Friday, September 01, 2023

your autumn annogram

 


Dear annogrammers, We unofficially enter fall today and this annogram will help you ease back into your autumn schedule. Among other delights, we have a gorgeous fall train ride, an unorthodox anthology course, a tour inside an artistic luminary’s home, and fresh zucchini pie to dazzle your palate. What more could you want? Dig in!

 

Happy News

 

Circumference, which published my first Hélène Sanguinetti translation, has accepted another from her latest book; Beautiful Days Press announced its 2024 lineup, including my translation, Alparegho, like nothing else; the All Shall Be Well: Poems for Julian of Norwich book launch takes place September 20; and John McMullen and the Mahopac Poetry Workshop welcomed me as guest poet this summer.

 


Training the Adirondacks


What to do if you’re fabulously rich in the late 1800s and cannot easily get to your Adirondack summer home? If you're
Dr. William Seward Webb, you build your own railroad! Now you can experience the Adirondack Railroad's fascinating history up close thanks to this new documentary by motorcar enthusiasts. This breathtaking fall journey is complemented by extraordinary vintage photos and insights into 19th-century life along the tracks. Enjoy more motorcar phenomena and other New England trips through the eyes of railroad enthusiasts here or book a ride on the Adirondack Scenic Railroad.

 

Intro to Anthro with Two Humans


Discover anthropology like you’ve never heard it before, in the podcast series by comedian John Lehr and scriptwriter John McCray. Lehr, as the former Geico Caveman, feels he can address human evolution, and McCray has studied anthropology at the graduate level and also taught it. The two longtime buddies take us down hilarious roads that skewer contemporary culture and language.

 

John Ashbery’s Nest

 

Yale University has created a website that offers a virtual tour of John Ashbery’s home in Hudson, NY. Ashbery (1927-2017) was a poet, translator, art critic, collector, and collagist whose home reflects all his interests. The site includes both his and his husband’s voice describing objects in the house Ashbery had owned since 1978 and spent 15 years restoring—amazing insights into a man many consider a genius. Thanks to poet Mary McCray for sharing this find!

 


Do You Know Françoise Gilot?

 

Françoise Gilot (1921-2023)
Art historian Beth S. Gersh-Nesic, PhD, director/owner of the New York Arts Exchange, will lecture on the life and legacy of Françoise Gilot (1921-2023), Picasso's partner (1943-1953), mother of Claude Picasso (1947-2023), and Paloma Picasso (b. 1949), and wife of Dr. Jonas Salk (1970-1995). Hosted by Learning in Retirement on Tuesday, September 18, 10:30am at Temple Beth El (Stamford); $10. To register, contact LIR.

 


Where Most Creatives Live


Thanks to San Antonio's Linda Simone for tipping us off to this article outlining the states where the most writers and artists live. Tied is New York and Washington, DC for writers—and Vermont tops all for both visual artists and writers. You can always visit: TripAdvisor offers these road trips through Vermont.

 


Creative Opportunities

 

BK Fischer 
Current Poet Laureate 
of Westchester County
GROUND, poems on objects found, kept, or cherished, by September 15

 

The Pedestal Magazine, call for poems September 4-8

 

Pure Slush and Truth Serum Press, stories on Boléro at Breakfast by September 30


 

Rhino Founders Poetry Prize, by September 30

 

Presence call for poems, by October 1

 

Westchester (NY) Poet Laureate, $30K stipend for three-year role, apply by October 2

 


New and Recent Releases

 

Luigi Bonaffini, ed. and trans. Soundtrack of a Life: New and Selected Poems by Gil Fagiani (Legas Books)

 

Cagibi

 

Susana Case, If This Isn’t Love (Broadstone Books)

 

Donald P. Delaney, Major Crimes Investigations and Justice Served (Independently published)


Katherine Duckworth, Slow Violence (Beautiful Days Press)

 

Julia Fiedorczuk, Mary Newell, et al, eds. The Routledge Companion to Ecopoetics (pre-order)


First Literary Review-East

 

Sarah Law, ed. All Shall Be Well: Poems for Julian of Norwich (Amethyst Press)

 

Katie Lehman, Emily Dickinson’s Lexicon (Dos Madres Press)

