https://www.deutschelyrik.de/home.html
I use this site with students. For those who do not know German, there are translations available elsewhere for some poets one may or may not know.
Sunday, January 31, 2021
Friday, January 29, 2021
Yesterday I Watched Two Civil War Pieces on Amazon Prime Video
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Confederate:_The_Story_of_Robert_Adams
https://www.historynet.com/americas-civil-war-dvd-review-last-confederate.htm
What attracted me to The Last Confederate: The Story of Robert Adams was that it is set in Richland County, SC, where I lived and worked. The title character is actually played by a descendant. So far so good.
The acting is uninspired and the plot jumps back-and-forth in time, As a result, it is hard to follow the thread of the story. There is a touch of revisionism in the longing for the Old South, which I suppose one would have if one's ancestors were white and well-off.
https://www.historynet.com/americas-civil-war-dvd-review-last-confederate.htm
My wife and I met, married, and lived in Virginia for a time. We visited the New Market Battlefield Park and saw their movie.
This one is better, with an excellent cast. However it showed the revisionism all-too-common these days, The cadets and others are shown being opposed to slavery, but fighting anyway to "protect their homes".
Virginia was the last state to secede, and the anti-slavery sentiment was to the west of Lexington, VA, in what became West Virginia. I shake my head when Confederate characters talk about defending their country. They had one, but left it! And then they wonder what all the fuss is about!
Full disclosure: my ancestors arrived after the Civil War, and I was born in Pennsylvania.
Thursday, January 28, 2021
WB Yeats Died This Day in 1939. Here Is WH Auden's Poem About Him
An awesome poet writing about another one, and also including the backdrop of pending international calamity.
Wednesday, January 27, 2021
From the Past....Looking Forward to May 1, 2021
http://ridgewaysc.org/events/446/fcac-welcomes-poet-arthur-turfa
My last event in Ridgeway, SC.... next one coming May 1, 2021!
Stya tuned for more details!
Saturday, January 23, 2021
Interview with Poet/Writer and Singer/Songwriter Aurore Sibley- Redux
Update: You can pre-order her coming poetry book All These Little Resonstrances from Finishing Line Press until September 24. I recommend that you do, and also that you tell someone who loves good poetry.
https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/all-these-little-remonstrations-by-aurore-sibley/
1
You are the newest a long line of people I know who excel in several artistic
expressions. In your case, singer/songwriter, poet/writer. Which came first,
music or writing?
This is a
great question. Music definitely came first, as my mother used to sing to me
regularly and my dad was a music enthusiast, so I was exposed to and listened
to a lot of music from a young age, and I began playing the piano at age seven.
My parents read to me every night as well and I had an interest in writing from
a fairly young age. I remember working on my first “novel” when I was in fifth
grade.
2.
I read your blog post about your father. Tell a little bit about his influence
on you here, please.
My father
was a journalist and spent much of his career focusing on the arts and
entertainment, reviewing concerts, and interviewing musicians. He had a great
and eclectic taste in music and I grew up listening to a wide variety of jazz,
folk and rock because of him.
3.
Your music is very interesting and quite enjoyable. I like the way you
transition from one musical genre to another and maintain the quality. How did
you accomplish that?
Thank you!
I play a number of instruments and because I listen to and appreciate so many
types of music, I’ve gone through stages where I focused on a particular genre
as a musician. Growing up I played western classical music, in my early
twenties I mostly played jazz and blues, then got deeply into bluegrass and
Americana and also sang with a Balkan choir in my thirties, so my interests
have been all over the place. That has allowed me to jump around from
instrument to instrument and genre to genre, sometimes blending them a bit into
whatever sound I’m going for.
4.
In songwriting, which comes first: text or music?
Sometimes I
just hear a melody and go from there, but usually, the way I know that a song
is a song and not a poem is when a line comes to me with a melody. I write
poetry as well but when I hear a line with a melody, then I know it’s meant to
be a song. So, they come at the same time if I’m songwriting, actually.
5. Who are some of your musical and
literary influences?
That’s a
big question because it’s quite varied. Some of my biggest literary influences
include Dr. Oliver Sacks and Robert K. Massie. I love biographies and read more
non-fiction than fiction these days. But I would also say writers like Amy Tan
and Barbara Kingsolver have influenced me as I love a good family saga or
character study.
When it
comes to music, it could be a really long list, so I’ll just say: Beethoven,
Bill Evans, Mose Allison, Nina Simone, Gillian Welch, Neil Young, Lucinda
Williams, Patti Smith, and Dinah Washington as a start.
