your may annogram

Happy May!  Finally warm and full of dogwood blossoms. Also blooming:  poetry—my second book, Free Ferry, forthcoming from Upper Hand Press in January; poems on Brian Wilson and Johnny Cash for Opossum’s music issue; work accepted for Our Last Walk, anthology on pet loss; and my translation of Section 9 from Le Héros (Flammarion, 2008) by Hélène Sanguinetti in St. Petersburg Review . 

Sunday @ the J with George—and Ann
Come hear me read on Sunday, May 22, at 1:30 pm, with poet and translator Dr. George Kraus.  George is the affable host of Sundays @ the J with George and Friends at the JCC on the Hudson in Tarrytown. This popular poetry series features the best local talent, and I am honored to join George for the reading.  Hope to see you there!
Rabbit Ears editor Joel Allegretti Rabbit Ears at the Writers Center
What a pleasure to meet poet Joel Allegretti, charming editor of Rabbit Ears: TV Poems  (NYQ Books, 2015) last month at the Hudson Valley Writers Center!  Joel read with Austin Alexis, Jeanne Marie Beaumont, Susana H. Case, Suzanne Cleary, Amy Holman, Lynn McGee, Mervyn Taylor, Estha Weiner, and me from this anthology which has received high praise in The Huffington Post, Rain Taxi, and the Independent Tower.

Meredith Trede Tenement Threnody launch      Meredith Trede’s TenementThrenody (Main Street Rag Press, 2016), debuted at a recent Sundays @ the J with George and Friends event.  Her innovative sonnets capture the voices and landscape of mid-century Inwood; Meredith’s husband Brad, daughter Nicole, grandson Lucas, and good friend Judith Lane brought them to life. You can see Meredith this Sunday, May 15, at 2 pm at the Warner Library.  Don’t miss her!
Linda Moot directs altos, including
dear friend Carol Booth (far right)Border Crossings: A Concert Devoted to Migrations
Mindful of immigrants, Temple Beth Shalom Choir Director Linda Moot and her choir took us on a global musical journey earlier this month. Covering medieval Judeo-Spanish songs to tangos, the event featured guitarist Steve Bloom, pianists Jonathan Faiman and Cheryl Seltzer, and the mesmerizing drumming of Youssif Sheronik. Even the audience danced like Miriam—led by composer Elliot Z. Levine.
Mo’ Bros at Tavern 489
More joy, more music, hearing John and Bill, the intrepid Moses Brothers, play Tavern 489 recently.  A blend of folk, blues, and Everly-like close harmonics, the Mo’ Bros also lay out fine guitar and fiddle. Always a pleasure to hear this talented duo.

Landscape with Rocks (1892)Edgar Degas: A Strange New Beauty
When Degas discovered monotype—drawing in ink on a metal plate that is then run through a press—he was captivated. This exhibition includes 120 rarely seen monotypes and 60 related paintings, drawings, pastels, sketchbooks, and prints—that show Degas at his most modern. Through July 24. Fee:  $23
Impressionism: American Gardens on Canvas
This New York Botanical Garden exhibit, May 14-September 11, honors iconic artists such as Childe Hassam and John Singer Sargent who captured the ephemeral quality of light observed in the natural world.  The garden-wide exhibit is further complemented by 20 impressionist paintings and sculptures in the Art Gallery. Fees: $20 weekdays, $25 weekends.
Meg Lindsay A Painter’s Night Journal
Congratulations to poet-artist Meg Lindsay, whosechapbook, A Painter’s Night Journal, will be published in August by Finishing Line Press.  NEA recipient Cortney Davis calls her language “inventive and playful” and her images and metaphors “vivid and precise” in “this compelling debut.” This is a limited edition collection, so please order your copy by June 17.
Writing workshops
Poet Estha Weinerinvites you to join her poetry workshop, Let’s Lose the Muse.  Cut through myths to get the tools you need to sculpt poems. Open to all at the West Side YMCA, Saturdays, 10:30 am-12:30 pm, through June 26. Register online. Fees: $252 Member, $410 Non-member.

