Wednesday, October 07, 2015

your random acts of annogram

                                                     
Random Acts of Poetry Day

So happy today, October 7, is Random Acts of Poetry Day.  According to Jennifer at Highland Park Poetry, we should be pinning poems on grocery bulletin boards and scrawling verse in chalk in the street.  Sounds good!  My random acts have included three poems recently accepted by Zoomorphic, and one by Main Street Rag Publishing for its ghosts anthology.

Photo by Jeff Pang
Women Poets of the Hudson River

Ruth Handel, Natalie Safir, Meredith Trede, and I will read at the Warner Library in Tarrytown on October 24 at 2 pm.  Ruth’s most recent book is No Border is Perennial (Dos Madres, 2015), Natalie’s Love Like Snow (2011), Meredith’s Field Theory (SFA Press, 2011) and mine, Face Painting in the Dark (Dos Madres, 2014).  Hope to see you there!

Writing & War

Bellevue Literary Review presents Embattled, a performance of poetry and prose on Wednesday, October 21, 2015, at 6 pm. Two actors will read select poems by BLR poets, featuring work by my dear friend Terry Dugan.  Free and open to the public at NYU Langone Medical Center, 550 First Avenue (30th-33rd Streets), Schwartz Hall E.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Commemorating Bonhoeffer

“For Conduct and Innocents,” a multimedia drama in verse written by J. Chester Johnson, will take place Sunday, October 18 at 2 pm at Trinity Church (Wall Street).  Directed by Alan Baxter, the performance portrays significant moments leading to Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s death, with choreography by the Trinity Movement Choir, and Paul Knopf’s original score for an upcoming film on Bonhoeffer (1906-1945). 

Collaborations in Dance
Racoco

This Brooklyn festival, on Sunday, October 18, at 8 pm, celebrates movement-based performance developed in collaboration with artists in film, sound, costuming, visual art, and more. Racoco, featuring Rachel Cohen, Remi Harris, Masumi Kishimoto, and Meghan Schardt, with live music by Lynn Wright and guests, rejoins visual artist Stephanie Beck on a shared program. At TRISKELION ARTS, tickets $16.
 
October Poetry Readings

Ai
Thursday, October 7, 7 pm: Matthew Zapruder, NYU Lillian Vernon Creative Writing House
Friday, October 9, 6 pm: Michael Klein, Andrea Cohen, Poets House
Saturday, October 10, 4:30 pm: Katie Degentesh, Katy Bohinc, Zinc Bar
Monday, October 12, 7 pm: Jane Hirshfeld, Poets House
Tuesday, October 13, 7 pm: Robyn Creswell, Dunya Mikhail, Nat’l Sept. 11 Museum; register 911memorial.org
Tuesday, October 13, 7 pm: Cate Marvin, Robin Beth Schaer, McNally Jackson Books
Thursday, October 15, 7 pm: Rachel McKibbens, Hieu Minh Nguyen, Casey Lynn Rocheteau, BookCourt
Wednesday, October 14, 6:30 pm: Lynn Emmanuel, Sarah Lawrence Slonim House
Saturday, October 17, 4:30 pm: Ben Tripp, Boni Joi, Zinc Bar
Sunday, October 18, 3:30 pm: The Widows Handbook, All Saints Catholic Church Library
Edwin Torres
Sunday, October 18, 4:30 pm: Edward Hirsch, Hudson Valley Writers Center, $10
Monday, October 19, 7 pm: Ai Tribute, Proshansky Auditorium /CUNY Grad Center
Thursday, October 22, 7 pm: John Wieners Celebration, Poets House
Saturday, October 24, 2 pm: Ann Cefola, Ruth Handel, Meredith Trede, Warner Library
Saturday, October 24, 4:30 pm: Rodney Koeneke, Edwin Torres, Zinc Bar
Thursday, October 29, 7 pm: Liwaa Yazji, Poets House
Friday, October 30, 6:30 pm: Randall Horton, Cheryl Boyce-Taylor, Center for Book Arts

Chocolate Walnut Scones

Thanks to my dear friend and translator, Ligia Yamazaki, I learned about eating “Clean” and later discovered this delicious recipe.