6 You have a poetry book coming out with
Finishing Line Press. There must be a lot you want to say about it.
I find it really interesting that my poetry
has been accepted for publication more than anything else because I think of
myself as a writer and songwriter, but not a poet. The poems are most often
deeply personal and so it feels strange to put them out into the world, as
opposed to fiction, for example. This coming chapbook features a lot of poems
about my dad and my daughter, as well as my experience over the past six years
of being a single mother.
7. Your “novel in the wings”: what can you
share with us about it?
Ah, my
‘novel in the wings’ is a mystery novel. I had been working on a manuscript for
years that I was stuck with, and I thought, I should write something fun and
light and something that would move along and that I knew I could finish and do
well, so I switched gears and spent a few years focused on that, and actually
finished it, which feels great! Now I just need a publisher. Meanwhile, I’ve
gone back to the novel on the back burner and still don’t quite know where to
go with it, but it’s starting to take shape.
8 . For me the concept of “place” is very
important in my writing, especially in poetry.
California is one of those places for me; you have lived there much
longer than I have. How does “place” enter your creative work?
Place plays
a really important role in my writing as well. My mystery novel is set in Santa
Cruz, where I live, and many of my poems are ocean-centered. But all of my
other fiction takes place in the Midwest where I spent my childhood. I love
writing about old farmhouses in Wisconsin, for example.
9.
We are both educators. What do you teach, where did you study, and how does it
complement your music and writing?
I was
trained as a Waldorf grades teacher, (in New Zealand initially, where I lived
for a couple of years), and focused on remedial education for children
struggling with reading, writing, and math. I also spent many years teaching
piano prior to that, and these days I’m teaching from home and doing all three
of those things online. It’s not ideal, but it’s been interesting and doable
from home while we’re all sheltered in place.
10.
Is there anything else that you want to add? How can people contact /follow you? Thanks!
Thank you so much! The chapbook through Finishing Line Press will be out sometime in 2021. I have a website where links to my writing and music can be found, which is http://www.auroresibley.com, and I can be followed on Twitter @auroresibley7
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Foo Fighters Song intro Starts At 37:08 or so! Inauguaral Concert
When I was in Kindergarten, there were 40 pupils and one teacher. No aides. One teacher whom I later learned was hungover because she had marital problems. Some of the other boys and I would roam the halls or hide in a large closet and play games.
If I had a teacher like Ms. Adams, I would have been in class all the time! She is amazing!
Dave Grohl's (Foo frontman) mother was a teacher, as was mine. Maybe it's time for a poem about her.....
Thursday, January 21, 2021
Paul Verlaine's "Charleroi", thoughts of the Monongahela Valley and my Grandmother
My father was from Donora, PA, a town in Pennsylvania's Monongahela Valley built around a steel mill and named for its owners. A few miles to the south around the same time a group of Belgian from the Walloon region established a town named after a place in Belgium, which was also industrial.
Around that same time my grandmother, Sadonie Schollaert, came with her family and siblings from Belgium to settle closer to Pittsburgh, While the surname was Flemish/Dutch, the family was French-speaking.
She was the last of my grandparents to die. I never remembered hearing her speak French, although my mother was certified to teach the language. But I do remember the smell of baking white bread and the Belgian waffle cookies long before they were sold in convenience stores from coast-to-coast!
Verlaine's poem brought back memories of when the Mon Valley hummed with energy and industry. While I have been to Brussels, I have yet to visit Charleroi (the original) or Gille, where my grandmother was born I add a few pictures of an early schoolbook
she used and some family information..
Audio for the poem:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZQQok5Fmu4
The poem en françaiis:
https://poesie.webnet.fr/lesgrandsclassiques/poemes/paul_verlaine/charleroi
English translation:
https://medium.com/@halfofinfinity/charleroi-ce3e627b4a34
Bruce Springsteen from CBS' Inaguaral Show Last Night
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/20/us/bruce-springsteen-land-of-hope-and-dreams-inauguration.html
In 2009 Bruce appeared with Pete Seeger (and Pete's grandson). I think that Pete was there in spirit last night.
Sunday, January 17, 2021
Interview with Chris Rice Cooper, Poet/Writer/Artist
1.
What inspired you to become a writer, and to write what you do?
I never
remember a time that I did NOT want to be a writer. I think for encouragement my mother was my
greatest encourager because for as far back as I can remember she would buy me
THE BIG INDIAN CHIEF notebooks every payday (every two weeks). I never ran out of paper or pencils or pens
because of her and I was always prolific even though most of the stuff was no
good – it was still such a relief, a way of expression. I always had a journal everywhere I went –
literally everywhere – and would spend most of recesses and lunch breaks
writing in class (if the teacher let me stay there) or writing outside or in
the library.