 

An Li, The Face of Time (Chax Press)

 


Polly Alice McCann and Samantha Malay, eds. The Path of Birds (Flying Ketchup Press)


John F. McMullen, Live at the Freight House (Bobbee Press)

 

Pedestal Magazine 92+

 

Mary Wasacz, The Frailty of a Butterfly (Independently published)


Neil and Elaine Whitman

Neal Whitman, From This Moment On, How Pleasant It Is, and My Profession (Cyberwit)

 

Neal Whitman and Elaine Whitman, eds. It's About Time and Susurrus (Yuki Teikei Haiku Society)

 

Works & Days

 




Creative Workshops


Marion Winik
The Writer’s Retreat (MD), September 16,
Marion Winik Workshop ($200) and Craft Talk ($20); includes meals

 

Poetry Retreat with Marjorie Maddox, September 22-24, Bethany (PA) Retreat Center, $275

 

All-Genre Writers Group, 6:30pm, Thursdays

 

John McMullen Poetry Workshop, 6pm, fourth Wednesdays

 

Mahopac Poetry Workshop, 6pm, second Wednesdays

 

ModPo, University of Pennsylvania’s free poetry course and global community

 

Norwalk Poetry Workshop, first and third Mondays, 6:30pm; email poet_laureate@norwalkpl.org to register

 

The Peekskill Writing Table, serious critique for writers, second and third Tuesdays via Zoom; email tpwritingtable@gmail.com

 


The Poets Salon, led by Ed Ahern and Alison McBain of Fairfield Scribes Press, 10am, every second Saturday

 

Writers and Artists Lunch Conversation, second Fridays, noon

 


September/October Events – ET

 

Jerry Johnson
Shades of Green Pub (NYC), September 4, 6:30pm, Jerry Johnson with Susana Case, Stephanie Laterza, and David Lawton

 

Calandra Italian American Institute, Sept. 7, 6pm; book launch of Soundtrack of a Life: New and Selected Poems by Gil Fagiani (Legas Books); rsvp by calling 212-642-2094

 

Hudson Valley MoCA, September 14, 6pm, Studio Theater in Exile, community talk and poetry reading with Nigerian poet, artist, and academic Ozioma Onuzulike

 

Ed Ahern
Private home in Stamford (CT), September 16, 3pm, How to Get Your Poems Published with Ed Ahern; to register, email salmonier@aol.com

 

Norwalk (CT) Mill Hill Historic Park, September 17, 4pm, Ralph Nazareth and open mic; bring lawn chairs; event is on rain or shine; for more info, contact Bill Hayden at poet_laureate@norwalkpl.org

 

Learning in Retirement (Stamford), September 18, 10:30am, Beth S. Gersh-Nesic, PhD, on artist and Picasso partner Françoise Gilot; $10 to attend; to register, contact LIR

 


All Shall Be Well: Poems for Julian of Norwich
book launch
, September 20, 2pm, see EventBrite page for details; donation requested

 

Broken Lens Journal, September 24, 5:30pm, interview with Heller Levinson via this Zoom link (meeting ID: 853 5312 2542; passcode: 9h1KWZ); questions, email brokenlensjournal@gmail.com

 

Max Jacob (1876-1944)

Hopscotch Translation, October 15, 2:30pm, Max Jacob (1876-1944) translators Alex Dickow and Ian Seed read from their respective books; visit EventBrite to register for this free Zoom reading

 


Laurel Peterson
Oceanside Library (NY), October 21, 3pm, Christina Rau’s How We Make Amends book release (LIVE)

 

Norwalk Public Library, October 26, 6:30pm, Poets in Conversation: Laurel Peterson hosts Jerry Johnson and Ed Ahern

 

Bennington Museum (VT), For the Love of Vermont: The Lyman Orton Collection, thru November 5; Southern Vermont Art Center

 


Monthly Readings – ET

 

First Sunday, 4pm, Poetic License (Austin)

 

Every Tuesday, 2pm, Spoken Word World (Paris)

 

Every Tuesday, 7pm, Curley’s Diner

 

Third Fridays, 7pm, Hudson Valley Writers Center Open Mic – click third Friday for details

 

Frequent Saturdays (check Facebook), 5pm, LitBalm

 


Zucchini Pie

 

This was delicious, and it’s the time of year for zukes—so run to your local farm stand!

