Ann Cefola's Blog, page 5

your april foolish annogram

So much to share. First, thanks to translator Chen Du, my poetry appears this month in the Chinese journal Yan He (“Yan River”). The Books Movie also features my reading from Free Ferry (Upper Hand Press, 2017); on Wednesday, writer Vinny Dacquino interviews me on his TV program One on One ; and on Sunday, Yorktown Poet Laureate John McMullen and I kick off National Poetry Month on his radio show. But wait! There’s more….

A Gathering of Regional Poets
Come hear a dozen poets inaugurate the Hudson Highlands Poetry Reading Series, April 13 at 2pm, at the Desmond-Fish Library in Garrison. I am delighted to read with Sallie Bliumis-Dunn, Suzanne Cleary, Ann Lauinger, Jo Pitkin, and Margo Taft Stever; and to meet T.R. Hummer, Heller Levinson, Mary Newell, Kathleen Ossip, Sean Singer, and Edwin Torres. Thanks to Mary Newell for organizing this special event!


Dr. George KrausSundays with George
I am equally honored to read with poet Kristin Prevallet and share the podium again with Margo Taft Stever at the Sundays with George Series at the Shames JCC on the Hudson, April 28 at 1:30pm. Hosted by poet Dr. George Kraus, the readings are always lively. Hope to see you there!

Enchantment of the Ordinary
So thrilled to be in the anthology,  Enchantment of the Ordinary  (Mutabilis Press). Isn't that what poets routinely do, find enchantment in the ordinary? Thanks to editor John Gorman for welcoming a Yankee into this celebration of Texas poets. I am honored to be in such a delightful volume with wonderful poets Michael Baldwin, Jim Lavilla-Havelin, and Linda Simone. Read it and you will be enchanted too.

The Hero
Thanks to poet and publisher Eric Greinke, one of the first reviewers of my Sanguinetti translation Hence this cradle (Seismicity Editions, 2007), who commented on the latest, The Hero (Chax Press, 2018): The Hero coaxes the reader on as it resists him. One searches for something to ground it, but it keeps us on the border between narrative and free association. The reference points brought up a vague idea of a story about a day after I finished it, kind of a ghost story. A combination of Finnegans Wake and the poetry of Artaud. The hero is the reader.

NEA Fellow Kerrin McCadden on John Mac Radio
Kerrin McCaddenThanks to John McMullen for allowing me to crash his interview with this gifted poet. I loved learning how a French Symbolist, Celtic grandparents, and liturgy helped shape McCadden's poetry. She is the author of  Landscape with Plywood Silhouettes  (New Issues, 2014), which received the 2013 New Issues Poetry Prize as well as the 2015 Vermont Book Award. I can’t wait for her follow-up book!

Jeanette Briggs Spins Favorites
Jeanette BriggsGreat to hear Jeanette Briggs’s selections featured last month on the RetroRadio Friday 
Drive with Host Kenny O'Boyle on WFDU. Jeanette played It's a Beautiful Day’s "White Bird"; Tommy James and the Shondells’ "Crystal Blue Persuasion"; the Win-
stons’ "Color Him Father" ; and surprised Michael and me by dedicating Cream’s "White Room” to us!

New Releases
Ned Balbo, 3 Nights of the Perseids (University of Evansville Press)
Vincent Dacquino, Patriot Hero of the Hudson Valley (The History Press)
Pauletta Hansel, Coal Town Photograph (Dos Madres Press)
Katherine M. Hedeen and Víctor Rodríguez Núñez, editors, In The Drying Shed Of Souls:  Poetry From Cuba's Generation Zero  (The Operating System)
Heller Levinson, Un-  (Black Widow Press) 
C.M. Mayo, Meteor (Gival Press)
Pedestal Magazine
Margo Taft Stever, Cracked Piano (CavanKerry Press) and Ghost Moose (Kattywompus Press)
Estha Weiner, at the last minute (Salmon Poetry)
Marta Zelwan, trans. Victoria Miluch, Śnienie / Dreaming (The Operating System)

Rosemary Potatoes
It’s spring, and you may be eating a lot of asparagus and artichokes, or at least that’s my wish for you. Here’s something delicious to accompany them from Ayurvedic Cooking for Westerners (Lotus Press, 1995) by Amadea Morningstar:
6 cups boiling water6 medium red boiling potatoes or 8 new potatoes1 Tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary2 Tablespoons chopped fresh onion or leek3 Tablespoons olive oil1 teaspoon saltwhite or black pepper
Wash potatoes, and pare out any eyes. Put in boiling water and cook until done, about 30 minutes. In large skillet, sauté onion or leek in olive oil. Drain and slice potatoes, keeping the peel on. Put them in skillet with onion or leek, and cook for 5-10 minutes. Add rosemary, salt, and pepper. Important: Cook until “a tad crispy.” You can also mash all the ingredients to make patties, place on a cooking sheet, and bake 10-15 minutes in a 350-degree oven.

Creative Opportunities
Edwin TorresEdwin Torres writing workshop, four Saturday mornings in April, email brainlingo@yahoo.com
Hudson Valley Writers Center spring workshops
Pedestal is accepting poetry submissions from May 6 – May 26



Poetry Readings / Literary Events
Vijay SeshadriCurley’s Diner, April 2, 7:30pm, Zilka Joseph
Bernard’s Inn, April 4, 12 noon, Pamela Hart, author of Mothers Over Nangarhar (Sarabande, 2019), three-course luncheon and reading, $35
Esther Raushenbush Library, April 5, 10:30am, Vijay Seshadri
Julia L. Butterfield Memorial Library, April 6, 3pm, poets Jo Pitkin, Lucia Cherciu, and Raphael Kosek
Westchester Poetry Festival, April 6, 1-4:30pm, Victoria Chang and others
Sarah Bracey WhiteOssie Davis Theater, April 7, 3pm, Sarah Bracey White is one of a dozen writers performing original pieces on the subject of "My Library” for Read 650, $10
Katonah Library, April 7, 4pm, Major Jackson, $10
Mahopac Library, April 8, 6:30pm, Mahopac Poetry Workshop members read and open mic
Nyack Library, April 10, 7pm, the River Writers Circle members read
Heller Levinson
Barat House, April 11, 7pm, Terry Dugan, Katherine Flannery Dering, and Alex Lindquist
Desmond-Fish Library, April 13, 2-4pm, Ann Cefola, Suzanne Cleary, Sally Bliumis-Dunn, T.R. Hummer, Ann Lauinger, Heller Levinson, Mary Newell, Kathleen Ossip, Jo Pitkin, Sean Singer, Margo Taft-Stever, and Edwin Torres inaugurate the Hudson Highlands Poetry Reading Series

John C. Hart Library, April 13, 2pm, Yorktown Poetry Workshop members read
Hudson Valley Writers Center, April 19, 7pm, open mic
Chappaqua Station, April 26, 7pm, Jerry T. Johnson and guests celebrate National Poetry Month

Maureen PilkingtonSplit Rock Books, April 26, 7pm, Heller Levinson launch of Un- (Black Widow Press)
Sarah Lawrence Poetry Festival, April 26-28
Shames JCC on the Hudson, April 28, 1:30pm, Ann Cefola, Kristin Prevallet, and Margo Taft-Stever read in the Sundays with George Poetry Series; hosted by Dr. George Kraus
McNally Jackson, May 1, 7pm, Maureen Pilkington and Kevin Pilkington