1/2 cup coconut oil + 1 teaspoon for greasing baking sheet
1/4 cup water
1/4 to 1/2 cup pitted and mashed-up dates (soak until soft)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup gluten free all-purpose flour (Bob’s Red Mills) +1 tablespoon gluten free flour
Pinch sea salt
2 oz organic dark chocolate (preferably sugar/dairy free, like Gnosis or Green & Black), coarsely chopped
1/2 cup raw, organic walnuts, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all dry ingredients in large bowl.  In separate bowl, mash dates until you have a thick paste and set aside. Warm coconut oil until it's liquid and add to date paste with vanilla and water.  Add wet to dry. Then add chocolate and walnut pieces and mix until just combined. Dough should hold together; adjust water and flour if too dry or sticky.  Form dough into a round and place on lightly floured (leftover gluten-free flour) surface and cut in half.  Roll each half into another round.  Cut one round in half and then cut each half into thirds and repeat so you have 12 wedges.  Lightly grease baking or cookie sheet with coconut oil and place wedges in oven for 16 minutes (rotating pan after 8 minutes).

Round the Net

Thanks and/or congratulations to the following people:

Writer Cindy Beer-Fouhy on her Life Stories class at the Sarah Lawrence Writing Institute

J. Chester Johnson
Publisher Guy Bennett on debut of Piotr Macierzyński’s If father dies first (Mindmade Books, 2015) translated from Polish by Aleksandra Małecka and Piotr Marecki

Essayist Jeanette Briggs on “City Stories” appearing in Diverse Voices Quarterly

Poet Terry Dugan on having her poetry selected for Writing & War (see above)

Poet Ruth Handel on her upcoming book No Border is Perennial (Dos Madres, 2015) and 10th year teaching Enjoying Poetry at Scarsdale Adult School

Poet Cindy Hochman for this article on the publishing industry’s thoughts on editing

Poet J. Chester Johnson on his upcoming drama in verse on Bonhoeffer (see above)

Poet Amy King for nominations to the volume Bettering American Poetry

Novelist Petra E. Lewis on appearing in the Daily News, speaking at the National Action Network, and hosting an anti-violence panel at the New School

Poet Sherry Loeffler on the best rejection she ever received—part 1 and part 2

Robert Murphy
Translator James Manteith for pointing out the new Iris DeMent album is based on Babette Deutsch and Lyn Coffin translations of Akhmatova


Poet Don McIver and the 2015 ABQ Slam Team for appearing in a TED talk

Art expert Laura Morelli on her latest book on vacation treasure-shopping, Naples & the Almafi Coast

Poet Robert Murphy on his recent NYC reading at the Swift Hibernian Lounge

PBS for Jim Henson documentary sharing his early coffee ads (PS: If asked if you want Wilkins Coffee, the answer is yes)

Sports broadcaster Steve Overmyer for highlighting the New York Sharks—a women’s professional football team

Poet Kevin Pilkington on his master poetry class, starting October 20, at the Sarah Lawrence Writing Institute

Poet Claudia Rankine on winning the Forward Poetry Prize

Music archivist Jay Shulman for this book review of Chrissie Hynde’s memoir
Sarah Bracey White and winning plant

Poet Linda Simone on having “Rara Avis” accepted in Grabbing the Apple: An Anthology of New York Women Poets

Memoirist Sarah Bracey White on winning the First and Growers' Choice Awards at the Parkway Gardens/Parkway Homes Fall Flower Show

Poet Neal Whitman on having “When Dusk Falls” appear in this Italian journal and for recommending this video of poet Alice Oswald

Before we leave off, I want to remember Ann McGovern, author of the children’s classic, Stone Soup.  When I was little, that story often inspired me to pretend my lunchtime soup was the savory one described in her tale. Later, when pursuing my dream of being a writer, I heard her speak at a writers’ conference. She was warm-hearted and approachable, and led an amazing life.  Here’s to making delicious soup out of stones!

Until next time,