fall featured Natalie Safir and Tony Howarth reading new work—a pleasure to hear in the JCC’s intimate library. Our gratitude to George Kraus PhD for both practicing andsupporting literary translation.

Poetry and Translation at Curley’s Diner
Thanks to poet Ralph Nazareth for inviting me to read at Curley’s Diner in Stamford on November 19 at 7pm. I look forward to sharing both poetry and translation, and secrets for publishing both, with some of Fairfield County’s finest poets. Come be nourished by comfort food and the spoken word!

Picasso’s Unlikely Friendship
Who witnessed the birth of modern art? One observer was poet André Salmon, Picasso’s long-time friend, who critiqued modernism in a way that converted those scandalized by it. In Pablo Picasso and André Salmon: The Painter, the Poet and the Portraits (ZaMir Press, 2019), a compelling narrative, intimate photos, and sketches track the intrigue between friends. Translator Beth Gersh-Nešić makes Jacqueline Gojard’s scholarship accessible in this must-read jewel of a book. If you liked Bonnard/Matisse: Letters Between Friends (Abrams, 1992), you will treasure this too.

Play It Loud at the Met
Photo by Michael CefolaMichael and I loved seeing Bo Diddley’s “Twang Machine” or box guitar, Ringo Starr’s Ludwig drum kit used with the Beatles, Jeff Beck’s 1954 Fender Esquire featured in the Yardbirds, a seminal 60s British Invasion band; and Van Halen’s “Frankenstein” guitar built from various parts—known as “one of the most recognizable guitars of all time.” You can see me in the background inspecting it.

CRWROPPS Goes Blog
Allison JosephThanks to poet and writer Allison Joseph for bringing us glorious submission opportunities in her famous CRWROPPS Yahoo list-serve. Last week, she wrote that Yahoo is ending this service. In December, Allison will make the listings available three times a week on her new CRWROPPS blog. annogram salutes Allison, and especially extends condolences on the death of her husband, poet Jon Tribble.

New Releases

Patricia Carragon, Meowku (Poets Wear Prada, 2019)
Llyn Clague, Up Close and Nuclear (Twigs Press, 2019)
Jim Daniels and M.L Liebler, editors, RESPECT: The Poetry of Detroit Music (Michigan State University Press, 2019).
Jim Daniels, The Perp Walk (Michigan State University Press, 2019).

Herbert Hadad, Tender and Tough: 60 Years of Storytelling (Independent Press, 2019)
Pamela L. Laskin, Why No Goodbye (Leapfrog Press, 2019)
Robert Murphy, Among the Enigmas (Dos Madres Press, 2019)

Creative Opportunities
Writer's Retreat at
Good Contrivance FarmFairfield Library, Poetry: Writing, Reading, Getting Published, November 2, 1-2pm
Fairfield Library, The A-Z of Publishing Short Writing, November 2, 2:15-3pm
Good Contrivance Farm (Maryland), Writer’s Retreat Loft or Hen Cottage for rent, special 25% discount for writers, email ron@historicfarm.org
The Pedestal Magazine open to poetry through November 24
Vitamin ZZZ , submit poems about sleep
Paraclete Press Inaugural Poetry Prize, submit 60-75 page manuscripts by January 30
John C. Hart Memorial Library, Yorktown Poetry Workshop, fourth Wednesdays, 6pm
Hudson Valley Writers Center Open Mic Nights 7:30-9:30 third Fridays
Mahopac Library, Poetry Workshop, second Wednesdays, 6:30pm (second floor); Writers Group, every Thursday, 6:30pm (third floor)

Moosewood Pumpkin Pie
Yeah, here it is again. I’d rather eat it than write about it. Enjoy!
3 cups pumpkin puree¾ cup honey2 tablespoons molasses¼ teaspoon ground cloves3 teaspoons cinnamon1 ½ teaspoons ginger1 teaspoon salt4 eggs, slightly beaten1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk2 frozen 9-inch pie shells, prepared per directions
Mix in order given. Pour into pie shells and bake 10 minutes at 450 degrees, then 40 minutes at 350 degrees, or till set. For a delicious pumpkin pudding, omit pie shell. Bake filling in buttered baking dish and serve with vanilla ice cream or heavy cream.

