your annogram fireworks

Wishing you a wonderful 4th of July!  Certainly a day to give thanks for our country, one of the most innovative and creative on the planet.  We still deliver cutting-edge arts thanks to our democratic ideals of freedom of speech and the pursuit of happiness.  And while we often fall way short of them, we each can find the opportunity to express our best talent and dreams.  That's what makes us great as a nation, and that's what makes you extraordinary as an artist.

Cancer Poetry Project Award

Thanks to the Cancer Poetry Project for awarding my poem, “Landfall,” an honorable mention in this year’s contest.  Editor Karin Miller selected 12 winners out of 1,000 submissions.   The Project will make a donation for each winner, and I chose Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. The winning poems follow last year’s Project book that has become a source of encouragement for people fighting and surviving cancer and those that care about them.

London’s Chuffed Buff Books

Just in time for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, I am thrilled that my poems, “Theotokos” and “What I Took From the Torah Scholar,” will appear in Journey to the Crone to be published by Chuffed Buff Books in London.  Along with Alhambra Publishing (Belgium), and Haven Books (Hong Kong), this anthology is giving my work more global exposure.  Thanks to Chuffed Buff editor Susan Philip!  And best wishes to our favorite royal!

Transit of Venus

When a clouded sky opened for 20 minutes on June 5, it revealed the Transit of Venus—that is, the march of Venus across the sun, which will not occur for another 105 years.  Looking through an 80mm refracting telescope with a solar filter, my husband Michael snapped this shot which was quickly posted to the Westchester Amateur Astronomers, then amazingly picked up by former Shuttle Commander and International Space Station resident Ron Garan who placed it on his Fragile Oasis Facebook page.

Joey Leone at the Pizza Stone

In our New England travels, we have stumbled across major acts in far-off places...Ronnie Earl at Squam Lake (NH) Steakhouse, and last month, Joey Leone at the Pizza Stone (VT).  Who is Leone?  A guitarist's guitarist whose signature Eastwood guitar sold out within 24 hours.  With only a three-piece band, Joey achieved a full-orchestra sound on Tull, Who, and Pink Floyd and returned to spare but driving rock on Johnny Cash, Allman Brothers and Grand Funk Railroad.  He played above the fret at times, used the microphone as a slide and even plucked strings with his teeth.  His prodigious talent aside, we could have wept for all the songs Michael and I have loved over the years delivered with so much passion and skill.

Generate some good karma

Here's your chance to help out my brother who took this fantastic shot of a fox kitten in his yard.  Please vote for it at the National Wildlife Foundation Photography Contest.  Thanks!






War Words at Hudson River Museum

On Sunday, July 8, two literary events will take place along the scenic Hudson River.  The first, a poetry reading, includes my dear friend, award-winning poet Terry Dugan; and the second features our beloved teacher Herb Hadad (below).  Terry will read at War Words hosted by SlamMaster Eric “Zork” Alan at the Hudson River Museum at 2 p.m.  An open mic follows for poets with war-themed work.  Go early, at 1 p.m., to tour Westchester Women and War: Portraits by Francis Vandeveer Kughler (1901-1970) led by curator Laura Vookles.

Herbert Hadad at Hudson Valley Writers Center

Come hear award-winning writer and essayist Herb Hadad on Sunday, July 8, 4:30 p.m., at the Hudson Valley Writers Center in Sleepy Hollow (NY).  Herb is the wonderful instructor who got many of us (ahem) on the road to writing, and a former contributing reporter and essayist for The New York Times. Admission of $5 includes a fantastic wine and cheese reception following this reading.

French Symbolists at New York Botanical Garden

On Saturday, July 14 at 4 p.m., Richard Howard, Nancy Milford, and Rowan Ricardo Phillips will read French Symbolist poems as part of the New York Botanical Garden’s tribute to French Impressionist Claude Monet's garden at Giverny. This event features the poetry of Charles Baudelaire in French and translation. An All Garden Pass is required to attend.

