Dan Jorgensen's Blog, page 52

A Writer's Moment: 'A compass on the map of human geography'

A Writer's Moment: 'A compass on the map of human geography':   “History is not everything, but it is a starting point. History is a clock that people use to tell their political and cultural time of da...

'A compass on the map of human geography'

 

“History is not everything, but itis a starting point. History is a clock that people use to tell their politicaland cultural time of day. It is a compass they use to find themselves on themap of human geography. It tells them where they are but, more importantly,what they must be.”  –John Henrik Clarke

 

Born a Georgia sharecropper’s sonon this date in 1915, Clarke was told in 3rd grade that he should bea writer, and it became a goal he pursued from that point forward.  Ultimately, he would write six scholarly booksand hundreds of essays and short stories before his death in 1998.

 

A leading force in the HarlemWriters' Workshop during the 1930s, Clarke served in World War II beforereturning to writing and then teaching. He co-founded Harlem Quarterly magazine and taught at Cornell andColumbia Universities before spending several years teaching at majoruniversities in Africa.  After returningto the States, he edited several anthologies by African American writers and ofhis own short stories.

      

A champion for people to seek outand write about their roots, he noted, “A people's relationship to theirheritage is literally the same as the relationship of a child to its mother.”

 

A Writer's Moment: 'Answers to be discovered'

A Writer's Moment: 'Answers to be discovered':          "New Year’s Day.  A fresh start.  A new chapter in life waiting to be written.  New questions to be asked, embraced, and loved...

'Answers to be discovered'

 

       "New Year’s Day.  Afresh start.  A new chapter in life waiting to bewritten.  New questions to be asked, embraced, andloved.  Answers to be discovered and then lived in thistransformative year of delight and self-discovery.  

        "Today, carve outa quiet interlude for yourself in which to dream, pen inhand.   Only dreams give birth to change.”  – Sarah Ban Breathnach  (Author of Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy)

         Happy New Year!

A Writer's Moment: 'Music brings people together'

A Writer's Moment: 'It's what brings people together'    “I was never trying to write a hit.  I was just trying to write good songs and get a message out, and it was my great good fortune to be p...

'Music brings people together'

 

“I was never trying to write ahit.  I was just trying to write good songs and get a message out,and it was my great good fortune to be popular.” – John Denver

 

Born in Roswell, NM on this date in1943, Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr., best known by his recording name JohnDenver, wrote more than 200 songs and recorded more than 300 in his relativelyshort lifetime, becoming one of the world’s most popular folk/country/soft rocksingers and performers.  Among his hits were the song known as Colorado’s“unofficial” anthem, Rocky Mountain High, and West Virginia's"unofficial" anthem Country Roads, making him the only American singer/songwriter to hold such a distinction.

 

A great storyteller, he wrote about his love for and activism on behalf of nature as well as beautiful tales about people and relationships.  Amongthem are the very moving Poems, Prayers and Promises, often sung atfunerals; the beautiful Annie’s Song, sung at countless weddings;and one of his signature songs – a call out to the hopes of Spring – Sunshineon My Shoulders.

 

The son of a careermilitary man, Denver moved often in his childhood and wished for a life of "growing up on a farm or ranch and living off the land."    His joyous ThankGod I’m A Country Boy spoke to any kid who was raised in those environs.  In his lifetime, which ended in a tragic plane crash in1997, Denver’s songs sold a remarkable 33 million copies and continue to bere-recorded and listened to by new generations.

 

"Music does bring peopletogether,” Denver said.  “It allows us toexperience the same emotions. People everywhere are the same in heart andspirit. No matter what language we speak, what color we are, the form of ourpolitics or the expression of our love and our faith, music proves: We are thesame."    

 

'Endless possibilities'

 

“Words are, of course, the mostpowerful drug ever used by mankind.” –Rudyard Kipling

 

Kipling was born in Bombay, India on this date in 1865.  Educated in England, he startedhis prolific writing career with a series of essays called "Departmental Ditties."  His versatility with pen and typewriter earned him acclaim inmany genres including journalism and poetry, but it was his epic novels andshort stories that brought him lasting fame.

 

Kipling is probably best knownfor The Jungle Book; Captains Courageous; The Man WhoWould Be King and his “Just So” stories, and for receiving the NobelPrize for Literature at age 41.  He was both the first English language writer and youngest ever recipient of the award.

   

Considered one of the all-time greatestEnglish writers, he ironically wrote most of his pieces while residing inAmerica – particularly Brattleboro, VT, where he lived for many years after hismarriage to American Caroline Balestier in 1892.  While most of hisworks were either about India or Britain, he continued to live and write in theU.S. until his death in 1936.

 

A firm believer in the adage thatyou are what you make of yourself, Kipling noted, “We are the opening verse ofthe opening page of the chapter of endless possibilities.”

 

 

 

 

A Writer's Moment: 'Endless possibilities'

A Writer's Moment: 'Endless possibilities':   “Words are, of course, the most powerful drug ever used by mankind.”  – Rudyard Kipling   Kipling was born in Bombay, India on this da...

A Writer's Moment: 'Speaking to the spirit'

A Writer's Moment: 'Speaking to the spirit':   “Poetry speaks to the spirit by piercing understanding. It interprets all senseless truths – beauty, love, emotion – into sensible scrawl....

'Speaking to the spirit'

 

“Poetry speaks to the spirit bypiercing understanding. It interprets all senseless truths – beauty, love,emotion – into sensible scrawl.” – Richelle Goodrich

 

Born in Ogden, UT in 1968, Goodrich earned degrees from Eastern Washington University and hasbeen writing and publishing poetry, short stories, and novels since 2012.  For Saturday’s Poem – from her book HopeEvermore – here is Goodrich’s,

                                                   I HOPED

                                      I hopedfor a rose and got lilies.                

                                      I hopedfor the sun and got rain.

                                      I hopedfor a cat and got puppies.

                                      I hopedfor Brazil and got Spain.

                                      Ihoped for a raise and got transferred.

                                      I hopedfor northwest and got south.

                                      I hopedfor ice cream and got yogurt.

                                      I hopedfor a kiss on the mouth.

                                     Ihoped for more time and got late fees.

                                     I hopedfor a cruise, got a flight.

                                     I hopedfor Poseidon, got Hades.

                                     I hopedfor long days over nights.

                                    Youmay wonder why I keep hoping,

                                   Asfruitless as it seems to be.

                                   Buthope is a bow, not an arrow.

                                   Itsrelease depends much upon me.