Growing up
the one thing that inspired me most was watching The Waltons and I had the biggest crush on John-Boy Walton
(portrayed by Richard Thomas who has published two books of poetry). My favorite scene was watching him at night,
writing at his desk with the window open and the breeze coming in. It was like a writing adrenaline rush for
me.
Another
thing that inspired me was to read – I’ve always been a voracious reader and
once again I’m grateful to my parents for letting me read whatever I wanted
(literally).
At first I
only wrote fiction – which I found to be so easy at the time. But later (in high school and college and
especially in my 30s) I fell hopelessly in love with poetry in such a way that
it changed everything about me all good ways.
I was able to express myself in every way imaginable and feel exposed
and vulnerable but yet safe all at the same time.
The first
poet I remember being so enamored by was Sylvia Plath and I learned about her
when we watched 1979 film THE BELL JAR
movie with Marilyn Haslett as Esther – but only when it showed on the local television
station. I don’t remember much but that
I related to Esther – her sense of mental breakdown and her need to be a
writer.
I then knew about Sylvia Plath and my greatest
encouragement was from my mother when she bought me THE NEW YORKER issue of
Sylvia Plath’s poetry. In high school I
felt free to write poetry about the darkness I felt from within me and outside
of me. My first poem was “THE RED APPLE
OF CHANGE” which deals with mental illness but never good enough to publish.
Most what I
write now is poetry and feature stories in what I like to call victimology
writing – where I write for the benefit of the victim. I always had a fascination with crime, the
criminal justice system and the Constitution, but my heart always went out to the
victim. Most of my poetry is dedicated
to these voices and can be deemed violent.
Also, I have a deep Christian faith not in a
church or people but in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy
Spirit. Most of my most intimate
compelling poetry (at least in my opinion) somehow involves Jesus. I love to focus on the human aspect of this
God in the flesh and it so healing and so intimate and yet a love song I sing
to Him.
Recently my
writing of poetry has been focused on what I like to call the Orange Man in the
White House and the betrayal I feel by the far-right Christian community and
the far-right Republican Party for not
taking what I view as a necessary Constitutional stand against this unlawful
man.
2.
You write in several genres, and also express yourself in other artistic ways?
Shed some light on how that happened, and how the multigene/-media influence
you? I am a poet/writer, and that's all there is to me. Working with/knowing
people like you leaves me in awe.
I think
when it comes to being published the most successful (when it comes to being
paid and having the most readers) are my feature stories or newspaper
articles. I’ve been writing feature
stories now for over 30 years. My major
was Criminology but I always wanted to write.
I think the
most profound genre happened in April of 2013, when my husband and I were
stationed in Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama. It was a miserable time. And I was going through so many bouts of
mental illness. My publisher died in a
car crash the previous year in Los Angeles, so I lost my writing job and
honestly have not been paid for writing since them. But this despair led me to start my blog
where I do feature stories on all individuals – it’s like a magazine of feature
stories really. Lately, I’ve been
focusing on fiction writers and especially poets, my most passionate love.
3.
Which artists/writers inspired you?
There are
so many writers I admire. It’s too many
to count so I’ll focus on books – To Kill
A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and so dear to my heart The Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene - that book – still
affects me to this day and I still have the same copy I purchased when I was in
the 6th grade from the bookstore at the Houston Mall in Warner Robins,
Georgia. It is now wrapped in a rubber
band.
Other books
that touched me deeply is Sophie’s Choice
by William Styron, Lancelot by Walker
Percy, and The Sunflower Forest by
Torey Hayden.
The writers
I admire I will limit to writers that I will buy their books the moment they
come out in hardback – Wally Lamb (all of his – and each book gets better),
Donna Tartt, and Martha Hall Kelly.
And I love
non-fiction – particularly focused on some aspect of crime – one of which is Say Nothing:
A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick
Radden Keefe. I went to Barnes and Nobel
and passed this book and I swear to God this book was calling out my name and I
had to get it.
Another
book that called out my name is Deep
River by Karl Marlantes that called out my name and I purchased it right
away. I swear to you this is not a
natural occurrence but these two books reached out to me and I devoured them-
writing features on my blog about these works.
The one poet
I admire the most is Carolyn Forche – I did my analysis on her and her works
while I was working on my Master’s in Creative Wring. I devour her work and have her memoir (though
yet to read it) and believe she is a champion for social justice. To be honest there are so many poets and poems
that affect me so deeply – I’m even hesitant to mention her name but want to
bring a poet into this response.