Watercolorist Randy Briggs at Greenwich Library

The Greenwich Art Society exhibit, which features a painting by Randy Briggs, runs through July 19 in the Flinn Gallery at the Greenwich (CT) Library.  The gallery is open Sunday 1-5 p.m., Saturday/weekdays 10 a.m. -5 p.m., and Thursday evenings to 8 p.m.  Take a drive to Greenwich—maybe it’s cooler there on the Sound than here in Westchester!

Shakespeare redux in Stamford

If you missed "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, abridged" by the Tibi Confidas Theatre Troupe, here’s another chance to see this side-splitting sendup of the Bard’s works on August 3 and 4 at 8 p.m. at Curtain Call Theatre in Stamford (CT).  Come enjoy this intimate cabaret space for a rollicking show that will test how much you’ve retained from English Lit.  To prepare, read about the theater that existed prior to the Globe.

`Round the Net

Most of these items came from Daily News on Poet & Writers… I note if someone else sent a link.  Grateful!

·  Dog lovers, enjoy this video of “Two Dogs Dining at a Busy Restaurant.”

·  Ginosko Literary Journal accepting short fiction & poetry, creative nonfiction, interviews, social justice concerns, and spiritual insights.

·  David Kroenlein for this essential New York Times article on teen dating violence.

·  Mary (Ladd) McCray for Big Bang Poetry, dedicated to exploring “the whole life of the poet.”

·  The New Yorker on virtues of daydreaming and Wall Street Journal on Poets House Walk Over Brooklyn Bridge.

·  Flannery O’Connor reading “A Good Man Is Hard to Find.”

·  Congrats to Kevin Pilkington on his novel debut, Summer Shares (ArcheBooks Publishing)

·  A thoughtful article with a more reasoned view on Gertrude Stein’s politics

·  Congratulations to Natasha Trethewey, our new poet laureate.

·  Great site for video poems, article about poetry as texting, and writers who were also artists.

Hoping you stay cool and creative during these hot summer days!

Until next time,

Ann

your june in bloom annogram

You know it’s spring in New York with all the amazing artistic events.  I hope you enjoy this packed annogram and that this explosive green season releases your creative output too. 

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare

My husband Michael and I always remark that some of the best talent you can find is local.  That was certainly the case when we saw the Tibi Confidas Theatre Troupe’s presentation of “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)” at Breen Hall at Our Lady of Fatima in Scarsdale.  Directed by Debra Lee Failla, the play challenges itself to present all of the Bard’s works in 93 minutes.  Three intrepid actors, Josh Marchetti, Rob Nichols and Jim Ringel, did a masterful job that was once hilarious, zany and powerful.  I thought I was going to lose my dinner over their interpretation of Macbeth, which included kilted Scotsmen playing golf. Another memorable moment was the appearance of Hamlet’s ghost, which dropped from the proscenium as a sock puppet. Tibi Confidas is Latin for “Believe in yourself,” and it’s evident that this new troupe does. 

Stein Collection at the Met

What a pleasure to view the Stein Collection last month!  It’s incredible that an American family would help the world come to value artists such as Picasso, Matisse, Braque and Gris among many others.  While these inventive artists were shut out of contemporary museums in France, the Steins collected and shared their works in Saturday evening salons in their Paris home where the skeptical “came to mock but remained to pray.” The Met projected photographs of the apartment, showing where the Steins had placed many of the works on display.  The collection tracked Picasso’s evolution from traditional master to revolutionary Cubist and featured many paintings that artist Angela Virsinger and I had never seen, such “Tea,” by Matisse, a summery green scene featuring his daughter, his model and his dog; and rare Matisse portraits of Michael and Sarah Stein.  I also enjoyed the large group portrait of the artists and their patrons, which had a flat, almost cartoon-like quality which I suppose is a trademark of Marie Laurencin’s work.

In the Company of Animals

I was fortunate to catch the last week of this exhibit at the Morgan Library which the New York Times hailed as “enchanting.”  The Morgan collected its animal prints, drawings and writerly references into a display worthy of the Times’ verdict, including works by William Blake, Eugène Delacroix, Albrecht Dürer, T. S. Eliot, Ted Hughes, George Orwell, Jackson Pollock, Sergei Prokofiev, Rembrandt, E. B. White, and Virginia Woolf.  I was particularly moved by Audubon’s illustration of three rabbits, which he worked on to find solace after the death of his daughter-in-law, Eliza—it’s like the gold-eyed rabbits feel the grief; and Steinbeck’s long-hand notes on a yellow legal pad for Travels with Charley.