ʼRound the Net
Racoco Productions Director Rachel Cohen on the debut of the Times-endorsed TILT, a live performance/construction swirling movement, wood, live music, tap dance, pinball, and Don Quixote
Poet Kwame Dawes on winning the $165K Windham-Campbell Prize
Poet Terry Dugan on work accepted into Cut Poems from Air: Poetry Inspired by Gwendolyn Brooks (Atrocious Poets)
Poet and YA author Pamela Laskin on winning the Leapfrog International's 2019 Contest for her YA novel Why No Bhine-Or Why No Good-Bye, forthcoming this fall from Leapfrog Press  Asturias Public Television NewsPoet and artist Meg Lindsay on her poem, “What They Don’t Tell You” appearing in Pulse; and her work being featured in the upcoming RiverArts Studio Tour on April 27-28 Books Movie Producer María Luisa López on La Fonoteca de Poesía being highlighted on Public Television News in Asturias, Spain Poet Mary McCray for this podcast on digital lit with indigenous sci-fi writer Brian Hudson
Art historian and translator Beth Gersh-Nešić on the launch of the André Salmon blog and for this fantastic interview with New Wave director Agnès Varda
Richard Wright (1908-1960)HBO Films for a new version of Richard Wright’s Native Son
Photographer and poet Michael Holstein on this video of his reminiscences of mid-century Miami
Poet and translator C.M. Mayo on winning the Gival Poetry Prize for Meteor (Gival Press, 2019)
Cellist and music archivist Jay Shulman for this Timesarticle on Lawrence Ferlinghetti
Poet and artist Linda Simone for this blog on secrets of book promotion and this MoMA map of connections between abstract artists
Filmmaker Fran Sisco on winning Best LGBT Documentary for “Happy Trans Girl Like Me,” at the Cutting Room International Short Film Festival

Many people are surprised to find a recipe here. I think of annogram as a physical space, and I want to welcome readers with something good to eat as well as to read. So get out your fork, and after you’ve had your fill, as Virginia Woolf suggests, you are ready for pen and paper. 
Until next time,Ann

your february annogram

The Hero Emerges
Woo-hoo!  Fresh box of books!What a thrill to start off the year with the debut of The Hero (Chax Press)! By contemporary French poet Hélène Sanguinetti, The Hero is my translation of her book-length poem exploring the absurdities of war. Charles Alexander designed a volume that is as beautiful to hold as it is to read. And we are delighted that Small Press Distribution highlighted The Hero in its ALL NEW SPD RECOMMENDS.

Translation for Writers
Know a minimum of another language?  You can enrich your own writing and publishing credits through translation. Sarah Lawrence Professor Ann Lauinger, Art Historian Beth Gersh- Nešić, and I will discuss literary translation this Sunday, February 24, at 4pm, at Bronx River Books in Scarsdale. Learn about the many opportunities in this growing field. Come join us! Free and open to everyone.

Brine Salt and Vinegar Translation Contest
Jean-Marie Gustave Le ClézioRajiv Mohabir selected my translation from Vers les icebergs (Mercure de France, 2014) as a runner-up in the 2018 Brine Salt and Vinegar Translation Contest.  Vers les icebergs, by Nobel Prize winner Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio, is a stunning meditation on poetry and specifically the poem “Iniji” by Henri Michaux. Thanks to Mercure de France for permission to translate and publish this selection.


More poetry published
So excited to have my poem, “Kin”, appear in the Texas-themed Enchantment of the Ordinary (Mutabilis Press, 2018); “Blue Moon” in Celestial Musings: Poems Inspired by the Night Sky (Independent Publisher, 2018), “Haunted” and “Blue Moon” in Vitamin ZZZ’s 40 Winks issue and, just in time for Mardi Gras, “Matinée” in Gris-Gris . Look for more Sanguinetti translated in the upcoming AMP , the literary journal of Hofstra University.


Cubism at the Centre Pompidou  


Robert Delauney, City of Paris, 1912Wish you could fly to Paris to see the blockbuster Le Cubisme S’Expose? No need—intrepid Art Historian, Beth Gersh-Nešić, did so in January. Her Bonjour Paris review , a breath-taking survey of Cubism, features images you’ve never seen, and provides historical context for what we now take as the iconic threshold to Modernism. Learn about the Cubists’ belief “in the fluid intersection of everyday life and art, what Apollinaire called the poetry of circumstance.” Mais oui! Brava, Beth!


Andy Warhol – From A to B and Back Again

Shot Marilyns, 1964What is it about Warhol (1928–1987) that is uniquely American? His work anticipated our obsessive celebrity culture, elevating and mocking it at once. This exhibition at the Whitney—the first US retrospective since 1989—reconsiders his work in the light of new research and scholarship. My husband Michael once saw him deeply considering a sofa at B. Altman’s—framing its image with his hands from different angles. Art was found everywhere. Through March 31st.

Poes í a Recitada

Sylvia Plath (1932-1963)You may have seen me reading Free Ferry (Upper Hand Press, 2017) in the Books Movie—an international vehicle for spoken poetry such as “Célébrations” by French poet and literary critic Jean-Luc Pouliquen. The free Poesía Recitada subscription also includes English speakers sharing poets such as such as Sylvia Plath and Oscar Wilde. Something about spoken poetry mesmerizes, and you can read the filmed text as you listen. Take a moment to treat yourself.

Creative Opportunities
Kevin PilkingtonPraise Poem Workshop for Brooklyn Poets starts in March – register here
Submit poems before March 10 to coffeepoems@writerscenter.org – see complete details
Poetry Workshop with Alan Shapiro, Katonah Library, May 4, 10-3: $125 – email katonahpoetry@gmail.com
Writers Retreat, Jimmy Santiago Baca, June 19-20, Albuquerque, register here
Kevin Pilkington teaches Poetry for Publication, Maine Media College, August 4-10. 
Private Poetry Workshops online with Arthur Vogelsang – see details here
C and R Press seeking editorial interns – email info@crpress.org


New Releases
Rachel Cloud Adams, Space and Road (Semiperfect Press, 2019)
Michael Baldwin, The Quantum Uncertainty of Love (Shanti Arts Press, 2019)
Ann Cefola, trans., Hélène Sanguinetti, The Hero (Chax Press, 2018)
Suzanne Cleary, Crude Angel (BkMk Press, 2019)
Terry Dugan, I’m the Reason the Kids are Dead (The Moonstone Press, 2019)
Michael Heller, Constellations of Waking (Dos Madres Press, 2019)
Alex Poteet, Carnivores (L and S Press, 2018)
Nahid Rachlin, A Way Home (Ravenna Press, 2018)

Tina Rahimi, trans., Mehdi Navid, The Book of Sounds (The Operating System, 2019) 

Linda’s Shrimp Fried Rice
Poet and artist Linda Simone sends the most delicious recipes my way, and this is one. Fast and delicious. Enjoy!
1 lb. Trader Joe’s Red Argentinian frozen shrimp1 tablespoon vegetable oil2 Tablespoons sesame oil, divided3 cups cooked rice (best made a day ahead)1 small organic white onion, chopped1 cup organic mushrooms, sliced1 organic red pepper, seeded and sliced2-3 Tablespoons tamari sauce (more or less to taste)3 eggs, lightly beaten2 Tbsp chopped green onions
Preheat large skillet to medium heat. Add vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon sesame oil and shrimp to skillet, and salt and pepper. Cook shrimp 2-3 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon and set aside. Add white onion, red pepper, and mushrooms; sautéuntil tender. Slide veggies to side, and pour beaten eggs on other side. Using spatula, scramble eggs. Once cooked, mix eggs with veggies. Add rice and shrimp. Pour tamari sauce and 1 tablespoon sesame oil on top. Stir and heat rice and veggie mixture. Add chopped green onions.

