your MLK Jr annogram

Face Painting at Amazon

You can find my poetry collection, Face Painting in the Dark (Dos Madres Press, 2014), on Amazon.  A friend found a copy at Barnes and Noble—which, for me, was like turning onto Hollywood and Vine!  If you love your annograms and enjoyed Face Painting, please write a brief review on Amazon or Goodreads.

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Johnson speaker at Martin Luther King Jr. service

Poet J. Chester Johnson gave the MLK Jr. sermon today at Trinity Wall Street Church; past speakers have included Andrew Young, Jesse Jackson, Marion Wright Edelman and Calvin Butts.  Johnson’s writing on civil rights is archived at Queens College which Andrew Goodman attended before being martyred in Mississippi, with James Chaney and Michael Schwerner.  You can hear Johnson’s extraordinary story of hatred and reconciliation across generations here.

Sarah Bracey White

MLK Jr. Breakfast featuring Sarah Bracey White

Memoirist Sarah Bracey White,  author of Primary Lessons (Cavan Kerry Press, 2013), will be the keynote speaker at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Breakfast held by the Village of Hastings on Monday, January 19 at the James Harmon Community Center.  Breakfast will be served 9:30 – 11 a.m., and the event ends at 12:30 p.m.  Adults $15 and children $5.  Read Sarah’s reflections on how she came to write her book here.

The late Mark Strand

Mark Strand Memorial Reading

Poets House will host a Mark Strand Memorial Reading today at 5 p.m. Poets Laureate Charles Simic and Charles Wright, actor Mary Louise Parker, painter William H. Bailey, composer and pianist John Musto, playwright John Guarre, novelist Francine Prose, and others will pay tribute to Mark Strand (1934-2014). Free admission.

PBS documentary:  Language Matters

On Wednesday, January 21, at 6 p.m., Poets House will honor the PBS documentary Language Matters with Bob Holman with film clips and performances by Native American poets, a Hawaiian hālau hula, talks on Yiddish and Welsh, Q & A with Bob Holman and a reception.  Admission is free at the National Museum of the American Indian.  The film airs on PBS THIRTEEN Sunday, January 25 at 12:30 p.m.

Transgenres with Vijay Seshadri

Vijay Seshadri

Why do so many poets also write prose nonfiction? What transformations occur between poem and essay? Pulitzer Prizewinner Vijay Seshadri, whose newest book is 3 Sections (Graywolf, 2013), will discuss notions of identity, form, and fulfillment for contemporary writers on Saturday, February 7, at 3 p.m. at Poets House.  Admission: $10, $7 for students and seniors, free to Poets House members

Deborah Coulter website

Deborah Coulter

Deborah Coulter’s website features a new portfolio of recent charcoal drawings, and links to latest exhibit info on Facebook, and her blog which includes a new collage each week. You can purchase ArtPrints of Deborah’s drawings and collages in various sizes at Society6.  Annogram loves Deborah’s work and wishes her all the best in 2015!

Chili Con Elote

Blow off winter chill with my version of a New Laurel’s Kitchen (Ten Speed Press, 1986) chili that tastes even better the next day.  The original Laurel’s Kitchen secured my early foray into meatless eating with savory meals, sandwiches and soups.  I treasure this cookbook and its step-by-step directions for making bread.

1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic

2 tablespoons oil

1 green pepper, diced

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 cup chopped tomato, or

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 cups of V8 juice

1 cup frozen corn

4 cups cooked kidney, black, or pinto beans*

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon oregano

Sauté onion and garlic clove in oil until onion is soft. Crush garlic clove. Add green pepper and spices. Sauté 2 - 3 minutes.  Add tomatoes, V8 juice and corn. Mash 2 cups of beans and add to pot with whole beans, salt, and oregano. Simmer 30 minutes.  A little soupy at first but great over brown rice the second day.  *If you use canned beans like I do, purchase BPA-free cans such as Eden Foods at a health food store.

ʼRound the Net

Francesco Fragomeni and Chris Limbrick
interpret Degas' "Two Dancers"

Thanks and/or congratulations to:

ALTA list-serve for sharing the 75 most notable translations of 2014

Translation journal Asymptote on its fourth anniversary

Poet Lyn Clague for his poem “Constitution Square” in The Potomac

Food activist Ronnie Cummins on 12 ways consumers can fight GMO foods

Poet Gary Glauber for work in Calliope, Fine Flu, The Gambler, Ginger Piglet, Junkyard Kool, and Work to a Calm

Translator Roger Greenwald for noting the passing of Polish poet Stanislaw Baranczak

Poet Cindy Hochman for Pedestal reviews of When I Wake It Will Be Forever (Sundress Publications, 2014) and On the Bevel (Cinnamon Press, 2014)

Poet S. E. Ingraham for this video of ModPo’s Al Filreis on MOOCs (scroll)

See http://www.demilked.com/fools-do-art-
painting-recreations-francesco-fragomeni-
chris-limbrick/
for more, this link courtesy Linda Simone