Greinke wins Ginsberg Award

Congratulations to Presa editor, poet and translator Eric Greinke, who won a 2012 Allen Ginsberg Poetry Award!  Eric wrote a fantastic review of my translation, Hence this cradle, in The Pedestal.  The poem will be published in the Paterson Literary Review #41 and Eric will read it on February 2, 2013, at the Poetry Center, Hamilton Club Building, 32 Church Street in Paterson, New Jersey.

Racoco wine tasting

Racoco is a New York Times-praised dance troupe.  For its annual wine-tasting fundraiser led again by writer and wine critic Alex Marshall, Racoco will revisit a beautiful rooftop near Astor Place on Tuesday, June 5, 6-8:30 p.m..  Tickets are just $40; Racoco will send the address when you RSVP.

Bryant Park’s epic musical chairs

Thanks to poet Terry Dugan for alerting us to the epic musical chairs battle to celebrate Bryant Park’s 20th Anniversary on the lawn June 20th.  The park’s iconic green chairs will host up to 400 people in several rounds of dance and sit. Come enjoy the music and a summer's eve on the lawn, but you'll want to get your butt in a seat during the competition, as the park will be giving away prizes. Winners of preliminary rounds will win a 20th Anniversary Tote Bag and admission to the grand prize round. The last chair standing will also win a piece of our classic furniture for their very own. With the stakes this high, be sure to sign up now. Everyone who participates will also receive a limited edition 20th Anniversary Musical Chairs T-shirt.

More arts & poetry

You can catch work by sculptor Jillian Conrad in the group show, Not-Not-Not Image-Objects,

at the Meulensteen Gallery on 511 West 22nd Street—opening reception Thursday, June 7, 6-9 p.m. You can also hear poets Cindy Beer-Fouhy, Margo Taft Stever and Meredith Trede read at the Village Bookstore in Pleasantville, NY on June 15 at 7:30 p.m. Don’t forget Poets House 25^th Anniversary Poetry Walk Across the Brooklyn Bridge, Monday, June 11 at 6:30 p.m., featuring readings by Marie Howe, Thomas Lux, Sharon Olds, Tracy K. Smith and actor Bill Murray, followed by dinner at Bubby's Brooklyn. For tickets, call 212-431-

7920 x2830 or e-mailkrista@poetshouse.org.

Astrophotography

Scott Nammacher’s astrophotography will be on exhibit at the Hudson Opera House Gallery in Hudson, NY June 9-July 8, with opening reception June 9, 6-8 p.m.  Please RSVP snammacher@msn.com if you can make it. You can get to Hudson via the Taconic State Parkway, a scenic two-hour drive from central Westchester. Try to include a visit to artist Frederic Edwin Church’s beautiful mansion Olana, overlooking the river just south of Hudson.

‘Round the Net

Thanks to the following people who sent me these great links and updates:

·   The ALTA list-serve for this New Yorker review of a translation of The Stranger by Camus

·   Red Glass Publisher Janet Kaplan for newly released One Night: Poems for the Sleepy by Edwin Torres—see www.janetkaplan-litworks.com for information on how to order.

·   Artist Meg Lindsay for her exhibit of paintings at the Martucci Gallery at the Irvington Library last month.

·   The Wickedly Sisters for a contest to publish an e-novel on their new writers app

 

Until next time,

Ann

Ann Cefola
Author of St. Agnes, Pink-Slipped, (Kattywompus Press, 2011)
"Magically, memorably calibrated" - John Ashbery on "Express"

your may annogram

 Spring seems to generate poetry—so I hope you enjoy this packed  annogram! For starters, I’d like to thank editor Richard Krawiec for including my work in the newly released anthology, …and love… (Jacar Press, 2012), alongside poets such as John Hoppenthaler, Doriane Laux and Marge Piercy. Thrilled my poem, “Late Evening,” will appear in the next issue of Ochre: A Journal of Women’s Spirituality. My gratitude also to Alyse Bensel for her New Pages review of St. Agnes, Pink-Slipped (Kattywompus Press, 2011).

