Two Beatles, Two Christmas Songs

John-    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flA5ndOyZbI

Paul- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9BZDpni56Y


     With respect to personality, I am more like John, but Paul has many talents and his is the song I prefer!   Having sen him in concert a few months ago helps!

    Whatever holiday you celebrate, whenever it is, be well!

There are other vendors, but Accents and A Village Remembered are exclusively available on Amazon KDP!

https://www.amazon.com/Arthur-Turfa/e/B00YJ9LNOA%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share

In the Top Ten for the Pangoln Review 2019 Poetry Prize!

https://thepangolinreview.wixsite.com/mypoetrysite/2nd-edition-results

I am proud, humbled, and honored to be in the Top Ten for the Pangolin Review Poetry Prize 2019.

Thanks to all who made it possible!

https://www.br.de/mediathek/video/mehr-wert-zwischen-superreich-und-bettelarm-was-bayerische-pfarrerin-in-new-york-erlebt-av:5dfba95dfe52d9001ae24d2e



This is in German, and I do not know if BR will include subtitles or a translation. My colleague and good friend Pr. Miriam Groß serves a German Lutheran parish there. The report talks about the experiences that she and her family have there, and extends to the problems of the homeless and working poor.

A link to her English blog: https://miriamgross.blog/author/germanpastor/

At Irmo High School English 2 Class 12/6

     It was a wonderful visit with Ms. Przywara's class. Thanks to my long-time friend, Dr. Robin Hardy, principal of Irmo High School. Ms. Przywara is not only a fellow Pennsylvanian, but also a Penn State grad like me!

     The students were great. We looked at this poem my Emily Jungmin Yoon:

     https://poets.org/lesson-plan/teach-poem-between-autumn-equinox-and-winter-solstice-today-emily-jungmin-yoon

      I left copies of my books. Pictured is my very first, Places and Times,  from eLectio Publishing,  © 2015.

      And we talked about the types of poetry we liked. Several liked inspirational poems, which pleasantly surprised me. I will be back a few more times. Our plan is to have a major event in April for National Poetry Month and involve more students.

Still Scary after all these Years

“A psychotic world we live in. The madmen are in power."   Truer words were never spoken. This classic was written in 1962.

https://www.amazon.com/Village-Remembered-Recalling-historic-Pennsylvania/dp/1712497650/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=a+village+remembered&qid=1575905966&s=books&sr=1-1

    This book is very personal for Carol Worthington-Levy and me. Historic buildings where we grew up are being threatened by expansion. All profits from this book will go to Preservation PA, which is leading the fight against development. Some of these sites were part of the Underground Railroad; the earliest, the Friends Meetinghouse, dates from 1708, not even 30 years from the establishment of Pennsylvania.

    What historic sites are threatened near you? It is high time to take action before they are lot or marginalized!

A Poem of Mine won a Prize! Great News!

I am honored, pleased, humbled, and grateful to be in the Top 20 of the Pangolin Review's 2019 Poetry Prize! Many thanks! Many fine poets here! A link to their current issue! https://thepangolinreview.wixsite.com/mypoetrysite/issue-13…


Actually, I'm at #7! 

The picture is from a reading. That's Places and Times, @2015, eLectio Publishing. in my hands. 

I Have a Poem in this Anthology from Z Publishing

https://www.zpublishinghouse.com/products/south-carolina-s-best-emerging-poets-2019-an-anthology?_pos=9&_sid=fc52eacd1&_ss=r&variant=29479923941491

Interesting Post from Carmen Verduyn

http://www.carmenverduyn.com/2019/11/postpenopauzemeningen-over-de-duurzame.html?fbclid=IwAR3TI3HmKLbj8U3PtmKaWiQjuY2KE3p38b0dJYWH5lQ9lNCqSg_cK9nrWaE

   There is a translate button here. My Dutch poet friend Carmen Verduyn and I go back a few years. I am proud of her for standing up for herself as an artist and a woman! A  woman doe not have to give up her career for a man! I've supported my wife, have moved several times for her career without hurting mine (I've been flexible).  

Small Business Saturday November 20- Market Tea Room at 302 Senate

      I will be there at 10 a.m. in the newly-refurbished Market Tea Room at 302 Senate in Columbia, South Carolina. All of my poetry books will be available, and I will read some poems, leaving mid-afternoon.

       It is a fantastic venue and promises to be a wonderful event!

Poem from "Accents"- and search on the rest of my Soundcloud tracks!

https://soundcloud.com/arthur-turfa-1/gem-of-the-bayou-st-elizabeth-of-hungary?fbclid=IwAR1rn15NCNx_3jFer0nnTABcvC7dddhoLtGdVxTPfylE3QB3Xd4P2x0m4kA


Poem from Accents, excl

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079WJG8F6/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

usively available from Amazon KDP!

A Popular Poem from "Accents" -Amazon KDP

https://soundcloud.com/arthur-turfa-1/the-archipelago


Accents is available exclusively from Amazon KDP in Kindle and Print on Demand versions!

This is a very popular recording of a poem from the book! Enjoy!