Poetry Readings / Literary Events
Laurel PetersonNorwalk Open Mic, Rene Soto Gallery - March 1, 7pm
Norwalk poets, including Laurel Petersen, in  Oysterville: Poems  read at Norwalk Library – March 2, 2pm 
HVWC Open Mic - March 15, 7pm, $5
Abrons Arts Center, March 28-April 7, TILT premiere swirls movement, wood, live music, tap dance, pinball, and the story of Don Quixote featuring music by Lynn Wright and tap dancer Heather Cornell, early tickets $25
Zinc Bar, Saturdays at 4:30pm, $5; February 23, Eileen Myles, Korakrit Arunanondcahi; March 2, Erica Hunt, Sean D. Henry-Smith; March 9, Constantina Zavitsanos; March 16, Ser Serpas, Park McArthur; March 23, Quinn Harrelson;  March 30, Diamond Stingily, TBA


ʼRound the Net
Julia P. HowardChax publisher and poet Charles Alexanderon his invitation to the 7th Annual Chinese/American Association for Poetry & Poetics in Wuhan, China
Poet Llyn Clague for his poem “Tough” published in Avalon Literary Review
Translator Chen Du for poems in Dead Mule and Lunch Ticket
Poet Terry Dugan for this article on the poetry of black women by Patricia Spears Jones
Poet Gary Glauber for work in Our Poetry Archive , Cirrus Poetry Review, Blognostics, and Event Horizon

Poet Julia P. Howard for her feature interview in Small Orange Poetry Journal Cindy Hochman
Independent bookstore owners Mark Fowler and Jessica Kaplan for this article on Bronx River Books
First Literary Review – East Editor Cindy Hochman on her Duotrope interview

Yorktown Poet Laureate John McMullenfor two stories on Wattpad, a poem on Raven’s Perch, article on why you need to join a writing group and 100 best sites for writers – thanks, John! 

Melville House for this article on Wattpad and its new publishing division
William Carlos Williams
(1883-1963)New York Public Library for their top picks

Poets and Writers for this video of Rafael Campo on William Carlos Williams
Novelist Nahid Rachlin on her new book, A Way Home (Ravenna Press, 2018), and LinkedIn interview


Believe in Tidal Forces
Memoirist Sarah Bracey White says, “When the tide comes in, the boats all rise.” And it feels that way for friends with new books—I rejoice in their talent and perseverance: Terry Dugan (I’m the Reason the Kids are Dead), Linda Simone (The River Will Save Us), Mary McCray (Cowboy Meditation Primer), Suzanne Cleary (Crude Angel), Rachel Cloud Adams (Space and Road), Natasha Nesic (The Miracle on 98th Street), Susana Case (Erasure, Syria), John McMullen (Live at the Freight House), Nahid Rachlin (A Way Home), Pamela Hart (Mothers Over Nangarhar), Sally Bliumis-Dunn (Echolocation) and Michael Baldwin (The Quantum Uncertainty of Love). And to come: Maureen Pilkington (This Side of Water), Cindy Hochman and Bob Heman (The Number 5 is Always Suspect), Beth Gersh-Nesic (Pablo Picasso and Andre Salmon: The Painter, The Poet, and The Portraits), Janet Kaplan (Ecotones), Margo Stever (Cracked Piano and Ghost Moose), and Ruby Silvious (Reclaimed Canvas).  
If you’ve been writing for a month, a year, or all your life, keep writing, and keep believing.
Until next time,Ann

your year-end annogram

Bronx River Books
Mark Fowler and AnnGreat to meet Mark and Jessica Kaplan of Bronx River Books! Scarsdale’s only independent bookshop is a bright and welcoming space full of easy-to-find classic and contemporary work. I love the reading nooks where you can road-test a volume. I also enjoyed meeting and hearing Sally Bliumis-Dunnread last month from her new book, Echolocation (Plume Editions, 2018).


Holiday Writing Festival
On December 16, Bronx River Books will host two readings of writers from the Scarsdale Library Writers Center: 6:30 -7:45pm, and 8-9:15pm. The Center, led by novelists Barbara Solomon Josselsohn and Jimin Han, features writers such as my personal favorite, Mary Wasacz, whom you can hear in the second session. Break a line everyone, as my friend Meredith Trede says.

The Hero to Debut This Month
Excited that my second book of translation will appear this month from Chax Press! The Hero , by contemporary French poet Hélène Sanguinetti, addresses absurdities of war. Although written more than a decade ago, it anticipates the divisions of our time. See also my three poems celebrating the Bette Davis film “Now, Voyager” in Rabid Oak, and next month look for the Texas-inspired anthology, The Enchantment of the Ordinary (Mutabilis Press), which includes my poem, “Kin.” 

Award-winning Upper Hand Press

Congratulations to Upper Hand on being a finalist in the American Book Fest Awards in the travel category for She Can Find Her Way: Women Travelers at Their Best (2017). Jump on this or any Upper Handbook, including Free Ferry , half price through January 15. Optional holiday wrap and hand-written note mailed directly to your gift-list recipients. Need writerly inspiration? Herta Feely, author of the award-winning Saving Phoebe Murrow (2016), shares in this video how she pursued her dream.


Dickens Christmas and Vintage Holiday Postcards
Charles Dickens gave his first reading of A Christmas Carol in 1853 and brought his reading tour here in 1867-68. The New York Public Library celebrates the US tour’s 150th anniversary with a special installation of Dickens’s annotated prompt-copies of A Christmas Carol and other books with original photographs, first editions, and ephemera. Don’t miss the library’s heartwarming holiday postcard collection on exhibit too.

Linda Simone Poetry and Art at the Twig
Linda Simone by her
illustrated Tricentennial poemIn or near San Antonio? Don’t miss Linda Simone reading from her debut poetry collection, The River Will Save Us  (Kelsay Books) at the Twig, December 12, 5:30-7pm.  During a wine and cheese reception, peruse the poet’s gorgeous exhibited watercolors. Linda’s poetry, recently selected for San Antonio’s Thirty Poems for the Tricentennial: A Poetic Legacy , was in Poet Laureate Laurie Ann Guerrero’s Love Poems to San Antonio exhibit (2016),  Bearing the Mask: Southwest Persona Poems  (Dos Gatos Press, 2016), and on public buses in San Antonio and Norwalk, CT. Congratulations, Linda!

Sarah Bracey White on Race in America
Sarah Bracey White with
James Baldwin's family at film
debut of If Beale Street Could TalkI am honored to call author Sarah Bracey Whiteone of my dearest and long-term friends. An outstanding woman—no exaggeration if you know Sarah—and superb writer, she describes her compelling childhood story in Primary Lessons (Cavan Kerry Press, 2013). Sarah loved her early life in Philly but returned to the Jim Crow South only to be utterly mind-blown by segregation. Come hear her discuss her amazing story and perspective on race at St. James the Less Church on January 13 at 11:15am.