Poetry workshop on Wallace Stevens

What a pleasure to lead the poetry workshop at the third annual Unicorn Writers Conference in Portland, CT on April 28! My workshop focused on Wallace Steven’s “The Dove in the Belly,” mining clever tools that Stevens uses—from other languages and self-created words to diction that jumps from elegant to plain. Wish you were there? You can purchase a DVD of my workshop.

Thoughts from a literary agent

More than 20 attended the conference, giving private one-on-one critiques to writers who sent in manuscripts ahead of time. Literary agents are desperately trying to find well-crafted work. One told me, “Either the plot or the characters are well done—rarely both.” When did he give up reading a bad manuscript? “The first sentence.” However, he conceded, “It’s a lot of balls that writers have to hold up in the air.”

Poetry readings / events

10^th Annual New York City Independent Publishers Book Party

Thursday, May 10, 6 - 8 p.m.
ZieherSmith Gallery

Poets Margo Taft Stever and Mervyn Taylor

Saturday, May 12, 3 – 5 p.m.
Beanrunner Cafe, Peekskill NY

 Pulitzer Prize-winner Kay Ryan

Sunday, May 13, 4:00p.m.
Katonah Village Library

Bowery Arts + Science Annual Benefit

Sunday, May 20, 6 p.m.
Tickets for different events here

Poets David Abel and Mark Weiss
Wednesday, May 23, 8 p.m.
St. Marks Poetry Project


Trede wins Political Poetry Contest

Poet Meredith Trede won the Town of Pelham Public Library’s 5th annual James J. Nicholson Political Poetry Contest. Judge Joshua Mehigan calls the winning poem a “smart, surprising poem whose concision and plainspokenness conceal a sharp critique not only of political commentary but also, implicitly, of policy, politics, and political dialogue, in general.” Congratulations, Meredith!

Booth wins Westchester photography award

Photographer Carol Booth won in the adult category of the Westchester County Amateur Photography Contest for "Public Laundry, Antigua" (left). 

Several of the winning photos will be displayed in the Greenburgh Public Libary Howard and Ruth Jacobs Family Gallery May 3 - June 11, and an opening reception held May 14.  Yay Carol!

Denhert wins John Lennon award

KJ Denhert’s “Choose Your Weapon” has won the 2011 John Lennon Song Contest in the World Music category. You can see this dedicated musician and former coworker of mine perform at Smoke on May 12, 19 and 26 (11:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.) or the 55 Bar NYC (10 p.m. – 2:00 a.m.) May12 and 26. Congrats, KJ!

Summer Poetry Workshop

Award-winning poet and Red Glass Books publisher Janet Kaplan is leading a poetry writing workshop this summer, July 9 - 20 (10 sessions), Mondays - Fridays from 10 AM - 2 PM, as part of Hofstra's 38th Annual Summer Writers Program. Undergraduate and graduate credit is available, as is campus housing. To register and for more information: 516-463-7200; Course #: CRWR 134A.

Call for manuscripts

Have you ever salvaged a relationship of any kind?  If you've written poems, fiction or prose on ths topic, Wising Up Press wants to hear from you by June 1, 2012 for their latest anthology, Daring to Repair: What It Takes, Who Does It, and Why. 

‘Round the Net

· ALTA list-serve for this Daily News article on Yale University Press’s new online forum for translators.

· Poet John Amen for this video of him reading work in Albuquerque.

· Art Historian and NY Arts Exchange Director Beth Gersh-Nesic for this video from "Yorgo Alexopoulos: Transmigrations," a wondrous installation recently at Cristin Tierney Gallery.

· Actor Wayne Joseph for the intriguing short film “This is Tillman.”

· Translator C.M. Mayo for this podcast interview about important figures in the Mexican literary world.

· Poets House for this Wall Street Journal article on the joys of poetry.

· Poet Linda Simone for making us aware of a celebrated poet in need—Diane di Prima is experiencing some challenging times and could use some spiritual and material support.

