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| With Elizabeth Primamore at Press Fest |
Hey now! It’s sum-sum-summertime! At
least in the United States, the unofficial start. I look forward to late June when
Chax Press will debut my translation of Hélène
Sanguinetti’s The
Hero, and July when Zoomorphic will publish my poem, “Dogspel.” Additional
thanks to CLMP for including me in its Press Fest
coverage.
Pulitzer winner Peter Balakian in Katonah
Peter Balakian,
winner of the 2016
Pulitzer Prize in poetry, will read at the Katonah Village Library, June 3rd,
at 4pm ($10). Balakian has authored seven volumes of poetry, four nonfiction
books and two translations. What I admire also? He’s the annual judge for the Lakota
Children’s Enrichment writing contest for young people on the Pine Ridge
Reservation. Now that’s giving back!
French Movie Night
What a delight to discover French Movie Nights at the
Emelin Theater in Mamaroneck! French translator and art historian Beth Gersh-Nešić joined
me for The Royal Exchange (L’Échange des princesses). The evening
included a glass of French wine, macarons, and chance to mingle afterwards with
the mostly French audience. The next film is The Return of the
Hero (Le Retour du Héros) on June 7 at 8pm.
Trans Fran Sisco
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| Fran Sisco |
Origins of ‘poetry voice’
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| Thomas Lux (1947-2017) |
How do
you read in public? Like Katherine Hepburn, or you’re perusing the phone book? At
Sarah Lawrence, Thomas Lux read as if he held an invisible baton in his right hand to punctuate the beat, and made
quote signs in the air for certain words. Thanks to Terry Dugan for this thought-provoking
article,
Linda Simone for this
funny one, and Mary McCray for Andrew Nurkin’s “The
Noise Poetry Makes.”
Poetry explosion in Westchester
The Hudson Valley Writers Center is adding a
second open mic (OM) night each month. The OM has been “so successful that
a second night became necessary,” explains poet and host Bill Buschel. Next
ones: Fridays, June 15 and 22; July 20 and 27. Doors open at 7pm; reading
starts at 7:30pm; $5.
New releases
Charles
Alexander, At the Edge of the Sea: Pushing Water II
(Singing Horse Press, 2018)
AMP,
issue 3, the literary journal of Hostra University
Patricia
Carragon, ed., Brownstone Poets 2018 Anthology
(CreateSpace, 2018)
Frieda
Hughes, Out of
the Ashes (Bloodaxe Books, 2018)
Kristin
Prevallet, Visualize Comfort: Healing and the Unconscious
Mind
(CreateSpace, 2018)
Creative opportunities
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| Donna Zucker |
How to Write and Create a
Family History Book with
Donna Zucker, Sarah Lawrence Writers Institute, June 9, 10am-3pm, $200
Stealing from the Poet's Tool Box: A Workshop for Fiction
Writers with Estha Weiner, Sarah Lawrence Writers Institute, June 16, 10am-3pm,
$200
Chakra Writing with Kristin
Prevallet, June 23-24, Hastings-on-Hudson, $175
OFF THE GRID Poetry Prize accepting book-length
manuscripts, by poets over age 60, May 1-August 31, $25 submission fee
VerbalArt: A Global
Journal Devoted to Poets & Poetry open to
submissions through July 31
Burger that can’t be beet
This
may be the be-all and end-all veggie burger. Thanks to The Great American Burger Book that I
gifted my carnivore husband Michael, I found it. Author George Motz, like
Michael, is married to a vegetarian. This recipe takes a lot of time but worth
it. Halved as here, it makes about six burgers.