Poetry / Literary / Art Events
"Bone Scroll" by Maxine SilvermanStudio Montclair (NJ) Gallery, assemblages by Maxine Silverman in exhibit “Everyday Objects”; reception, November 1, 7-9pm

Desmond-Fish Library, November 2, 1:30pm, Translation for Writers; Ann Cefola, Beth Gersh-Nešić, Ann Lauinger
Learning in Retirement, Temple Beth El (Stamford), November 4, 1-3pm, Beth Gersh-Nešić on "American Women Artists”; and November 11, 1-3pm, on "20th Century European Women Artists"

Lunar Walk Poetry Series, November 9, 4:30pm, Andrey Gritsman and Margo Taft Stever
Shames JCC on the Hudson, Sundays with George Poetry Series; translators Ann Cefola, Beth Gersh-Nešić, Ann Lauinger, November 10, 1:30pm
McNally Jackson Seaport, November 11, 7pm, Pamela Hart, Abby E. Murray
Books of Wonder, November 14, 6pm, Pamela L. Laskin launch, Why No Goodbye (Leapfrog Press, 2019) Tea Bag art by Linda Simone
Katonah Library, November 17, 4pm, Deborah Landau, $10
Greenburgh Town Hall, November 16, 12-2pm, Kids Short Story Connection Reading, free
The Poetry InstituteReading Series Open Mic (New Haven), third Thursdays, 7pm; free, open to public
Kapej Gallery and Cafe (San Antonio), November 22, 6-9pm, opening reception for exhibit of Linda Simone watercolors and Laura Lopez artwork

ʼRound the Net
Greenburgh Arts and Culture Executive Director Sarah Bracey White on interviewing artist Hope Friedland
Art Historian Beth Gersh-Nešić for her fantastic article on digital tours of the great Paris museums and having her new translation reviewed in France by poet Jean-Luc Pouliquen
Norwalk Poet Laureate Bill Hayden for quoting Krista Tippett’s On Being blog: “Writer Ta-Nehisi Coates says he finds it in the choice to simply write ‘as you hear it’ — without hesitation or explanation or apology”
Poet Cindy Hochman for her review of John Fry’s with the dogstar as my witness in The Pedestal Magazine, and this wonderful interview of Cindy by Christal Ann Rice Cooper
Cindy Hochman
on the Walt Whitman tourPoet J. Chester Johnson for achieving a memorial last month to African Americans slaughtered in the Elaine Race Massacre (1919)
Poet Mary McCray for her review of the American Writers Museum
Yorktown Poet Laureate John McMullen for recommending the amazing online course, ModPo, journals that pay and his poem about a celebrity encounter
Poet Linda Simone for this fun palindrome game

Photo by Michael CefolaRemember my late bloomer? Still fully launched, two months later, with new blue tips that turn purple, red, and finally pink. Its message is “We can change, we can grow, we are here to stay!” Late bloomers rejoice.
Until next time,Ann

your end-of-summer annogram

Welcome Back!
Ann, Mary Ellen, Charlie, Terry,
Sarah and Linda in BenningtonWhaddya do for vacation? On the literary front, I gave a reading with my dear friends, the Sapphires, at the beautiful Bennington home of NEA Poet Charlie Rossiter. What a warm reception from Vermont locals! Terry Dugan, Linda Simone, Sarah Bracey White, and I read from our latest books. Thanks to the Rossiters, including Charlie’s spouse, museum strategist Mary Ellen Munley, and son, journalist Jack Rossiter-Munley, for hosting a delightful summer evening.

Globe-Trotting

Amsterdam Amsterdam Quarterly and Poetry Salzburg will publish my poems this fall and, last spring, Yan He (Yellow River) in China included four translated by noted translator Chen Du. This happily follows anthology entries in London and Madrid. Closer to home, Adanna will publish “Prayer to Her Girlfriends,” John McMullen has selected three poems for his Hudson River Valley anthology, and Gnashing Teeth Publishingaccepted “Tonic” for its cooking volume Heat the Grease, We’re Frying Up Some Poetry.