· Linda also for this tribute to Adrienne Rich, Robert Frost reciting “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” this animation of Billy Collins poetry, and the Top 10 Most Misunderstood Lines in Literary History.

Hope this green season inspires your writing or art!

Until next time,

Ann

your irish ann o'gram

Happy St. Patrick’s Day
On St. Patrick’s Day, I give thanks for great literary gifts from Ireland—from Yeats and Joyce to contemporaries like Seamus Heaney and Nuala Ni Dhomhnaill (left) and for my dear Irish-American friends whose lifelong generosity, warmth and kindness have especially blessed me—you know who you are!

“Demoiselles 7” in Feminist Studies
How rewarding to finally see my long poem, “Demoiselles 7,” in Feminist Studies! It took more than a decade to write and find its perfect print home. I read portions at the United Nations a few years back. Here’s an overview in the journal’s preface:

Ann Cefola’s poem “Demoiselles 7” meditates upon the questions and problems of painting by following the multiple ancestries and interpretations of Picasso’s 1907 work, Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, which launched the Cubist movement. The fractured and angular “demoiselles” in the painting — actually, “five whores from the worst bordello in Barcelona” — talk back to the onlooker: “People adore us: We give them permission to fall apart. To love the wreckage.” They tell of their complex lineage and roots in Ethiopia, the Middle East, and beyond, as well as “of what splintered women could do.” They ask: “What if we celebrated a woman’s contours? The body not exile but home.” Cefola ends her contribution with a tongue-in-cheek reference to herself as author, as perhaps the subject of another (fictitious) Picasso painting: “If only I — we — could go in peace to love and serve the whores. But I am just A Girl Writing.”

St. Agnes, Pink-Slipped Still in Demand
I am so grateful for the positive response to my second chapbook, St. Agnes, Pink-Slipped (Kattywompus Press, 2011). In addition to great online reviews from top poetry reviewers such as Emilia Fuentes Grant, Cindy Hochman, and Janelle Elyse Kihlstrom, Katherine McCollom —
my second cousin whom I adore — weighs in from Oklahoma:

Dear Ann: I ordered six copies of your St. Agnes, Pink-Slipped from Kattywompus Press. I have had a good time giving one to friends who are ill, who have done me a special favor, or who would be impressed that I am related to a published poetess. I thought you might like to know what pleasure I have had from your chapbook. Fondly, Katherine

Thank you, Katherine!

Stevens-Inspired Workshop at Unicorn Writers Conference
For the third year, I will be giving a one-hour poetry workshop at the Unicorn Writers Conference on Saturday, April 28, 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., at St. Clement’s Castle in Portland, CT. Recommended by Writers Digest, this conference features workshops on craft, contract negotiation and social media marketing. It’s held on a beautiful estate on the Connecticut River. Friends who attended have found new energy, ideas and contacts. Here’s my workshop, Discovering the Dove in the Belly, inspired by Hartford’s own poet:

All poets have a dove within that builds its nest and coos, according to Wallace Stevens. In this workshop, we’ll look at his poem, “The Dove in the Belly,” to explore ways to expand our own work. First, we will walk through the Stevens poem to see what he’s up to, and then take a deeper look at the tools he uses to create a memorable work. Finally, we’ll steal a few of his approach to write a poem or two of our own. If you would like to learn from Stevens—considered one of the greatest American poets of his time, then come to this workshop.

Hope to see you there!

Blockbuster Stein Collection at the Met
Poet-translator Mark Weiss has two words for the exhibit: “My god.” New York Arts Exchange Founder and Director Beth Gersh-Nesic calls it “a once-in-a-lifetime experience which rivals the Barnes and Cone Collections – and may be far superior in its taste.” If you get a chance to take the Stein tour with Beth, go for it! Her class on Cubism informed “Demoiselles 7,” and she illuminates this art period like no one else. She will also lecture on Picasso and Francoise Gilot at the Greenwich Women's Club on Tuesday, March 27, at 1:30 p.m., through Alliance Francaise de Greenwich.