Upstream Gallery in Hastings
Copyright Cecily SpitzerWhat a pleasure to meet Cecily Spitzer, abstract impressionist, and founding member of the Upstream Gallery in Hastings! Upstream, in Hastings-on-Hudson, is a well-lit, intimate space with two galleries where you can see an exhibit of small works, and in March, Cecily’s light-inspired paintings alongside the bold graphic-like work of Paul Greco. Congratulations to Meg Lindsay, who has also shown there, on work in the juried Greenwich-Westchester International ArtFair at SUNY Purchase, March 1-3.

Amal and the Amazing Falafel Wrap
Our morning on the riverside included a visit to Irvington Delight, a deli that creates homemade Mediterranean falafel, baba ganouj, and hummus. Thanks to informal Arabic instruction from Herb Hadad, I was able to say, Shukran when the proprietor Amal offered Michael and me samples of her airy falafel. The hummus was equally awesome, creamy without a bean aftertaste. Highly recommended!

What Did I Accomplish This Year?
Have you reached year-end and feel desperate that you didn’t accomplish what you wanted? Barbara Dickinson and Sandy Jahmi Burg, gifted workshop leaders, are once again offering their enormously popular free webinar, January 26, 2019, 12-1:30pm Eastern Time (US and Canada). Register her to participate: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/f72fe41dac022bf38c34be5db4a05ad8


New Releases
Joseph Barrett, Blue Planet Memoirs (Dos Madres)
Suzanne Cleary, Crude Angel  (BkMk Press)
Greg Rappleye, Tropical Landscape with Ten Hummingbirds (Dos Madres)
Nahid Rachlin, A Way Home (Ravenna Press)



Spicy Brussels Sprouts
This is my vegetarian version of a recipe from Pati’s Mexican Table . Everyone seems to be eating Brussels sprouts these days, and this is a delicious Mexi-Asian fusion.
Sauce:4 tablespoons unsalted butter2 cloves garlic finely minced1/3 cup organic tamari sauce4 tablespoons sherry vinegar4 tablespoons agave or maple syrup1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice1 habañero chile (optional)
Brussels sprouts:1 tablespoons toasted sesame oil3 tablespoons vegetable oil2 pounds Brussels sprouts trimmed and halvedKosher or coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Add butter to saucepan over medium-low heat. Once melted and bubbling, add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add soy sauce, sherry vinegar, agave syrup and orange juice; mix well. Poke holes in habañero with paring knife and add it to sauce whole. Bring to simmer and cook 8-10 minutes until sauce thickens and coats back of a spoon.
In large cast iron pan over medium-high heat, heat the oils. Add Brussels sprouts, salt and pepper to taste, and cook for 12-15 minutes until crispy and browned on outside and tender inside. Plate Brussels sprouts on a large platter and drizzle with the sauce.

Poetry Readings / Literary Events
Linda SimoneThe Twig, December 12, 5:30pm, Linda Simone poetry reading, art exhibit and wine and cheese reception
HVWC, December 14, 7:30pm, Kerry LeVielle, Sundance Ignite Fellow; film showing and discussion with Sean Weiner, director of Creative Culture at Jacob Burns Film Center
St. James the Less Church, January 13, 11:15am, Sarah Bracey White on Race in America
HVWC, January into 2019, Every Third Friday Open Mic, January 8, February 16, March 15, April 19, May 17, and June 21; Open Write Saturdays, January 12, February 9, March 9, April 13, May 11 and June 8
HVWC, January 27, 4-5pm, Young Adult Children’s Book Agent Panel, Penny Moore, Rebecca Sherman, Susan Hawk, $15

Round the Net
Pamela HartDos Madres Press for a 25 percent discount on orders through December 31
Poet Gary Glauber on work in Breadcrumb , Piker Press , Sheila-Na-Gig , and Vita Brevis
Artist Kathe Gregory on having work appear in the Joy Street Open Studios last month
Poet and NEA recipient Pamela Hart for her great work with military families as profiled in O Magazine
Laurel PetersonPoet and artist Meg Lindsay on work in Intima, Light, Month to Years, and Tiferet ; in January, Pulse and the poetry anthology benefiting the Fort Worth Symphony
Yorktown Heights Poet Laureate John McMullenfor four rules for poetry readings
Guitarist John Moses for the poetry one poet was grateful for in 2018
NEA ArtMatters on Joan Mitchell’s “How to Be an Artist”
Norwalk Poet Laureate Laurel Peterson for a superb job, and announcing the search for a new laureate—email clahey@norwalkpl.org if interested
The New York Public Library on FifthThe New York Public Library for Best Books of 2018 and Kafka’s Metamorphosis on Instagram Stories
Poet and artist Linda Simone for her Poetry Spoken Here podcast, interview on the JohnMac Radio Show, and for sharing with us publishing markets that pay
Poet Arthur Russell on his poem, “Burning Garbage,” appearing in Copper Nickellast month
As we end the year, I celebrate our wonderful communities of poets in New York’s backyard. Thanks to George Kraus of Sundays with George, the Shames JCC monthly reading series; Bill Buschel of the Hudson Valley Writers Center; Yorktown Heights Poet Laureate John McMullen; Norwalk Poet Laureate Laurel Peterson; and Fairfield County’s poetry impresario Jerry T. Johnson, for creating opportunities for poets to develop and read their work.
Wishing everyone holiday joy and, for the new year, fierce creativity!
Until next time,Ann

your grateful annogram

https://annogram.blogspot.com/2018/11...

your grateful annogram

Boléro and the Fort Worth Symphony

I am grateful that a beloved poem, “Boléro,” has found a home in an anthology on classical music edited by poet Michael Baldwin to benefit the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. If you have a poem that touches on orchestral music, submit to symphonypoems@gmail.com by December 1.  That’s also the press date for The Hero, my translation of Hélène Sanguinetti’s fourth book, forthcoming from Chax. Woo-hoo!

Bolaño at the Warner Library
Roberto Bolaño (1953-2003)The epic stage adaptation of Roberto Bolaño’s internationally acclaimed 2666 (trans. Natasha Wimmer; Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2008) is available for free, online streaming. The Warner Library will present part one on November 3 at 6:30pm, and the remainder November 6 at 12:30pm. Poet and translator George Kraus PhD will host both events.

Insta Novels on New York Public Library Instagram
"The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe, available to read on the 
Library's Instagram account (@nypl), follows two other releases, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and "The Yellow Wallpaper." To read "The Raven," go to the Library's Instagram account and tap "The Raven" in the highlights section, right under the bio. Rest your thumb on the lower right part of the screen to hold the page, and lift your thumb to turn the page.

The River Will Save Us

Congratulations to Linda Simone on her new book The River Will Save Us (Kelsay Books). Inspired by urgency around immigration, River taps into Linda’s arrival in south Texas, her Italian immigrant ancestors and San Antonio’s turn-of-the-century Jingu dynasty. In three sections, the book deftly contrasts lyric narrative against jewel-like haiku. Hear more in John McMullen’s fascinating interview with the molto-talented Linda.