 

1 cup organic all-purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoon baking power

½ teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon organic unsalted butter

1 large zucchini, unpeeled yet diced

1 large onion, chopped

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

½ cup grated cheddar cheese

½ cup canola oil

4 free-range or pasture-raised eggs, beaten

½ to 1 teaspoon fresh parsley, chopped

salt and pepper

 

Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 10-inch pie pan. In large bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt with a fork. Work in butter, then stir in remaining ingredients until combined. Pour into pie pan. Bake for 40 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Cool 20 minutes before serving.

 


ʼRound the Net

 

George Harrison (1943-2001)


Guitarist and songwriter Michael Cefola on his insightful article on George Harrison in Ape Culture’s “The Beatle Personality Test”

 




Poet and novelist Regi Claire on “Being Genre Fluid”, inspired by work by our friend Jo Ann Beard

 

Translators Chen Du and Xisheng Chen for work in IHRAF Literary, Modern Poetry in Translation, The Oxford Anthology of Translation, Rhino, The Southern Review, and West Branch; and on being Anne Frydman Translation Prize finalists

 

Beth Gersh-Nesic, PhD.
Art historian and translator Beth Gersh-Nesic for this NYT article on the craft of translation

 

Vocalist Astrud Gilberto (1940-2023), reluctant housewife who became a global sensation on “The Girl From Ipanema”, and who opens my book Free Ferry (Upper Hand Press)

 


Poet Cindy Hochman on having work selected by Terence Winch for an upcoming Best American Poetry “Pick of the Week”; being the recent great weather for MEDIA feature; and glowing reviews of Telling You Everything (Unleash Press) in Clockwise Cat and from Ploughshares founder DeWitt Henry

 




Poet Jim Lavilla-Havelin for this wonderful interview on the podcast Studio Aescapulius

 

Poet Heller Levinson on work in Broken Lens, Clockwise Cat, and First Literary Review-East; Amazon reviews of his two books, Shift Gristle and Query Caboodle (Black Widow Press), on being a Big Other Poetry Award finalist, and upcoming Broken Lens podcast interview (see September events)

 

Yorktown Poet Laureate John McMullen for three of his poems read by David Leo Sirois this week

 

Poet and novelist Laurel S. Peterson on her new Substack column


Poet Jean-Luc Pouliquen for this fascinating article on famous American writers who loved his hometown, Hyères – A Cradle For British And American Literature

 

Poet Christina Rau for work on Destinies: The Voice of Science Fiction radio show, being the voice of Vita in Anne Manx Beginnings, and being featured on SoundCloud


 

Hélène Sanguinetti 


Poet Hélène Sanguinetti on her latest book, selected by Flammarion for publication in 2025

 





Memoirist Stuart Schear for his moving remarks at the annual memorial for murdered Jews of Nowy Zmigrod, Poland, his great grandfather's hometown (see his July 16 Facebook post)

 

Bassist Larry Schwartzman for Screamin’ Jay Hawkins making his 1966 TV debut with “I Put a Spell on You”


Poet and artist Linda Simone on having poems in The Path of Birds (Flying Ketchup Press) and The Texas Poetry Assignment

 

Novelist Ann Starr for this wrenching essay by the daughter of a Manhattan Project scientist




Arthur Rimbaud (1854-1891)
Poet and artist Giorgia Stavropoulou on sharing this great photo of Arthur Rimbaud (1854-1891)

 

Memoirist Mary Wasacz on her debut book (see Recent Releases) 

 







annogram’s 20th Anniversary

 

We’re celebrating two decades! annogram was born out of a desire to promote your work and mine. Most artists hate marketing—our expertise is our craft. To help us all is annogram’s goal. Along the way, a faithful community has formed of more than 300 subscribers worldwide—Pulitzer Prize winners, NEA recipients, fledgling writers and artists, seasoned choreographers, historians, you name it. Thank you for your readership. You inspire me with your commitment to your calling, and what you continue to achieve.

 


Until November,

Ann