More poetry
You know National Poetry Month is almost upon us as a lot of poetry events are heating up. Mark Doty will give a talk on Walt Whitman at Poets House on March 24, and the 2012 Chapbook Festival takes place March 28-30. Kevin Pilkington will read at the Saint Vincent College Visiting Writers Series on Monday, March 26 at 7 p.m. in Latrobe, PA. And John Amen, editor of Pedestal Magazine, will read his work on April 11 at 8 p.m. at the Barron Arts Center, 582 Rahway Avenue, Woodbridge, NJ; April 16, at 6 p.m. at Cornelia Street Café; and on April 20, with Bhikshuni Weisbrot, at the Panorama Café and Shop, 84-73 Parsons Blvd. in Jamaica, NY (see johnamen.com for more info). Kevin Pilkington will read at the Saint Vincent College Visiting Writers Series on Monday, March 26 at 7 p.m. http://svcreadingseries.wordpress.com/upcoming-reading/

Matters of the HeART
The opening reception for Matters of the HeART: Supporting Creative Aging Through the Arts, the 8th annual art exhibit by Westchester County seniors ages 55 and older, takes place tomorrow, Sunday, March 18, from 2-4 p.m. at Greenburgh Town Hall, 177 Hillside Avenue, White Plains, NY. This spring art exhibit, which features paintings, drawings, mixed-media creations, collages, photographs, and free-standing sculptures, is sponsored by the Greenburgh Arts & Culture Committee and the Helen Andrus Benedict Foundation.

Pamela Sklar CD Release Concert
Flutist Pamela Sklar at the Parish House PAC Theater next Saturday, March 24, at 7:30 p.m. will celebrate her new CD, A Native American Jazz Tribute. Her back-up band features a dozen musicians, including cellist Jay Shulman. PAC House is part of Trinity-St. Paul Episcopal Church, 311 Huguenot Street, New Rochelle. Tickets are $20 and include both concert and refreshments.

‘Round the Net
Thanks to the following people or online resources that provided these great links:

· ALTA list serve for this article on fiction in translation and tribute to Szymborska
· Filmmaker Jeanette Briggs for this beautiful life of flowers video
· SFAI alum Catherine Chung on her critically acclaimed debut novel Forgotten Country
· Barbara Dickinson, CFT, for this Billy Joel-inspired musical history lesson
· ForwardReviews for “books you’d never thought you’d read but end up loving”
· Translator and Art Historian Beth Gersh-Nesic for this Focus on French Film alert
· Jazz Historian Ted Gioia for these writing tips from John Steinbeck
· Poet and Toadlily Press Editor Myrna Goodman for this on Transtromer translation
· My sister-in-law, Elaine Gregory, for this poetry sign
· Literary Agent Jan Kardys for promoting this lovely herb-spice chart
· Screenwriter David Ring for this wonderful elegy to a poetry teacher
· Francophile Susan Seligman for this extraordinary 500 years of women’s faces
· Poet and performance artist Jackie Sheeler for “The New Back Alley”
· Poet Linda Simone for this exhibit review on the extraordinary glimpsed in the ordinary
and mysterious paper sculptures in the Scottish Poetry Library

annogram-itorial
For weeks, I have written against the NYS “Quick Kill” shelter bill A05449 (Paulin). Thanks to the public outcry, ten cosponsors have withdrawn their support and a state senator abandoned the companion bill. Despite these big signals, Ms. Paulin is still pursuing a revision (AO5449B) which allows shelters “the option,” not the requirement, to adopt out animals; to refuse to work with rescue organizations outside immediate or adjoining counties; and to enact a convoluted approval process for rescue groups.

An opposing bill, A07312 (Kellner), which legally requires appropriate and timely care for homeless animals, has a groundswell of support in New York and among respected animal rights groups nationwide. If you’re a New York State resident, please e-mail the remaining bill sponsors, Speaker Sheldon Silver (silvers@assembly.state.ny.us), Codes Committee Chair Joseph Lentol (lentolj@assembly.state.ny.us), and Assembly Member Amy Paulin (paulina@assembly.state.ny.us), to request that they drop A05449B and support A07312. Thank you!

Until next time,
Ann

Ann Cefola

Author of St. Agnes, Pink-Slipped, (Kattywompus Press, 2011)

"Magically, memorably calibrated" - John Ashbery on "Express"