Sanguinetti, Like-Nothing-Else
Hélène SanguinettiAfter reading from Hélène Sanguinetti’s The Hero (Chax Press, 2018) chez Rossiter, I was amazed by the response. “While I could not follow it with my head,” said poet Jerry Byrd, “I felt it in my body. It was like being stabbed.” People are “getting” Sanguinetti, and you can too—with Alparegho, Like-Nothing-Else (The Operating System). Preorder this book that award-winning poet Ann Lauinger calls “a seductive, breathless romp.” Find more poems translated in Columbia Journal , and soon in Bateau Lit and Tentacular .

Hudson Highlands Poetry Series
Photo by Sarah Bracey WhiteSpeaking about translation, mark your calendars for a panel discussion on leveraging a second language to advance your literary path. Come to a special Hudson Highlands Poetryevent on Saturday, November 2, 1:30pm, at the Desmond-Fish Library. Poet Ann Lauinger, art historian Beth Gersh-Nešić, and I will spill the beans on translation—and it’s all good news. Be sure to attend readings in this wonderful series (see Literary Events below) featuring excellent poets in this scenic river town.

Sundays with George—and Natalie and Toni
Natalie SafirOne of my favorite reading venues, Sundays with George at the JCC in Tarrytown, will feature poet Natalie Safir and playwright and poet Toni Howarth, September 22nd at 1:30pm. Dr. George Kraus has curated a wonderful group of local poets for lively and fun readings. On November 10th, Ann Lauinger, Beth Gersh-Nešić, and I will reprise our translation panel for writers if you miss the Garrison event.

What Love of Tea Inspires
Watercolor by Linda SimoneWatercolorist and poet Linda Simone adores her cup of Earl Grey. The talented artist, however, found her passion in painting on tea bags that have been opened and dried. You can see her fascinating and skilled paintings in an exhibit opening at the San Antonio Barista Academy on September 14 at 11am. Come enjoy a cup of tea or coffee and hear young poet Aarav Gedala read Linda’s poems about—what else?—tea.

Calling Young Writers

Know a young writer between 9 and 17 years old? Greenburgh’s Kids Short Story Connection (KSSC) seeks same for workshops led by writer-teachers. Founded by author Sarah Bracey White, KSSC begins its 23rd session Saturday, September 14. For details, click here or call 914-682-1574. You can also see Sarah’s latest artist-interview on Greenburgh Celebrates the Visual Arts.

Poets and Artists Pair Off in Norwalk
Norwalk, ConnecticutLibraries across Fairfield County are coming together to explore the relationship between art and text in unique exhibits. At the Norwalk Public Library, poets are invited to submit up to three poems, and artists, up to three pieces of art—any medium. If selected, the artist will create a new work based upon a given poem. Send submissions by October 1 to Cynde Bloom Lahey, clahey@norwalkpl.org.



I’m the Reason the Kids Are Dead
Poetry helps us move through the inexplicable, and that’s why Terry Dugan’s book, I’m the Reason the Kids Are Dead (Moonstone Press, 2019) is especially timely. Terry looks at gun violence from the perspective of its victims, returning soldiers, family members, and Parkland survivors. She also bears witness to the early AIDS epidemic, when she was an early field researcher. A must-read in our national conversation on gun violence.

New Releases
Jane Augustine, High Desert  (Dos Madres Press, 2019)Bijan Elahi, tr. Rebecca Ruth Gould, High Tide Of The Eyes (The Operating System, 2019)Eric Greinke, Invisible Wings (Presa Press, 2019)
John McMullen, The Trump File (bobbeebooks, 2019)
Lisa Samuels, The Long White Cloud of Unknowing (Chax Press, 2019)

Creative Opportunities

Chill at the Poetry Barn’s Catskills Lit Writing Festival and Retreat September 2-5
Apply for the Unterberg Poetry Center Advanced Workshops by September 13
Apply in October for a writer or artist residency next spring or summer at Mass MoCA
Explore the 2019 Catholic Imagination Conference September 19-21
Explore the American Literary Translators Association Conference November 7-10
Norwalk Poetry Workshop, first and third Mondays, at NPL; email poet_laureate@norwalkpl.org
Hudson Valley Writers Center Open Mic Nights 7:30-9:30 third Fridays

Zucchini Patties
An easy vegetarian dish that even meat-lovers enjoy. Pair with end-of-season corn-on-the cob or sliced tomatoes, and you will have a delicious meal.
2 cups coarsely grated zucchini2 large eggs, lightly beaten¼ cup minced onion¼ - ½ cup all-purpose flour as needed¼ cup Parmesan cheese½ teaspoon dried oreganovegetable oillemon juice and butter
Place zucchini in a strainer and press out as much moisture as possible. Mix zucchini with eggs and onion in large bowl. Combine flour, cheese, baking powder, and seasonings, and add to zucchini mixture. Shape into 4 patties. Heat oil over medium heat and fry patties until lightly browned on both sides. Drain cooked patties and drizzle with lemon juice and butter. Serve immediately.

