your new year's annogram

Welcome Back!

Dear annogrammers, I have missed you! I was all set to write a July annogram when filial duty demanded I put my focus elsewhere—more below. In the meantime, you have been writing and painting, and giving readings, exhibits, and performances. Nothing, not even a global pandemic, can stop the lively creativity of annogrammers.

Full Steam Ahead

Helene Sanguinetti

You can also find my work in the journals DoveTales, First Literary Review East, The Poet, and s/tick; in anthologies Mother Mary Comes to Me (Madville Publishing) and Verdant (Truth Serum Press); and in the podcast Poetry Spoken Here Episode 133. Excited for my Sanguinetti translation in the upcoming Hunger Mountain, and my nod to mentor Thomas Lux (1946-2017) in the anthology Poet Echoes and Tributes. 

Your Path to a Fulfilling Life

Barbara Dickinson’s and Margaret Herrick’s gorgeous  book, Your Path to A Fulfilling Life, asks readers to identify specific life wishes—and watch what happens! Or tap into Barbara’s free webinar, “Have I Accomplished Anything This [Last] Year?” and be prepared to be astonished. Choose one of two dates: January 21, 11am-1pm, register here; or January 23, 7-9pm, register here.

Signs and Wonders

Comet Neowise by Rick Bria

A peak moment last year was spying the dual tail of Comet Neowise, diving into a triangle of three stars, through binoculars. As for Jupiter and Saturn, Michael and I saw them inch closer each night but got rained out for the conjunction. Astronomy is a great way to get outside and safely enjoy community—try the Westchester Amateur Astronomers, “the best astronomy club this side of the Oort Cloud,” for star nights and monthly talks.

Journey into Punk

For an intimate look into the 1980s punk scene, read To Hell and Back (Backbeat Press, 2020) by Walter Lure of Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers. Walter had recently reunited with the Fordham University band that started his career when he passed away last year. He dedicates his book to band members which includes my favorite guitarist, Michael Cefola. Fascinating story. Rock on forever, Walter! Wacka Lacka Boom Bop A Loom Bam Boo!

New and Recent Releases

Rae Armantrout, Conjure (Wesleyan University Press)

Patricia Carragon, Angel Fire (Alien Buddha Press)

Circumference Issue 8,welcome relaunch of a fantastic translation journal

Joellen Craft, The Quarry (L+S Press)

Barbara J. Dickinson and Margaret A. Herrick, Your Path to A Fulfilling Life (Independently Published)

Diane Goettel, ed., Far Villages (Black Lawrence Press, 2020)

Nicole Gregory, God's Messenger: The Astounding Achievements of Mother Frances X. Cabrini: A Novel Based on the Life of Mother Cabrini (Barbera Foundation, 2018)

Pauletta Hansel, Friend (Dos Madres Press)

Heller Levinson, Seep (Black Widow Press)

Walter Lure, To Hell and Back: My Life in Johnny Thunders' Heartbreakers, in the Words of the Last Man Standing (Backbeat Press, 2020)

Pedestal Magazine’s 20th anniversary issue

Kevin Pilkington, Playing Poker with Tennessee Williams (Black Lawrence Press)

Neal Whitman, From This Moment On (Cyberwit, 2020)

Creative Opportunities

The Poet call for work on theme of faith

Pure Slush Press call for poetry and prose on theme of growing up

The Westchester Review open for submissions

January Readings and Events

Heller Levinson

January 21, 11am, “Have I Accomplished Anything Last Year?”, free webinar, register here

January 23, 3pm, Rae Armantrout and Heller Levinson; respective launches of Conjure and Seep, register here

January 23, 7pm, “Have I Accomplished Anything This [Last] Year?”, free webinar, register here.

January 31, 4pm, Gregory Djanikian, intro by Billy Collins; register here  

Monthly Readings – ET

Special thanks to Yorktown Poet Laureate John McMullen for compiling this list:

Ralph Nazareth

First Sunday, 4pm, Poetic License (Austin)

First and Third Mondays, 6:30pm, Norwalk Poetry

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

Every Tuesday, 7pm, Curley’s Diner led by the impressive Ralph Nazareth

Second Wednesdays, 6:30pm, Mahopac Poetry Workshop

Every Thursday, 6:30pm, Mahopac Writers Group

Second Fridays, Noon, Writers, Artists, Actors, etc. Luncheon

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

Linda’s Wholesome Mac and Cheese

Thanks to dear friend, poet, and watercolorist Linda Simone, we often enjoy this easy and delicious meal:

1 organic cauliflower cleaned and broken into florets

1 box of Annie’s Mac and Cheese

3 Tablespoons milk

2 Tablespoons butter

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

1 cup panko crumbs (optional)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spread cauliflower on cookie sheet and sprinkle with olive oil and salt. Roast for 20 minutes. Make the Annie’s Mac and Cheese per instructions. Combine with cauliflower. You can serve at this point, or put in a low casserole, cover with shredded cheese and panko crumbs, and oven-broil briefly until slightly browned. Try it with steamed broccoli, and crushed potato chips or cheese crackers as topping alternatives.