New Releases
Sally Blimius-Dunn,  Echolocation  (Plume Editions, 2018)

Rocio Carlos and Rachel McLeod Kaminer, Attendance (The Operating System)

Melissa Eleftherion Carr, Little Ditch (Above/Ground Press)
Kevin Crookes, Snoff the Sloth (CreateSpace)
Paul Pines, A Furnace in the Shadow (Dos Madres Press)
Jakob Stein, Genizah (Dos Madres Press)

Creative opportunities
Stealing From the Poet's Tool Box: A Workshop with Estha Weiner, Sarah Lawrence Writing Institute, November 3, 10am-3pm, $200
From Pages to Publication Conference, at the Fairfield Main Library, November 3, 9am–4:30pm, register here
AMP magazine call for original poetry (bilingual welcome), short prose, text hybrids, media hybrids (text+still images), video poems and literary video through December 1  
Belmont Story Review call for fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction, narrative journalism in the areas of music, publishing, creativity and collaboration, as well as faith and culture, through March 15, 2019

The Pedestal open for poetry submissions, up to five poems, November 5-December 2
Music anthology benefiting the Fort Worth Symphony; send up to three poems—no more than 50 lines each; your address, and brief bio through November 31 to symphonypoems@gmail.com

Greek Lentil Soup
As temperatures cool, it’s time for soup! Here’s a favorite from The New Laurel’s Kitchen (Ten Speed Press, 1986).
2 c. uncooked lentils 8 c. water or vegetable stock1/2 onion, chopped1 small carrot, chopped1 celery stalk, chopped1 small potato, chopped2 T. olive oil2 bay leaves1 1/2 to 2 tsp. salt2 t. red wine vinegar
Pick over lentils and wash. Mix all ingredients except the vinegar in a soup pot and cook until the lentils are very soft, about one hour. Stir in the vinegar at the end and serve.

Poetry readings / literary events
Susana CaseNorwalk Library, November 1, 7pm, Poets in Conversation: Jean P. Moore and Katherine Flannery Dering hosted by Norwalk Poet Laureate Laurel Petersen
QED, November 4, 3pm, Susana Case, Eleanor Lehman, Sarah Riccio, Oscar Sanders
Cornelia Street Café, November 6, 6pm, Susana Case, Jennifer Franklin, Cal Freeman, Claudine Nash, Peter Neil Carroll, Thaddeus Rutkowski
Cornelia Street Café, November 7, 6pm, Reading and Conversation with Igor Webb and John Matthias

Williams Center for the Arts, November 7, 7pm, Susana Case

A Public Space, November 8, 6pm, Idra Novey
Pioneer Works, November 10, 11am, Well-Read Black Girl Festival featuring Jacqueline Woodson, Veronica Chambers, Renée Watson, and more
HVWC, November 11, 4:30pm, War and Peace reading featuring Susana Case and others

Katonah Library, November 11, 4pm, Carl Phillips
Godwin-Ternbach Museum, November 14, 6:30pm, Marilyn Chin

Bronx River Books, November 16, 7pm, Sally Blimius-Dunn
Brooklyn Public Library in Prospect Heights, November 16, 7:30pm, Jonathan Franzen
Butler Library in Morningside Heights, November 29, 6pm, Susan Orlean  

ʼRound the Net
Poet Michael Baldwin on the upcoming publication of his book, Quantum Uncertainty of Love, by Shanti Arts Press
Racoco Productions performing TILTMemoirist Sarah Bracey White on her recent reading at Vassar College, seen here at 30:13 and Town of Greenburgh interview
Racoco Productions Director Rachel Cohen on her company’s new performance, TILT
Poet Gary Glauber for work in The Piker Press , The Weird Reader , The Literary Nest and Caliban Online
Poet Mary McCray for best advice from writing instructors
Patrick ModianoYorktown Heights Poet Laureate John McMullen for sharing Janet Kuyper’s free poetry chapbook, this list of paying online writing opportunities, and work in Down in the Dirt and Across the Wall
Editor Mary Ann Miller for the opportunity to purchase current and back issues of Presence: A Journal of Catholic Poetry, whose interviews have been featured in Poetry Daily
Art Historian and Novelist Laura Morelli for The Painter's Apprentice  winning an Historical Novel Society Editor’s Pick, 2018 Writers' Digest Honorable Mention, and Eric Hoffer Grand Prize
Poet Linda Simone for places that publish reprints and this essay on translating Patrick Modiano

As we head into Thanksgiving here in the US, I give thanks for you, annogramreaders, a worldwide community of literary, visual, and performing artists, and those cherished people who provide venues for us to share our work and thrive as artists in our own skin. I rejoice in your good news, so keep me updated. Wishing you more creative adventures and increasing recognition!
Until next time,Ann

your harvest moon annogram

Poetry in Translation this Sunday
Hélène SanguinettiNot-to-be-missed on Sunday, September 30, at 1:30pm—Poetry in Translation at the JCC in Tarrytown: George Kraus will read from his translations of Vallejo, Borges and 16th century Spanish poets Gongora, Quevedo, and Sor Juana; Ann Lauinger, her translations of Filippo Naitana who will be there to present the original Italian; Beth Gersh-Nešić, will share her translations of art critic and poet André Salmon; and I will read from Hélène Sanguinetti’s The Hero, forth-
coming from Chax Press.

Toy Hall of Fame Nominees
The National Toy Hall of Fame is considering Chutes and Ladders, American Girl Dolls, tic-tac-toe, chalk, and the Magic 8 Ball. The Hall of Fame’s Chris Bensch says, "This year, the Susan Lucci of the toy world is the Magic 8 ball.” After seven tries, it has not yet been inducted. Will our favorite Magic 8 ball win? Fingers crossed “It is decidedly so” shows up as the answer in November.

Kevin PilkingtonKevin Pilkington at Dodge Poetry Festival

Kevin Pilkington, winner of the National Book Award and four-time Pushcart nominee, will be giving two poetry readings at The Dodge Poetry Festival on October 20 at 2pm and October 21 at 12:30pm. Kevin will take his place among top poets at the four-day event, the largest poetry festival in North America. Here’s more on the festival lineup.

Mary McCray's Cowboy Meditation Primer

Poet Mary McCray’s astonishing second book, while reading like a novel, integrates highly crafted poetics. A gorgeous immersion into southwestern landscape, the Primer is as much a spiritual as external journey. Easterner Silas Cole finds camaraderie in the company of the mysterious Coyote, the quiet cook, and gambling cowboys who teach him to reel in his soul as well as the herd they drive. While Silas can “extract the holes of bullets” and “save them like buttons”, he ultimately learns "nothing but earth wants your bones.”This is a gritty and lyrical narrative I could not resist. Congratulations to Mary on another highly original and beautifully written work!

Gil Fagiani celebrated at Calandra Institute
Gil Fagiani (1945-2018)On October 16, the Italian American Writers Association will launch 
Missing Madonnas , the first posthumous poetry collection in Gil Fagiani’s Bordighera Press trilogy, which includes Chianti in Connecticut and Stone Walls, at John D. Calandra Italian American Institute, at 6pm. Thanks to Queens Poet Laureate Maria Lisella for championing her late husband’s poetry, memoirs, and translation. RSVP calandra@qc.edu and visit the IAWA website for more on IAWA second Saturdays in Manhattan.