Poet Meg Lindsay for her “Buddha Poem” in Tricycle

Poet Robert Murphy reading in New York last fall – Part 1 and Part 2; and a review of Life in the Ordovician (Dos Madres Press, 2007)

The Pedestal on its 14^th anniversary issue

Poet Kevin Pilkington for his recent workshop at MIT on poet Richard Hugo

Bassist Larry Schwartzman for the Pope’s reassurance that all dogs go to heaven

Music archivist Jay Shulman for noting the passing of rocker Joe Cocker

Poet Linda Simone for this workshopped Emily Dickinson poem and inspired take on classical art

Wising Up Press for this call for poetry on siblings

Weird Al Yankovic for taking a stand on correct language only as he can

We close this annogram with a quote from the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968):

I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality.... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.

Here’s to the final word.

Until next time,

Ann

your advent annogram

Poet Ron Butlin

A Herald Scotland Book of the Year

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

‘Furious Stardust’ at the Bruce Museum

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

Sure enough, the blues-rock beat of my husband Michael’s band, Little Games, inspired a crowd—including me—to hit the floor dancing at Foley’s last month.  Photographer Margaret Fox and illustrator Tim Grajek captivated all with their awesome swing moves.  I had a great time dancing with friends such as Deborah Coulter and pianist Neil Sullivan.  Next time, y’all come, you hear?

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

Colleague Jim Barry for this great video commentary on smart phone madness

Guitarist Michael Cefola for the 50 greatest traditional blues songs and this amazing story about the scientist who invented Corning Ware

Writer Barbara Dickinson for this video of pandas at play

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

Poet Robert McDowell for offering his Core Stories Program to jumpstart writers

Kevin Pilkington

Poet Kevin Pilkington on his fascinating interview and new poem in The Worcester Review

Bass player Larry Schwartzman for this heart-warming video on Joe Biden

Poet Linda Simone remembering Pulitzer Prize-winners Claudia Emerson and Mark Strand

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

Wishing you anticipation of all the good things to come, this holiday and in the coming year,

Ann

your october annogram

Daisy and me

Face Painting in the Dark

October is my birthday month, and my gift was a box full of books—Face Painting in the Dark, my first poetry book!  Thanks to Robert and Elizabeth Murphy, publishers at Dos Madres Press for their kindness, good humor and editorial care.  I am also grateful to artist Gig Wailgum for designing the vivid and playful cover.  Hope you enjoy the book, which you can pre-order.



'Furious Startdust' in Greenwich
I will be presenting "Furious Stardust: Poems of the Night Sky" at the November 12 meeting of the Astronomical Society of Greenwich.  The reading, which will take place at 7:30 p.m. at the Bruce Museum, will combine dramatic astrophotography by Doug Baum and Hubble among others.  Come enjoy a poetic space exploration!

More good news

My poem, “For a Coyote Crossing Route 10,” appears in Lummox Press 3, and you can read “Haunted,” at Highland Park Poetry.   I’m also thrilled to be reading at the Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art in Spotlight on Women: Poets, Panelists and Performers.  This event, part of a new initiative, Peekskill: The Power of Women Artists, will take place December 7 at 2 p.m.

Guitarist Michael Cefola

Little Games at Foley’s in Pleasantville

Don’t miss the driving blues-rock of Little Games at Foley’s in Pleasantville on November 8 at 10 p.m. The band plays early Yardbirds, Animals and Who as well as Eric Clapton, Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac and Gary Moore. Fronted by my husband, guitarist Michael Cefola, the band features drummer Tommy Vinton, keyboardist Anthony Nisi and bassist Larry Schwartzman.  C’mon and see what a little live music can do for you.

Dancer Wendy Whelan

Wendy Whelan on NYC-Arts

On NYC-Arts this weekend, I caught Wendy Whelan who retired from the New York City Ballet two weeks ago.  She spoke about pursuing a dream to collaborate with choreographers.  For a classically trained ballerina, moving to barefoot modern dance was a “leap” that led to the suite “Restless Creature.”  Looking back, she says

I needed some hydration, some inspiration.  I wanted to fight for something.  I wanted to feel what it feels like to climb again. And I did. When [choreographer] Brian Brooks and I started two years ago, it was like I wanted to go to the other side. I opened the door and he was standing there like this, C’mon.  Yeah, it’s fun over here.  C’mon over. And that was hugely emotional to have welcoming from somebody like that, that it was okay, and you’re going to be artistically satisfied over here too.

Doesn’t this apply to all of us artists—literary, visual, performing?  That desire to climb. To walk through the open door.  Here’s the interview.

Boo at the Zoo

Gigi (right) and Lend Me A Hand Band

It’s not too late to see Gigi and the Lend Me A Hand Band at the Bronx Zoo for one more weekend!  Bring the kids and grandkids for a fun, interactive show on Saturday or Sunday at 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m. or 3 p.m.  One attendee, Kate Kwon, loved the Gigi fest so much that she drew this portrait of the band:

Original drawing by Kate Kwon

Poetry at CUNY Graduate Center

November 4, 6:30 p.m., Turnstyle: After the MFA with David Lynn, November 5, all day, ; November 6, 7 p.m., Voices of Women in American Poetry; November 13-14, all day, Abiding Cities, Remnant Sites; November 13, 7 p.m., Drowned Blackbird: Paul Muldoon on Translating Gaelic.