:Two Miriams" from The Petigru Review

https://soundcloud.com/arthur-turfa-1/two-miriams-by-arthur-turfa?fbclid=IwAR1tRADAJ4gOGZ2n_qLiWroJWu939GYWobdC0nACNhMcdkvb3RYg0x0la2A

    The South Carolina Writers Association did me a great honor by publishing this poem it ins 2019 issue. This poem will eventually find its way into a book. It is a special one to me.

    Here is a link to the entire issue:

    https://thepetigrureview.com/

"Two Miriams" Poem in the Petigru Review

https://thepetigrureview.com/

    This is the journal of the South Carolina Writers' Association, to which only members may submit. Catfish Stews is their publication open to anyone from anywhere!

    My poem is a very special one to me, and I am thankful that I can share it with you here.

A Very Unusual but Important Post

     We all are solicited in one way or another to contribute to a cause. In the US there are phone calls, either programmed or live, asking for money. There is e-mail spam, and hard copy spam in our mailboxes or mail slots.

     But this one is different. I know they all say that, but many of you who read this blog love literature and the arts. Many of you create in one way or another, perhaps even in several ways.

     Martha Magenta needs your help. She did not create this site. A friend did. For a few months Martha and I moderated the POETS community back in the Google+ days. I had known the before, and enjoyed her haiku and other Japanese verse forms.

     As I got to know her better,r I leaned that she is a caring, supportive, eminently fair person. Although she has won awards for her poetry, she does not self-promote or consider herself better than the rest of us.

    Cancer has returned, and Britain's NHS is not what it used to be. A contribution to this fund will enable her to receive the care she urgently needs now.

   Please share this. Keep her in your prayers and thoughts. If you know her, or even if you do not, contact her with your  messages of support. If you can make even a small contribution, please do so.

   I have contributed.

  Thank you!


https://www.gofundme.com/f/martha039s-cancer-treatment?sharetype=teams&member=3109062&pc=fb_co_campmgmt_m&rcid=r01-157244247551-3453082e91bb4cf7&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fb_co_campmgmt_m&fbclid=IwAR262UNY9WLqjDjxY6nmP0FC4biszkmmf3mtQ0iOd2QtozEA9X8mmnD_Wx8

Review of "Accents" from Amazon KDP

https://www.amazon.com/Accents-Arthur-Turfa/dp/1980326703/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=arthur+turfa+accents&qid=1572296875&sr=8-1#customerReviews

     Check out both reviews here; there are some more on the Kindle version. Accents is my most thematically-arranged poetry book and is available exclusively on Amazon Kindle Desktop Publishing.

 

Recording of "The Island" from "Places and Times"

https://soundcloud.com/arthur-turfa-1/the-island

Recording of a popular poem from my first book, from eLectio Publishing 2015.

Thoughts on the Wall Street Journal's English Major Column

https://www.wsj.com/articles/is-majoring-in-english-worth-it-11568068987

     Full disclosure: I was not an English major, but I have been Highly Qualified as an English teacher (recently retired after 25 non-consecutive years teaching in three states), and have been an adjunct instructor of English for 14 years. I am also a published poet, and have a novel in the works.

     Why didn’t I major in English? I like languages, and majored in German at Penn State, BA 1974, two years later a MA at University of California-Irvine, with a stop along the way at UC-Berkeley. The challenge of becoming fluent/literate in another language fascinated me. Had I not majored in German, it would have been Journalism. At Penn State I was active with the daily campus paper and the radio station.

     This article talks about more than the “all you can do is teach” commentary. The curriculum has changed, been watered down in my opinion. Read and see how many English departments do not require a course in Shakespeare! I am all for different emphases and programs, but if one camps out exclusively in a race/gender program, one misses so much.

       There were some authors I wished had bene in my German curriculum, but I wanted to read the classic ones. But that’s for another post. All in all it matters where one goes to college or university. And it also matters if one reads other writers. Each quarter at Penn State I made sure I read one book a month that was not required for any class. I read things that were referenced in required books, or that simply interested me. And this extra reading never failed to enrich me. 

English starts around 1:17. Miriam Gross Vlog

https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR0gQnerikuRB_zRtJA8xtMDVYbXLY8BrcAd6V8fTLXrh-zLm5mONv7it0k&v=KoWzEYENTdA

Thanks, Miriam Gross for the kind words and reading my poem

A Successful Rosewood Art & Music Festival

   Many thanks to the organizers, people who bought my poetry books, took my cards, and talked wiht me!

Rosewood Art & Music Festival is Tomorrow! Columbia South Carolina

https://www.facebook.com/ArthurTurfaPoet/videos/672274839934067/

    This will be my third time at the event, and my first time reading poetry (11:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m.). All five of my poetry books will be there, along with many other writers/authors/poets, other artists, and food!

    My books are also available from the usual vendors. Please note that Accents is exclusively available from Amazon KDP!

