St.
Peter’s B-List at Cornelia Street Café
Come hear
me read with poets from St. Peter’s B-List (Ave Maria Press, 2014),
at Cornelia Street Café on Tuesday, April 1, at
6 pm. Mary Ann Miller, the book’s editor, will host Dean
Kostos,
Susan L. Miller, Angela Alaimo O’Donnell, Christine
Redman-Waldeyer,
Susanna Rich and me for this fun and
not-so-holy reading. Hope to see you
there—and, remember, GoodReads is giving away 20 copies of the anthology
through April 10!
Slant of
Light at Hudson Valley
Writers Center
I will
also be at the Slant of Light (Codhill Press, 2013) reading at the HVWC on Friday, April 11 at 7:30 p.m. Come hear me read with poets Sally Bliumis-Dunn, Lisa Fleck-Dondiego, Ruth D. Handel, Pamela Hart, Adrienne Hernandez, Ann Lauinger, Jo Pitkin, Natalie Safir, Margo Stever and Meredith Trede. In addition, Mervyn Taylor will read
his beautiful elegy to the late Brenda Connor-Bey, one of the
anthologized poets.
Cake,
prose and poetry
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| Kevin Pilkington |
Poet Pamela Laskin, organizer and host of the NYC Poetry
Festival (see below), will read at the CUNY Graduate Center, April 9, at 6:30 as
part of the Turnstyle Reading Series.
Hear local
poets read from The Widow’s Handbook (Kent State University
Press, 2014) at Poets House on April 19, from
1:30-4:30 pm; and at Cornelia Street Café on May 25, 3-5 pm.
NYC/CUNY Chapbook Festival
The NYC/CUNY Chapbook Festival runs April 1 through April 3,
celebrating the chapbook as a work of art and a medium for alternative and
emerging writers and publishers. Here’s
the festival schedule at the CUNY Graduate Center. The book fair, 10 am – 8 pm on Thursday, will
feature these publishers.
NYC Poetry Festival and Contest
Poets Elana Bell and
Aracelis Girmay
will be featured at the Annual NYC
Poetry Festival and Contest. The festival will take place at City College, in
Theater B of Aaron Davis Hall, 135th St. and Convent Avenue in New York, on May 9, 9 am - 5 pm.
Closing look at Lovrien
When I mentioned my grandmother, Lovrien Price Gregory (1888-1972), was one
of the first female cartoonists at the turn of the 20th century, annogram readers were hooked. You loved her story, and I thank you for
honoring her achievements this way. This
Philadelphia Quaker-turned-Christian Scientist may be best remembered for this one comic strip.
What no one knows is that the cartoon’s writer would become her
brother-in-law. Lester Lear (1897-1987)
eventually married Lovrien’s half sister, Isadora Schmidt (1904-2000). In addition, “The Pioneers” narrative was
most likely inspired by Lovrien’s husband.
Julius Gregory’s (1875-1955) French grandparents crossed the country by
Conestoga wagon to arrive in California at the height of the Gold Rush.
Commenting on the cartoon, artist Jim Rowe says it reminds him of the
comic strip “Little Nemo” by Winsor McCay. “Little Nemo,” which debuted 10 years earlier,
ran about the same time as “The Pioneers.”
Ah, but now we must say adieu
to Lovrien, cartoonist, muralist, portrait maker and abstract expressionist, saluting
her ability to stretch her artistic talent in surprising ways.
 |
| Linda Simone |
Thanks to Pushcart-nominated poet Linda Simone for sharing these prompts from Writer’s Digest:
Day 1: Write 10 potential book titles of books you’d
like to write.
Day 2: Create a character with personality traits of
someone you love, but the physical characteristics of someone you don’t care
for.
Day 3: Write a setting based on the most beautiful
place you’ve ever seen.
Day 4: Write a letter to an agent telling her how
wonderful you are.
Day 5: Write a 20-line poem about a memorable moment
in your life.
Day 6: Select a book on your shelf and pick two
chapters at random. Take the first line of one chapter and the last line of the
other chapter and write a short story (no more than 1000
words) using those as bookends to your story.
Day 7: Write a letter to yourself telling you what
you need to improve in the coming 6 months.
Day 8: Rewrite a fairy tale from the bad guy’s point
of view.
Day 9: Turn on your TV. Write down the first line
that you hear and write a story based on it.
Day 10: Go sit in a public place and eavesdrop on a
conversation. Turn what you hear into a short love story (no matter how much
you have to twist what they say).
Day 11: Write the acknowledgments page that will be
placed in your first (next?) published book, thanking all the people who have
helped you along the way.
Day 12: Gather everything you’ve written over the
previous 11 days. Pick your favorite. Edit it, polish it and either try to get
it published or post it on the Web to share with the world. Be proud of
yourself and your work.
Chocolate Pavlova
Celebrate spring with this
gluten-free recipe from Cook
Yourself Thin (Voice, 2009).
This incredibly rich, exquisite tasting dessert is only 337 calories a
serving, perfect for Easter or any special occasion.
For the pavlova4 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
For the topping
1 cup whipping cream
1 cup fresh raspberries
1/4 cup shaved dark chocolate
1/4 cup melted chocolate for drizzling
Preheat oven to 300 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk egg whites
and salt on high speed until they hold their shape. Add sugar gradually until mixture
stands in firm peaks. Add lemon juice and whisk just to incorporate. Sift cocoa
powder into a small corner of the bowl and lightly fold it into the meringue
using a plastic spatula. Do not overmix or you will lose the rippled effect.
Pour meringue onto parchment-lined sheet pan in an oval shape, roughly 3 by 5 inches and 2 inches high. Switch off oven without opening door and leave pavlova in turned-off oven for one hour. Remove and set aside. Topping: Whisk whipping cream into semi-stiff peaks and spoon on top of pavlova. Sprinkle with raspberries and shaved chocolate before serving. Finish with drizzled chocolate.
Round the Net
Thanks to
the following people for these links and/or announcements:
 |
| Clobberhead and grateful owner |
Poet and civil
rights essayists J. Chester Johnson
for his four-part article on the little-known Elaine race riots
Wishing
you a joyous Easter, Passover and poetry filled spring.
Until next
time,
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