Art by Bjorn BraunThe Katonah Museum of Art exhibit,  The Nest , will springboard the May 15 workshop, When Artists Are Birds, 1-4 pm, with artist Sheila Hale and writer-in-residence Pamela Hart. Participants will begin in museum galleries then travel to Hale’s studio.  Register online or call 914-232-9555 ext. 0. Fee: $60.Poetry and other readings
Cindy Beer-FouhyMay 12, 6 pm – Annual Independent Publishers Book Party, Zieher Smith & HortonMay 12, 8 pm – Louis Erdrich, Anne Enright, 92nd Street YMay 14, 6 pm – Janice Lowe, Tyehimba Jess, Alissa Quart, Berl’s Brooklyn Poetry ShopMay 14, 7:30 pm – Otto René Castillo, 543 W. 42nd St.May 15, 2 pm – Meredith Trede, Warner LibraryMay 15, 4 pm – Gerald Stern and Cindy Beer-Fouhy, HVCCAMay 15, 4:30 pm – Emilia Phillips, Cecilia Stormcrow Llompart, HVWC, $10May 20, 6:30 pm – Sueyeun Juliette Lee, Douglas Kearney, Center for Book ArtsMay 20, 7:30 pm – Open Mic Night, HVWC, $5May 22, 1:30 pm – Ann Cefola and George Kraus, JCC on Hudson Otto René CastilloMay 22, 4 pm – Mary Jo Bang, Katonah Village LibraryMay 22, 4:30 pm – Grace Schulman, HVWC, $10May 25, 6 pm – Salgado Maranhao, Alex Levatin, Poets House, $10May 25, 7 pm -- Constance Renfrow, Tiffany Ferentini, Jared Shaffer, Carolyn Drake, Angus McLinn, Angela Sloan, Katherine Sloan, KGBMay 31, 7 pm – Joe Okonkwo, Book CultureJune 10, 6:30 pm – Stephen Motika, Jill Magi, Center for Book ArtsJune 26, 4 pm – Vicki Iorio, Susan Lewis, Katie Longofono, Janeen Rastall, Christina Rau, BookMark Shoppe
Golden Vegan Ice Cream
This comes from my poetry pal, Linda Simone of San Antonio, who found it on the Internet. An ice cream machine is required and I have not tried this recipe yet—so be brave and let me know how it goes!
2 14-ounce (414 ml) cans full fat coconut milk4 quarter-size slices fresh ginger1/4 cup (60 ml) maple syrup, plus more to tastePinch sea salt2 tsp ground turmeric1/2 tsp ground cinnamon1/8th tsp black pepperoptional: 1/8th tsp cardamom, 1 tsp pure vanilla extract,  2 Tbsp olive oil, 1/4 cup chopped candied ginger
Day before, chill ice cream churning bowl in freezer. Whisk and simmer coconut milk, fresh ginger, maple syrup, salt, turmeric, cinnamon, pepper, and cardamom in large saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Adjust flavor. Transfer to mixing bowl and cool to room temperature. Cover and chill in refrigerator overnight, or 4-6 hours. The next day remove ginger. Add olive oil for extra creaminess.Add to ice cream maker and churn per manufacturer instructions – 20-30 minutes until like soft serve. In last minutes, add optional candied ginger. Once churned, transfer to large freezer-safe container (or parchment-lined loaf pan) and smooth top.  Cover securely and freeze 4-6 hours or until firm. Soften 10 minutes before serving, and use a scoop warmed in hot water. Best eaten within seven days. ’Round the Net
Sarah Bracey White (lst row, far left)Congratulations and/or thanks to the following:
Memoirist Sarah Bracey White, keynote at the Greenburgh Library’s Women and Culture event, reading from her new book, The Wanderlust
Poet Llyn Clague on having six poems in Bindweed Magazine
Masako Inkyo's opening receptionArt historian Beth Gersh-Nesic on curating Masako Inkyo’s exhibit at the Anderson Chase Gallery
Poet Gary Glauber on having poems appear in Two Cities and Verse-Virtual
Author Herb Hadad for attending the May 5 Latino Victory Project Gala in Washington, D.C., dedicated to registering Latinos and supporting Latino candidates

Diane Guerrero, Herb Hadad,
Eva Longorio at Latino Victory GalaActor Tony Lo Bianco on becoming a Saint Pio Foundation Goodwill Ambassador
Poets and Writers for this fascinating articleon crowd-sourcing new covers for old classics
Music archivist Jay Shulman for honoring late music greats Merle Haggard, Sonny James, Lonnie Mack, Sir George Martin; New Yorker cartoonist William Hamilton, poet-violinist Kate Light, and the loss of the Long Island Philharmonic Prince's Yellow Cloud Guitar
Jay once again for this article on Walt Whitman’s Paleo-eating habits
Poet Linda Simone on having “Walking the River’s Edge” appear in the San Antonio Express News
The Smithsonian for preserving Prince’s guitar and other personal items
In this season of budding beauty and new life, may you be massively creative and joyful!
Until next time,Ann



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