Pepsi will give $50,000 to the projects that receive the most votes in February. One project that is near and dear to my heart is The Teacher Salary Project, whose goal is nothing short of making the teaching profession highly attractive to intelligent, motivated college graduates. Please watch this humorous video about the project, and then click through below to vote for it if you feel so moved.
Years ago I came up with an idea for a project called Palm Poems. With the help of Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz and Noel Jones, I created 14 self-inking stamps with poems written specifically to be read off someone's hand. As you can see from the picture below, some of them work equally well in other locations.
Now I'm thinking of creating a Facebook page where people can upload their own pictures or at least add their ideas. Got any?
The January pairing of Page Meets Stage will feature Alexandra Oliver and Chad Anderson. They are both formalists who tend to rhyme a lot so this should be interesting. Check them out below:
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All Page Meets Stage pairings start at 8 pm, cost $12 ($6 students), and take place at the Bowery Poetry Club (308 Bowery, between Houston & Bleecker, F train to Second Ave, or 6 train to Bleecker).
For children who are our second planting,
and though they grow like weeds
and the wind too soon blows them away,
may they forgive us our cultivation
and remember fondly where their roots are.
Let us give thanks:
For generous friends . . . with hearts as big as hubbards
and smiles as bright as their blossoms
For feisty friends, as tart as apples,
For continuous friends, who, like scallions and cucumbers,
keep reminding us that we've had them.
For crotchety friends, as sour as rhubarb and as indestructible,
For handsome friends, who are as gorgeous as eggplants
and as elegant as a row of corn;
And the others, as plain as potatoes and as good for you,
For funny friends, who are as silly as Brussels sprouts
and as amusing as Jerusalem artichokes,
And serious friends, as complex as cauliflowers
and as intricate as onions.
For friends as unpretentious as cabbages,
As subtle as summer squash,
As persistent as parsley,
As delightful as dill,
As endless as zucchini,
And who, like parsnips,
can be counted on to see you through the winter,
For old friends, nodding like sunflowers in the evening-time
And young friends coming on as fast as radishes,
For loving friends, who wind around us
like tendrils and hold us,
despite our blights, wilts, and witherings,
And, finally, for those friends now gone,
like gardens past that have been harvested,
but who fed us in their times that we might have life thereafter.
For all these, we give thanks.
Can't sleep tonight
Perhaps because I'm off to Germany tomorrow, I am having trouble falling asleep tonight. Or maybe it's the pot of tea I had after lunch (I used to say I needed a double-espresso just to get to sleep at night). Or maybe it's the four episodes of 24 that my wife and I watched before bed. Regardless (or "irregardless," if you speak Idiot), here I am waiting for the melatonin to do its magic. Sleep on, world. I'm coming soon.
The admission price gets you your first drink free and also a $2 discount on my book if you buy it there. I hope you can make it. The show will start promptly at 8:01 pm.
I am happy to report that seven years after the publication of my first book, with four spoken word CDs under my belt, I finally have a second book of poetry!
Published by Write Bloody Books, The Last Time As We Are will be officially released on 09/09/09 at the Bowery Poetry Club. But you can order a copy now by visiting the Write Bloody Books Store.
The first edition is $22 because it is hardback. After those are all gone, a paperback edition will be available for $15 (although I suspect you will always be able to buy a hardback copy through the Write Bloody Books Store. After October 1, it will be available on my own website and on Amazon.com, but if you cannot make it to one of the release parties below, please consider buying a copy now directly from Write Bloody.
RELEASE PARTIES & READINGS
In New York City
Wednesday, September 9, 2009, 8:00 pm
The
Bowery Poetry Club (308 Bowery, New York, NY 10012)
OFFICIAL RELEASE PARTY! Admission price of $8 gets you a free drink and a discount on the first edition hardback. Special appearances & performances by some of New York City's best spoken-word poets.
Monday, September 14, 2009, 7:30 pm
Bar 13 (35 East 13th Street, New York, NY 10003)
I'm just the featured reader for the night, but this is a very big poetry slam at the
LouderARTS Project. They will be choosing their representative for the Individual World Poetry Slam Championship. Should be an electric night of poetry. My book will be available at a discount. Admission $6.
In Los Angeles
Tuesday, September 15, 2009, 9:00 pm
Da' Poetry Lounge at The Greenway Court Theater (544 N. Fairfax Avenue, Los Angeles, Ca 90036)
This isn't so much a book release party as it is a feature at one of the biggest poetry slam series in the country. Literally hundreds of people show up every week for this awesome multicultural scene. It's loud, live, and goes late! Admission $5.
Monday, September 21, 2009, 7:00 pm
Book Soup (8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069)
A straightforward reading & book signing at a legendary bookstore located on the infamous Sunset Strip in West Hollywood. Admission is free!
In Great Barrington, MA
Saturday, October 3, 2009, 2:00 pm
The Bookloft (322 Stockbridge Rd, Great Barrington, MA 01230)
A great community bookstore in The Berkshires since 1974. This will be another reading & book signing. Admission is free!
I found this old student ID card from when a bummed around Europe 24 years ago. I am 20 in this photo. The funny thing is, my dad is probably also 20 in his photo. But because people in the past always look so much older, he looks to me like he's 30 or so. Wish I'd inherited his lips!
. . . and my students complained bitterly. Especially on gorgeous days like today. But very few students can pay attention outside the way they can inside. Maybe the kids on Ritalin, but that's about it. But if there was a dedicated space? A special Outdoor Classroom? With a few backed benches and a podium with a lectern? That would have been a different story. So I am happy to report that my dream has become a reality at a school where I used to teach. I'm sure it cost more than I originally donated to start the project, but it's done, and it looks beautiful! Class anyone?