New Releases
Pedestal 82
Robert Mitchell, Reason's Dream   (Dos Madres Press)
Margaret Randell, translator; María Vázquez Valdez,  Kawsay - The flame of the jungle (The Operating System)
Julia Aldrich Carter, Life Lines (Dos Madres Press)
Gil Fagiani, Missing Madonnas (Borighera Press)
Diane Lockwood, Editor. The Practicing Poet (Terrapin Books, 2018)
Mary McCray, The Cowboy Meditation Primer (Trementina Press)
Cole Swensen, translator; Hervé LeTellier, Atlas Inutilis (Black Square)

Creative Opportunities
Arthur Vogelsang 8-week One-on-One Online Poetry Workshop 
Pedestal Magazine submit up to 5 poems before December 2
Coffee Poems submit poem in English or other language by 10th each month to coffeepoems@writerscenter.org

Red Quinoa Salad
My friend Elyse Faltz made this scrumptious protein-rich salad, a perfect bridge to fall eating. Enjoy!
1 cup uncooked red quinoa1/3 cup olive oil2 tablespoons red wine vinegar1 1/2 teaspoons finely minced shallots1/4 teaspoon kosher salt1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups 1/2-inch-diced seeded tomato1/2 cup 1/2-inch-diced seeded cucumber3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano1 15-oz can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained2 oz (1/2 cup) crumbled feta cheese4 lemon wedges
Cook quinoa according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain, place in large bowl, and cool one hour. While quinoa cools, whisk oil and next four ingredients in small bowl. Let stand 20 minutes. Add dressing, tomato, and next four ingredients to quinoa; toss well. Serve with feta and lemon wedges.

Poetry readings / literary events

Norwalk Library, Poets in Conversation, October 4, 7pm, Amy Nawrocki, Brian Clements
Notre Dame, October 5-7, AndNow Festival of New Writing
Rae ArmantroutZinc Bar, Saturdays, 4:30pm; October 6, Chia-Lun Chang, Zahra Patterson; October 13, Myra Al-Rahim, Myung Mi Kim; October 20, Rae Armantrout, Ariel Goldberg; October 27, Jos Charles, Simone White



Mahopac Library, October 15, 6:30pm, Mahopac Poetry Group Reading and Open Mic
Troubadour, October 15, 8pm, J. Chester Johnson, Elizabeth Powell, £7
John D. Calandra Italian American Institute, October 16, 6pm,  Missing Madonnas  by  the late Gil Fagiani, book launch; RSVP calandra@qc.edu
McNally Jackson, October 16, 7pm, bilingual book launch, María Vázquez Valdez’s Kawsay - The flame of the jungle ; Margaret Randall, Urayoán Noel, Elizabeth Zuba, Mónica de la Torre, Lila Zemborain
UPenn, October 18, 10am-5pm, A New Disability Poetics, symposium on relationships between 
the disabled body and contemporary poetic practices

Curley's Diner, Home of Curley's PoetsUnitarian Universalist Congregation, October 20, 3pm, book launch of Tuesday Night Live, anthology of PoemAlley/
Curley’s Poets
The Bonbonnerie Tearoom on Madison, October 25, 6pm, Poetry Dinner; Megan Henson, Susan Glassmeyer, Pauletta Hansel; RSVP $25

ʼRound the Net
Rachel Cohen
in performanceDirector Rachel Cohenof Racoco Productions on spending a week at Abrons Arts Center to develop a new piece, TILT 
Poet Cindy Hochman on reviewing Brett Evans's and Christopher Shipman's Keats is Not the Problem , and Lynn Schmeidler's History of Gone in Pedestal 82
Publisher Lynne DeSilva-Johnson for the 2019 Operating System Catalog now live
Poet Meg Lindsay on “Pain Scale" in the September Light ; “That First Hospital Stay” in the October Months to Years , “What They Don’t Tell You,” in 2019 Pulse ; and Tiferet   finalist  “Diagnosis”
Yorktown Heights Poet Laureate John McMullen for this list of journals that accept 
reprints Murano glass
Art Historian Laura Morelli for this look into the history of Murano glass
Guitarist Johnny Moses, via guitarist Michael Cefola, for this article on the benefits of arts in the boonies
Poets and Writers for this article about the effort to save Edna St. Vincent Millay’s home
Poet Christina Rau on winning the Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association's 2018 Elgin Award for her book Liberating The Astronauts (Aqueduct Press, 2017)
Hooch with Lou and Eugenie SpiritoPoet Linda Simone for her essay appearing in The Practicing Poet (Terrapin Books, 2018) and sharing this link to free Alice Munro stories
Author and dog rescuer Louis Spirito on adopting Hooch, whom we hope inspires another book
Poet Neal Whitman for poems, “One Day at Point Pinos Lighthouse: A Docent’s Reflection and Refraction,” in Stacking Stones: An Anthology of Short Tanka Sequences (Keibooks, 2018); with Amelia Fielden, “Weather Uncertain, Conditions Unknown,” Atlas Poetica 32: A Journal ofWorld Tanka

Memoirist Sarah Bracey White for “And Then Suddenly," a podcast by Angela Santillo  about Sarah’s mother, segregation and freedom; and “One on One with Vin Daquino”

Photo by Dan Bush of Missouri SkiesThanks to old school pal Eric Schecter on Facebook, I realized tonight is the Harvest Moon. To honor this celestial event, Eric evoked the Neil Young song of the same name. On this moon I wish you the magical powers of a full heart, and inspired imagination.

Until next time,Ann

your september annogram

http://annogram.blogspot.com/2018/09/...

your september annogram

Free Ferry and the Getz-Gilberto Connection
DougRamsey highlights Free Ferry in Rifftides , his award-winning jazz blog. His liner notes on the Getz-Gilberto reissue CD inspired Free Ferry’s opening. “In the post-Elvis Presley era,” he writes, “the track by Getz and the Gilbertos achieved something nearly unimaginable for a sensitive jazz performance; it became a hit.”
That was “The Girl from Ipanema,” sung by Astrud Gilberto, the housewife who became an unlikely diva, and an intro- ductory voice to  Free Ferry . The book, Doug says, evokes “the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice with 20th and 21st century realities of weapons-grade plutonium, Cold War anxieties, episodes from everyday life and, sometimes, humor.”
Many thanks to Doug, winner of a Lifetime  Achievement Award from the Jazz Journalist Association, for allowing me to use his CD notes in Free Ferry.

The Hero  at translation event
Hélène SanguinettiOn September 30 at 1:30pm, I will participate in a JCC on the Hudson event by sharing from my translation of Hélène Sanguinetti’s The Hero forthcoming from Chax Press. George Kraus will read his translations of Borges, Vallejo, and 16th century Spanish poets; Ann Lauinger, her translations of Italian poet Fillippo Naitana, who will also present his work; and Beth Gersh-Nešić, poems by André Salmon, close friend of Pablo Picasso during the heyday of Cubism. Please drop by for a great afternoon of translation!

Alparegho announced for September 2019
The Operating System’s 2019 catalog is now live, and I am excited to have my translation of Hélène Sanguinetti’s Alparegho, like nothing else be part of its Unsilenced Texts series. Hélène’s work is finally catching fire here in the US. When you read it, you will find it truly is “like nothing else.”

Work in Poetry Salzburg
Claude Rains (1889-1967)Thrilled to learn my poems, “Invisible Man" and "Origins of Horror,” respective tributes to Claude Rains and Lon Chaney Jr., will appear in Poetry Salzburg Review 34. Thanks to Dr. Wolfgang Görtschacher, who encourages everyone to subscribe to the journal or explore further collections on its website. I’ll have to go to Patisserie Salzburg with my copy for a full experience!

American Sign Language Poetry at CUNY
On September 13, at 6:30pm, the CUNY Graduate Center will present Publishing American Sign Language Poetry. Poets Douglas Ridloff, Peter Cook, Kenny Lerner, and John Lee Clark will read original work in American Sign Language. An exercise in translation by Adrean Clark and discussion by Sara Nović will follow. Free. Please click here to RSVP to this event.