1 small
beet, peeled for roasting
1 15-oz
can of organic black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
2 cups walnuts,
soaked for several hours, ideally overnight, and drained
1 medium
carrot, peeled and grated fine
1 small
raw beet, peeled and shredded fine
1 clove
fresh garlic, minced
½ tablespoon
grainy mustard
1
tablespoon cayenne pepper hot sauce
½ cup
panko bread crumbs
Salt and
pepper to taste
1
tablespoon butter
3 Kaiser
rolls, sliced lengthwise into quarter-slices
6 slices
organic cheddar cheese
sautéed mushrooms
and caramelized onions (optional)
Rub beet
with olive oil, wrap in two layers of foil, and roast in 400- degree oven 1 ½
hours. Cool, chop into cubes, set aside. Turn oven to 375 degrees. Coarsely chop
black-eyed peas in blender or processor, and put in large bowl; repeat with
walnuts and add to peas. Add carrot, roasted beet cubes, raw beet, garlic,
mustard, hot sauce, bread crumbs, salt, pepper; mix by hand until thick and
pasty. Form patties with hamburger mold; place on nonstick baking sheet. Roast
45 minutes. Once they’re done, melt butter in cast-iron skillet over medium
heat, and brown each patty on both sides. They crumble easily; handle with
care. Original recipe calls for topping each burger with sautéed mushrooms,
cheddar cheese slice, and caramelized onions. The sautéed mushroom and caramelized
onion recipes are yummy and I may include next month—today you’re on your own! Pre-roasted
patties may be refrigerated or frozen for later use. I cut each Kaiser roll
carefully to create four thin layers for two thin rolls.
ʼRound the Net
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| Charles Alexander |
Poet and publisher Charles Alexander on the May 15th
launch of At the Edge of the Sea: Pushing Water II, at the Torn Page
Poet Llyn Clague on having his poem “Sir”
appear in The
Main Street Rag
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| Sandra Cisneros |
Art historian Beth
Gersh-Nešić on the May 22nd launch of Transatlantic
Conversation About Poetry and Art at the Alliance Française of Greenwich
Poet Gary Glauber for poems in Cultural Weekly
and Outlaw Poetry
Poet John McMullen on the May 18th launch of
Live
at the Freight House and radio
program featuring Terry Dugan and other contributors
 |
| The Rev. Al Miles |
The Reverend Al Miles on receiving the Institute on Violence,
Abuse and Trauma (IVAT) Loretta “Deliana” Fuddy Lifetime Achievement Award
Novelist Laura Morelli on
the Honorable Mention from the Eric Hoffer Foundation for The Painter’s Apprentice
Poet Christina Rau
on having “Kepler’s Laws” selected for the Visible Poetry Project – see April 5,
2018
Poetry events
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| Peter Balakian |
HVWC, May 30, 7pm, Deborah
Paredez, BK Fischer, and Lynn Schmeidler
Bryant Park Reading Room,
June 5, Kathleen Ossip, Terrance Hayes,
Reginald Dwayne Betts, David Baker
Katonah Public Library, June 3,
4pm, Peter Balakian, $10
Poetry Diva Jackie
Sheeler
New York’s vibrant poetry community owes much to
Jackie Sheeler. In the 90s, she produced the New York Poetry Calendar, which listed
nearly every poetry event—first a slender brochure, then a double-sided 8 ½ x 11
page, and finally a tiny-fonted legal sheet. Printed on bright colors, it was a
deep-dive into the extraordinary opportunities our poetry-loving city afforded.
Jackie included a poem of mine in her anthology, Off the Cuffs: Poetry by and about the
Police (Soft Skull Press, 2003). Her father had been a cop so
the book was a brave if charged exploration. That anthology launched my publishing
career. Jackie also invited me to read at her Pink Pony Series at Cornelia
Street Café. The first night, I felt like an ingénue at Hollywood and Vine—awed
by the beatnik-like, intimate atmosphere.
Jackie had a wry wit—when planning to read at a
militant feminist bookstore, I was unsure whether to bring my husband Michael
and I emailed her, “What should he do?” She shot back, “Wear a skirt.” As Pink
Pony host, she would ease one poet, going on too long, off-stage by slowly chanting
his name into the back-of-room mic until audience laughter overcame his ability
to read.
Her own award-winning work included Earthquake
Came to Harlem (NYQ Books, 2010), The
Memory Factory (Buttonwood Press, 2002) and CDs of her wordrock group Talk Engine.
I am deeply indebted to Jackie, who passed away recently. Jackie, thank you for
passionately pursuing your poetry and bringing so many of us along with you!
Until next time,
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