Poetry / Literary / Art Events
Mary NewellThe Upstream Gallery, Hastings, Drawn from Life Exhibit, through September 1
The Poetry Institute Reading Series Open Mic, New Haven, third Wednesdays, 7pm; free, open to public
Desmond-Fish Library, September 21, 1:30pm, poets Mary Newell, Margo Taft Stever, Jeffrey Yang
The Twig Bookshop at the Pearl, San Antonio, Enchantment of the Ordinary (Mutabilis Press, 2019) reading featuring poets Jim LaVilla-Havelin and Linda Simone, September 27, 5pm

ʼRound the Net
Dora Maar (1907-1997)Author Sarah Bracey White on being invited back a third time to perform in Read650 on October 27
Poet Suzanne Cleary on having her poem “Summary of 15 Years” featured on Tracy K. Smith’s podcast
The Cultural Services of the French Embassyfor a new podcast titled The Thing About France
Art Historian Beth Gersh-Nešić for this fabulous review of the Dora Maar retrospective, and the block-buster Posing Modernity Exhibit, both in Paris
Poet Joy Harjo on becoming US Poet Laureate and talking about her new role
Translator Rachel Hildebrandt Reynolds for this piece on the newly translated 1954 Hemingway short story about a chef and his cat Toni Morrison (1931-2019)
Poet John Hoppenthaler for writing “What I Learned as Toni Morrison’s Assistant”
Poet J. Chester Johnson for tirelessly championing a physical memorial to African Americans slaughtered in the Elaine Race Massacre (1919)
Poet Mary McCray on being featured in Albuquerque Magazine
Yorktown Poet Laureate John McMullen on having poems in Erothanatos
W. S. Merwin (1927-2019)Author Maureen Pilkington on winning the American Fiction Award for This Side of Water (Regal House, 2019)
Poets & Writers for this article on preservation efforts of W. S. Merwin’s Hawaiian garden
Translator Rachel Hildebrandt Reynolds for this piece on the newly translated 1954 Hemingway short story about a chef and his cat
Poet Charlie Rossiter for the Poetry Spoken Here podcast series
Need not apply, 2018, Seale Studios
by Lucia LaVilla-HavelinJournalist Jack Rossiter-Munley and Connor Stratton for the podcast Close Talking, where they closely examine one poem
Poet and artist Linda Simone for this review of The State of Hand Stitch exhibit, and her insightful interview into the creative process with fiber artist Lucia LaVilla-Havelin in Nat. Brute
Filmmaker Angela Virsinger for sharing this clip of Christopher Walken dancing
Author Esmé Weijun Wang on taking compliments

Are you a late bloomer? It took 20 years for this plant to bloom again. I had it repotted two years ago. Asking the young gardener at the nursery if it could flower again, he said, “Oh yeah.” Oh yeah is right. Look at this delicately layered bloom. With rich soil, lots of water, steady sun. And time. Beauty is worth the wait. Welcome to the world, blossom.

Until next time,Ann

your june in bloom annogram

The Collagist and Lines+Stars
Thanks to Alice Maglio for her outstanding review in The Collagist of The Hero (Chax Press, 2018), my translation of Hélène Sanguinetti’s fourth book. Alice takes a deep and remarkable dive into “this collection [that] vibrates, slithers, and undulates—the language itself echoing various natural elements with which it is so obsessed.”
I am equally grateful to James Lee Lord Parker, who reviewed Free Ferry , for also rendering such an evocative take on The Hero in Lines+Stars .  “The Hero will leave you worn down and breathless,” he writes. “More importantly, it will leave you wanting more.” My gratitude to both Alice and James for engaging so intelligently with this book.