4.
How and where did you develop your
skills?
I think I
practice my skill by doing it –writing and sketching. And I love to read which is vital in order to
be an effective writer.
When it
comes to artwork recently I can’t really say who I admire as of late because
I’m so focused on the artwork that I don’t always see the name. The one artist that I love though is Frieda
Kahlo – she had such deep dark struggles, such intense pain all of her life,
and she painted how affected all parts of her life, especially her body.
I think one
way to develop one’s skill is to read biographies (by journalists and not some
Hollywood columnist) about the works of people you admire. If you want to learn how to paint – find a
painter you admire and read about them; the same with writing.
The most
vivid and literally the thing that saved my sanity and I mean this literally
happened in the fall of 2013 – we had moved from a small house on the base to a
bigger one and I was still miserable. It
was a horrible time and I decided I needed to do something desperate. I needed to try a new art form I never tried
before to save my brain, literally my mind.
I took a course sketching drawing course – mixed media art – and I felt
some sense of relief from this darkness.
I was immediately compelled to focus on sketching faces,
Then In 2016, I took a course called LET’s FACE IT 2016
with Kara Bullock (https://karabullockart.com) and it changed my life. I’ve been sketching and painting ever
since.
5.
The concept of place is central to what I write. We share St. Louis in common.
Does that city/region figure in what you produce?
I am
embarrassed to say that place is not central to what I write – not as much as I
like to. I’m terrible when it comes to
narrative poetry and narrative fiction and I’m working on a novel now where I’m
focusing the story in St. Louis area where I reside. I’m hoping this exercise will teach me to
appreciate place more.
6.
Is there anything else you wish to add? Thanks so much!
Thanks so
much for this opportunity and a fantastic way to connect! People can read my blog
at https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com Or email me at
caccoop@aol.com
Friday, January 15, 2021
Such an Honor! Thanks, Chris Rice Cooper!
http://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2021/01/images-in-this-specific-piece-are.html
So honored by this! Thanks, Chris Rice Cooper!
I Always Liked Charles II.......
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0364800/
Not only because he gave William Penn Land to start Pennsylvania and started South Carolina, but he was politically savvy. How else could he have survived the Interregnum?
The First Churchills featured him prominently and piqued my interest in him and many other things about that era. This week I had some downtime, and I watched the four episodes of this series in two days. Wow!
Thursday, January 14, 2021
Take a Break from Politics.....It Will Sort Itself Out
https://www.amazon.com/Arthur-Turfa/e/B00YJ9LNOA%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share
https://www.blurb.com/b/10335105-all-in-the-family-2nd-edition
The Trump Era will be over soon. Trumpism is sadly not over, but the healing can begin, even if some resist it.
Click on the links for some poetry.
Monday, January 11, 2021
Something I Never Thought I Would See
It is not too far-fetched, and I sincerely pray it does not come to this. Given the climate that we have in the USA right now, and with 45 acting the way that he has been, I could see Proud Boys and their ilk trying to take over state capitols and failing to prevent President-elect Biden from taking the oath fo office next week (as he is legally entitled to do), trying to secede.
What will I tell my grandson when he asks about it later?
I am a proud Democrat and supported Joe Biden from the South Carolina primary on Had he lost, I would not be plotting against his opponent.
But this is sadly a different America than the one in which I was born. My prayer is that we get back on course.
Thursday, January 7, 2021
What a Disgrace! But America and Democracy Will Recover!
https://www.bbc.com/news/world
What the Confederacy could never do, a group of malcontents and criminals did! Thank God Joe Biden will be president soon!!
Tuesday, January 5, 2021
I am not often poltiical, but....
https://www.axios.com/the-cheney-power-play-e7d1837f-ce14-47e7-80be-e85c1ff4e9a3.html
My thanks to VP and Rep Cheney for doing the right thing. I am a confirmed Democrat, but I want a sane Republican Party. Let the Trumpists depart!
Saturday, January 2, 2021
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"Epiphanies" from Alien Buddha Press- Available on Amazon- Read a story here
https://alienbuddhapress.wordpress.com/author/alienbuddhapress/ I am so thrilled about this short story collection,, my first one. Ali...
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https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/pete-brown-cream-lyricist-dead-obit-1234739205/ This is several weeks late, due somewha...
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Significant song Number 4: "Like a Rolling Stone", by Bob Dylan http://www.fastcompany.com/3021970/most-creative-people/the-maki... -
I pause to commemorate the events without taking sides. Anytime that a disagreement leads to violence is bad, and I believe this was ...