 

Toadlily Press at Poets House

Toadlily Press celebrates its tenth anniversary with its latest chapbook quartet, A Good Wall, by Katie Hartsock, George Bishop, Linda Tomol Pennisi and Jennifer Kearns.  You are cordially invited to the launch party on November 1, at 6 p.m., at Poets House.  Congratulations to Toadlily cofounders Myrna Goodman and Meredith Trede!

Small works for a big cause

The Greenburgh Arts and Culture Committee’s one-day art sale of pieces no larger than 9 x 12 inches will be this Saturday, November 1, 2-4 p.m., at the Greenburgh Town Hall.  The fundraiser will benefit Matters of the Heart, an annual exhibit of Westchester senior artists.

St. Peter’s B-List in Midtown

Enjoy contemporary poems inspired by the saints this Sunday, November 2, 1:00-3:00 p.m., in the main sanctuary of St. Malachy’s Catholic Church in New York.  Sandra Duguid, Dean Kostos, Jamison Lee, Susan L. Miller, Angela Alaimo O’Donnell, Christine Redman-Waldeyer and Maria Terrone will read from Mary Ann B. Miller's new anthology, St. Peter’s B-list (Ave Maria, 2014). Free event. Light refreshments. Open to the public.

Joan Ganz Cooney

Conversations with Great Women

The National Women’s Hall of Fame will host Lesley Stahl, of CBS News 60 Minutes, in a conversation with Joan Ganz Cooney, originator of Sesame Street, on November 12, 6-8 p.m., at the Gilbane Building in New York.  Tickets, $50, can be purchased by calling 315-568-8060.

Vermont art destinations

Baba-à-Louis Bakery

It’s a great time of year to drive to Vermont—chill in air, clear roads, amazing baked goods at places like Baba-à-Louis in Chester.  Two other reasons: “Fibrations,” an exhibit of New England fiber artists at the Great Hall, One Hundred River Street, in Springfield, VT; and “World Leaders and Global Citizens,” photos by Senator Patrick Leahy at the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center.

Pecan Snowballs

As soon as fall sets in, I crave something buttery and sweet.  Think Christmas cookie way before the holidays.  This perfect solution is courtesy You Can Trust a Skinny Cook (Wiley, 2011) by Allison Fishman.

6 tbsp. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon confectioner’s sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/3 cup chopped pecans, toasted

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon

Pinch of kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. In medium bowl, combine butter and 1/4 cup sugar. Using electric beater at medium speed, beat until fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Put pecans and 1 tbsp. sugar in food processor. Chop until nuts are very fine, about 30 seconds. Add flour, cinnamon, salt and pulse to combine. Using electric beater on low, beat flour mixture into butter mixture until combined. Dough will be crumbly.

To form cookies, press dough into the bowl of a teaspoon, packing it firmly. To get dough out of spoon, tap spoon on baking sheet. Place shaped dough on prepared sheets, flat side down, at 1-inch intervals. Bake until golden on bottom, about 15 minutes. Place remaining 1/2 cup sugar in shallow bowl. Toss warm cookies with sugar, no more than 5 cookies at a time. Remove coated cookies to a plate and let cool.  Makes 16.

̛ Round the Net

Thanks and/or congratulations to the following for sharing great links:

The Brown Sisters 1975

Asymptote, literary translation journal, for its latest issue

Jeanette Briggs, writer and artist, for “Forty Portraits in Forty Years” of the Brown Sisters (right)

Florence Camace, Deaf activist, for this fun video of a marionette in New York

Terry Dugan, poet and filmmaker, for Claudia Rankine’s reflection on Ferguson

Gary Glauber, poet, for work published in Bicycle Review, Stone Path Review, and 3Elements Review

Ruth Handel, poet, for teaching two poetry courses this month at the Scarsdale Adult School

Amy King, poet, for interviewing John Grisham on Goodreads

Anne Milano-Appel and Jason Grunebaum, translators, respectively for this ode to the typewriter and musical salute by the Boston Typewriter Orchestra

Yvette Neiser Moreno, poet and translator, for this Jeffrey Green article on translating Hebrew fiction

Ellen Peckham, poet and artist, for her interview of Blog Talk Radio

Poets and Writers for this great interview with Jeff Shotts of Graywolf Press

Jay Shulman, cellist and music archivist, for Frank Rich’s reflection on 1964

Linda Simone, poet and watercolorist, for this Billy Collins interview on “Life and Death Poetry” and how coloring can help grown-ups too

Neal Whitman, poet, on receiving an Honorable Mention in Italy’s Il Meleto di Guido Gozzano contest

Challenging you to walk through your open door….

Until next time,

Ann