Today, annogram
peeks above ground and declares six more weeks of winter! Fine. Bring
on the hot chocolate and fat novels.
February also heralds news of upcoming publications for me—from the anthology,
First Encounters with One’s Own
Femininity, to poems in digital journals Zoomorphic and Amp.
Kevin
Pilkington at Writers Center
Award-winning poet Kevin
Pilkington will read this Friday, February 5, at 7:30 p.m. at the Hudson Valley Writers Center. Kevin is the author of many books including
his latest Where You Want to Be: New and
Selected Poems (Black Lawrence, 2015). Learn more about Kevin in this blog
interview.
Low: The Power of Bass
Discover
the integral role of bass at the Museum of
Music Making, now through July 31. This exhibition introduces aspects
of the low register—bass—experience. Open your eyes, ears and imagination to
this sonic realm! We appreciate MoMM’s
Mike Hendrickson for letting us know about this fabulous exhibit.
Love Poems
for San Antonio
 |
| Linda Simone |
Ruth Handel at Scarsdale Library
Poet Ruth Handel will read at the Scarsdale
Library Thursday, February 4, at 7:30 p.m.
Ruth’s latest book is No Border is
Perennial (Dos Madres Press, 2015). Also
reading will be novelists Asif Ishmael and Barbara Solomon Josselsohn, and poet
Deborah Skolnik.
The Bridge at Trinity Wall Street
Thanks
to poet J. Chester Johnson for
alerting us to The Bridge,
an art exhibition showcasing 47 contemporary artists from 15
countries. The Bridge focuses on what they hold in common
through their Christian, Muslim, and Jewish cultures. Now through February 28 at St. Paul’s Chapel
in Trinity Wall Street.
 |
| Reginal Dwayne Betts |
Reginald Dwayne
Betts in conversation
Trinity Wall
Street will also host Reginald
Dwayne Betts, who will read and discuss his poetry on Sunday, February 21,
at 2 p.m. with poet J. Chester Johnson. Shortlisted
for the PEN Open Award, Betts’s Bastards
of the Reagan Era (Four Way Books, 2015) has been called “fierce, lyrical
and unsparing” by The New York Times. Free; arrive 1:30 p.m.
J. Chester Johnson, Civil Rights and the Book of Common Prayer
J. Chester Johnson will also read
his poetry and discuss his civil rights work Thursday, February 25, at 6:30
p.m. at the Church of Heavenly Rest.
Johnson wrote the Litany of Offense and Apology for Episcopal Church’s
National Day of Repentance, and worked with W. H. Auden on retranslating
the Psalms in the Book of Common
Prayer. Free.
Poetry readings
 |
| Rachel Eliza Griffiths |
Thursday,
February 11, 7 p.m., Tribute to Ruth Stone (1915-2011), Thirteenth Street Repertory Theatre
 |
| Rosmarie Waldrop, photo by Anneli Dufva |
Saturday, March 19, 4:30 p.m., Dawn Lundy Martin, Rosmarie
Waldrop, Zinc
Bar
Skillet-Sizzled Buttermilk Cornbread
Skillet-Sizzled Buttermilk Cornbread
The recipe from
The Lost Road Project: A Walk-in Book of
Arkansas (University of Arkansas Press, 1994) by the late poet C.D. Wright (1949-2016), is a tribute to her most
delicious poetry. I made this mouth-watering
cornbread recently and can attest to its near sacred, buttery crumb. For
southerners, this may be akin to taking the Eucharist.
Vegetable
oil cooking spray
1 cup
unbleached white flour
1 cup
stone-ground yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon baking
powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking
soda
1¼ cups buttermilk
2
tablespoons sugar
1 egg
¼ cup mild vegetable
oil
2
tablespoons butter, or mild vegetable oil
Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray 10-inch
cast-iron skillet with oil and set aside. Sift
together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt into medium bowl. In smaller
bowl, stir baking soda into buttermilk. Whisk in sugar, egg, and ¼ cup oil. Put prepared skillet over medium heat, add butter,
and heat until butter just starts to sizzle. Tilt pan to coat sides and bottom. Pour wet ingredients into dry and combine quickly,
using as few strokes as possible. Scrape batter into prepared pan and bake until
golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let cool a few moments, and slice into 8 wedges
to serve.
’Round the Net
Thanks and/or congratulations to
the following:
Poet
Peter Chelnik on his upcoming poetry
book, Hey Girl
Poet Eric Greinke
on Forge Journal interview,
and Adastra Press broadside, “Trout,” $20 through Gary Metras (16 Reservation
Rd., Easthampton, MA 01027)
 |
| Cindy Hochman |
Editor
Pamela Laskin on the publication of It’s All About Shoes: A Collection of Essays, Poems and
Stories About Women and Their Unusual Relationship to Shoes
(Plain View Press, 2015)
 |
| Dagmar Stansova (left) |
Westchester
Amateur Astronomers for passing along this NASA video on the size of
the universe
Happy Groundhog’s Day! Remember, whenever you see your shadow, it’s
time to make some art.
Until next time,