Faire Vivre La Poésie
Jean--Luc Pouliquen



French poet Jean-Luc Pouliquen kindly includes me in his new book of interviews, Faire Vivre La Poésie (2019). The chapter is taken from his book co-authored with Beth S. Gersh-Nesic, Conversation Transatlantique (2018). He also mentions me in an interview on French TV. Merci, Jean-Luc! We’re working hard to make poetry live on both sides of the Atlantic!


Words in Concert
Thanks to poet Michael Baldwin for compiling Words in Concert (2019), a poetry anthology which benefits the Fort Worth Symphony. I am proud my poem “Boléro” found a home in this book as well as a poem by longtime friend Meg Lindsay. You’ll support poetry and music by purchasing this fine volume.



More Publications
Poet Janet Kaplan’s tasty literary journal,   AMP , includes my translation from Hélène Sanguinetti’s And Here’s the Song; and nice to see work by poetry pal Meredith Trede. Soon you’ll see another translation from same Sanguinetti book in Columbia Journal . I am equally honored that “Early Thunder, Atlanta” appears in the “Family Bed” issue of Tamara Sellman’s VitaminZZZ .

Johnny A at the Turning Point

Johnny A
Photo by Michael CefolaJohnny A, who has performed with bands such as the Yardbirds and J. Geils, brought his solo act to The Turning Pointin Piermont this spring. What was extraordinary is his live Fractal FX2 recording and mixing of multiple tracks which he then seamlessly incorporates with his own exquisite finger work. The transcendent set included the Hollies’ “Bus Stop,” Stones’ “Play with Fire,” Bad Finger’s “Day after Day,” Cyndi Lauper’s “Time after Time,” Blind Faith’s “Can’t Find My Way Home,” and Beatle melodies. A must-see for guitar and classic rock aficionados.

National Poetry Month
A whirlwind…talking about life as a poet at Edgewood School, appearing on the JohnMac Radio Show and One-on-One with Vin Dacquino , inaugurating the Hudson Highlands Poetry Series, and sharing the podium with Kristin Prevallet, Margo Taft Stever, and George Kraus at the last spring Sundays with George Poetry Reading. Wow! Thank you everyone.

Free Ferry Ferries On
My gratitude to Dr. George Kraus for reading with me from Free Ferry (Upper Hand Press, 2017) at the Shames JCC in Tarrytown. Most people read Free Ferry more than once, as did one of my blurbistas, Sarah Lawrence Professor Emeritus Ray Peckaukus:
Rereading Free Ferry , I’d forgotten Eurydice was the daughter of the sun god Apollo. Crucial words appear on page 55 in the scientific undercurrent running along the bottom of each page: fission bombs delivered destruction rated in thousands of tons of TNT; fusion weapons in millions of tons. Yet this power is the source of the sun's energy ("sustained reaction") which sustains life on this planet. So far we’ve had the wisdom not to use this understanding to eliminate our kind. May it always be so! Keep writing.

Westport Library Grand Re-Opening
So honored to open the new writers room at the Westport Library on June 23rd!  I will help lead a poetry workshop 2-3pm, and there will be a fiction workshop 3-4pm. Many thanks to Alison McBain and Ed Ahern of the Fairfield Scribes for inviting me to this special event.

Maureen Pilkington’s This Side of Water

Maureen PilkingtonCongratulations to Maureen Pilkington on her first short story collection, This Side of Water (Regal House, 2019). Catch Maureen reading with her brother, award-winning poet Kevin Pilkington, at Bank Square Books in Mystic on June 6, at 6:30pm. She will also sign books at Elm Street Booksin New Canaan on July 11 at 6pm. Can’t make any dates? Read this Antioch Review interviewwith Maureen.


Happy Birthday, Walt
Walt Whitman
(1819-1892)Walt Whitman was born on May 31, 1819 and his birthplace in Huntington, Long Island, is celebrating with multiple events.  For starters, you can purchase Poets to Come: The Whitman 200th Birthday (Local Gems Press, 2019), which features annogram poets Ed Ahern, John McMullen, and Linda Simone. Or listen to New Yorkers do homage to the Old Gray Poet by their reciting of “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry.”


