Keith Reid, Lyricist, RIP

      I have to confess some jealousy here of Keith Reid and also of Bernie Taupin. Their lyrics have made them millionaires. Not usual for poets, by any means. Taupin stays in the background; we did not see him last year when we saw Elton John. Reid traveled with Procul Harum and felt part of the group.

     What impresses me is that Reid wrote the lyrics first. He considered them to be poems, which someone else put to music. While some of Taupin's could stand on their own, all of Reid's could, and do so.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/31/arts/music/keith-reid-dead.html

     I am going to speak about only one, Broken Barricades, the title track to the fifth album, from 1971. It is a short, almost minimalist poem, but one that fits in so well with the music. Give it a listen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76BO4FIkhu4

Links to my books:

 https://www.amazon.com/stores/Arthur-Turfa/author/B00YJ9LNOA?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

https://www.blurb.com/b/10799783-the-botleys-of-beaumont-county#:~:text=About%20the%20Book&text=The%20business%20inherited%20by%20the,roles%20in%20this%20changed%20community.

Festschrift? Not Likely For Me, But That's All Right

      A Festschrift consists of chapters by different authors on subjects relating to the lifework of an academic on the occasion of hir or her retirement or reaching a significant milestone in age. A friend and colleague is going overseas soon to honor one of his mentors. My 70th birthday is next month. The three-score and ten (Psalm 90:10) , four-score if one is very fortunate, was not easy to attain prior to medical advances.

     What would be in a Festschrift for me? I have had several careers, often concurrent, and varied interests. I would not want to inflict trying to oversee such a volume for me on anyone. 

     A Festschrift for me would include chapters on:

•      Church history, especially involving Lutherans and the Conciliar Age
•      Army/military chaplaincy
•      Education
•      Poetry
•     German Language and Culture
•     Novels/ short stories

     Do you see what I mean?

     Links to my books:

     

     https://www.amazon.com/stores/Arthur-Turfa/author/B00YJ9LNOA?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

https://www.blurb.com/b/10799783-the-botleys-of-beaumont-county

What I've Been Doing Lately

    It's Holy Saturday, and it's been busy in our household. I'm interim in one parish (my third Easter there) and my wife is less officially assigned to another. 

    From a writing standpoint, lately, I have submitted some poems, revised some others, helping to schedule some Zoom poetry events for the South Carolina Writers Association. In a little over a month, I am going to be featured in a web publication. And I've been kicking around a short story idea while thinking about revising some others.

Two poetry events...scroll down a little for the second

. https://www.myscwa.org/events

   

:Links to my books:

https://www.amazon.com/Books-Arthur-Turfa/s?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3AArthur+Turfa

https://www.blurb.com/b/10799783-the-botleys-of-beaumont-county