ʼRound the Net

Blues Band Larkin Poe

Memoirist Sarah Bracey White for her monologue, “Camp Cook,” read at the National Arts Club

Poet Patricia Carragon on her debut novel Angel Fire (Alien Buddha Press)

Guitarist Michael Cefola for pointing out the band Larkin Poe, here with Keith Urban playing “Where the Blacktop Ends,” shares the creative drive of their famous great-great uncle Edgar Allen Poe

Poet Regi Claire on reading her powerful poem, “(Un)certainties,” short-listed for the 2020 Forward Prize for Best Single Poem, at the British Library

Poet and filmmaker Terry Dugan for this article on William Carlos Williams, “Poetry is a rival government”

Henri Matisse (1869-1954)

Art Historian Beth Gersh-Nesic for this fabulous article on Matisse and video on artist Ruby Silvious

Poet Louise Glück on winning the 2020 Nobel Prize in Literature

Translator Johannes Göransson for his Poetry Daily essay on translation

Poet Cindy Hochman for her poem, “Inner Life (with Sabotage),” in LIVE Mag! that also features work by Andrei Codrescu and a collage by Bob Heman

Author J. Chester Johnson on having his book, Damaged Heritage (Pegasus Books), recommended by The Harvard Magazine

Translator Jacqueline Lapidus for her personal remembrances of Ruth Bader Ginsberg in Persimmon Tree (scroll down for her contribution)

Yorktown Poet Laureate John McMullen on his reading at the Paris Spoken Word World last fall

Blues bassist Larry Schwartzman for Snooky Pryor’s “Someone to Love Me”

Poet Linda Simon for the Far Villages (Black Lawrence Press) panel where contributors talk about their work

Novelist Ron Tanner on winning the Elixir Press 2020 Book of Fiction Award for Far West to be published this year

Neal Whitman

Poet Estha Weiner for this Indoor Voices Podcast with J Journal editors Jeffrey Herman and Adam Berlin

Poet Neal Whitman for great reviews of his new book From This Moment On (Cyberwit, 2020) in Gusts (Canada) and Kokako (New Zealand)

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

In July, I discovered a request to demolish a home by architect Julius Gregory (1875-1955) required the applicants to prove his work was unworthy of preservation. A leader in historic revival architecture, he designed homes for notables such as publisher Alfred Knopf and Proctor & Gamble heir Sidney Gamble. Architect of the Grand Central School of Art, he also contributed to some of the first planned communities, Fieldston and Khakum Woods, both landscaped by the Olmsted Brothers. I never met Julius but, as his granddaughter, I had to respond. Several annogrammers—thank you again—edited a 47-page defense I wrote which helped block the demolition. While the applicants will appeal next month, we savored this victory in honoring architectural heritage.

Wishing you a fresh start this year, and love for and devotion to your family, your friends, and your craft. 

Until next time,

Ann

 

your groundhog annogram

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

San Antonio’s Poet Laureate, Laurie Ann Guerrero, will read two poems by Linda Simone as part of the opening reception for Love Poems for San Antonio on Thursday, February 4, at 6 p.m. at Culture Commons.  The text-based art installation of 30+ poems celebrating San Antonio will be on display through February 28.

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 4, 7 p.m., Tribute to James Tate (1943-2015), New School Auditorium

Saturday, February 6, 4:30 p.m., Liz Howard, Lanny Jordan, Zinc Bar

Thursday, February 11, 7 p.m., Tribute to Ruth Stone (1915-2011), Thirteenth Street Repertory Theatre

Saturday, February 13, 4:30 p.m., Sandeep Parmar, Cody Rose Clevidence, Zinc Bar

Wednesday, February 17, 7 p.m., Patricia Spears Jones and Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon, BookCourt

Tina Chang

Saturday, February 20, 4:30 p.m., Myung Mi Kim, Joey Yearous-Algozin, Zinc Bar

Thursday, February 25, 7 p.m., Eileen Myles, Alice Quinn, Lillian Vernon House

Saturday, February 27, 4:30 p.m., Ian Heames, Kathleen Fraser, Zinc Bar

Friday, March 4, 7:30 p.m., Rachel Eliza Griffiths, Hudson Valley Writers Center

Saturday, March 5, 4:30 p.m., Anne Boyer, Lara Mimosa Montes, Zinc Bar

Rosmarie Waldrop,
photo by Anneli Dufva

Sunday, March 6, 4:30 p.m., Laurie Sheck, Hudson Valley Writers Center

Friday, March 11, 7:30 p.m., Tina Chang, Hudson Valley Writers Center

Saturday, March 12, 4:30 p.m., Aaron Kunin, Rae Armatrout, Zinc Bar

Saturday, March 19, 4:30 p.m., Dawn Lundy Martin, Rosmarie Waldrop, Zinc Bar 

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:

Peter Chelnik,
photo by Roxanne Hoffman

Poet Joel Allegretti on his Huffington Post interview

Writer Christopher Brisson for link to these hilarious dog collages

Amateur Astronomer Michael Cefola on his letter to the editor in this month’s Astronomy Magazine

Poet Peter Chelnik on his upcoming poetry book, Hey Girl

Poet Terry Dugan for video of professional actors recently reading her war-protest poems

Poet Gary Glauber on publication of his poem, “The Other” in Verse-Virtual

Poet Eric Greinke on Forge Journal interview, and Adastra Press broadside, “Trout,” $20 through Gary Metras (16 Reservation Rd., Easthampton, MA 01027)

Cindy Hochman

Poet Cindy Hochman on her selection as the Grand Prize Winner in the Long Island Light Verse Contest

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)

Actor Tony Lo Bianco for offering acting classes at Symphony Space (email TonyLoboActing@gmail.com)

Author Laura Morelli on her recent participation in The New York Times Travel Show

Poets and Writers for highlighting this new unusual way for literary lovers to hear book reviews

Music archivist Jay Shulman on the Baltimore Sun’s review of his father’s work

Dagmar Stansova (left)

Poet Linda Simone for this amazing recording of Stephen Hawkings reading a poem on relativity, and great take on who a contemporary Emily Dickinson might be

Actor Dagmar Stansova on starring in American premiere of Mario Diament's "Land Of Fire”

Poet Arthur Vogelsang on offering one-on-one online workshops

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,

Ann