Cabaret Night at St. James the Less
On June 8, 7-10pm, enjoy mezzo-soprano Dakota Martin and pianist Keiji Ishiguri in "Bewitched, Bothered, & Bewildered” at St. James the Less Church. Classic jazz and Broadway standards illustrate how love often leaves us in one of these states, if not all at the once. Hors d'oeuvres, light dinner, dessert, wine, and soft drinks will be served. Seniors (65) and juniors (35 and under): $50; all others $75.

Marjorie TesserHudson Highlands Poetry Series
Thanks to poet Mary Newellfor drumming up a new poetry community in Putnam County. In April, I was honored to launch a new reading series with Mary and a dozen exceptional poets. This month, Kathleen Ossip, Kristin Prevallet, and Marjorie Tesserwill read June 15 at 1:30pm at the Desmond Fish Library in Garrison.

Chill Bucket Stages You Can’t Take It With You
James Stewart and Jean Arthur in the
movie You Can't Take It With You (1937)Westchester’s new theater troupe, Chill Bucket Productions, will stage a reading of Kaufman and Hart’s classic 1936 comedy, You Can’t Take It With You, on June 22nd at 8pm. The performance, which will take place in the 100-seat chapel of St. James the Less Church, features more than a dozen area actors. Parking is limited and donations are requested to support the fledgling theater company. For advance tickets, go here.

New Releases
Adrian Silbernagel, Transitional Object (The Operating System, 2019)

Edward Ahern, Irregular Images (Fairfield Scribes, 2019)
Lynn Clague, Up Close and Nuclear (2019)
Jacqueline Gojard,  Pablo Picasso and André Salmon : The Painter, the Poet and the Portraits , translated and edited by Beth S. Gersh-Nesic and Jacqueline Gojard (Za Mir Press, 2019)
Cindy Hochman and Bob Heman, The Number 5 is Always Suspect (Presa Press, 2019)
Mary Newell, Tilt/ Hover/ Veer (Codhill Press, 2019)
Trace Peterson, Since I Moved In – new and revised (Chax Press, 2019) 
Jean-Luc Pouliquen, Faire vivre la poésie (2019)
Presence 2019


Creative Opportunities
Kevin PilkingtonColosseum Booksopen reading, June-August, for poetry manuscripts “formally sophisticated and spiritually and intellectually serious”
One-on-One Workshop with Poet Arthur Vogelsang, ongoing
Norwalk Poetry Workshop, Norwalk Belden Avenue Library, June 3 and 17, 6:30-8:30pm
Westport Library, poetry workshop 2-3pm, fiction workshop 3-4pm, June 23
Ex Ophidia Press Poetry Book Contest, see guidelines and submit by July 1
Laura MorelliHudson Valley Anthology – send as attachment three poems, one-page flash fiction, or essay/story under five pages, 125w bio, and recent publication history to johnmac13@gmail.com by July 15
Hudson Valley Writers Center – Summer Workshops and One-Day Intensives
Women in Etruscan Art online class with art historian Laura Morelli; free
Writing Poetry for Publication with Kevin Pilkington, Maine Media Workshops, August 4-10

Strawberry Granola Crisp
Thanks to poet and watercolor artist Linda Simone for this spring-fresh recipe. It looks like a wholesome dish for an early summer picnic or backyard party. And strawberries! This is their season.
2 lb strawberries, hulled, halved or quartered if large3 Tablespoons raw or turbinado sugar2 Tablespoons lemon juice1 Tablespoon plus 1 ½ teaspoons cornstarchKosher salt¼ cup extra virgin olive oil1 cup old fashioned oats1/3 cup sliced almonds1/3 cup unsweetened coconut¼ cup all-purpose flourPlain yogurt, whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream (optional)
Preheat oven to 350°; place rack in lower third. Toss strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch, and pinch salt in large bowl; transfer to 9-inch pie dish or 1-quart casserole. Stir oil and maple syrup in  medium bowl. Add oats, almonds, coconut, flour, and 2 pinches salt; combine until loose clumps; scatter over filling. Place crisp on foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and bake until topping is golden and filling bubbles, 35–45 minutes. Cool 30 minutes. Serve with yogurt, whipped cream, or ice cream. Can be baked 1 day ahead: let cool completely; cover and chill.