Kathe Gregory in Boston Voyager
Kathe GregoryCongratulations to my cousin, artist Kathe Gregory, on her interview in Boston Voyager. Kathe reflects on her uber-creative upbringing, with her father, mid-century architect Jules Gregory, and mother Nancy, an avid horticulturist. Even I learned things about Kathe I did not know—such as a youthful art heist perpetrated by grad school friends! If you appreciate or make art, this is a must-read.


The Kindergarten Teacher
This Sara Colangelo film, starring Maggie Gyllenhaal and debuting on Netflix October 12, is a suspense-filled drama around the importance of poetry. “Kaveh Akbar and Ocean Vuong wrote the movie’s poems,” says poet Linda Simone, who shared the trailer. Thanks, Linda! Looking forward to this!




New releases
Michael Flatt and Derrick Mund, Chlorosis (The Operating System)
Anne Gorrick, An Absence So Great and Spontaneous It is Evidence of Light (The Operating System)
Wally Swist, Singing for Nothing (The Operating System)
Christine Aikens Wolfe, Garlanding Green (Dos Madres Press)

Creative opportunities
Andrés CerpaPoetry contest on theme “Something to start with” judged by Paul Mariani – send by December 2
Poets Salonmeets second Saturdays each month at the Fairfield Library
Presence call for poems by October -- send to mmiller@caldwell.edu
Symphony Anthology – send up to three poems and brief bio by October 31 to symphonypoems@gmail.com
Writingthe Poetry You Love to Read with Andrés Cerpa, September 22, 12:30-4:30pm, $124
Writers’ Guide to Investigative Research Workshop with Donna Zucker, five sessions, September 24, $450

Cauliflower Pizza Casserole
Thanks to poet Terry Dugan for this healthy recipe which she suggests for the cooler days of fall! Serves four. Enjoy!

2 heads cauliflower, cut into florets2/3 cup organic pizza sauceHimalayan salt, to tasteGround black pepper, to taste2 cups shredded mozzarella, divided2/3 cup grated parmesan, divided; more for garnish1/2 cup sliced black olives1/2 cup onions, divided1 tablespoon oregano, divided2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes, dividedFresh parsley, for garnish
Heat oven to 350°F. Blanch cauliflower 3 minutes. In large bowl, toss cauliflower with pizza sauce until coated. Season with salt and pepper. Place half the cauliflower in baking dish; top with half of mozzarella, parmesan, olives and onions; sprinkle with oregano and red pepper. Add rest of cauliflower to dish and repeat topping process. Bake until cauliflower is tender and cheese bubbly, about 30 minutes. Cool slightly. Garnish with parsley and parmesan.

Poetry / literary events
Anne CarsonHVWC, September 14, 7pm, Erika Meitner, Blas Falconer, Nicole Cooley; September 28, 7pm, D. Nurkse, Sally Bliumis-Dunn, Alison Jarvis; October 5, 7pm, Anne Carson, Lafcadio Cass, $10
Norwalk Library, September 6, 7pm, Charles Rafferty, Jonas Zdanys; October 4, 7pm, Amy Nawrocki, Brian Clements, Poets in Conversation with Norwalk Poet Laureate Laurel Peterson
Open Door Tea, September 14, 6:30pm, SheSpeak event, writers, actors and audience collaboration
Brenda ShaughnessyLondon, J. Chester Johnson on Auden, the Psalms and Me : Sept. 20: St. Philip’s Church, 6pm; Oct. 14: Grosvenor Chapel after service; Oct. 23: Southwark Cathedral, 7pm, rsvp; Oct. 25: St. Mary Magdalene Paddington, pm (check time); Oct. 28: St. Peter’s Church 11:15am; Oxford: Oct. 11, St. Giles Church, 12:30pm
Katonah Library, September 23, 4pm, Brenda Shaughnessy, $10

’Round the Net
Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990)Translator Anne Appel for celebrating Women Translators Month
Memoirist Sarah Bracey White for a great interview on John McMullen’s radio show and on being selected for the Best of the Best 650 Reads
Poet Terry Dugan on her upcoming chapbook, I’m the Reason the Kids Are Dead (Moonstone Press)
Fast Company for “A Very Short Guide to the Most Creative Part of Your Brain”
Composer Rob Kapilow for this podcast celebrating the 100th birthday of Leonard Bernstein
Yorktown Heights Poet Laureate John McMullen for this great article on the state of poetry
Art Historian Laura Morelli for her TedTalk on the difference between art and craft
Poets and Writers for this great interview with poet and novelist Michael Ondaatje
Astrophotographer Olivier Prache for this amazing photo of the M31 galaxy
M31 photo by Olivier PrachePlaywright Elizabeth Primamore on winning the Bernard and Shirley Handel Playwriting Award from the Woodstock Byrdcliffe Arts Colony
Poet Natalie Safir on poems in The Same, Ginosko Review, and Westchester Review; and essay, “Unveiling the Stone,” in the anthology What Remains (Gelles-Coles Literary Enterprises)
Poet and artist Linda Simone on being featured in The Chapbook Interview ; having her essay, “TripTych,” also accepted in the What Remains anthology; and for sharing this hilarious video of mean reviews

My summer with Marcel
Marcel Proust (1871-1922)How did you spend your summer? I traveled to Combray and Balbec, fictitious places in France, thanks to Marcel Proust. Yes, I plowed through all seven volumes of In Search of Lost Time, also known as Remembrance of Things Past. Reading it, I was alternatively riveted and bored, amazed and heartbroken. The voice, so personal and authentic, made me feel I knew Marcel—is that possible, across a century? That he walked Paris avenues I once did gave me a delicious frisson. And that’s why it’s a masterpiece; its complex messages around longing, aristocracy, and art are so immediate. Do you love extra- ordinary writing? Take the plunge! The beach at Balbec calls.
Until next time,Ann

your midsummer annogram

http://annogram.blogspot.com/2018/07/...

your midsummer annogram

Free Ferry featured in blog
Thanks to reviewer Darrell Laurant for featuring Free Ferry today on his blog, Snowflakes in a Blizzard . Discover the backstory behind Free Ferry if you’ve read it. And if not, now is the perfect time: Free Ferry is at a discounted price of $7. Read it to see astonishing similarities of our current geopolitical climate with the 1960s.

The Enchantment of the Ordinary
Mutabilis Presshas accepted my poem, “Kin”, a salute to the time I first met my lovely Texas and Oklahoma relatives, for a Texas-themed anthology, The Enchantment of the Ordinary. Big hugs to my cousin Katherine in Fort Worth who knew all the relatives named! My dear friend Linda Simone, a San Antonian, has a poem included too, and we can’t wait for the book’s debut this fall.

The Hero forthcoming from Chax
So excited my translation of Hélène Sanguinetti’s The Hero will debut soon from Chax Press! The publisher, Charles Alexander, a poet and book designer, takes the utmost care in producing fine books. Poet and translator Cole Swensen has also praised the book in a generous inscription. Get ready to read a seriously audacious work from one of France’s top contemporary poets!

Lydia Davis at the Albertine
Lydia DavisHow great to meet Lydia Davis at the Albertine Prize program last month! Ms. Davis, award-winning micro-fiction writer and Swann’s Way (Penguin, 2004) translator, is now translating from Dutch. She told me she read all of Proust’s correspondence for Letters to His Neighbors (New Directions, 2017), and that this edition corrects prior timeline errors. Thanks to Beth Gersh-Nešić, art historian and André Salmon translator, for inviting me to this wonderful event!

