 |
| Poet Ron Butlin |
Poet Ron Butlin has selected Face Painting in the Dark as a Herald Scotland Book of 2014.
Butlin, Edinburgh Makar (2008 to 2014), calls Face Painting “quite simply a stunning
debut.” Thanks to this distinguished
poet for awarding my book this unique honor!
Further
reviews
I’m
grateful to art historian Beth Gersh-Nesic for reviewing Face Painting in her blog. A Picasso scholar, Beth is the executive
director of the New York Arts Exchange. I took her amazing Cubism class in order to
complete “Demoiselles 7” which first appeared in Feminist
Studies
and parts of which I read at the United Nations.
 |
| Les Demoiselles D'Avignon |
That poem
blew the mind of Mary McCray, according to her
review in Big Bang Poetry. Mary, author of Why Photographers Commit Suicide (Trementina Books, 2012),
an Indie Excellence Award finalist, is one of the
most intelligent and gifted poets I’ve ever met. Her Big Bang Poetry blog is so good it makes me angry—nothing could be that good! It is.
More good
news
Thanks to
artist Deborah Coulter for promoting Face Painting on Facebook! I am equally happy to report that an untitled
poem of mine will appear in A Common
Thread. My poem, “Velocity,” will also be published in Rabbit
Ears,
an anthology of TV poems to be published by NYQ Books.
 |
| Sculptor Nebula by Doug Baum |
What a
pleasure to present Furious Stardust: Poems of the Night Sky at the November
meeting of the Astronomical Society of
Greenwich! Thanks to the many Westchester Amateur Astronomers who crossed state lines
to attend, especially Douglas Baum and his family. Doug shared his extraordinary images of the night sky which formed much of
the backdrop to my reading.
Little
Games at Foley’s
 |
| Anthony Nisi, Michael Cefola, Tom Vinton, Larry Schwartzman |
Fauré’s Requiem at St. James the Less
What a delight to hear Fauré’s Requiem featuring the choirs of St. James the Less and Trinity Churches, accompanied by the
Canadian
Chamber Orchestra of New York City!
Truly memorable, and I ran into Dos
Madres poet and friend, Ruth Handel to boot. Save February 8, 2015, 4:40 – 6 p.m. for
another performance by these impressive choirs at the Church of St. Mary the Virgin.
Gun violence reading and panel
On December
14, 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. at 125 Hawthorne Street, 3-G; bell #89, Brooklyn, Petra Lewis will read from The Sons and Daughters of Ham, Book I: A Requiem, which examines
a family in the aftermath of violence. A.T. Mitchell of Man
Up! and Leah
Gun Barrett of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence will then speak on gun violence. $20 admission includes Petra’s book—$4.00
of which will benefit anti-violence groups.
Book
giveaway
Laura Morelli is offering her award-winning novel, The Gondola Maker, for free – with shipping only. In 2015, look for Laura Morelli's Authentic
Arts,
guides for travelers who seek immersive cultural experiences. Laura is your go-to person for discovering
and purchasing beautiful artifacts overseas.
Here’s her free PDF on shopping in Venice!
 |
| Neil Young |
Neil Young
and the Starbucks Boycott
Neil Young
is boycotting Starbucks. Why? Starbucks
is a member of the Grocery Manufacturers Association which has filed a huge lawsuit against tiny,
financially strapped Vermont to block a law requiring genetically modified
(GMO) food
labels. As a GMA member, Starbucks is consenting
to the suit. Make mine one vente non-GMO latte, please!
Noonday
Collection – do good and be stylish
Thanks to a
friend’s gift, I discovered the Noonday Collection—fabulous jewelry and
accessories. Noonday partners with artisans in the developing world, empowering
them to grow sustainable businesses and earn more to support their families. So gift yourself or others, and support a
living wage for families around the globe!
Roasted Brussels
Sprouts with Crispy Purple Onion
I recently shared this
recipe with two friends, as a great addition to a holiday feast, from You Can Trust a Skinny Cook (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011) by Allison Fishman:
1 lb Brussels sprouts,
trimmed and halved
1 large red onion,
cut into 3/4-inch wedges
8 sprigs fresh thyme
1 1/2 tablespoons
olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 425
degrees. Place Brussels sprouts, onion and thyme on large rimmed baking
sheet, drizzle with oil, and season with salt. Turn sprouts cut-side
down. Cook until gold brown and soft, 25-30 mins. If sprouts brown
before they soften, cover with foil and continue cooking (I like them brown
too). Remove and discard thyme and serve (great cold too).
̓ Round the Net
Congratulations,
and/or thanks, to:
 |
| Little Games' Michael Cefola |
ALTA
list-serve for five tips for editing
literary translations
and review of an unsanitized new version
of Grimms’ Fairy Tales
Guitarist
Michael Cefola for the 50 greatest traditional
blues songs
and this amazing story about the scientist who
invented Corning Ware
Medical humanities
writer Terry Dugan on her upcoming essay, “The
Contagion Fabula: How to Narrate an Epidemic,” in Endemic (Palgrave-MacMillan)
Poet Gary Glauber for poems in Brickplight, ExFic, Poetry Quarterly, River Lit and Stoneboat Journal
 |
Author Marilyn Johnson on publication of Lives in Ruins: Archaeologists and the Seductive Lure of Human Rubble (HarperCollins, 2014)
Red Glass Books on debut of Suzanne Wise’s Talking Cure and for publisher Janet Kaplan’s “What
I’m Reading Now” column in the November 27 Drunken Boat
 |
| Kevin Pilkington |
Poet Mark
Smith-Soto on his new book, Time Pieces
(Main Street Rag Press, 2015) available for pre-order and for his poem
“Satori” on Rattle