Poetry / literary / art events
Dagmar StansovaPoetry Luncheon, Bernard’s Inn, June 6, 12-2pm benefiting Johnny Mac Soldiers Fund; reserve at 203-438-8282
The New American Theatre, June 8, 15, 22, 29, 3:30pm, Loose Underwear, solo play by Dagmar Stansova
Byram Shubert Library, June 11, 5pm, art historian Beth S. Gersh-Nesic discusses MoMA’s current 17th century Dutch art exhibit; free
Bill HaydenDesmond Fish Library, June 15, 1:30pm, Kathleen Ossip, Kristin Prevallet, Marjorie Tesser
Phoenix Reading Series, 27 Bethune Street, NYC, June 9, 6pm, Mary Newell, Ruth Danon, Andrew Levy
The Parkside Lounge, 317 East Houston Street, NYC, June 16, 4pm, Mary Newell 
Norwalk Arts Festival, Poets, Writers and Storytellers Stage, June 29 and June 30, 11am-1pm and 3-5pm each day, Norwalk Poet Laureate Bill Hayden, poet Jerry T. Johnson, and multiple local authors
J. Chester Johnson (left) at the
Troubadour in London last yearWashington National Cathedral, June 30, 12:30pm, J. Chester Johnson on his book, Auden, the Psalms and Me (Church Publishing, 2017) 
HVWC, June 19, 7pm, Kelsey Miller, Sarah Bracey White; July 17, 7pm, David Baker, TR Hummer, Page Starzinger; July 27, 7pm, Herbert Hadad; August 7, 7pm, HVWC published student reading, $10 all
Canaan Meetinghouse Reading Series, 7:30pm, July 11: Wyn Cooper, Hernan Diaz; July 18: Christopher Benfey, Walter Wetherell; July 25: Gregory Pardlo, Alice Mattison; August 1: Christopher Castellani, Peter Orner

ʼRound the Net
Joy Harjo
Photo by Karen KreunThe American Literary Translators Association on its $10K National Endowment for the Arts grant
Watercolor artist Randy Briggs on winning third place for his painting, “Old Farm,” in the Art Society of Greenwich Spring Exhibition
Poet Christopher Brisson for this article on authors’ one-word book titles
The Brooklyn Public Library for this video of people reading “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry”
Poet and translator Chen Du on poems published in Levitate, an essay in Dead Mule , and translations in The Bare Life Review and Lunch Ticket
Poet and filmmaker Terry Dugan on acceptance of Fordham SDS into the Oaxaca Mary McCrayFilmFest, and for sharing this article on best prose poetry
History teacher Neil Ginsberg for this article on ways to cultivate joy
Author Herb Hadad on reading at the Sleepy Hollow Lit Fest; and for his anticipated second book, Tender and Tough
Poet Bill Hayden on being named Poet Laureate of Norwalk (CT)
Poets Cindy Hochman and Bob Heman on the release of The Number 5 is Always Suspect (Presa Press, 2019)
Artist Kathe Gregory on participating in another Somerville Open Studio last month
Poet Joy Harjo on winning the $65K Jackson Poetry Prize
Writer Lisa Krohn for this article on virtue in the workplace and her latest Thrive Global column
Poet Rolf Maurer for this profile of poet Ed Ahern
Lucia LaVilla-HavelinPoet Mary McCray on winning a Nautilus Award for The Cowboy Meditation Primer (Trementina Books, 2017)
Yorktown Poet Laureate John McMullen for this on an NYC bookshop that can print titles in minutes
Novelist and art historian Laura Morelli for discount code, “INSIDER,” at her store; click “Buy directly from the author”
Retailer Orvis for promoting the idea of bringing dogs to work
Poet and watercolor artist Linda Simoneon her fantastic interview with award-winning fiber artist Lucia La Villa-Havelin, and for AI-created poem portraits
Sony Pictures Classics for All is True , a biopic about the last three years of Shakespeare’s life Neal Whitman
Poet Neal Whitman on having work published in the May issue of Chronogram
World Literature Today for this article on the role of intuition in translation

Wishing you a summer of good friends, good food, and good literature! Annogram will be back in September, so send me your news by early August. A warm welcome to new subscribers, and may this green season inspire our best creativity.
Until next time,Ann