Summer reading
Rona CarrMy friend, and an excellent coach, Rona Carrlikes me to recommend summer reading. Look no further than Upper Hand Press, whose books are $7 now. Discerning readers I know were moved by 100 Years of Marriage , a sleeper classic; Saving Phoebe Murrow , winner of the 2018 Indie Novel of the Year; and Elizabeth Primamore’s Shady Women . Why not complete some holiday shopping now?

Marilyn Monroe in Stamford
Forever Marilyn by Seward Johnson
Photo Michael CefolaMembers exiting Stamford’s First Congregational Church have quite a view—the backside of a 30,000-lb, 26-foot-tall Marilyn Monroe. The Seward Johnson statue, in Lapham Park for the summer, captures Ms. Monroe’s iconic The Seven-Year-Itch pose, where her billowy dress blew upwards over a New York subway grate. Both awe-inspiring and creepy, it recalls Attack of the 50-Foot Woman , “Harry… Harry….”

Sarah Bracey White in Read 650

Sarah Bracey WhiteCongratulations to Sarah Bracey White on appearing in last month’s Read 650: A Writer's Art at the National Arts Club. This is Sarah’s second appearance in the hit series featuring 650-word readings. Agnes of God playwright John Pielmeier calls Read 650 “evocative, entertaining, and moving.” Watch Sarah’s delightful “Camp Cook” here, and don’t miss her photography exhibit this summer at the Greenburgh Town Hall.


J. Chester Johnson on Auden
What a joy to hear J. Chester Johnson at St. James the Less on Auden, the Psalms and Me (Church Publishing, 2017). It’s a book you feel compelled to read in one sitting, so fascinating is the “religious” Auden never discussed in contemporary literature. Auden’s letters cast a lasting influence over Chester’s life as a poet and translator, and important considerations for the rest of us.

New releases


Dante Aligheri, trans. W. S. Merwin, Purgatorio: A New Verse Translation  (Copper Canyon Press)
Michael Baldwin, Beyond Passing Strange (CreateSpace)

Karen George, A Map and One Year  (Dos Madres Press)


Ivy Johnson, Born Again (The Operating System)
Jim Lavilla-Havelin, West, Poems of a Place (Wings Press, 2017)

Mostafa Nissabouri, trans. Guy Bennett, Pierre Joris, Addie Leak, Teresa Villa-Ignacio, For an Ineffable Metrics of the Desert (Otis Books-Seismicity Editions)Erick Sáenz, Susurros a mi Padre (The Operating System)


Creative opportunities
Kevin PilkingtonDiode Editions by August 15, 2018

Nourish – poetry calls for work
Last call for Kevin Pilkington’s Maine Media Poetry Workshopin Rockport
Poetry, essay, drama, or hybrid on Simone Weil (Word, RTF, or PDF) with author info to weilanthology@gmail.com by August 1 for Orison anthology

Stupid-Easy Cole Slaw
Again, from George Motz’s The Great American Burger (Abrams, 2016): Halve ingredients if only serving two or three people, and use a bag of shredded cabbage for a stupid-fastslaw.
1 head organic white cabbage, shredded6 organic medium-large carrots, grated1 cup mayonnaise¼ cup apple cider vinegar2 tablespoons yellow mustard1 teaspoon salt½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Combine cabbage and carrots in bowl and set aside. In large bowl, whisk together mayo, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. Add carrots and cabbage, tossing to coat. Cover and refrigerate for an hour before serving, or up to 24 hours.
And, as promised from the last annogram, toppings for the beet burger recipe:
Sautéed Mushrooms
1 tablespoon butter2 cups sliced organic cremini mushrooms½ cup dry white wine
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat and add mushrooms. Cover and cook until mushrooms release their liquid. Pour in the wine and raise the heat to high. When liquid in pan is reduced, remove from heat. Salt to taste and set aside until ready to use on your beet burgers.
Caramelized Onions
3 tablespoons olive oil2 medium organic Vidalia or Walla Walla onions3 pinches salt¼ cup white wine1 tablespoon salted butter
Preheat skillet over medium heat and add olive oil. Slice onions into thin rings or strings and add to skillet, stirring to coat with oil and continuing to poke, pat and move around until onions become limp, about 6 minutes. Add salt and stir. Add wine and raise heat for 1 minute, stirring constantly until liquid evaporates, then return to medium heat and add butter, stirring until melted. Cook, turning onions in pan frequently for another 10 minutes or until nicely golden brown and caramelized. Remove from heat and set aside.
Beet Burger assemblage
See prior annogram for beet burger recipe: While burgers still brown in the pan, add spoonful of sautéed mushrooms to top of each followed by a cheddar cheese slice. Cover, cook until the cheese melts, about 2 minutes. Transfer beet burgers to toasted buns and top with caramelized onions.

Poetry / literary events
Joan Silber on winning the 2017
National Books Critics Circle Award
for FictionBryant Park Reading Room, July 17, 7pm, Whiting Foundation Poetry Awards, Sharon Dolin, Terrance Hayes, Rickey Laurentiis, Jenny Johnson

The Meetinghouse, Canaan, NH, 7:30pm: July 19, Christopher Wren, Lauren Groff; July 26,Howard Mansfield, Robin MacArthur; August 2, Lloyd Schwartz, Joan Silber
The Merchantile Library, July 17,7pm, Richard Hague and Paulette Hansel on memoir
HVWC, July 20, 27; August 17; 7:30pm, Open Mic Night; August 19, 10am, $5
John C. Hart Library, July 21, 1pm, Book Fair and Reception with Local Authors
HVWC,, August 1, 8pm, Chen Chen and Nathan McClain, $10


̓Round the Net

Clouds Rte 84 by Meg LindsayPoet Llyn Clague on his poem “Kayakers in the Boston Small Press and Poetry Scene blog
Poet Terry Dugan for this interview with new Times Poetry Editor Rita Dove
Novelist Herta Feely on having Saving Phoebe Murrow profiled in Snowflakes in a Blizzard
Poet Gary Glauber for work on page 14 in Event Horizon and in Synchronized Chaos
The Katonah Poetry Series for interviews with Peter Balakian and Monica de la Torre
Duc Le for sharing the Poetry Journal in Print , a journal of Vietnamese and English poetry
Artist Meg Lindsay for participating in Upstream Gallery's PaperWorks 2018 exhibit through July 29

Blogger Rolf Maurer for this profile of Yorktown Heights Poet Laureate John McMullen A Throw of Dice (1929)
British Silent Film shown at
The San Francisco Silent Film Festival
Poet John McMullen for sharing this video from a Holocaust Remembrance Day this spring
Art historian Laura Morelli on how to choose quality leather in Florence
Poet Ralph Nazareth for sharing the Times obit of poet Donald Hall
The NEA for this federal survey indicating that poetry readership is up
The New York Public Library for its July Staff Picks
Sir Paul McCartneyBass player Larry Schwartzman for “Five Bass Lines Not Written by Paul McCartney
Poet Linda Simone on reading next month at San Antonio 300, her poem “Whisk” in the San Antonio-Express News, and essay in Far Villages: Essays for New Beginner Poets forthcoming from Black Lawrence Press
Songwriter and singer Fran Sisco on her new film, Happy Trans Girl Like Me
Pianist Donald Sosin on participating in the San Francisco Silent Film Festival

Wishing everyone a summer full of rest and recreation so necessary for creativity!  See you back here in September….
Until next time,Ann