Wednesday, May 24, 2006


infogasm

I am totally loving Google notebook. Already I have notebooks on Evidence-Based Medicine Portals, Rhododendrons, the Erie Canal, Money Management, and travel in Mexico. I seriously think it could replace internet bookmarks for me.

Google, man. Much like Snoop Dog, they come up with funky new sh*t, like, every single day. Is there anything they can't do?

Monday, May 22, 2006

On Having No War
"You can no more win a war than you can win an earthquake." - Jeanette Rankin

A truly thoughtful and excellent article on the art of making a stronger anti-war movement.

Here are some statements I agree with:

"The anti-war movement lacks organization. There is no central leadership, or mechanism to effectively muster and control resources."

"The anti-war movement needs to develop a centralized intelligence operation, not a spy organization, but rather a think-tank that produces sound analysis based upon fact that can be used to empower those who are waging the struggle against war."

"It needs to grasp the pro-war movement's decision-making cycle, then undertake a comprehensive course of action that learns to pre-empt this cycle, getting 'inside' the pro-war system of making decisions, and thereby forcing the pro-war movement to react to the anti-war agenda, instead of vice versa."

**

I spent the weekend celebrating Bob Creeley's birthday. (More on this soon.) I think of my many friends, especially my company of poets and artists, and I cherish you all.

Sunday, May 21, 2006


Happy Birthday, Bob Creeley!

I remember Robert Creeley's 70th birthday celebration, a slightly chilly and rather academic event held at UB in 1996. Warmer, of course, for Bob's very presence. That was the only element missing from this past weekend's party, held this past weekend at two locations here in Buffalo: The Church, and The Albright-Knox Art Gallery.

The evening began with rememberances and readings by Debora Ott, Pen Creeley, Will Creeley (fantastic to reconnect with him, as I hadn't seen him since he was my student at City Honors ten years prior), Ansie Baird, Carl Dennis, Paul T. Hogan, Robin Brox, Kyle Schlesinger, Jonathon Skinner, David Landrey, and more.

Then the visiting poets commenced. Tom Raworth, all the way from England, delivered fast and funny poems and ended by feeding a piece of paper--Bob's epitaph punched out in holes--through a tiny music box, twittering out a little discordant, sometimes sweet, stuttering song.

Joanne Kyger spoke, entwining quotes from conversations with Bob from Bolinas days with her poems. Amiri Baraka followed, as ever powerful--political, musical, just about the time the champagne was being poured for the midnight toast.

For me, it held the elements of my favorite times in Buffalo--warm feeling among strangers and friends, a poet in every other seat, people who care. For Love, I laughed, shed tears (particularly at the screening of Diane Christian and Bruce Jackson's film Creeley), delighted in the power of poetry and good company.

Bob, you are both missed and very present. Jimmie Gilliam and I agreed, it's not time yet to speak of you in the past tense. Happy birthday. Onward!

Monday, May 15, 2006

Weekend of festivity, and fever

I was social, sick, social, and so on. Jennimi, congrats on your MLS!

I liked this so much, I thought I'd share:

Seven Rules of Motivation (from here)

#1 Set a major goal, but follow a path. The path has mini goals that go in many directions. When you learn to succeed at mini goals, you will be motivated to challenge grand goals.

#2 Finish what you start. A half finished project is of no use to anyone. Quitting is a habit. Develop the habit of finishing self-motivated projects.

#3 Socialize with others of similar interest. Mutual support is motivating. We will develop the attitudes of our five best friends. If they are losers, we will be a looser. If they are winners, we will be a winner. To be a cowboy we must associate with cowboys.

#4 Learn how to learn. Dependency on others for knowledge is a slow, time consuming processes. Man has the ability to learn without instructors. In fact, when we learn the art of self-education we will find, if not create, opportunity to find success beyond our wildest dreams.

#5 Harmonize natural talent with interest that motivates. Natural talent creates motivation, motivation creates persistence and persistence gets the job done.

#6 Increase knowledge of subjects that inspire. The more we know about a subject, the more we want to learn about it. A self-propelled upward spiral develops.

#7 Take risk. Failure and bouncing back are elements of motivation. Failure is a learning tool. No one has ever succeeded at anything worthwhile without a string of failures.

***

I cancelled cable a few weeks ago, and I don't miss it. "NBC will place the new drama from Aaron Sorkin, "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," in the middle of its Thursday night, at 9. Kevin Reilly, the president of NBC Entertainment, said yesterday that the show had both the high quality NBC seeks on Thursday night, and enough comedic elements that it can work in what has been NBC's prime comedy period."This is truly exciting.

Basil and spinach are in the ground in the garden. Plenty more to do, but this satisfies.

3 cycles of acupuncture now. I do not percieve a change. What next?

Monday, May 08, 2006

I won!

I won Best Literary Artist from Artvoice. Thanks to all.

I split the party directly after--my god! it was crowded and, my god! I do not like crowds. I did have some tasty sushi (Tsunami) and ravioli (LeBro's) and pastry (Dolci) and I hugged Gabrielle and then I went to Nietzche's, where it was poet-bartender and jazz and hockey game on mute. I had good talk and BBQ corn chips and hello's in the hall and Susan Peters gave me a pink flamingo with whirring wings for the garden.

I shall call him Sal.
Urban Epiphany Images

We wre lucky this year to have UE documented by a couple of image makers. aDub videoed the event for us (results still in process) and Jennimi made images--really gorgeous ones--which can be seen here.

Thursday, May 04, 2006

Wowed

I can hardly believe it. I've been nominated for yet another award. Thanks, Artvoice readers!

Monday, May 01, 2006

May 1 is City Honors Day!

My alma mater, City Honors High School (where I also taught both as a sub and afterschool poet-in-residence) has been named the #4 high school in the country by Newsweek. It is a richly deserved honor, and both teachers and students share in making it so. And CHS Rugby Girl Girls are 2006 Division 1 State Champions!

For me, May 1 is the Day After Urban Epiphany, and I am wicked tired. In the end, we had exactly 100 poets reading for 6 hours straight (with one very short break). So many themes, so many styles...and today I am out of words for describing anything. It was said several times to me that Urban Epiphany is a true community event for the poets of Buffalo, and I am very proud of this, indeed.

Saturday afternoon was spent with Jennimi and aDub visiting the Grant-Ferry Association "Taste of Diversity" Fair. This area, which in recent years has become home to many Bantu people from Somalia and Ethiopia, had previously been a mostly Hispanic and Italian neighborhood. The fair offered some of the most delicious cuisine I've ever had, every bit of it made by people in the community--food from Sierra Leone, Puerto Rico, Somalia, and about 8 other countries for $1 a bowl. I had a fantastic Sambusa, and renewed hope for an Ethiopian restaurant in Western New York someday. We were also treated to dancing and singing from groups from local schools and local legend Emile "Papa" Lattimer and the African dancers with whom he has been performing over the years.

More photos here.



Happy May Day, and happy Beltane to all.