Rosewood Art & Music Festival, October 5, 2019- Columbia, South Carolina

https://www.facebook.com/ArthurTurfaPoet/videos/672274839934067/?__tn__=kC-R&eid=ARCP_EUEHLWvZXQ7qBUCEA1RBE2SyW9BDlHjHpHenMQw774jKYoBJRe_j9HQgHLp0n3ubQTGu7d8MD6L&hc_ref=ARShuxpHx1PetwZ6eM9XMuJaLP_fqaoLewhcG_grZOdgSUZqF0SomDY5uEpZUmjH5GI&fref=nf&__xts__[0]=68.ARDXpXsphCLiW4tqdrbhfwOuKnis3LE1PfGHA0MrXtmVL5-uLnygU3Npu6wJFNgsIJM75sOtXMdyK-_HmIMz4tA6gMgCKV2Si6AbGV1ojuhNL-nP47egkV4LrYhPjA1uMTkFFeMNVAh_DlMJIxs2YrGy4k6hUZL5qoLt-Tsqb0j5S88OcQJtCmuoYB_YXmVVXYpAD8we9_SJcqdMoKES9hmVqDTyy5gYbs20lVVSXM61YS4CMwTt3609ZczPpCpWqkY2SXYb6x8cJnXHjWlxwM1RZ6le6zb9Z6hNVyM7KK6E_aOjmadnY-a2wUIb2Bwo6VXSstyMkYqX-EWW2VTweKAqmG8B9gsQVslBjA

The video says it all!

Some Pictures from Author's Alley Today in Augusta, Georgia!

Some, but not all, of the kind people who took some of my poetry home with them today from Arts i the Heart of Augusta! Thanks to the book Tavern for making Author's Alley possible! And thanks to these new friends also! 

Heading to Augusta Soon!

    In about two hours I will be en route. My bag is packed, and ready to go. Hopefully, it will be lighter going back! Books available from the usual vendors, except for "All in the Family"/ Contact me about that one!

Tomorrow at Arts in the Heart of Augusta- 2-5 pm at Author's Alley, Book Tavern, 936 Broad St

https://www.facebook.com/ArthurTurfaPoet/videos/2908883229152759/

Many other great authors here this weekend, and so much more! I will have all five poetry books there!

Arts in the Heart of Augusta.....9/21 for my!

https://www.facebook.com/thebooktavern/photos/gm.666024820560967/10157704593675742/?type=3&theater


   A wonderful venue! Five poetyr books of mine will be there! And so much more!

Song has its Power! - Westminster Version

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10219696243578232&set=a.3964603195127&type=3&theater

Singing whilst Paliament leaves....

A Sad Story

http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20190909-the-last-of-transylvanias-saxons

I've met some of these people.

Book Tavern Promo of Me for Arts in the Heart of Augusta

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1394870987356801&id=293732337470677&notif_t=page_post_reaction&notif_id=1568076401269516&ref=m_notif

Greatest Lyric Couplet of All Time?

     My family heard Glen Campbell sing this Jimy Webb composition live in 1996 at the former Opry Land Amusement Park in Nashville. An excellent show by an excellent performer/musician, and it remains a favorite song. Another proof of poetry in music. Read what Literary Hub said about it:

https://lithub.com/why-wichita-lineman-contains-the-greatest-musical-couplet-ever-written/

And the song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxSarBcsKLU

Awesome Poem by Melody S. Gee on Poem-A Day

https://poets.org/poem-a-day

Sign up if you wish! It's free! Today's post is superb!

Augusta, Georgia is Not Far Off- Arts in the Heart of Augusta- Author's Alley

https://www.facebook.com/ArtsInTheHeartOfAugusta/?__xts__[0]=68.ARAt1vBT7ZiTWBFo7d_zZGWQBPWvi0xBejTIQUlnDTfYPdL3Xds_uFvxj1NNDgyLP7osuYA7_UydVnrOds3MmASp8f6yDqIE3gpb9fDagFU-vfY5auqEGvhdEnELOlhV0BHZalpJ3AU8K-gVBho8pw2I0zmljC1LwXwnqGhdt_wC5E9spny4viQ2aIpBJiSJ6WrURXXk0Nk8epEjF2d-m-mVJcvw5JsHph7ZT_WsS8_nhW1QRqHHEfx4MeHo9t93rQtgQ7Y8_tQEyFofn9W_x-bsafxMNZLqnA_v6T7eobwiCaoBgVhfj6Pai6S-gklJiXQqzhkr_iDir7HQOCUNVgL7Sac&__tn__=-UK-R

I will be there (book Tavern, 936 Broad St, from 2-5 pm on Saturday, September 21. And all five poetry books will be there!

Three Weeks to Arts in the Heart of Augusta, August Georgia!

   I will be back at the Book Tavern's Author's Alley from 2-5 pm on Saturday, September 21 at this amazing festival!  936 Broad Street is the location, but the festival is all over downtown!

     All of my poetry books will be available, and there will be other fantastic authors/artists there as well all weekend!

Arts in the Heart of Augusta 9/21, 2-5 pm Author's Alley

https://www.facebook.com/ArthurTurfaPoet/videos/2908883229152759/

I will have all my poetry books there! Wonderful event!